Yoga Nidra - Building Sand Castles

Do you need to relax deeply and awaken the creativity within? Settle into stillness to listen to this yoga Nidra guided meditation. This practice will take you to a place of peacefulness while journeying through the subconscious mind to clear the sacral chakra. Open to the energy of this centre to fuel your creativity and passions.

Transcript

Thank you for taking the time for self-care tonight.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is a beautiful opportunity to explore the relationships with self,

The world,

And the divine in a state of complete relaxation,

To open,

To rest in healing the body,

Mind,

And soul,

To tend to the parts of ourselves we didn't realize needed our attention until we moved inward to see them.

Traditionally,

This practice is done in Shavasana,

But what is more important is comfort.

So adjust to discover what works best for you.

Shavasana,

Adding padding or props,

Seated or even reclined restorative pose.

Adjust everything,

Your body,

Position,

And close until you are completely comfortable.

During Yoga Nidra,

There should be no physical movement.

As the stiller you stay,

The deeper you are apt to go.

Close your eyes if it is comfortable for you,

And try to keep them closed until the end.

Take a deep breath.

And as you breathe out,

Feel the cares and worries of the day flow out of you.

During Yoga Nidra,

You are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness.

And the only important thing is to follow my voice.

Try not to intellectualize or analyze the instructions as this will disturb your mental relaxation.

Simply follow the voice with total attention and feeling.

And if thoughts come to disturb you from time to time,

Do not worry,

Just continue to practice.

And develop the feeling of relaxation in the body.

It is not necessary to make movements or deliberately relax your muscles.

Simply develop the feeling of relaxation.

It is like the feeling you have just before sleep.

When relaxation becomes deep,

Sleep does come.

But try to keep yourself awake.

Know that if you do sleep,

You will still get all that you need from this practice.

In your mind's eye,

Say to yourself,

I will not sleep.

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

I will not sleep.

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

Keep in your awareness of your body,

Laying on the floor.

Feel the meeting points between your body and the floor.

Intensify the feeling of your body laying on the floor.

Feel the back of the head and the floor,

The shoulder blades and the floor.

Imagine scrunching up the shoulders,

Then relaxing them deeply,

Letting them melt deeper into the floor.

Feel the hips against the floor.

Feel the buttocks and the floor,

The calves and the floor,

The heels and the floor.

The whole body completely relaxed.

The whole body is relaxed.

The whole body is relaxed.

In this place of calm surrender,

Draw an energetic circle around your body.

This circle is here to protect you and to keep out any distractions,

Allowing you to rest deeply.

You can make this circle out of anything you would like,

The energy of stone,

Sticks,

Wood or brick.

Make it anything you would like.

Now draw a second one.

This circle of energy draws closer to your body.

It is to bring healing and calm to you and your practice.

Make this circle out of whatever you would like,

Water,

Smoke,

Clouds,

Love,

Stardust,

Anything you would like.

You are safe and protected,

Nestled into the energy circles you have created.

Relax deeply from head to toe.

The whole body is relaxed.

The whole body is relaxed.

The whole body is relaxed.

The sankalpa is a seed of intention that is planted through your practice.

Nurtured each time you come to Nidra and meditate.

You feed the intention and until it comes true,

As the sankalpa made in Yoga Nidra,

Always comes true if you are patient.

It can be anything you would like.

Something simple like feeling rested with today's practice or clearing your mind.

Or maybe you choose something like becoming healthier,

Opening your third eye or even moving into enlightenment.

Whatever you choose.

Make it a short sentence using simple words phrased in a way that you can repeat it in the same way each time you say it.

Say your sankalpa three times in your mind's eye now with feeling,

Intention and trust.

We now begin the rotation of consciousness,

Rotation of awareness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body.

As quickly as possible,

The awareness is to go from part to part.

Repeat the part in your mind and simultaneously become aware of the part of the body.

Keep yourself alert,

But do not concentrate intensely.

Become aware of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of your palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right waist,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

The kneecap,

Calf muscle,

The ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Top of the foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Become aware of the left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

The left waist,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now to the back.

