Wood Element Imagery Yoga Nidrā
A script I wrote with an Amrit inspiration that uses Wood Element Imagery in Chinese Medicine. We begin with five movements to release tension. Rotation of consciousness begins at the right hand. Breathing is from the tip of the tailbone to the crown of the head. The visualization is rapid imagery with an emphasis on Spring. Enjoy! If you like my meditation please leave me a rating/review. I appreciate it!
Transcript
Welcome to your practice of yoga nidra.
Allow your body to take the shape of corpse pose and support the body with any props.
I prefer a bolster underneath,
A small pillow or folded blanket under base of skull.
Toes fall open,
Hip width or mouth,
Palms turn up,
Widening the arms.
Gather the breath from toe tips,
Rising up the spine,
Fingertips to crown.
And exhale out of the mouth,
Follow the same pathway back down and exit tension out of fingertips,
Toe tips to earth.
Now,
I want you to take a moment to think about how to do this in your body.
So,
I'm going to start with a few movements to release tension and stored energy.
So,
The first one,
Bring your knees into chest and make a ball.
And you're going to wrap your arms around your knees,
Forehead to knees.
Scrunch your face,
Scrunch your eyes,
Breathe in,
Scrunch your shoulders.
And then when you exhale,
You're going to reach your arms overhead and stretch everything.
Exhale.
So,
Spread the fingers,
Point the toes.
I like to lift the buns,
Stretch the tongue,
Stretch the eyes,
Breathe in.
And now you're going to shake everything.
Exhale out the mouth.
So,
I like to shake the head,
Bounce the buns,
Shake the hands and feet,
Breathe in.
And now you're just going to be still.
So,
Hold your hands up,
Hold your feet out and just be still.
Inhale.
And then exhale,
Drop everything.
So,
We're going to do that one more time now that you are a little more aware of the circuit.
So,
First we scrunch.
So,
Create a ball.
You're going to scrunch the jaw,
The mouth,
The eyes,
The shoulders,
Inhale.
And now stretch.
Stretch the eyes,
Stretch the tongue,
Spread the fingers,
Spread the toes,
Breathe in.
And now shake everything.
Exhale.
Take another breath,
Shake everything.
Exhale.
And now pause.
Just hold everything in stillness.
Breathe in.
And now drop.
Beautiful.
Now adjust the body.
So,
Getting more comfortable.
Good.
And now,
Breathe in from toe tips again,
Rising fingertips to crown.
And exhale out of the mouth.
Let go.
Let go.
And now,
Bring your attention to the lower belly,
Please.
And direct your inhale to the lower belly.
Inhale,
Fill the lower belly like a balloon.
Let it expand in the lower back,
Widening lower ribs,
And then exhale out of the mouth.
Feel your bones settling.
Eyes heavy.
Do that two more times,
Please.
Fill the lower belly,
Like the pelvic floor could expand.
Exhaling out of the mouth.
Hold on to nothing.
One more time.
And when you're ready,
Release the control of the breath.
But watch it at the navel.
Watch how the belly rises on the inhale.
And falls on the exhale.
And as you witness the natural breath at the navel,
You release all of the energy and release all doing.
All thoughts of past and future dissolve into this breath.
This moment.
The breath becomes softer,
More and more effortless.
And the effortlessness of the breath is mirroring the quality of the mind.
The mind is aware,
But it's not thinking.
The mind is aware.
And it settles with breath and body.
Welcome this experience as it unfolds.
No need to control any part of this experience.
You're just listening.
And as you listen,
Your body softens to the earth,
So supported and held.
Dropping your awareness into the center of the chest.
And as you listen,
Your body softens to the earth.
And as you listen,
Your body softens to the earth.
The chest is soft and the heart receptive,
Curious.
And see if an intention wants to arise from the heart.
A simple statement.
Something you are creating,
Letting go of,
Exclaiming as your true nature.
You want to phrase the statement in present tense.
It's a positive statement about you.
And you want it to be simple,
Short and sweet.
And as this statement arises,
And you say it to yourself three times silently,
As you say it,
I want you to visualize that it's here.
You having or doing this intention,
Feeling it,
Feeling it completely with every cell,
With your whole heart,
As you repeat your intention silently three times.
And if nothing arises,
It's okay.
Silence is your intention.
And then as your heart is receptive and soft,
There's no clinging to this intention.
You trust that it's happening now.
And you don't need to hold on to it or control it.
It is so.
And follow my guidance to move your awareness through your body,
Welcoming all sensation,
And feeling the energy of your body and your body's energy.
And then as you breathe,
Welcoming all sensation and softening,
Bring your attention to the right hand.
Thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Pinky finger.
Back of hand.
Palm of hand.
Forearm.
Upper arm.
Right armpit.
Sideways.
Thigh.
Lower leg.
Top of foot.
Sole of foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Release all doing.
