Yoga Nidra Welcome To Increased Calm

This practice highlights what it is to welcome in sensations in the body as messengers with a story to tell. Listening to the stories that arise in real time allows one to honor what it is that the body needs and move through challenging thoughts and emotions. Join me in this gentle practice to reconnect with a greater sense of calm and wellbeing.

Transcript

Welcoming is a term in Yoga Nidra that involves meeting whatever arises in the practice.

Sensations,

Feelings,

Beliefs,

Thoughts,

And emotions just as they are as messengers with a story to tell.

As if you were welcoming someone into your home or your life,

Sitting down with them to better understand exactly what it is they are trying to tell you.

It can be tempting to shut these messengers out if they feel prickly,

Uncomfortable,

Confrontational,

But then we lose the opportunity to meet as mediators to work through and past any stuck sensations,

Thoughts,

Or emotions.

A unique focus of the practice is to notice how our body informs our thoughts and emotions and not just the other way around.

Research supports that when we hone our interoceptive sense,

The language in the body that answers the question,

How do I feel,

We also support emotional regulation.

Let's start with a brief inventory of messages that are currently present for you.

First,

Just notice your breath.

Is it shallow or deep?

Quick or slow?

Effortless or laborious?

Not trying to change it,

But simply being curious.

Where do you feel the breath most profoundly?

And now your posture.

Is it open and expansive or closed and protected?

You may notice it varies from one part to another,

Exploring both areas where you feel more open and areas where you feel more closed or protected.

And aware just for a moment of any global feelings in the body where you might feel warm or cool,

Relaxed or tense,

Heavy or light.

And now your general emotional tone or energy.

Do you feel tired or energized,

Sullen or excited or something else?

Knowing there are no good or bad emotions,

Simply noticing what's most present for you.

And in so doing,

You are now more informed about what physiologic messages are most present in your body currently.

And take the time now to support yourself such that you can find an increasing sense of ground,

A foundation for rest and self inquiry,

Such that your intentions can take form and grow.

Whatever your intention is for your practice.

You can be sitting or laying down,

Even standing if you so prefer.

And arrive in the now by taking in the sights around you.

Or noticing the colors or shapes that are behind your eyelids if your eyes are gently closed.

Allowing the sounds around you to come to the forefront.

Acknowledging thoughts that pop up and then setting them free on a breeze or a river.

Floating away without becoming bound to them.

Turning instead to the body and its story.

The rise and release in the torso with each breath.

And taking three conscious breaths here.

Filling the lungs fully on the inhale.

And releasing into gravity on the exhale.

Feeling more and more grounded with each extended exhale.

And from this place of ground,

Call to mind something that feels nice.

A simple thing perhaps.

A cool breeze on your face.

Sand underfoot.

Feet in the water.

Warm mug in your hands.

The solitude of nature.

Choose your own pleasant feeling and allow yourself to linger there uninterrupted.

And now grow this feeling by taking in the whole scene.

What else do you see here?

Focusing your gaze on the most appealing part of this daydream.

What about the colors or lighting that are most alluring?

Do you notice any sensations?

Even subtle ones that arise with the soft focus of your gaze.

And allow the temperature here to saturate your clothes,

Your skin.

How deep does the warmth or coolness penetrate the clothes,

Skin,

Muscles of your body?

Welcoming in the sounds in this daydream.

And the smells.

Taking note of how they are received.

And then how they resonate in the body as sensation.

However subtle.

Shift in your breath,

Posture,

Tension patterns,

Mood or energy as you enjoy this daydream.

This okayness that is developing is your own sensation footprint of calm and ease.

You're in a resource place.

Linger here a moment and revisit it anytime in this practice or in everyday life that you feel you need it.

Now an increasing awareness of sensations in the body as I name them.

No right or wrong way of doing this.

If no sensation is present,

Simply placing your awareness at each part without judgment or expectation.

And just noticing sensations now at your jaw,

Mouth,

Left ear canal,

Left ear,

Right ear canal,

Right ear.

And the air as it enters and leaves the nostrils.

Sensation at the left eye,

Right eye,

Both eyes together,

Forehead,

Scalp,

Neck,

The caress of the breath on the inner walls of the throat,

The whole neck and head as sensation.

And now the shoulders,

Upper arms,

Elbows,

Forearms,

Wrists,

Palms of the hands and fingers.

The whole left arm from shoulder to fingers.

And now the whole right arm from shoulder to fingers.

And where the arms meet at the upper chest,

Upper back,

Stomach,

Lower back,

The whole torso animated with the breath.

And where the torso meets the thighs,

Knees,

Forelegs,

Ankles,

Feet,

And toes.

The whole left leg from hip to toes as sensation.

And the whole right leg from hip to toes as sensation.

