Yoga Nidra: Listening To Self

Settle in to this restful meditation encouraging deep relaxation and clarity of mind and spirit. Allowing space and time for listening to self and offering opportunity for balance and peace through the whole being.

Transcript

Welcome to our yoga nidra practice.

Let's begin by getting the body as comfortable as possible.

Lying down on your back in shavasana is the suggested position for yoga nidra,

But the focus is our physical comfort.

You may lie on your back,

You may lie on your side.

Supporting the parts of the body resting on the earth with softness like blankets or pillows can be very helpful.

Filling the little nooks of space between earth and body invites relaxation to set in.

And this is a practice of relaxation.

We are taking ourselves on a journey from doing to being.

As you continue to shift and adjust to find your position for today,

Allow a few deep breaths to assist in the settling.

On your next inhale,

Pull air in through the nose,

Down the throat,

Into the chest,

Maybe even deeper,

Pausing in the fullness of the inhale,

And then letting the exhale fall out the mouth.

Maybe even making a little sound or sigh.

Let's do two more like that,

Allowing the inhale to move all the way into the belly this time,

Holding it there for just a pause,

And letting it all fall out the exhale.

And on this last one,

Fill up as much as you can,

Maybe even feeling a little tension as you hold the inhale at the very top,

Full chest,

Full belly,

Full body of breath,

And then let it all out through the exhale and feeling the tension that may have been there release with the breath out.

Let the breath continue to be conscious,

But soften it to be a little more gentle as it flows in and out now.

On the inhale,

Bring awareness to your head,

Face,

And neck.

And as you exhale,

Begin to relax the head,

Face,

And neck.

Inhale to the shoulders,

Arms,

And hands.

Exhale,

Relax shoulders,

Arms,

Hands.

Inhale awareness to the front,

Sides,

And back of the torso.

Exhale,

Relax front,

Sides,

And back of torso.

Inhale into the pelvis and hips.

Exhale,

Relax pelvis and hips.

Inhale down both legs and feet.

Exhale,

Relax both legs and feet.

Inhale through the length of the spine from tailbone to the base of the skull and exhale,

Relax the whole spine from base of the skull down to the tailbone.

Inhale into the whole body now.

Be aware of the whole body and exhale,

Relax the whole body.

Allow the whole body to relax into the earth below you.

Now really let the breath settle to its natural rhythm and take a moment to sense where you are in the room in relation to the door,

The windows,

The floor beneath you,

The ceiling above you,

The walls around you.

Notice the temperature of the air,

The sounds inside and outside,

And sense yourself in this space.

Feel this physical space that is the container for your practice today and know that at any time you can return to the space you're in and know that I am here with you in this space holding it and allow yourself to rest now.

You can rest now.

Let the body remain still but use your imagination to envision one of your hands resting on your belly and the other resting on your heart,

Bringing your awareness to these two locations over the belly button,

Over the center of the chest,

And just observe these two areas as they rise and fall gently on the inhale and exhale.

No need to control the breath,

Just observing but imagining your hands sensing each inhale and each exhale.

Now begin to imagine a loose string connecting these two spaces.

Maybe the string is a little frayed and it hangs between them.

The string is allowing information to flow from the belly to the heart and from the heart to the belly.

It may not be flowing in a language you understand,

That's okay.

They are reconnecting in their own way.

Just allow that to happen for a few moments in this quiet.

As their connection grows stronger,

So too does the string.

There's less slack,

It's drawing more into a straight line,

The phrase are tucking in,

And the messages traveling back and forth are becoming clearer.

Can you listen?

What messages are there for you in your core,

In your gut,

In your capital S self,

In your heart,

In your center,

In your soul self?

Just allow yourself a few moments of quiet to listen here.

And can you begin to translate these messages into a sankalpa,

An intention,

A short statement that is positive and present as if it's true right now.

If it's not coming through in this moment,

It's okay.

You can use,

I am listening to myself.

Take a few moments here to allow your sankalpa to come through or use,

I am listening to myself.

And now we'll plant the seed of intention by repeating it three times quietly in your mind.

Again,

If you've created one,

It's there for you.

You heard it.

It's positive.

It's present.

Repeat it three times.

If you're using the one I've offered,

It's I am listening to myself.

Following my guidance around the body now,

Resting your awareness on each body part as I name it,

Just for a moment,

No need to do anything.

Just a gentle direction of your awareness.

