Yoga Nidra: Winter Cosy Rest

This 'Daring To Rest' style yoga nidra guides you to power down your body, mind and soul into the healing darkness and stillness of winter. You will connect with the healing energies of the root chakra for grounding and stability in this season of winter. A cosy visualisation will lead you into feeling rested and rejuvenated before you are invited to receive a soul whisper.

Transcript

Welcome to this yoga nidra for grounding in winter.

Settle in and make yourself as cosy and comfortable as possible.

We'll be here for around the next 30 minutes.

Create a lovely restful nest using cushions and pillows or blankets.

Whatever you need to really cosy up.

Close your eyes or adopt a soft gaze and become aware of being in the darkness behind your closed eyes.

Surrender into rest that the darkness behind the closed eyes allows.

Beginning now to turn your awareness to sounds outside of the room that you're in.

This might be traffic or people.

Just noticing them without finding them distracting.

There's no need to judge them or wish they were different.

Just being aware of their existence in the background.

And now draw your attention to sounds within the room you're in.

This might be humming from electrical devices or from a clock.

Again,

Just noticing them and allowing them to be just as they are.

Become aware now of the temperature in the room where you're resting.

And notice where you feel the air on your exposed skin.

Not making judgements about the temperature,

Just noticing it as it is.

And now draw your attention to the contact between your body and the mat or bed that you're resting on.

The contact between your head and the cushions or pillows.

Your shoulder blades and arms against the bed or mat.

Your buttocks,

Calves and heels.

All held and supported by the earth beneath you.

And now visualise drawing a circle of protective energy around your body.

This circle might be made of moonlight,

Candlelight,

A circle of your favourite plant or flower.

Just anything that feels nurturing to you.

This circle helps to protect you from unwanted energy.

Or from thoughts that might disturb you during your practice.

Within this protective circle of energy,

You feel healing energy as you rest here,

Cocooned within the boundaries of this circle.

Sense yourself inside the centre of the healing circle.

Feeling a sense of peace and protection.

And if you have a sankalpa or intention,

Bringing this to mind and repeat it to yourself three times as if you're planting it as a seed into the earth.

As I continue to guide you into the state of yoga nidra,

If you don't want to follow any instructions,

You always have the choice not to.

Instead,

You may wish to follow your breath.

I'd now like you to think of your body as a house or a home.

Different rooms,

Passageways,

Nooks and crannies.

And like you would go around your home at the end of the day and switch off all the lights before you rest or sleep,

We're going to do the same for the body.

Through the day we deal with lots of stimulation.

But now invite in a sense of quiet and stillness.

As I mention each body part,

I invite you to bring awareness there as we guide each area to power down and rest in healing darkness.

Switching lights off at your mouth,

Teeth and gums,

The walls of the mouth,

Floor of the mouth,

Ceiling of the mouth.

The mouth,

The tongue,

The whole now still,

Dark and quiet.

Moving to the left ear,

Right ear,

Both ears dark and still.

Lights off at the cheeks,

Left eye,

Right eye,

Eyes,

Quiet,

Dark and still.

Into the forehead,

Scalp,

Crown of the head,

Back of the head,

The whole head dark,

Quiet and still.

Healing darkness at the neck,

The interior walls of the throat.

Lights off at the left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist.

The entire left hand and arm from the tips of the fingers to the top of the shoulder,

Dark,

Quiet and still.

And now awareness to the right shoulder,

The right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist.

And the right hand,

Healing darkness in the entire right hand and arm from tips of the fingers to the top of the shoulder.

Sense both arms and hands together,

Quiet,

Dark,

Still.

Attention to the back of the throat,

Upper chest and back,

Middle of the torso,

Front and back,

Lower torso,

Front and back.

The entire torso and back held in dark awareness,

Quiet,

Still,

Resting.

Lights off at the pelvic bowl,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

Knee,

Left ankle,

Left heel,

The foot and toes.

The entire left leg to the tips of the toes,

Dark,

Quiet and still.

Dark awareness to the right hip,

Upper thigh,

Right knee,

Ankle,

Right heel and the right foot and toes in healing darkness.

The entire right leg all the way to the tips of the toes,

Both legs now together,

Quiet,

Dark.

Now sense the whole body,

The whole body dark,

Quiet,

Resting.

The whole body resting in healing darkness.

Bringing your attention now to your breath,

Just noticing the inhalation and exhalation.

And noticing the pause just before you inhale and the pause just before you exhale.

And noticing all the places that the breath goes in and pauses in fullness and all the places the breath comes all the way out of and pauses in emptiness.

Breathing in,

Pausing on fullness.

Breathing out,

Pausing on emptiness.

Breathing in,

Fullness.

Breathing out into emptiness.

Back and forth,

Allowing the body to receive the rhythm of the breath.

On the next exhalation,

When the breath is fully out,

Welcome this pause in emptiness as the winter time of the breath.

A time of resting and turning inward.