Become aware of the right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The right buttock,

The left buttock,

The spine,

The whole back,

The top of the head,

Forehead,

Both sides of the head,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Nose,

Tip of the nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Throat,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Abdomen,

Whole of the right leg,

Whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

Together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

Whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The breath in the whole body,

The natural rhythm of the breath in the whole body,

With the inhale,

The body expands,

And with the exhale,

The body sighs and softens,

With every inhale,

Feel the breath move all the way into the fingers and toes,

Into the top of the head and the soles of the feet,

The whole body fills with energy of the breath of life,

Each time the body exhales,

It releases,

Releases the heaviness you carry around,

Becoming lighter and lighter,

Letting go of the parts that no longer are needed,

They melt from you with this exhale,

Relaxing the body deeper and deeper,

Now see the breath like a wave,

As you inhale,

The wave washes into the beach,

Hitting the shore with a whoosh,

Bringing with it treasures from the deep,

Then with the exhale,

The water retreats,

Taking debris with it,

The beautiful sound of the waves with each breath,

Calm and peaceful,

Stay with the waves and the breath,

Rest in the darkness of the space behind the third eye,

The space called Chittikasha Dandasana,

Here where we bear witness to the workings of the subconscious mind,

Lingering in the darkness,

Allowing whatever you are meant to see,

Hear,

Shapes,

Colors,

Images,

Simply observe without needing to control or discern,

Just observe,

Release this space,

Instead,

Imagine in your mind's eye,

That the body is becoming very heavy,

Awaken the idea of heaviness in the body,

And gradually feel that the body is becoming heavier and heavier,

The head is becoming heavy,

The right palm is heavy,

The left palm is heavy,

Both arms and shoulders are heavy,

The back is heavy,

The buttocks are heavy,

The right thigh is heavy,

And the left thigh is heavy,

Both kneecaps are heavy,

Both legs are heavy,

Both arms are heavy,

The whole head is heavy,

The eyes are heavy,

The lips are heavy,

The whole body is heavy,

Keep on thinking that the whole body is heavy,

Intensify the feeling of heaviness,

Then gradually relax part by part,

Now feel the whole body becoming lighter and lighter,

Deepen the awareness of feeling intensely light,

The head is light,

So light that it rises from the floor,

The right and left palms are becoming lighter,

As if the hands are floating too,

Both arms and both shoulders are light,

The back is light,

The right thigh is light,

The left thigh is light,

The right heel is light,

And the left heel is light,

The whole body is light and weightless,

When your body becomes weightless,

You feel as if it is rising from the floor,

Intensify the feeling of lightness,

The whole body is light,

Now release this feeling,

And come to the third eye center,

Feel the space between the eyebrows,

With your attention here,

I will name some objects,

And as I name each one,

Try to visualize it in your mind,

Sometimes I will go quickly and other times slow,

I will also come back to the image a number of times,

Some of the images may be known to you,

But don't think too much,

The image should shine by itself,

Bring your awareness to the third eye center,

White fluffy clouds adorning the soft blue sky,

Red roses in a vase,

Crocodile,

The salmon,

Tiger lilies along the roadside,

Big waves,

A black lantern,

A garland of marigolds,

A cobblestone path through an English garden,

A bunny nibbling grass,

A dolphin,

A snake,

A lotus flower on the water,

And a frog jumping into a pond,

And back to the third eye center,

See a dolphin playing in the waves,

A school of salmon swimming upstream,

Rabbit,

Frog,

A crocodile,

A garden of colorful flowers,

Plate of nuts and seeds,

The light from a lantern piercing the darkness,

Red rose,

Marigolds,

Lotus flower,

A full moon in the night sky,

Gray clouds,

And a tiny garden snake slithering through the brush,

Again,

Come to the forehead,

To the third eye center,

See the full moon peeking out from behind the clouds,

Crocodile slipping into the water,

Dolphin,

Snake,

A lotus flower on a lily pad,

The thorn of a red rose,

A bunny,

A frog,

Light of a lantern,

Snake in the garden,

Stars in the night sky,

Tiger lilies,

Cobblestones,

A salmon,

And a garland of bright orange marigolds,

Feel your bare feet in the white sand of a tiny secluded beach you are standing on,

