Yoga Nidra: Libra

This Yoga Nidra practice has been inspired by the astrological sign of Libra. Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac and is the sign of balance, harmony, fairness, justice, partnerships and relationships. Libran themes are included throughout the practice with a focus on balancing the opposite sides of the body, exploration of fairness and unfairness, and visualisations including opposites, balance, and harmony with another person.

The practice is suitable for everyone, but those with a significant Libra placement in their chart may find it to be especially useful or inspiring.

Transcript

This Yoga Nidra practice has been inspired by the astrological sign of Libra.

Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac and is symbolised by the scales.

Libra is ruled by the planet Venus and rules the seventh astrological house.

It's the sign of balance and harmony,

Fairness and justice,

Partnerships and relationships.

And Yoga Nidra has a natural connection to the sign of Libra,

Due to the exploration of polarity and the balancing of opposites that we often invite into the practice.

The visualisations in this practice are inspired by themes connected to Libra.

The practice is suitable for everyone,

But those with a significant Libra placement in their charts may find it to be especially useful or inspiring.

So begin by making sure that you're comfortable.

If it feels good for you to practice in Shavasana,

Make your way into Shavasana.

Lying on your back with your legs straight and open so that your feet are a little wider than hip distance apart.

And just let your feet relax.

Bring your arms to your sides,

A little away from your body,

With the palms of the hands facing upwards.

And draw the shoulder blades together behind you to encourage a gentle opening in the front of the chest.

If it doesn't feel comfortable for you to lie in Shavasana,

And you know that you'll be distracted by physical discomfort if you stay here for a long time,

Then choose another position that feels better for you.

Perhaps bringing the feet to the mat at hip distance apart and letting the knees fall in together.

Or bringing the soles of the feet together and letting the knees fall out towards the sides.

Do whatever it is that you need to do to make yourself comfortable and warm,

So that you can completely relax into your practice,

And perhaps even forget that your body's there at all.

And now just allow your body to settle into the surface beneath you.

Feel the muscles naturally releasing as you leave behind any thoughts or dramas from the day,

And enter into your practice.

Feel the weight of your body gently sinking into the surface beneath you.

And now send your awareness down into your right foot,

And watch as tension releases from the muscles in the right foot.

Feel the right foot relaxing completely,

And the right ankle.

Watch tension gently releasing from the right ankle,

The right calf,

The right knee,

The right thigh,

And the right hip.

Feel the right leg completely relaxed as it rests into the surface beneath you.

Feel tension releasing from the right side of the waist,

The right side of the chest,

And the right shoulder.

Feel the right shoulder completely relaxing,

And the right upper arm,

The right elbow,

The right lower arm,

The right wrist,

The right hand.

Feel the right arm and hand completely relax.

Feel the right side of the body relaxed and at ease,

Surrendering more deeply with every breath,

Safely supported by the surface beneath you.

And now feel into the left foot,

And feel tension releasing from the left foot.

Feel the left foot relaxing completely,

And the left ankle,

The left calf,

The left knee,

The left thigh,

The left hip.

Feel the left leg completely relaxed,

Resting into the support of the surface beneath you.

And feel the left side of the waist relaxing,

And the left side of the chest.

Feel tension melting away from the left shoulder,

The left upper arm,

The left elbow,

The left lower arm,

The left hand.

Feel the left arm and hand completely relax.

Feel the whole of the left side of the body completely relax.

And feel the weight of the back of the head.

Feel tension melting away from the head.

Feel the brain relaxing inside the skull.

Feel the right side of the face softening,

And the left side of the face.

Tension releasing from the right side of the jaw,

And the left side of the jaw.

And with every breath,

Feel the whole of the body continuing to relax.

Feel any remaining tension releasing from the body with every exhalation.

Now bring the awareness into the nose,

And watch the air flowing in and out of the nostrils.

Observe how the air is flowing right now.

Observe if there's more air flowing through the left side or the right side.

And just watch.

Without changing anything,

Observe the flow of the breath through the nostrils exactly as it is.

And now move the awareness into the ears,

And become aware of any sounds that you can hear.

Send the awareness out into the distance,

And notice the furthest sound that you can hear.

And bring the awareness closer.

Notice the sounds outside the room,

And the sounds inside the room.

And now bring the awareness right into the sounds of your body,

To the sound of your breath and your heartbeat.

And know that none of the sounds will disturb you as you practice,

But will only help you to relax even more deeply.

Now imagine yourself to be in a place of absolute peace and safety.

What would be the most peaceful,

Safe and secure environment for you?

Picture a place of absolute peace arising around you.

Welcome an impression of a safe,

Harmonious space that contains everything you need to feel secure and completely at ease as you practice.

And welcome this feeling of peace and safety into your body.

Feel the feeling of peace flowing into every single cell of your body.

Know that you are secure and well,

And know that you can always return to this peaceful place at any time that you need to during the practice.

This is your place of peace and safety,

That you are free to come back to and rest in at any time that you want to.

