Winter Sanctuary Yoga Nidra

The stillness and tranquillity of winter offer a unique opportunity for inner reflection, hibernation and renewal. This Yoga Nidra is designed to create a serene and immersive experience, offering gentle support during the winter months, or simply evoking the magical essence of this season for those practicing from warmer climates. It is the ultimate winter self-care ritual, encouraging you to snuggle up under a cosy blanket and embrace the beauty of winter from the warmth and comfort of your home.

Transcript

Namaste,

This is Jodi and welcome to this winter sanctuary yoga nidra.

The stillness and tranquility associated with winter can be a time for inner reflection,

Hibernation and renewal.

This yoga nidra practice is designed to provide a serene and immersive experience,

Providing support during the winter season or simply evoking the magical essence of this time if you are practicing from warmer climates.

It takes some time to settle into a comfortable laying position.

You might like to place a soft blanket over the body ensuring warmth and comfort or place a covering over the eyes drawing you deep into the darkness.

Taking any movements or adjustments that the body needs to settle in to stillness,

Bringing the arms and legs to rest effortlessly.

Unclench the hinges of the jaw,

Of the jaw,

Relax the cheekbones and settle your awareness at the center of the forehead.

Begin to imagine any tension that may be held here washing out to the temples as if the forehead becomes a little wider as you let go.

No wasted energy.

Sense the volume of space behind the eyes behind the eyes.

Imagine the eyes dropping back into this space,

Heavy and relaxed.

Become aware of the subtle sensations at the body's edges enveloped by soft air.

Sense the aliveness of the skin across the entire body.

Dropping deeper now to experience the heaviness in the muscles and deeper still to sense the density of the bones.

Landing here in this moment in your body,

Held and safe.

Settling into this cozy place of hibernation and rest.

Whole body softening,

Dropping in to stillness.

Gravity holding you in its gentle embrace.

Migrate your awareness to settle at the heart space,

Anahata chakra,

The seat of the sacred.

Home to your most beloved connections,

Your dearest recollections and your soul's deepest desires.

And as you rest here in the presence of your heart,

Could you welcome your sankalpa,

Your soul's purest intention.

And if you aren't working with a particular sankalpa,

You may choose to repeat silently,

I embrace rest and renewal.

Or maybe I am restored in quietude and calm.

And as you silently repeat your sankalpa,

Feel its words reverberating through the entire body.

Whole body affirming your intention.

Release your sankalpa now and allow the words to dissolve from your conscious awareness.

Know that your sankalpa is now planted within the depths of your heart.

Your sankalpa is now planted within the depths of your subconscious mind and will serve as a guiding light influencing your thoughts,

Choices and behaviours in alignment with your intention.

Now drifting into a rotation of consciousness,

Anamaya Kosha,

An exploration of the physical body.

Allow your awareness to float through your body following the guidance of my voice,

Starting at the tip of the tongue.

Sensing taste buds,

Space beneath the tongue,

Inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek,

Inside of the right cheek,

Teeth and gums,

The whole mouth,

The lips,

The space that exists between the lips.

Sense the tip of the nose and the right nostril and the sensation of breath inside the left nostril,

The right eye,

Eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone and the left eye,

Eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone.

Sensing both eyes now simultaneously,

Both eyes simultaneously,

The centre of the brow,

The crown of the head,

The entire scalp,

Neck,

Throat,

The centre of the chest,

The energetic heart centre,

The right collarbone,

Shoulder,

Elbow,

Elbow,

Wrist,

Palm of the right hand,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second,

Third,

And the little finger,

Fingertips,

Fingernails,

And sensing the entire hand,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Centre of the chest,

The energetic heart centre,

Left collarbone,

Shoulder,

Elbow,

Wrist,

Palm of the hand,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

And the little finger,

All five fingertips,

Fingernails,

And sensing the entire hand,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Centre of the chest,

Both sides of the waist,

Lower belly,

Pelvis,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Front and back,

The knee,

Back of the knee,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And the fifth toe,