And now aware of the whole body.

The whole body purely as sensation.

Live,

Radiant,

Inwardly and outwardly.

The felt sense of the area extending even out beyond the body.

Yourself resting as awareness in this quiet place of being.

Beginning to notice the breath as a colored mist originating in your torso that's free to move throughout the body.

With each slow inhale and full exhale,

Seeing this colored mist move from the torso and down through the legs and feet.

With each breath,

Colored mist of each breath moving out into the arms and hands with the ebb and flow of each breath.

And now the breath moving gently up into the neck and head,

The whole body with each breath.

And remembering that global feelings in the body are simply messengers.

Becoming curious for a moment about anywhere in the body that feels solid,

Stable,

Secure.

Noticing if there's an image or color that co-arises with this feeling of stability and security.

And now aware of anywhere in the body that feels vulnerable,

Weaker or softer.

Curious about where this shows up for you in your body.

And in this place that feels more vulnerable.

Is there a co-arising image or color present here?

Simply recognizing how vulnerable shows up for you in your body from the safety of this supportive environment.

Can you stay a moment longer with vulnerable?

Returning to your inner resource place of calm and safety whenever you need it.

And how about jittery,

Trembly or twitchy in the body?

If you find anywhere in the body that feels slightly more jittery or trembly,

Ask yourself,

Is this a common place where you feel trembly or twitchy?

And suspending rational thought,

Asking yourself,

What is the message here in this jumpy or shaky part?

And if a clear message doesn't come forward,

Simply being okay with any hint of what the story is here.

Appreciating that the full story may reveal itself later.

And now finding the opposite feeling and finding an area that feels more still,

Stagnant,

Dull,

Neutral or numb.

Noticing if there is a preference to be with jittery and twitchy or with dull and numb without judgment here.

Simply as a means to be curious about comfort zones in your own physiological state.

Now it's likely there has been or currently is,

In this practice,

An emotional undertone that is present or choosing an emotion that you've been working with in your daily life.

And since in this practice,

We've been welcoming in sensations and global feelings.

Let's continue this inquiry with noticing how this emotion shows up in your body.

Bringing the emotion to the foreground now with the support of a recent situation you were in.

If this feels too activating,

Then choosing its milder cousin.

For example,

Instead of rage,

Choose irritation or choose worry instead of panic.

Whatever it is for you.

And know that you can always return to the daydream that supports your inner sense of calm at any time.

And in order to meet this perhaps uncomfortable emotion,

Put it a distance from you.

Seeing it now as an animal.

What animal would it be?

And feel in your body how that animal moves.

Is it slow?

Fast?

Are you covering ground?

Staying still?

Pacing?

What body parts are primarily involved in this movement?

Feeling the impulse to move as if you are the animal version of this emotion.

Perhaps seeing in slow motion what this animal wants to do.

What is it trying to accomplish?

What does it need in order to settle?

And imagine that is happening now.

Whatever this animal,

This emotion needs to find some resolution,

Allow it to fully play out.

And notice how doing so may affect your body,

Sensations,

Tension patterns,

And posture.

Perhaps with this there's a slight shift or taming of the gnawing emotion.

Or at least a better understanding of how this emotion shows up in you.

Perhaps a deeper understanding of some of the under layers of the emotion in order to further move it or metabolize it in a future practice.

The invitation here is to let this go for now.

And instead welcome in the opposite of the challenging emotion.

Contentment,

Safety,

Gratitude,

Carefree.

Allowing one such emotion to take root in your torso.

Perhaps supporting this emotion with a memory or scene that brings even the hint of a smile,

A warmth,

A sigh of contentment,

Even full-blown laughter,

Or that classroom giggle you're supposed to stifle,

But it only grows as you try to contain it.

Letting happiness,

Contentment,

Gratitude flow from the torso to the feet.

Gratitude or contentment flowing out through the arms and hands,

Up to the head and neck.

Feeling your whole self alive with a sense of well-being.

This birthright that is always available to you.

Linger here a moment,

Feeling the outermost borders or boundaries of yourself resting as being alert,

Aware,

This mysterious yet familiar place of awareness.

Not trying to contain anything,

But allowing yourself to expand and explore a trusted place that guides you at home and understood.

Touching back into your own internal landscape once again.

Noticing your breath,

Posture,

Tension patterns,

Mood or energy.

Are you noticing any changes from the beginning of the practice?

Any new knowing that has arised?

Allowing any intentions to form,

To take with you into your day or your next practice.

Once again,

Becoming aware of the room around you.

Noticing sounds,

Gently opening and closing your eyes as you start to orient to the room around you.

Gently stretching,

Readjusting and coming slowly back with a sense of well-being.

Taking all the time you need to come to the conclusion of your practice.

Thank you so much for joining me today.