It's quiet with only a few others off in the distance,

You've escaped here today to warm your soul in the sand and nurture your being in the sound of the waves,

You wiggle your toes,

Burying your feet a little deeper,

The top of the sand is quite toasty from the sun high above,

But when you get down a little way,

You feel a coolness touch your soles,

Your body sighs under the sensation of relief,

You stand there for a moment,

Taking in the scene,

The sound of the small waves hitting the shore,

The vastness of the ocean and its deep blue color,

The contrast of the light colored sand surrounding you,

The height of the palm trees you can see in the edge of your gaze,

And sigh of relief softens the body further,

Your whole being begins to relax and your mind clear completely,

You unpack your bag to settle in,

A yellow striped beach chair that sits low to the ground,

The multitude of colors in the mandala of your Turkish towel,

That is more the size of a blanket,

A picnic of some of your favorite foods and a large water bottle to keep you hydrated on your adventure,

Noticing something orange in the sand off in the distance,

You decide to take a walk,

The warmth of the sand smushes under your feet with each step,

The breeze off the water holds the warmth of the sun too,

That feels good as it brushes your skin,

As you approach,

You see someone has left a few things behind,

An orange plastic bucket,

A yellow rake and a red shovel with a wooden handle,

You gather the forgotten items and take them back with you,

Along the way,

You begin to smile,

Remembering the sand castles you once made as a child,

When you visited the seashore with your family and friends,

Remembering the stories you would make up about mermaids and sea kings who lived in these magnificent structures and adorned with shells and rocks,

Beach glass and feathers,

You sit down on your towel looking at the sand toys,

Still grinning from ear to ear,

Joyful with the memories that flood back,

Awakening something within you,

A forgotten creativity woven with both hands and imagination that came so easily to you when you were young,

You reach out and grasp the wooden handle of the shovel,

Digging a bit in the sand beside you,

Then excitement overwhelms you,

Suddenly grabbing the bucket and running down to the water's edge to fill it,

Making several trips back and forth,

You then take the damp sand,

Filling the bucket,

Tipping it over quickly,

Then slowly lifting it to find a bucket shaped dome of sand,

The giggle slips from your lips and you make another and another,

Digging,

Raking,

Building,

Searching for tiny pieces of beach glass and seashells,

Discovering colorful rocks,

All treasures in the moment,

Time slips away as you meticulously create your sandy masterpiece,

Each grain of sand,

An opportunity for creativity,

Each embellishment inspiring another,

A lightness within you that you have not felt in a very long time,

That busy adult melts away as you play,

As you feed your creative side,

After what seems like minutes,

But was really hours,

You sit back and observe your creation,

You daydream a little about being the lucky soul who lives in this castle by the sea,

Getting to listen to the waves every day and every night,

Waking up to the sun rising over the water and the freedom felt living on the beach,

Proud of the joy you rediscovered within yourself today,

Heart overflowing,

Being fed with creativity,

You pack up your belongings to head home,

But you leave behind the forgotten orange bucket,

Yellow rake and red shovel with the wooden handle,

For someone else to find,

In this place of pure joy,

Remember your sankalpa,

Infused with trust and gratitude,

Repeat your sankalpa three times in your mind's eye now,

Feeling it in all of who you are,

Now return to your breath,

The natural rhythm of your breath,

Feel the subtle movements of the body with each inhale and exhale,

The rise and fall of the chest and belly,

Become aware of sounds inside this room,

Of sounds outside of this room,

Become completely external,

Feel your body lying on the floor,

Feel your arms and legs,

Your fingers and toes,

Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes slowly,

Awakening the body,

Stretching and moving slowly,

Taking the time to wake the body before getting up,

Remember that the body has been very still for this past hour,

And it's important to let the blood start pumping and the body to wake up slowly,

So there is no rush to get up from your practice today,

But when you are ready,

You can roll to one side or the other to come to seated and stay there for a few minutes before standing,

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.