Wild Yoga Nidra: Summer Cave

Join me in the cave! A Wild Yoga Nidra recorded on a coastal trek around the island of Arran, west of Scotland. Refresh your energy in the vibrant soundscape of early summer, then find nourishment in the cool, quiet dark. This is a guided deep rest practice to rejuvenate body, mind, and soul and align with the elements of nature. Find a quiet space, lie down if you wish, get completely comfy, and then simply listen. Your donations help me to make more tracks, thank you. With love, Kerry x

Transcript

Hello and welcome to the island of Arran.

I'm happy that you're here.

This island is in southwest Scotland and it's a beautiful day in the month of May,

So it's early summer.

You've joined me near the rocky seashore just where the shade from the cliff behind meets the dazzling sunshine.

I'm Kerri Mackay and this Yoga Nidra meditation offers time and space for you to come home to yourself.

It's a chance to receive the vibrant energy of summer in this wild place and then explore the polarity of light and shade.

Yoga Nidra is a process of surrender so really there's nothing to do.

Just being here is enough and trusting that you will receive what you need.

I suggest you get cozy and lie down somewhere comfortable or if you prefer you could choose to sit.

Make sure that you'll be warm enough.

Organize your position and your space to create the comfort that you need today.

You can use cushions and blankets if you like,

Perhaps a cover for your eyes.

Take some time now to settle down.

Check your neck and your lower back.

Allow yourself to wriggle and shift until it feels just right.

First take a slow breath into your belly allowing your belly to expand if you can and maybe another slow breath.

Then you might like to open your mouth,

Wiggle your jaw,

Stretch your tongue maybe and perhaps you can find a sigh or a yawn.

Notice now where the body touches the ground or your supports and notice if the weight of the body is ready to drop down a little more.

So resting down now.

Notice how your eyes are softening into the corners,

Softening into the width of the eyes,

Resting behind the eyes.

Now I invite you to set your intention if you'd like to.

Bring to mind your wishes for how you want to live your life or simply your wishes for this time together.

You might see it,

Feel it or name it.

Being with this intention now and then releasing this.

Letting it go so that your intention can weave its own way through the practice.

The geology here on the island is exceptionally diverse and it creates an incredible landscape.

Here in the cliffs and along the shoreline many different types of rock and rock structures meet and tell their stories through shape,

Through color and texture.

And this special landscape and seascape is home to a beautiful abundance of life.

From orchids to oyster catchers,

From otters to octopuses.

And now that summer is here everything is growing,

Blooming,

Reproducing,

Expressing.

Before we dive into the nature of summer I'm going to guide you around the body to settle more with your physical self.

You might like to imagine resting near the seashore here in the lap of the cliff.

As we journey to each part of the body simply bring your awareness there,

Just sensing it.

First become aware of the back of the head.

As you sense this place invite it to rest back and find its fullness.

And then sweeping down the back of the body inviting the shoulder blades to rest.

The back of the chest,

The back of the pelvis,

The back of the legs and resting the feet.

Resting the arms settling down into the ground.

Then come to the center of the forehead sensing the forehead now and move your awareness to your throat.

Moving your awareness now to the right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist.

Sensing now the tip of the right thumb and then the tip of each finger on the right hand in turn.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Right wrist,

Right elbow,

Right shoulder and the throat.

Moving to the left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist.

Sensing now the tip of the left thumb and then the tip of each finger on the left hand in turn.

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger,

Left wrist,

Left elbow,

Left shoulder,

Back to the throat.

Sensing the center of the chest,

Right side of the chest,

Center of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Center of the chest,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Arriving in the belly.

And then sensing the right hip,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

Right foot.

Sensing the tip of each toe on the right foot in turn.

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Right ankle,

Right knee,

Right hip,

Back to the belly.

Sensing the left hip,

Left knee,

Left ankle,

Left foot.

Sensing the tip of each toe on the left foot in turn.

