Yoga Nidra: Earth

This is a recording of a live Yoga Nidra session on Insight Timer on the 9th November 2025 and is the first in a series of nidras inspired by the elements. The practice includes a long body rotation, exploration of opposites heavy/light, breath awareness visualising the body as a tree, rapid visualisation of Earth-inspired images, and some time to rest and acknowledge the ever-present support of the Earth.

Before the practice, participants were invited to request words and themes that they would like to be included and asked for 'power and stability of the Earth.'

Image by Cayetano Gros

Transcript

And just make sure that you're comfortable for your practice. So if it's possible, Ideally you want to feel that you're so comfortable that you might even be able to forget that your body's there. So do whatever you need to do. Take any props, Any blankets, So that you feel as comfortable as you can possibly be. And if you do feel like you need to move at any time, That's okay. But be mindful when you move that your body's going to be relaxing very deeply. So just take care to move slowly and carefully so you don't disturb the rest of your resting body too much. And once you've made yourself comfortable, Just feel into that feeling of your body supported by the surface beneath you. Feel into all of the places where that surface is holding your body. And know that as you practice today, The earth beneath you is supporting you. You are free to completely surrender to the stable support of the earth. And bring the awareness to your breath. And as the breath flows in and out, Notice how every breath guides your body a little more deeply into relaxation. With every exhalation, Tension releases from the muscles. With every exhalation, The mind slows down. The body becomes more relaxed. And just send your awareness outwards to the sounds that you can hear around you. Let the awareness jump from sound to sound. Without getting too involved in any one sound, Just acknowledge that those sounds are there. And know that those sounds are not going to disturb you. They can only help to enhance your experience of relaxation. And if you have an intention for your practice today, Just take a moment to bring that intention into your awareness. Whatever has inspired you to show up to practice yoga nidra today. Perhaps for deep rest, For healing, To feel grounded, To feel connected to the earth, For meditation. Whatever it is that has inspired your practice, Just take a moment to acknowledge that intention. And now see yourself in a beautiful, Peaceful, Safe place in nature. Somewhere where you feel completely secure, Safe and at peace. Notice the environment around you. Notice the earth beneath you. Any trees or plants. Notice the sky above you. And if there's anything that you can bring into your environment to help you to feel even more safe, Even more secure and at peace, Just welcome anything you want into that environment around you now. Feel into your body and notice how this feeling of safety and security arises inside your body. Feel that feeling of safety as vividly as you can. Welcome the feeling into every part of your body. This feeling is yours, That you have created for yourself. And you can always come back to it at any time if you need to during the practice. Absolute safety and security, Peace and well-being. We're going to take a journey around the body. So just allow the awareness to rest at each body part as I name it. Beginning at the right hand, Bring the awareness to rest at the right hand thumb, The right index finger, The right middle finger, The ring finger, The little finger, The palm of the right hand, The back of the right hand, The right wrist, The right forearm, The right elbow, The upper arm, The right shoulder, The right armpit, The right side of the chest, The right side of the abdomen, The right waist, The right hip, The right thigh, The right knee, The lower leg, The right ankle, The right heel, The sole of the right foot, The top of the right foot, Each of the right toes. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Bring the awareness to the left side. Rest the awareness at the left hand thumb, The left index finger, The left middle finger, The ring finger, The little finger, The palm of the left hand, The back of the left hand, The left wrist, The left forearm, The left elbow, The upper arm, The left shoulder, The left armpit, The left side of the chest, The left side of the abdomen, The left waist, The left hip, The left thigh, The knee, The lower leg, The left ankle, The left heel, The sole of the left foot, The top of the left foot, Each of the left toes. 1, 2, 3, 4. Moving up the back of the body, Bring the awareness to the right heel and the left heel, The back of the right knee, The back of the left knee, The right buttock, The left buttock, The whole of the spine, The right shoulder blade, The left shoulder blade, The back of the neck, The back of the head, The top of the head. And moving down the front of the body, Move to the forehead, The right eyebrow, The left eyebrow, The eyebrow centre, The right eye, The left eye, The right temple, The left temple, The right ear, The left ear, The right cheek, The left cheek, The right nostril, The left nostril, The tip of the nose, The whole of the nose, The upper lip, The lower lip, The chin, The jaw, The right collarbone, The left collarbone, The space between the chest, The centre of the chest, The navel, The lower abdomen, The right hip, The left