And if you have an intention for your practice today,

Gently draw that intention back into your mind and take a moment to acknowledge it,

Whatever inspired you to practice Yoga Nidra right now.

A need for rest,

For healing,

For balance.

Just pause here to acknowledge your reason for practicing today.

And now we're going to begin the rotation of consciousness around the body.

Allow the awareness to move from point to point as each one is named.

We'll begin with the right side of the body at the right hand.

Bring the awareness to rest at the right hand thumb,

And the right index finger,

The right middle finger,

The ring finger,

And the little finger.

Bring the awareness to the palm of the right hand,

The back of the right hand,

The right wrist,

The right forearm,

The right elbow,

The right upper arm,

The right shoulder,

The right armpit,

The right side of the chest,

The right waist,

The right hip,

The right knee,

The lower leg,

The right ankle,

The right heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the right foot,

And each of the right toes.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Now bring the awareness to the whole of the right leg,

The whole of the right arm,

And the whole of the right side of the body,

The whole of the right side of the body.

Now we'll move to the left side.

Bring the awareness to the left hand thumb,

The left index finger,

The left middle finger,

The ring finger,

And 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 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,

And each of the left toes.

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five.

Bring the awareness to the whole of the left leg,

The whole of the left arm,

And the whole of the left side of the body,

The whole of the left side of the body.

Now we'll send the awareness to alternating sides as we move up and down the body,

Starting at the right toes.

Bring the awareness to the right toes,

And the left toes,

The right heel,

The left heel,

The back of the right knee,

The back of the left knee,

The right buttock,

The left buttock,

The right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The back of the head,

The top of the head,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The right eye,

The left eye,

The right ear,

The left ear,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

The right side of the jaw,

The left side of the jaw,

The right collarbone,

The left collarbone,

The right side of the chest,

The left side of the chest,

The right side of the abdomen,

The left side of the abdomen,

The right waist,

The left waist,

The right hip,

The left hip,

The right knee,

The left knee,

The right ankle,

The left ankle,

The right toes,

The left toes,

The right side of the body.

Bring the awareness to the whole of the right side of the body,

And the whole of the left side of the body,

And the whole of the body together,

The whole of the body together.

Rest the awareness on the whole of the body together.

Bring the awareness to the breath.

Follow the flow of the air as it moves in and out of the nostrils.

Watch the air flowing in through each of the separate nostrils,

And see the air making a triangle shape.

It moves in through the separate nostrils and meets at the eyebrow centre,

Then flows back out through the separate nostrils.

Follow this triangle made by the breath,

And now see the breath moving through alternate nostrils.

As you breathe in,

Watch the breath flowing in through the left nostril,

Up to the eyebrow centre.

And as you breathe out,

Watch the breath flowing out through the right nostril.

As you breathe in,

Watch the breath flowing in through the right nostril,

Up to the eyebrow centre.

And as you breathe out,

Watch the breath flowing out through the left nostril.

Breathe in through the left nostril,

And out through the right.

Breathe in through the right nostril,

And out through the left.

Continue watching the breath flowing through alternate nostrils.

And now extend the breath into the arms and the hands.

As you breathe in,

Watch the breath flowing from the left hand,

Up the left arm,

Through the left nostril,

To the eyebrow centre.

And as you breathe out,

Watch the breath flowing out of the right nostril,

Down the right arm,

To the right hand.

Breathe in from the right hand,

Up the right arm,

Through the right nostril,

To the eyebrow centre.

Breathe out through the left nostril,

Down the left arm,

To the left hand.

Continue to breathe through alternate arms and hands,

Changing sides as each breath reaches the eyebrow centre,

At the end of each inhalation.

And now extend the breath into the legs and the feet.

Breathe in from the left foot,

Up the left leg,

Up the left side of the body,

Through the left nostril,

To the eyebrow centre.

Breathe out through the right nostril,

Down the right side of the body,

Down the right leg,

To the right foot.

Breathe in from the right foot,

Up the right leg,

Up the right side of the body,

Through the right nostril,

To the eyebrow centre.

Breathe out through the left nostril,

Down the left side of the body,

Down the left leg,

To the left foot.

Continue to breathe through alternate sides of the body,

Finishing each inhalation at the eyebrow centre.

And now breathe through both sides of the body simultaneously.

After the next exhalation down the left leg,

Inhale from both feet,

Up both of the legs,

Up the front of the body,

Through the nostrils,

To the eyebrow centre.

And exhale through each of the separate nostrils,

Down the front of the body,

Down the legs,

To the feet,

Making a triangle with the breath over the whole of the body.

Inhale from the feet,

Up the legs,

Up the front of the body,

Through the nostrils,

To the eyebrow centre.

Exhale from the eyebrow centre,

Down the front of the body,

Down the legs,

To the feet.

Continue breathing through this triangle,

Over the whole of the body.

Now bring the triangle to the arms and the hands.