Beginning at the bottom of the left foot,

The left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

The top of the left foot,

Left ankle,

Left lower leg,

Left knee,

Left thigh,

Left hip,

Bottom of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Top of the right foot,

Right ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Thigh,

Right hip,

Pelvis,

The low belly,

The low back,

The mid belly,

The mid back,

The chest,

The upper back,

Left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Left wrist,

Back of the left hand,

Palm of the left hand,

Left thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Cross the chest,

Chest,

To the right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Right elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Back of the right hand,

Right palm,

Right thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyes,

Nose,

Cheekbones,

Ears,

Lips,

Jaw,

Chin,

Throat.

Notice the whole body.

Scan your body from the tips of the toes all the way up to the crown of the head.

Now bring your awareness to rest at the base of your pelvis at the root chakra.

Allow your inhale to fill the space with the color red and the exhale to send red throughout the whole system.

Continue to breathe softly and naturally as you bring your attention to the sacrum,

The triangular bone at the base of your spine.

On your next inhale,

Breathe the color orange into the sacrum.

As you exhale,

Send orange through the whole system.

Attention comes to the navel now,

Inhaling yellow here,

Exhaling it throughout the whole system,

Resting at the heart center,

Breathing in green light,

Breathing out through the whole system,

Coming to the front of the throat and inhaling blue light,

Exhaling blue light throughout the entire system.

At the third eye,

The space between the eyebrows,

Inhale a violet light,

Exhale violet light throughout the whole system.

At the crown of the head,

Now a white light,

Inhale it in,

Hold it there for just a moment and exhale to let it envelop your whole being,

Every cell in your body filling with white light.

Rest for a few moments now in this white light all around you and within you.

Let's go a little deeper now.

Just follow my voice,

My guidance to bring your awareness back to the breath.

Watch it come in and out through the nostrils.

Feel the cool air as it enters both nostrils and the warm air as it breathes out.

Stay with the watching for a few quiet moments.

Cool air in through the nostrils,

Warm air out.

When your next inhale comes,

Imagine the breath entering the left nostril only and the exhale leaving the right nostril only.

Then the inhale into the right and out through the left.

Imagining your inhale in the left and your exhale out the right.

In through the left,

Out right.

In right,

Out left.

In left,

Out right.

In right,

Out left.

Continue this quietly for a few moments on your own.

Let that go on your next inhale.

Feel the breath come in through both nostrils again and out through both nostrils.

In through both and out through both.

Watch for a few more moments as the breath moves in and out through both sides now.

Allowing yourself to surrender further now.

Envision a vast landscape.

A place where you can see for miles and miles.

An open field or across an ocean.

A space where even when you're accessing all parts of your vision,

You cannot see the edges.

What sounds do you hear?

What does it smell like?

Can you taste something from this place?

What does it feel like on your skin?

Bask in this space for a few moments.

Let your imagination roam here.

Now watch as images float through your awareness.

Tall pine tree,

River flowing over rocks,

Yellow tulip,

Night sky,

Fresh cut grass,

Red cardinal,

Flickering candle,

White clouds,

Snow falling,

Your body lying on the earth.

You still silent.

Gently bring yourself back to the center of your being.

Imagine your hands coming back to the belly and the heart.

Listen again to the messages tuned into earlier.

Know that the sankalpa or intention set at the beginning of practice now lives within you as truth.

With deep knowing of this truth,

Repeat that message to yourself.

One more time now.

And begin to bring awareness back to the breath.

Watch as those cool inhales enter the nostrils and the warm exhales release out through the nostrils.

See the inhale and the exhale in and out,

Allowing the breath to deepen as you pay attention to it.

Pulling fresh breath in through the nostrils and maybe a gentle sigh on the exhale.

Feeling the inhale bring vitality into the system,

The exhale relishing in the relaxation that is present.

Begin to become aware of your physical body lying on the earth,

Resting.

Scan your body from feet to head and head to feet and visualize your body back in the room in relation to the door,

The window,

The walls,

The ceiling,

Allowing sounds inside and outside the room to come into awareness.

Keeping the eyes closed for a few more minutes,

Begin to gently move the body with softness and ease,

Allowing it to guide you back.

And whenever you feel ready,

Gently blinking open your eyes and welcoming yourself into this moment.

Namaste.

Reviews

♥️

Most profound and deeply moving - thank you 🙏

Lovely

Absolutely beautiful session. Thank you

Wonderful! 🌸 Thank you

I appreciate that this yoga nidra includes pranayama and chakra clearing 💗

Namasté

Thank you for providing this wonderful meditation. Take care.