Yoga Nidra: Sagittarius

This Yoga Nidra practice was inspired by the astrological sign of Sagittarius. Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac and is symbolized by the archer or the centaur. It is the sign of truth, philosophy and religion, education and knowledge, travel, expansion, and spiritual seeking. The practice includes an exploration of expansion and contraction through the breath and visualizations inspired by Saggittarian themes. It is suitable for everyone, but those with a significant Sagittarius placement in their charts may find it to be especially useful or inspiring.

Image by Seidenperle

Transcript

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

Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the Zodiac and is symbolised by the Centaur or the Archer.

Sagittarius is ruled by the planet Jupiter and rules the ninth astrological house.

It's the sign of truth,

Philosophy and religion,

Of travel and adventure,

Expansion,

Education,

Knowledge,

Spirituality and meaning.

The visualisations in this practice have been inspired by the sign of Sagittarius.

The practice is suitable for everyone,

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

So make sure that you're comfortable to begin the practice.

Yoga Nidra is traditionally practised in Shavasana,

Corpse pose.

Come to lying on your back with your legs open to a little wider than hip distance and your feet relaxing out to the sides.

Bring your arms a little out from the sides of your body,

With the palms of the hands facing upwards and tuck the chin in slightly to lengthen the back of the neck.

If you want to support yourself here,

You might like to place a rolled up blanket or mat under the knees or a block or a cushion under your head.

And if you don't feel like you'll be able to comfortably stay in Shavasana for the whole of the practice,

Then find a position that works better for you.

You might like to take your feet to the mat a tip distance apart and drop the knees together or you might like to take the soles of the feet together and allow the knees to fall out to the sides,

Supporting the thighs with blocks or cushions if that's the most comfortable for you.

And your body temperature is likely to drop as you practice,

So you may like to cover yourself with a blanket,

Even if you don't feel cold right now.

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

Feel the safe support of that surface that you are lying on holding your body and feel any tension in your muscles naturally beginning to release as you surrender into that support.

In Yoga Nidra,

We rest between sleeping and waking.

The body sleeps,

But the consciousness remains awake and aware.

And in this altered and liminal state,

Which is neither one thing nor another,

We're able to expand beyond the limitations of our everyday thoughts and experience a different perspective and understanding of ourselves and our reality.

And as the mind enters into a more expansive state,

The body enters into a state of deep rest,

Where profound levels of healing and rejuvenation can be accessed and received.

So continue to allow your body to relax into the surface beneath you.

And now take a long,

Deep breath in.

And exhale with a sigh.

As you exhale,

Feel your body relaxing even more deeply.

Any tension from the day releasing from the muscles.

Inhale again.

And exhale with a sigh.

Feel all of the body relaxing a little more.

And take one more deep inhalation.

And exhale,

Relaxing completely.

Now move the awareness up to the eyes and observe what you see in the space behind your closed eyes.

Without analysing,

Just watch what you see there.

Perhaps shapes,

Colours or patterns.

Perhaps darkness.

There's no right or wrong,

Or better or worse.

Just observe whatever's there.

Drop the awareness down to the nose.

And feel the sensation of the air on the insides of the nostrils.

Feel the gentle movement of the air flowing in and out of the nose.

And now move the awareness to the ears.

And feel the sensation of the air on the insides of the ears.

With the awareness inside the ears,

Observe any sounds that you can hear in your environment.

Without getting too involved in any one sound.

Just observe that the sounds are there.

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

But will only help to guide you into deeper levels of relaxation.

And now invite a deep feeling of safety and security to arise around you.

If it helps you to connect with the feeling of safety,

You might like to remember a time from your life when you felt very safe and secure.

Or you could imagine a situation that meets all of the conditions that you need to feel safe.

Feel this feeling of safety arising around you and welcome it into your body.

Know that you are safe right now.

And that you will remain safe throughout the whole of the practice.

This deep feeling of safety is your inner resource.

And it's your feeling that you have created by yourself.

You can always come back to it at any time as you practice.

It's here to remind you that you are safe to explore anything that arises for you in your practice today.

And if you have a sankalpa,

Now's the time to recall your sankalpa.

The sankalpa is a deep vow or prayer from the heart for something that you wish to attain or experience in your life.

And it's usually something that supports our overall spiritual growth and quality of life.

Connection with one's higher self.

Oneness with the divine.

Perfect health.

To be a positive influence on the world.

The sankalpa is a prayer from the heart.

There's no need to think about what you want it to be or to analyse it too much.

Allow it to come from the heart in its own time,

However it comes for you.

If you already have a sankalpa,

Recall it now.

Perhaps as words or as a picture or a feeling.

And if you don't have one,

Bring the awareness into the heart centre and observe the heart.

Just watch what's happening at the heart right now.

Perhaps something may arise.

But if it doesn't,

That doesn't matter either.

The sankalpa isn't essential and many people don't have or don't even want one.

But just take these next few moments to observe the heart and observe the heart's communication.

We're going to begin the rotation of consciousness around the body.

Moving the awareness through important marma points or energy points located at different places around the body.

