Hi,
I'm Christy Kelly and welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra,
An invitation to return home,
Home to yourself.
The following practice invokes the essence of divine grounded presence.
To begin,
Find your comfortable Shavasana like shape,
Your rest nest.
Lay the body restfully over any props,
Holding you in the lap of luxury.
The head,
The neck and the spine are graciously aligned.
And those parts of you in contact with the support begin to yield,
As though roots are burrowing toward the depths of the rich,
Fertile soil.
Your awareness drifts toward the eyes,
And the eyes rest into the embrace of the sockets as the eyelids gently meet one another,
Like sweet little inbuilt eye shades.
You may like to open your mouth a little and wiggle your jaw up and down,
Side to side,
Slowly and intentionally sensing into the movement at the hinge of the jaw,
Becoming alive to the sensations that may be present.
The jaw comes to rest,
The upper and lower jaw slightly parted,
Yet the lips lightly meet,
Softened and relaxed.
Gently swallow a few times,
Intentionally giving up any unspoken words.
The tongue begins to spread in the mouth,
And perhaps the tip of the tongue rests behind the top row of teeth.
And the face,
And the face is expressionless.
Any tightness,
Any holding begins to fade.
These initial few moments of stillness and connection may feel a little foreign.
We live in such a fast-paced world,
Which perpetuates a constant state of distraction.
We go from place to place,
Rapidly switching our attention from one thing to the next,
Without really paying attention.
Yet,
The irony is,
It is this exact moment that matters.
We live outside of ourselves,
Giving our power away,
And as we time travel from the past to the future,
We bypass the magic of inhabiting our physical form and being in the now.
In this moment,
Invite yourself to arrive,
Letting go of all that came before you,
And calling back all parts of you across all time and space,
Past and future,
To the here and now.
From this state of relative stillness,
Tend to yourself with compassion and gentleness,
And become the observer as your awareness sweeps the landscape of your architecture,
Noticing what it is that you bring to the practice,
Noticing any areas of tension or ease,
How energy moves throughout the body,
Noticing if there are any thoughts present,
Noticing what you notice with compassionate,
Non-judgmental awareness,
Allowing everything and anything to be present,
Knowing that it is a perfect response in this moment.
Perhaps there's a word or a phrase that describes how you are feeling.
Make a gentle agreement to honor what is alive for you,
Releasing the desire for it to be something else.
Know that you are perfect,
Whole,
And complete,
Just as you are.
Acknowledge that it is time to experience rest and reconnection with the divine grounded presence through the powerful practice of Yoga Nidra.
Lay down all the lists,
The doing,
And the planning.
Acknowledge it is time to experience rest and reconnection with divine grounded presence.
You are comfortable,
Held,
And supported in a position of ease to receive.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Your awareness is drawn to the space between the eyebrows,
Deep within the midbrain.
We meet the formalized practice by seeding a sankalpa,
A seed which reveals your deepest heartfelt desire.
This is a positive statement in the present tense that aligns with your truest self.
Imagine this intention and the intention statement,
Something like,
I am present,
I am rested,
Or perhaps I am connected.
How would you like to feel as you move through life?
Begin to tend to the seed of intention.
It has always been there.
And if no intention comes,
Allow the spacious awareness to serve you.
And silently repeat your personal intention three times.
Feel it,
Be it,
For it is the truth.
And so be it,
And so it is.
During Yoga Nidra,
It is natural to move in and out of consciousness.
Make a gentle agreement to remain aware.
Yet if you are enveloped with sleep,
Trust that a deeper part of you is always listening.
And if at any stage you become uncomfortable,
Let go of the sound of my voice and follow the breath,
And come back to my voice when you are ready.
Alternatively,
You are welcome to imagine an inner sanctuary,
An internal place of peace,
Comfort,
And calm.
If you have trouble calming the mind,
Know that this is perfectly natural.
It is the nature of the thinking mind to think.
Allow yourself to be with the thoughts that are coming into your awareness.
And as you watch the fluctuations of your mind,
You begin to sink into a deeper relationship with who you are,
Cultivating a deeper sense of awareness of the inner world.
Your awareness is drawn to the space between the eyebrows,
Deep within the midbrain.
The body gracefully meets the earth,
And the back body growing roots which burrow deeply into the rich fertile soil beneath.
I will guide you to trace a pathway throughout the physical body.
And with the mind's eye,
Visualize a glow of light as each region is named.
Or if more comfortable,
Feel and sense each area without the visualization.