Inhale from the hands,

Up the arms,

Through the nostrils,

To the eyebrow centre.

Exhale through the nostrils,

Down the arms,

To the hands.

And now coming back to the nose,

Inhale through each of the separate nostrils,

Up to the eyebrow centre.

Exhale from the eyebrow centre,

Back through each of the separate nostrils.

And now bring the awareness into your body,

And invite the sense of fairness to arise.

What do you feel inside the body as you welcome the sense of fairness?

If it helps you to bring about the feeling,

You could recall something which you consider to be very fair.

A time from your life when there was a fair judgement or outcome,

Or a concept in the world that represents fairness to you.

Or if you prefer,

Simply allow the feeling to arise by itself.

Fairness.

Welcome the feeling that arises with the sense of fairness.

Feel it vividly.

The sense of fairness.

And now unfairness.

Invite a feeling to arise with the sense of unfairness.

Perhaps recalling a situation or a judgement that you consider to be unfair,

Or by simply allowing the feeling to arise by itself.

Unfairness.

Welcome the feeling.

Intensify it.

Feel into all of the sensations that arise with the sense of unfairness.

And are you able to feel both of those at the same time?

Can you welcome the feelings of fairness and unfairness together?

Can you feel into the sensations that arise inside the body with the sense of fairness,

And with the sense of unfairness at the same time?

Experience fairness and unfairness together.

Fairness and unfairness together.

See yourself sitting on the top of a mountain.

It is neither daytime nor nighttime.

To your right,

The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky,

And the land around you blossoms in the daylight.

To your left,

The moon glows in the starry night sky,

And the land is quiet.

Rest here in the middle,

Between day and night.

And now send your awareness up into the blue sky,

Up into the sun.

Send your awareness into the sun,

As if you are the sun.

And look back at the nighttime.

Observe the moon.

Observe the starry sky.

Observe the quiet land.

From the perspective of the sun,

Observe the nighttime.

And now send your awareness across to the moon.

Become one with the moon,

As if you are the moon.

And look back at the daytime.

Observe the sun.

Observe the clear blue sky.

Observe the land in the daytime.

The colours,

The plants and the animals.

From the perspective of the moon.

From the perspective of the moon,

Observe the daytime.

And now return to the centre.

Rest peacefully upon the mountaintop,

With the daytime to the right and the nighttime to the left.

Rest here,

In between the night and the day.

See yourself walking down a quiet pathway through a forest.

The path is leading you towards a small wooden hut.

You approach the hut and open the door.

And you enter into an empty room.

There's nothing inside,

Apart from another person sitting quietly in meditation.

You walk towards that person and sit in front of them.

Observe who they are.

Observe what you see.

This silent communication begins between the two of you.

As you inhale,

The other person exhales.

And as you exhale,

The other person inhales.

You rest peacefully together.

Inhaling and exhaling together.

Now bring the awareness to the eyebrow centre.

Observe what is happening at the eyebrow centre.

As you watch the eyebrow centre,

Your eyebrow centre connects with the other person's eyebrow centre.

Observe what arises as you connect.

Remain focused at the eyebrow centre.

And watch.

Bring the awareness back to the body.

Observe the body.

Notice how still the body has become.

Observe the body.

Quiet and still,

As if fast asleep.

Watch the sleeping body.

But although the body sleeps,

The consciousness remains awake and aware.

Become aware of the awareness watching the sleeping body.

Rest here.

Neither sleeping nor waking.

In the state of Yoga Nidra.

If you made an intention at the beginning of the practice,

Recall that intention now.

Take a moment here to acknowledge whatever it was that inspired you to practice today.

And now welcome once again your feeling of complete peace and safety.

Recall the feeling that you cultivated at the beginning of the practice of absolute peace,

Safety and security.

Welcome that feeling around you and inside you.

This is yours that you have created for yourself.

And you can always return to the feeling at any time if you need to.

In your practice and in your life.

Now gently begin to turn the awareness back outwards.

Send the awareness out to any sounds that you can hear in your environment.

Without getting attached to any one sound.

And without concerning yourself with where the sounds are coming from.

Just let the awareness jump between the different sounds.

Acknowledge that they're there.

And become aware of the feeling of the air on the insides of the nostrils.

And the feeling of the air on the skin on your face.

Feel the feeling of your clothing or any blankets against your skin.

And the feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

And in your mind,

Can you picture the room that you're in?

Can you picture the walls,

The ceiling,

The floor,

The furniture?

All of the different objects around you.

Now slowly begin to deepen the breathing as you prepare to end the practice.

Begin to make some small movements with your body.

Move the fingers and the toes.

The wrists and the ankles.

And give yourself a stretch in any way that feels comfortable for you.

Take your time,

There's no rush.

When you feel ready,

And when you're sure that you're wide awake again,

Gently blink your eyes back open.

And make your way back to sitting.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you for listening.

Reviews

Jessica, another magical astrological journey through Nidra. Such creative breath and visualizations. All my thanks and appreciation.