Sensing the tips of all five toes,

And the sole of the foot,

The tips of the toes,

And the sole of the foot,

Migrating your awareness now to the left hip,

Thigh,

Front and back,

Knee,

Back of the knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

And the big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

And the fifth toe,

Sense the aliveness of the tips of all five toes,

And the sole of the foot,

And begin to sense now the entire body,

The entire body alive with sensation,

From the crown of the head out to the fingertips,

And down to the tips of the toes,

Whole body alive with sensation,

Sensing the entire body as you breathe,

Whole body breathing,

Pranamaya kosha,

A witnessing of the breath body,

Following the flow of your natural effortless breath,

We'll introduce a count to the breath,

Counting back from nine on the exhale,

So inhaling,

And exhaling nine,

Inhaling,

And exhaling eight,

And continuing until you reach one,

Dropping a layer deeper with each exhale,

And as you reach one,

Releasing the count entirely,

Still and alert,

Dwell in the depths of your being,

Pranamaya kosha,

An experience of sensory oppositions,

Begin to welcome a sense of heaviness to the body,

As if the body could sink into the earth,

Whole body sinking,

Whole body sinking,

And invite now a sense of lightness to the body,

As if the body was floating on ocean waters,

Whole body floating,

Whole body floating,

And welcome back the feeling of heaviness,

Dropping deeper,

Heavier,

And inviting lightness again,

Effortless,

Weightless,

And can you now retire to the space between heaviness and lightness,

Resting in perfect balance,

Whole being abiding in the tranquil sweet spot of balance and ease,

And from this place of serenity and stillness and with closed eyes,

Begin to look through the mind's eye,

The third eye point at the centre of the brow,

The seat of the soul,

And from this place you may conjure the image of a snowy forest trail,

Snow-capped trees line an untrodden path that lays before you,

And you begin to slowly walk along the trail,

Each step creating a satisfying crunch in the snow.

You notice the sun is setting and the sky is vibrant with colour,

Leaving a pink and peach hue hanging in the air.

Snowflakes defy gravity as they float on the currents of the gentle breeze,

And the heaviness of the snow silences all distant sounds,

And the sense of quiet brings to life the sounds of the forest,

And you might notice the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze,

Or the mellifluous sound of birdsong from robins perched on snow-covered branches.

Continuing with each step,

Exploring your surroundings,

Notice what else do you see?

The colours?

The shapes?

Is anybody here with you on this journey?

If so,

How does their presence make you feel?

Sense the warmth of your body,

Cosy in soft and warm clothing,

And the coolness at the tip of your nose.

As you inhale,

You recognize the familiar smell of a log fire,

And the aroma drifts through the forest from a winter cabin nestled in the distance.

As the sun continues its descent,

You notice the landscape of colours changing all around you,

Darker hues of purple and blue,

Becoming darker and darker still,

Until the light of the full moon illuminates the snowy path before you.

Eventually,

The path leads you to a beautiful frozen lake.

A frost glistens and shimmers,

Reflecting the star sky above.

You look up into the vast night sky,

Beyond the light of the moon,

And into the darkness.

Resting your awareness on the darkness of the vast night sky,

Resting your awareness on the darkness of the vast night sky,

Notice do any images or messages come through as you peer into the dark canvas of the night sky.

Feel yourself merging into the darkness,

Absorbed by the atmosphere,

Immersed in pure awareness.

You feel ananda maya kosha,

Dwelling in the celestial depths of the subconscious mind,

Surrendered to the silence.

And you might now choose to invite your sankalpa back into your awareness,

Repeating it silently three times.

Feel the words of your sankalpa echo through your entire body.

Notice any thoughts or feelings as they arise.

How does it feel to experience you in this way?

Beginning to welcome sound as vibration.

Notice how these sounds that happen outside of you are experienced internally,

Within your awareness.

Reaching your awareness to experience sounds in the distance,

Sounds within the room,

The sound that is always closest to you,

The sound of your breath.

Can you begin to imagine the environment in which you are resting?

Can you visualize your body resting within this space,

Safe and at peace?

Welcome sensations at the palms,

Fingertips,

Sensation at the soles of the feet,

And the tips of the toes.

You may begin to deepen the breath,

Allowing the breath to reawaken or re-energize the body.

Maybe introducing some small movements to the fingers,

To the toes,

Or taking any big stretches that the body needs.

In your own time,

We might carefully roll over to one side,

Taking a moment here in stillness,

A moment for quiet reflection.

With the eyes closed,

Gently and slowly making your way into a comfortable seated position.

Go easy with the body,

Really taking your time as we transition into wakefulness.

We'll ground the fingertips down either side of the hips.

On an inhale,

Sweeping the arms up and overhead,

Bringing the fingertips to touch,

And then the palms.

Exhale the hands down through the center line,

Pausing at the heart.

Anjali Mudra,

Prayer hands at the heart.

Thank you for joining me in this practice today.

Namaste.

Reviews

Jodi, I really loved this nidra. I live in Southern California, so I don’t get to experience a real winter anymore. Your nidra brought back vivid memories of the winters of my childhood. I found the experience very relaxing. Thank you— I’m looking forward to more yoga nidra recordings from you.