Autumn Yoga Nidra - Release
Yoga Nidra can be translated as yogic sleep and this practice has an autumn theme to help recharge and let go of what does not serve you anymore. This yoga nidra consists of listening to sound, body awareness, opposite feelings, visualisation, and meditation. A great practice for a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
Transcript
Welcome to Yoga Nidra.
Take a moment to settle yourself whether you want to lie down or sit in a reclined position.
Make sure you're warm enough as the body will cool down when sitting or lying still during this Yoga Nidra.
Make sure your body is supported where it needs to be supported.
Maybe you need something underneath your knees or your back.
Maybe you like a blanket.
Try to stay fully aware during this practice.
So if you have something that makes you very comfortable but is not needed,
Maybe you don't need that for this practice.
And as you're settling down,
Take a moment to feel into the body.
Make any adjustments that you need before becoming still within yourself.
If at any point during this Yoga Nidra you start to feel uncomfortable,
You can always visualize a safe space for you.
Somewhere where you are comfortable.
For some people that might be a temple or a mountaintop or a forest or a beach.
For others it might be listening to sounds or focusing on the breath.
Never strain and never be in pain.
If you need to adjust,
Please do so.
I'll give you a few moments here to connect to that safe space for you.
Whether that's visualizing,
Listening or feeling.
Making any last adjustments.
Allowing the whole body to release and relax into your seat or into your Shavasana.
And if you have a Sankalpa,
Please bring that to mind.
If you don't have a Sankalpa,
Maybe you want to set an intention for this practice or for the rest of your day.
Take a moment to connect with a short positive sentence set in the present tense for yourself.
When you have this sentence,
Mentally repeat that three times and really feel it.
Feel as if it's already there.
It's already manifested.
Mentally repeat your Sankalpa or intention three times.
Start listening to the sounds around you.
When you hear a sound,
Listen to it fully.
Acknowledge it and then let it go.
See if you can listen to another sound.
Keep repeating that process of listening,
Acknowledging,
Letting go,
Listening again.
Keep practicing.
If your mind begins to wander,
Gently bring it back to listening to sound.
Acknowledging,
Releasing.
Keep practicing for a few more moments.
Fully letting that go.
Letting go of the sounds.
I'll be naming body parts and mentally repeat that body part or feel into that body part.
Starting with the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the right hand,
Right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of the waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole,
Heel,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe.
Keep following the sound of my voice.
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left side of waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Left knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the left foot,
Heel,
Top of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Keep following the sound of my voice,
No sleeping.
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Upper back,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Back of the neck,
Spine from bottom to top,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Eyebrow center,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Upper lip,
Tongue,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Right side of chest,
Left side of chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel center,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis.
Keep following my voice,
Right hand,
Left hand,
Both hands,
Right arm,
Left arm,
Both arms,
Right foot,
Left foot,
Both feet,
Right leg,
Left leg,
Both legs,
Both buttocks,
The whole back,
The whole torso,
Neck,
Head,
Right side of the body,
Left side of the body,
Front of the body,
Back of the body,
The whole body.
Now feel a light in the whole body,
Feeling light,
The whole body feeling light.
And now start to feel heavy,
Feeling heavy,
The whole body feeling heavy.
And now start to feel tense,
Feeling tense,
Feeling tense.
And now start to feel relaxed,
Feeling relaxed,
Feeling fully relaxed.
Can you hold those two together,
Feeling tense and feeling relaxed at the same time,
Feeling tense and feeling relaxed at the same time.
Letting that go,
Letting go,
Feeling tense and relaxed.
Start to feel scared,
Feeling scared,
Feeling scared.
And now start to feel safe,
Feeling safe,
Feeling safe.
Can you hold those two together,
Feeling scared and feeling safe,
Feeling scared and feeling safe at the same time.
Letting go of that,
Letting go,
Feeling scared and safe at the same time.
Bring awareness to the mind space at the eyebrow center and try to visualize there the following.
If visualizing is difficult,
If it's tricky,
Don't worry.
Simply listen to the sounds.
Try to visualize green grass,
Green grass,
Green grass,
Tall trees,
Tall trees,
Tall trees,
Yellow leaves,
Yellow leaves,
Yellow leaves,
Mushrooms,
Mushrooms,
Mushrooms.
Imagine that you are walking on a grassy path.
The grassy path leads into a forest.
It is a crisp,
Sunny,
Autumn day and the morning dew glitters in the sun.
You feel the air cool with a hint of warmth on your skin and you take in the smell of the fresh scent of the trees.
You walk into the forest fully aware of the beautiful and vibrant autumn colors.
You've been walking for a while now and you find a place to sit.
You make yourself comfortable and you look up into the trees.
You notice the textures of the leaves,
The yellow color that is almost golden and the reds turning into brown.
A leaf falls down and lands in front of your feet.
You notice that most of it is almost transparent as it is starting to decompose.
It's getting ready to be taken back up into the earth.
You will feel inspired and you take a moment to reflect on what you can let go of in your life.
You realize that it is okay to hold on but it is also okay to let go,
Just like the falling leaves.
The ground gets nourished by fallen debris and you are nourished by the experience.
You're ready for new adventures and you take a few deep breaths.
You feel grateful for this moment and you take some time to surrender,
Fully experiencing the present moment,
Allowing yourself to fully be.
After surrendering,
Acceptance comes and you feel fully at peace.
The air is starting to cool down.
So you take a moment here to raise your arms overhead and stretch before you stand up and walk out of the forest.
You feel refreshed and at peace,
Fully letting this go,
Letting go of the visualization.
Stay focused on the mind space,
The space between the eyebrows on that level,
Also known as Chittakash.
Observe here for a few moments,
Allowing anything that needs to come up to come up.
Acknowledging what is coming up.
Could be colors,
Could be thoughts,
Could be nothing.
Whatever it is,
Allow it to be.
Acknowledge it and let it go.
Staying focused on the mind space,
Repeating the process of observing,
Acknowledging,
Releasing.
Observing,
Acknowledging,
Releasing.
Keep practicing.
If your mind begins to wander,
Gently bring it back to the mind space.
Observing,
Acknowledging,
And releasing.
Keep practicing.
Slowly letting that go,
Letting that go.
Bring back to mind your sankalpa or intention that you set at the beginning of this practice.
And again,
Mentally repeat that three times.
And start to become aware of the breath.
Noticing how you're breathing,
If you're breathing in the chest or abdomen,
Maybe both.
Taking three deep breaths here.
Becoming fully aware of the whole body.
Aware of the whole body.
The whole physical body.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Yoga Nidra is complete.
Bring some movement in your body,
In your fingers,
In your toes,
Your feet,
Your hands.
You might want to roll the head or the shoulders,
Or stretch your arms overhead for a full stretch.
If you're lying down,
Roll onto your right side.
Then take a few breaths here.
Coming up into a seated position.
I'll finish with three oms.
Feel free to join in.
Inhale.