We will move with intentional pace.
Embrace the shift in tempo to flow with whatever arises.
With gentleness,
Your awareness rests with the heart.
The heart is illuminated with a glow of light.
And here you are,
Returning home to the embrace of the heart.
Your awareness glides to the center of the brow,
Illuminated with a glow of light.
The right temple becomes illuminated,
And the light then descends to the right cheek,
The right shoulder,
The right side of the chest,
The right upper thigh,
And the right ankle.
Feel the whole right side luminous,
Twinkling with light,
Connected.
The light of awareness meets the left ankle,
The left upper thigh,
The left side of the chest,
Left shoulder,
Left cheek,
Left temple.
The light of your awareness illuminates the midbrain space between the ears.
Feel the whole left side,
Luminous,
Twinkling with light,
Connected.
Begin to expand your awareness to feel the whole body,
Grounded and connected.
The roots of the back body growing into the nourishing bed of the earth beneath you,
Creating space for you to become deeply connected and open to the cosmos around.
The luminous light,
The earth beneath you,
Moving into relationship with the heaven and earth axis.
You begin to feel and sense the whole body,
Grounded yet expansive.
Your awareness is drawn to the space between the eyebrows,
Deep within the midbrain.
Gradually begin to feel the breath as it comes and goes,
Feeling the breath as it comes and goes,
Again and again.
Any mental chatter begins to dissolve into the background,
Follow the feeling of the breath over and over,
Noticing the softness,
The subtlety,
The symphony of movement.
Notice how the breath sounds,
How it feels at the nostrils.
Notice how the breath meets the throat,
Where it lands within the lungs.
Noticing the breath and the imprint it creates within the body,
Anchoring your attention with the breath,
Acquainting yourself with the secret language of the body.
Experiencing sensations as the in-breath meets the container of the skin,
You are meeting yourself as you are.
The parts of you that move and flow with the rhythm of the breath,
Perhaps noticing the parts of you that are tense,
Held,
Where the breath does not wish to move.
And perhaps noticing the parts of you that move with ease and flow,
Living the experience of the breath.
Gradually we'll begin to invoke the power of Nadi Shodhana,
Alternate nasal breathing,
To clear the subtle energy channels.
Begin by sensing or visualizing the breath as it flows in and out through both nostrils.
And on your next exhale,
Sense or visualize the breath moving in through the right nostril,
Toward the space between the eyebrows,
And out through the left nostril.
The breath flows in through the left nostril,
Toward the space between the eyebrows,
And out through the right nostril.
In through the right,
And out through the left.
In through the left,
And out through the right.
My guidance fades so you can be with the breath in this way for the next little while.
The breath returns to its natural,
Easy rhythm.
The entire body breathing,
A symphony of movement,
An invitation of presence.
And here you are,
Perfect,
Whole,
And complete.
Your awareness is drawn to the heart space,
Resting within the heart.
You will be guided to meet an emotion and its opposite pairing.
This becomes an invitation to meet expansive,
Even ground,
Where you begin to feel how it is to embody both and,
Rather than either or.
As emotions are named,
Feel into the sensation rather than becoming hooked into a story of times gone by.
If you do not experience the emotion,
Allow the idea of it to be there.
Sense into how anxiety feels,
How it moves throughout the body,
Where it lives.
And then feel into its opposite,
Calm.
Sense how calm feels,
How it moves throughout the body,
Where it lives.
Begin to notice if there are any associated emotions present.
Breathe in toward the heart,
Rest within the heart.
And sense into worry.
Notice how this feels within the body,
Where it lives.
And feel into its opposite,
Peace.
Sense into how peace feels,
How it moves throughout the body,
Where it lives.
Begin to notice if there are any associated emotions present.
And breathe into the heart,
Rest within the heart.
And sense into disconnection.
Notice how this feels within the body,
Where it lives.
And feel into its opposite,
Connected.
Sense into how this feels within the body,
Where it lives.
Begin to notice if there are any associated emotions present.
Rest into the heart,
Allow your experience to be.
Meeting whatever was encountered and trust that your experience will always be the perfect response.
Welcome any images,
Thoughts,
Feelings,
And hold this awareness with gentle compassionate acceptance.
And as you rest into this time and space,
You are open to life as it is unfolding.
You meet yourself as you are perfect,
Whole,
And complete.
Begin to feel the body meeting the earth,
Roots growing from the back body and burrowing into the rich fertile soil beneath you.
Grounded,
Connected,
Present.