Feel right ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
Ribcage on the right side.
Shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
Whole right side.
Left hand.
Thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Pinky finger.
Back of hand.
Palm of hand.
Forearm.
Upper arm.
Armpit.
Sideways on the left side.
Thigh.
Light touch of awareness to lower leg.
Top of foot.
Sole of foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Left ankle.
Knee.
Hip.
Left ribcage.
Shoulder.
Elbow.
Wrist.
Whole left side.
Breath so soft,
Feel the tip of the tongue.
Whole tongue.
Space between the lips.
Space between the teeth.
Jaw.
Tip of the nose.
Right ear.
Temple.
Right eye.
Eyebrow center.
Left ear.
Left temple.
Left eye.
Forehead.
Top of hand.
Back of head.
Back of neck.
Throat.
Center of chest.
Back of sternum.
Space in between the ribs and the front body.
Ribcage in the back body.
Navel.
Tailbone.
Pelvic floor.
Whole spine.
Non-doing awareness moves through the whole spine.
An effortless breath through the whole body.
Awareness to the whole body.
Whole body.
Whole body.
Bring your awareness to your natural breath.
And allow that breath to trace this pattern.
Inhale from tip of tailbone to crown of head.
Exhale,
Crown to tail.
Just following the breath through the whole body.
Exhale,
Crown to tail.
Just following the natural breath,
Inhale from tip of tail to crown.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Exhale,
Crown to tip of tailbone.
Now releasing the breath and bring your attention to the eyebrow center.
As your inner gaze moves to the eyebrow center,
Will to mine the images I name and see yourself in this experience.
Fresh fallen rain.
Green blades of grass.
Spider web.
Dew drops.
Seeds sprouting under the earth.
Green sprout moving through soil.
Rocks and soil.
Sprout tendrils emerging from earth.
Vegetable garden.
Ant hills.
Millions of tiny black ants.
Wind blowing tree buds.
Bunny rabbits.
Flowers budding.
Bumblebees.
Sunset over a meadow.
Pink clouds.
Purple clouds.
Orange clouds.
Mist rising from the grass.
Butterflies.
Mist over a mountaintop.
Clouds at the peak of a mountain.
Clouds dissolving.
Stars at night.
Cloudless starry sky.
And let your mind merge and melt into the presence.
And enter into the presence.
And let your mind merge and melt into the presence.
And enter into the presence.
And enter into the presence.
And enter the sanctuary of silence.
In the silence,
You have entered the domain of grace.
Resting in that expansive quality at the eyebrow center.
Come back to your intention.
Same words as the beginning of practice,
Same feeling,
And same process.
As you repeat the word silently,
See yourself having it,
And feel it.
And release any attachment of when it will arise.
Trust that it's happening now.
And let your mind merge and melt into the presence.
And enter into the presence.
And enter into the presence.
And feel your body lying on the floor,
The earth holding you.
Allow your awareness to slowly externalize just by sensing the room around you without opening the eyes,
Just the walls visualizing the ceiling and the room.
And allowing your hearing to reach outward,
Listening for sounds.
And you can stay resting if you need.
You can close your practice resting a little longer.
And if you are ready to deepen your breath,
You can slowly begin to move your body,
Whether that's a stretch,
A reach,
A wiggle.
And your breath is deepening.
It will eventually,
After you move or make your way to the right in a fetal position.
And slowly come up to seated.
And I like to do a little tapping or chi massage to bring life back into the body,
But it's optional.
And so we'll start at the feet.
You can either slap lightly with the fingers,
The fingertips,
Or you can bring all the fingers together and make a little beak hand and then tap.
I kind of sometimes I alternate like a beak tap,
Exhale out of the mouth and then I'll slap,
Exhale out of the mouth.
Good.
And if you're up for it,
We'll do over the eyes.
So you can do the kind of slap with the fingertips or you can like twiddle,
Twiddle the fingers.
I don't know if that's the right word.
Exhaling out of the mouth.
I like to get into the jaw,
The cheeks a little.
Top of head,
Back of head.
Good.
And then breathe in.
Exhale,
Release and gather the hands to the heart.
So we'll end with om first exhale.
Breathe in.
And then we'll do a sound HU,
HU is the Arabic equivalent of om,
So breathe in.
And finally,
We're going to do this breathy exhale and you're going to silently HU and drop your attention into your heart.
Thumbs in between the eyebrows honoring the traditions and the sacred space.
We say Namaste.
And then we do evil mudra.
So right hand to heart,
Left hand on top and then you cross the right thumb.
These are the heart wings.
Jai is a Sanskrit word.
It means like praise or celebrate.
So Jai O Flo.
It's like praise your Flo,
Your spirit Flo,
Your life Flo,
Your practice Flo.
Let it guide you effortlessly.
We say Jai O Flo.
Jai O Flo.
Thank you.