hip, The right knee, The left knee, The right ankle, The left ankle, The right toes, The left toe, The whole of the right foot. Bring the awareness to the whole of the right foot, The whole of the right leg, The whole of the right arm, The whole of the right side of the body, The whole of the left foot, The whole of the left leg, The whole of the left arm, The whole of the left side of the body and the whole of the body together. Awareness on the whole of the body together. The whole of the body together. Bring the awareness into your head, To your brain. Rest the awareness on the brain, The right side of the brain, The left side of the brain. Move down the back of the throat, Down the windpipe to the lungs, To the right lung, The left lung, The heart. Bring the awareness to the stomach, To the small intestine, The large intestine, To the liver and the gallbladder on the right side, The pancreas and the spleen on the left side. Bring the awareness to the right kidney and the left kidney, The bladder. Become aware of the bones, Providing your body with structure and stability. Rest the awareness on the bones and the whole of the skeleton and as you rest your awareness on the bones, Feel how heavy your body has become. Feel into the feeling of heaviness within your body and feel the body becoming heavier and heavier. Feel the body becoming so heavy that it sinks into the surface beneath you. It sinks into the air, Becoming one with the earth. Intensify the feeling of heaviness. The body becoming heavier and heavier and heavier. And now feel the body becoming very light. Welcome the feeling of lightness into the body. Feel the body becoming so light that it floats up into the air, Into the sky. Feel the body becoming lighter and lighter, Becoming one with the sky. Intensify the feeling of lightness. The body becoming lighter and lighter and lighter. Welcome the feelings of heaviness and lightness together. Feel the body so heavy that it sinks into the air and so light that it floats away into the sky at the same time. Welcome the feelings of heaviness and lightness inside the body together. Feelings of heaviness and lightness together. Heaviness and lightness together. Bring the awareness to the breath. Follow the natural breath as it flows in and out. Observe the gentle rising and falling of the chest. Now bring the awareness to the exhalation. And with each exhalation visualize roots extending down from your body and into the earth beneath you. With every exhalation the roots extend more deeply into the earth. And with each inhalation see those roots drawing nourishment up from the earth and into your body. With each exhalation the roots expand further into the air. With each inhalation nourishment is drawn up from the earth into your body. And now see the branches of a tree expanding up into the sky above you. As you exhale send the awareness up into the branches of the tree, Into the leaves. Inhale light from the sky through the leaves, Through the branches and into your body. Exhale into the leaves, Into the branches. Inhale the light from the sky into your body. And now send the awareness in both directions at the same time. Exhaling down into the roots and up into the leaves and the branches. Inhaling nourishment from the earth and light from the sky into your body. Now bring the awareness to the eyebrow center. Resting the awareness at the eyebrow center I'm going to name some different things. Allow an impression of each one to arise as I name it. There's no need to force anything to happen. Just allow each one to come however it comes. Beginning with a snow-capped mountain, An oak tree, A hedgerow, Footprints in the mud, Bluebells in a forest, A garden of flowers, A treasure chest, A mother with a newborn baby, A cave filled with crystal, A wooden cabin, Pebbles in the garden. Now come back to your safe secure place in nature. To that peaceful natural environment where you feel completely safe, Completely secure and at ease. And see yourself resting into the earth beneath you. Safely held and supported by the earth. And knowing that you are supported, That you are held by the earth. You are free to completely surrender to just be. And before you complete your relaxation take a moment now to see yourself moving back into your life. Carrying all of the qualities that you have cultivated during this practice with you. See yourself moving through your life feeling grounded, Stable, Empowered, At ease and knowing that you are always held and supported by the earth. And now very gently begin to turn your awareness back outward and notice any sounds that are present in your environment around you. Just let the awareness jump between the different sounds. Without getting too involved just acknowledge that they're there. And feel into the feeling of the air against your skin, Of your clothing or blanket against your skin. Feel the feeling of the surface beneath you holding and supporting your body. And feel into the feeling of the breath flowing in and out. And very slowly start to reawaken the body. Moving the fingers and the toes and the hands and the feet. And give yourself a stretch in any way that feels good for you. You're taking your time, There is no rush. When you're sure that you're feeling wide awake again slowly blink your eyes back open to complete the practice.

Reviews

Such a lovely practice!! Saving this one and looking forward to the other Element practices. Such a calm voice, great grounding and energizing. Many thanks! ☮️💖🙏🖖🕉🪷