The roots of the body move deeper and deeper into the earth,
Sensing the deep unconditional nourishment offered from these depths.
And the roots arrive at the center of the earth.
And here you meet the heat and intensity of fire burning at the earth's core.
Anything that is no longer of service to you,
Fears,
Worries,
Negativity,
Limiting beliefs,
Anything are engulfed by the fire,
Alchemized.
You give your fears,
Worries,
Negativity,
Limiting beliefs to the fire burning within the center of the earth.
The heat of the fire burns along the roots,
Moving from the center of the earth to meet your physical form.
The warmth of the fire that burns at the earth's core meets the heart and the third eye.
Warmth radiates throughout your entire form.
Alchemizing heaviness,
Negativity,
Offering revitalizing nourishment.
The heat at the center of the earth,
Alchemizing with a nutrient-rich soil,
Seeding growth.
And the front body grows branches toward the expanse of the cosmos above.
Yet the roots of the back body ground you,
Branches growing from the front body,
Seeking connection with the cosmos above,
Creating a heaven and earth axis.
And you,
You are the conduit.
The branches leaves growing from the front body wind their way to the cosmos above to drink in its nourishing energy.
The heat from below alchemizing heaviness,
The energy from above complementing growth.
And here you are at the center of it all,
Grounded,
Connected,
Perfect,
Whole and complete.
A gentle breeze whispers through the leaves of the branches,
Soothing,
Calming,
Filled with secrets of the universe that reside within and all around you.
The breeze begins to move with the rhythm of the breath,
Which begins to then move around the body.
Listen to the inner world.
Listen to the wisdom from within.
Rest into the space of the third eye.
And within this ease of resting in awareness,
Settling to feeling grounded,
Connected,
And present.
Here you are,
Embodying your physical form,
Arriving right here,
Right now,
As the beautiful,
Unique,
And powerful beyond measure expression of you.
Oneness,
Wholeness,
Resting in pure,
Limitless awareness.
Resting in pure,
Limitless awareness.
You see and feel the truth of who you are.
Rested,
Present,
Luminous,
Perfect,
Whole and complete.
This sense of wholeness begins to expand,
Merging all within the cosmos.
This complete,
Unified,
Coherent,
Micro version of you expands to inhabit the vast surrounding cosmos.
The micro-universe within inhabiting the macro of the universe.
The macro universe inhabiting the micro universe from within.
Rest into the space of the third eye.
Your sankalpa rises and moves toward the foreground.
The seed of truth within the bed of the rich earthen soil germinates toward the surface.
And the power of your sankalpa rises to meet you.
Feel into the truth of this statement,
Holding the vision within the body-mind.
Gently and silently repeat your sankalpa three times.
Allow it to land within the rich,
Fertile soil of all that you are.
So be it,
And so it is.
Gradually become more and more aware of your whole self.
Notice the soft and subtle breathing,
And the rhythm of the breath as it flows in and out.
And becoming more and more aware of the whole body lying with the earth.
The whole body lying with the earth.
Becoming more and more aware of this time,
This place.
You are present and connected.
Here and now.
This completes the practice of yoga nidra.
Intentionally,
Slowly roll to your preferred side,
Holding yourself within the shape of a fetal curl,
Luxuriating within the container of your skin.
The felt sense of how you hold yourself,
Inhabiting all that you are.
And leaning with the back of the heart,
And with the help of the hands,
Move toward an upright seat.
The heart leads the way,
And the head is the last to arrive.
The heart always leading the way.
The sit bones ground beneath you,
Rooting into the depths of the earth.
The trunk of the body,
The spine grows,
And the crown of the head moves upward toward the cosmos.
Heaven and earth connection.
Bring your hands to your heart,
A gesture of reverence to yourself.
This moment,
This life.
And in the same way we met the power of the practice,
Tend to yourself with compassion and gentleness.
Become the observer as your awareness sweeps the landscape of your architecture.
Noticing how things may have shifted,
And noticing what you notice with compassionate,
Non-judgmental awareness.
Allowing everything and anything to be present,
Knowing that it is the perfect response to this moment.
Remind yourself of the gentle agreement you had made at the beginning to honor what was alive for you.
And notice how challenged or easefully you were able to meet this.
Perhaps you found yourself bumping up against the way things are.
Or perhaps you were able to easefully meet whatever rose to meet you.
Know that this is all a practice.
And gently let this go.
And in this moment,
Honor all that you were,
All that you are,
And all that you are yet to become.
