Summer Ease Yoga Nidra

Summer naturally encourages us to be outwardly engaged. Yoga Nidra offers a beautiful counterbalance—a chance to pause, cool the mind, and replenish ourselves so we can more fully enjoy the season.
I invite you to set aside 20–30 minutes, find a quiet place where you can lie down comfortably, and allow yourself to be supported by the practice. Use blankets, pillows, or anything else that helps you feel completely at ease.
There is nothing to achieve.
Nothing to fix.
Simply rest.
I hope this practice becomes a refuge you return to throughout the summer whenever you need to restore your energy and reconnect with yourself.

Transcript

Hello everyone, Welcome to this summer ease yoga nidra practice. Know there's nothing you need to do in the next 20 minutes or so but Relax. Be still. And do your best to listen to the words that I say. Begin by finding a comfortable position. Lying on your back. Support your body with blankets beneath your knees. Pillow beneath your head or any props that allow you to feel completely at ease. Cover yourself if you'd like to stay warm. Maybe you're inside. Maybe you're outside. But either way. Take some time to really settle the physical body and support it. When you're ready. You allow your body to become still. There's nowhere to go. Nothing to accomplish. Nothing to fix. And for these next several minutes, Simply allow yourself to rest. Gently close your eyes. And take a slow, Easy breath in. And exhale with a soft sigh out your mouth. Once again, Taking a slow, Easy breath in through the nose. And a nice full exhale out the mouth with a soft sigh. Now simply just begin to breathe in. And breathe out. Allowing your breath to become easeful and effortless. Become aware of the space around you. Notice the sounds that are far away. And now become aware of the sounds that are closer by. Perhaps they're sounds that are inside or outside. Allow your awareness of all these sounds without attachment. Notice the temperature of the air touching your skin. Notice the gentle darkness behind your eyes. Just observing here without effort. And allowing your awareness to slowly turn inward. Feel the weight of your body being held by the earth. Remembering that there's nothing required of you now. Allow the ground to support you completely. We'll now bring our mind to our body. Joint Sunkulpa. Which is an intention here for our practice. A simple seed planted in the quiet mind. Silently repeat to yourself three times. I am at ease. Allow the words to settle gently into your whole being. And I begin to softly. . . Release the body. Relax the muscles of your forehead. Smooth the space between your eyebrows. Soften the eyes into their sockets. Relax the jaw. Allow the tongue to rest at the roof of the mouth. Let the shoulders melt heavily towards the earth. The arms become soft. The hands relax. The chest open. The belly soft. Nothing to hold, Nothing to brace against. Relax through the hips. Dines. Knees calves. Ankles, Feet. All the way to the tips of the toes. Feel your body becoming pleasantly heavy. Allow yourself to surrender to the support of the earth. Now become aware of your breath. There's no need to change it. Simply notice it. Feel the coolness of each inhale. The warmth of each exhale. Notice the gentle rise and fall of your body. Perhaps you can imagine the breath like a soft summer breeze. Moving effortlessly. Cooling. Refreshing. Steady. If the mind wanders, Gently escort it back to the breath again and again. Now we begin rotating awareness through the body. Simply noticing each place as it's named. Beginning with the right thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Pinky finger. The right palm. Back of the hand. Wrists, Forearm. Elbow Upper arm. The right shoulder. Armpit, The right side of the waist. Bye. Knee. Shen. Term. The right ankle. Heal. Sole of the right foot. Top of the right foot. The right big toe. 2nd toe Third toe. 4th toe little toe. The whole right leg. The whole right arm. The entire right side of the body. Awareness now to the left thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. And pinky finger. The left palm. Back of the hand. Wrists, Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. The left shoulder. Armpit. Waste Bye. Me. Shen calf the left ankle. Heal. Soul of the left foot. Top of the left foot. The left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. And little toe. The whole left leg. The whole left arm. The entire left side of the body. Become aware now of the back body. Back of the head. Shoulder blades. Middle back, Lower back. Pelvis the back of both legs. Both heels. Now let awareness travel to the front of the body. The forehead. Eyes. Nose. Lips. Throat. Chess, The heart center. The heart center. The heart center. Upper abdomen. Lower abdomen. Pelvis. Both legs. The whole body. The whole body. Whole body resting. The whole body breathing. Whole body at ease. Invite in the following images as I say them. Without attachment, Without effort. A clear blue sky. A field of wildflowers. A dragonfly hovering in a meadow. A fern unfolding. A hammock swaying in the breeze. Fireflies at dusk. A glowing campfire. A full moon rising. Now allow your awareness to become curious. Without trying to change anything, Simply experiencing each quality as it's offered. Warm sunshine on your skin. Comfortably warm. Now imagine the cool shade beneath a tall tree. The refreshing coolness of the air. Warmth of the sun. And coolness of the air. Imagine the brightness of a clear summer afternoon. The sky wide and full of light. Inviting that warmth on your skin once again. Now experience the soft darkness of evening. The quiet after sunset. The cool comfort of twilight. Bright warmth. And cool darkness. Imagine the fullness of summer. Gardens overflowing, Trees heavy with leaves. The abundance of the season. Now experience spaciousness. A wide open meadow. A vast, Clear sky. Nothing crowded, Nothing hurried. Fullness, And spaciousness. Now notice efforts. The body working. The mind planning. The day full of activity is unfolding. Now welcome in ease. The body supported. The breath unforced. The mind clear and settled. Effort. And ease. Returning now. By allowing these experiences to dissolve. Neither one nor the other. Simply resting in awareness. Will return to our sankalpa. Silently repeating to yourself three times. I am. At ease. Allow these words to settle deeply. Trust that they are taking root. Begin returning your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath. Feeling the body resting on the earth. Noticing again the temperature of the air around you. The sounds around you. Take a nice deep breath in. And as you exhale, Open your mouth and let the breath out. Begin to slowly rock your head side to side. Let that movement slowly ripple down the body all the way to the fingertips. And all the way to the toes. Before opening your eyes, Notice how you feel. There's no need to rush. Carry this feeling of ease with you into the rest of your day. May you remember that rest is not separate from your practice, That rest is the practice. When you're ready, You can gently blink your eyes open. And welcome yourself back.