And on the next inhale,

When the breath is fully in,

Welcome this pause in fullness as the summer of the breath.

A time of growth and expansion.

Inhaling growth and expansion.

Exhaling rest and turning inward.

Inhale to summer.

Exhale winter and rest.

Inhaling summer growth and exhaling winter rest.

Now allowing the breath to return to your normal breathing rhythm.

Bringing your awareness to the space between your eyebrows and rest here.

And moving your awareness now to the root chakra at the base of your spine.

Noticing any sensations that arise in this area.

This is considered the root of the body,

Providing a base or foundation for life.

This area is responsible for the sense of security and stability and can help to withstand challenges in life.

Start to breathe in to the root chakra at the base of your spine.

Visualising a red glow as you breathe in.

This red glow growing on each inhale.

This warming,

Comforting red glow representing security and stability.

Each time you inhale,

Sense this warming red glow growing bigger and watch as it starts to spread.

Invite this glow to gently flow through your abdomen,

Spreading warmth and comfort.

With each inhale,

Feel its warmth and comfort travel into your arms and head.

Taking you deeper into relaxation.

The red glow filling your legs and feet now.

The limbs which connect to the solidity and stability of Mother Earth.

Know you are supported and safe to surrender into this moment.

To surrender into this season of winter.

Your whole body now relaxing and sinking into the warm embrace of Mother Earth.

Bringing your attention again to the space between your eyebrows.

And here,

Visualise or sense yourself walking on a path in the woods or forest.

Your feet gently crunching on a blanket of snow on the ground.

Snow rests on the bare branches of trees and sparkles in the moonlight.

Continuing to follow the path.

A small cottage comes into view.

Smoke coming from the chimney and a gentle warming glow comes from the windows.

You know in your heart this cottage is just for you.

And a smile crosses your face as you continue towards it.

The door of the cottage is now in sight and you see it's decorated with a holly wee and red winter berries.

You reach out to the door handle and you enter the cottage.

Closing the door behind you,

Knowing this sanctuary is just for you.

Taking off your layers and any weight you carry,

Leave it by the door and enter the main room with a log fire burned.

The heat warming you to the perfect temperature.

From inside the cottage you look out of the window at the glistening snow and the starry night sky.

You take in the beauty of the winter scene before closing the curtains.

The little cottage has plenty spots to cosy up with blankets and cushions so you snuggle in to get some well needed rest.

The fire crackles and is stroked up to keep you warm for as long as you need.

Your eyes heavy,

Your body softening and sinking into deep restorative rest.

Slowly you begin to stir and become aware of birds chirping outside the cottage.

Gently burning embers fade away in the fireplace and sunlight peeks around the edges of the closed curtains.

You take the time to gently move and stretch,

Feeling in to your rested body.

When you feel ready you make your way towards the door of the cottage.

You notice your body is lighter and moves with ease.

Opening the cottage door you cross the threshold and see the forest in the early spring sunshine.

Breathing in fresh spring air you look around to see green leaves on the trees and little green shoots popping up where seeds had previously rested dormant during winter.

There are splashes of colour beginning to appear as crocus and daffodils begin to open out,

Nourished by the spring rain and sunshine.

You feel refreshed,

Revitalised and renewed after your long rest and you are ready to rise into the new day and the new season.

You leave the cottage and the forest behind,

Knowing that it will always be there for you to seek sanctuary and rest whenever you need it.

As you leave this visualisation behind bring your awareness back to the space between your eyebrows.

Rest here and if it feels right you might repeat these affirmations in your mind.

I deserve to feel rested.

Relaxation and ease are available to me.

I trust that I am supported in life.

I have the right to rest when I need to.

I have the right to rest when I need to.

Sense all forms of exhaustion dissolving and leaving the body.

I will leave you here to rest for a while.

Allow yourself deep rest until you hear my voice again.

And now bring to mind your sankalpa or intention from earlier in the practice.

Repeat it softly to yourself three times and trust that it is planted like a seed in your very being and whether you realise it or not every part of you hears your sankalpa or intention,

Inviting it to take root and gently grow.

Begin to breathe in and out of your navel point or sacral area.

When it feels right ask for a soul whisper,

A message from your soul.

This may be something you sense or arrive as an image,

Word or phrase.

Listen.

If you receive a soul whisper exhale it to your navel point or sacral area and notice how it feels in your body.

If you didn't receive a soul whisper notice how this feels and trust that it may arrive after you rest today or in dream time.

Now slowly bring your attention back to the air in your mouth as you lie here breathing.

The body is quiet,

The mind is calm.

Becoming aware of your body lying on the surface that you rest on.

You might like to invite gentle movement into your fingers and toes.

Perhaps you hug your knees into your body or you come into a side lying position.

Rest here until you feel like you want to move again.

And this completes our yoga nidra today.

Reviews

A lovely practice, even if it has been hot summery weather here lately 🤭
I enjoyed a nice deep nitra.
Thank you Gail 😊 🙏