As you send the awareness to each of the points,

See that point illuminated by the light of your consciousness.

Bringing awareness to these important energy centres helps to restore a balanced flow of prana or life force energy around the body as blockages and obstructions are released.

We'll begin this journey around the body at the eyebrow centre.

Bring the awareness to the eyebrow centre and see the light of your consciousness illuminating the eyebrow centre.

And the space between the collarbones.

The light of consciousness illuminating the space between the collarbones.

And the right shoulder.

The right elbow.

The right wrist.

The right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And little finger.

The right wrist.

The right elbow.

The right shoulder.

The space between the collarbones.

The left shoulder.

The left elbow.

The left wrist.

The left thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

The left wrist.

The left elbow.

The left shoulder.

The space between the collarbones.

The centre of the chest.

The left side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The right hip.

The right knee.

The right ankle.

The right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And fifth toe.

The right ankle.

The right knee.

The right hip.

The lower abdomen.

The left hip.

The left knee.

The left ankle.

The left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

The left ankle.

The left knee.

The left hip.

The lower abdomen.

The navel.

The heart centre.

The space between the collarbones.

The eyebrow centre.

The top of the head.

The light of consciousness illuminating the top of the head.

Bring the awareness to the breath.

Observe the breath flowing in and out of the body.

Watch the chest rising on the inhale and sinking on the exhale.

Follow the expansion and contraction of the chest.

Observe the chest expanding as you breathe in and contracting as you breathe out.

And now follow the breath as it expands into the whole of the body.

Observe all of the small movements that happen throughout the whole of the body as you breathe in and follow the contraction of the breath as you breathe out.

How deeply inwards can you follow that contraction?

The breath expanding out into the whole of the body on the inhalation.

Contracting deeply inwards on the exhalation.

And now watch the breath expanding out of the body and into the room.

Expand with the breath out into the room with each inhalation and follow the contraction of the breath with each exhalation.

With every inhalation expand further out into the room.

And now watch the breath expanding out of the room.

Out of the building.

With every inhalation travel further outwards with the breath and with every exhalation follow the breath inwards.

Continue to expand out into the world.

Out into the universe.

Travel further outwards with each inhalation.

Travel further inwards with each exhalation.

How far can you expand and contract with the breath?

Bring the awareness to the forehead.

Rest the awareness at the space behind the forehead.

Bring the awareness into that deep dark space behind the forehead.

Explore the warm darkness.

Travel into it.

Move deeply into that space.

And keeping the awareness at the space behind the forehead we'll begin the rapid visualisation of images.

Allow each one to arise naturally as I name it.

You may see an image or you may experience it as a feeling or a subtle sense of knowing.

Without forcing them allow each one to come by itself.

We'll begin with a burning fire.

An altar.

The Buddha teaching his followers.

A centaur.

Half human,

Half horse.

A church.

A parachute.

A wandering nomad.

A handwritten book of scriptures.

A yogi in deep meditation.

A bow and arrow.

A boat on the ocean disappearing behind the horizon.

A spiritual seeker embarking on a quest for knowledge.

See yourself standing at the top of a mountain holding a bow and arrow.

The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky above you.

You point the arrow towards the sky and draw back the string of the bow.

As you release the arrow send your awareness into the arrow.

Become one with the arrowhead.

Fly with the arrow.

Fly high into the sky with the arrow.

And allow the arrow to guide you to your destination.

To your freedom.

Bring the awareness to the heart.

Rest the awareness at the heart.

Send the awareness deep into the centre of the heart.

How deeply can you travel into the heart?

Rest the awareness deep within the centre of the heart.

Explore the depths of the heart.

Here you are free.

Keeping the awareness at the heart centre.

If you have a sankalpa Now's the time to recall your sankalpa.

Allow it to arise naturally from the heart and acknowledge it.

And if you don't have one remain at the heart and observe.

Recall once again your inner resource.

Your deep feeling of safety and security.

Invite it to arise again.

Feel that feeling of safety all around you and inside you.

Welcome it into every cell of your body.

This is yours and you can return to it at any time that you need it.

In your practice and in your life.

Absolute safety and security.

Wellbeing.

The deep inner knowing that all is well.

And now begin to turn the awareness back outwards.

Become aware of any sounds that you can hear in your environment and just let the awareness jump from sound to sound.

Without getting too involved in any one sound.

Just notice that those sounds are there.

And become aware of the feeling of the air against your skin and the feeling of your clothing or blanket against your skin.

Can you remember the colours of the clothes that you're wearing?

The colour of your blanket?

The colours of the walls of the room?

And now bring the awareness back to the breath.

Watch the rising and falling of the chest.

The gentle movements of the abdomen with the breath.

And slowly begin to move the body as you prepare to end the practice.

Make some small movements with the fingers and the toes.

With the wrists and the ankles.

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

Take your time.

There's no rush.

When you're feeling ready,

Slowly roll over to your side and make your way back to sitting.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you for listening.

Reviews

Jessica , another truly phenomenal practice to add to your astrological nidras. I love the periods of silence in this one also. So much thanks and gratitude.