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left ankle,

Left knee,

Left hip,

Lower belly,

Navel,

Center of the chest,

Base of the throat,

Center of the forehead.

The whole of the front of the body resting in your awareness.

The whole left side of the body,

The whole right side,

The whole back of the body.

The whole body resting gently in your conscious awareness.

The whole body resting on the earth,

Safe and sound.

Now observe,

If you like,

The movement in the body as you breathe.

A change of shape in the chest and the ribs,

Rising and falling,

A change of shape in the belly.

Perhaps you feel movement in the back of the body with the breath too.

When you're ready,

Invite more softness to the breath.

Offer the out-breath more time to fully empty.

And what happens if you give the in-breath more time to fill more fully?

Being with the continuous cycle of the breath as it passes through its seasons,

Outward seasons and inward seasons.

Cycling from the growth and the expansion of the inhale to the letting go of the exhale.

Then release the focus on the breath and let it flow on its own.

Acknowledge now the energy flowing around the body with its own intelligence.

You're free to receive what you need from this practice,

From my words,

And you can simply let go of anything that's not helpful to you.

Let's move to the senses now,

To be with the sensuality of summer in this island location.

A strip of woodland hugs the cliff area.

There are rowan trees,

Alder,

Birch and a few oaks,

Bluebells and ferns.

The birds flit and call in the shadows.

Water trickles through the rock.

Bumblebees feed on the nectar.

Flies buzz busily.

The petals of mayflower float to the ground and land with the faintest tap.

All the sounds here are softened by the echo of the sea and the clouds of creamy rowan blossom.

Between the woodland and the sea there is grassland and all the newly opened summer wildflowers.

Cuckoo flowers of the palest lilac,

Birdsfoot trefoil in egg yolk yellow,

The dark purple of milkwort and the bright pink of campion.

In the wetter places yellow flag irises stand tall and stiff,

Whereas the cotton grass waves its white tufts.

And there's so many butterflies,

Orange-tipped,

Chocolate brown,

Neon red,

Peacock blues.

And the smells here,

Such a delight for the nose.

The floral sweetness of the tree blossom blends with the briny earthy scent of the soil.

There are wafts too of the unique scent of bog myrtle.

Sweet,

Peppery,

Lemony,

Heathery,

Resinous,

Tantalising,

Indescribable,

Beloved.

Down on the shore a few taistes,

Or black gillimoths,

Rest beside the shimmering sea,

Their chicks safely hidden under the biggest slabs.

The air here tastes of salt,

Seaweed and the crabby snacks of otters.

All this activity,

Fertility and growth in the month of May,

This feast for the senses surely gladdens the heart.

Early summer invites us to open,

Invites us to create.

There's no need to push,

Just resting here and receiving this energy is enough.

As the whole body rests safely,

Bathed in the brightness and the busyness of this season,

Become aware that there's a cave in the cliff behind.

A cave in the shadow of the cliff.

It's an invitation to move out of the light and into the cool dark.

At the entrance to the cave,

The walls are soft with damp moss,

Ferns and algae.

There are white and orange patches where minerals seep through the rock.

Moving inside,

This fades away and it's just cool stone with its whorls,

Ledges,

Striations and pockets.

Further back it gets quieter,

Darker and smaller.

The cave roof is low and the floor is dry and clean.

You may hear water dripping.

You can stay near the entrance of the cave or go back as far as you'd like.

Find a place to safely settle,

Rest and breathe.

Nourished by the quiet of the cave,

The invitation now is to arrive with your heart.

Bring your awareness gently to your chest.

If you're comfortable,

Come to the space around the heart.

Cradling the heart with your awareness now.

Notice how it is to be here.

Being with your sense of the heart,

However that may be.

Welcoming in whatever is here.

Knowing that you are held safely in this practice of conscious awareness.

If you need an anchor,

You can move back to the breath or feel the weight of the body resting on the ground.

If you like,

You could imagine the heart's depths and chambers as a cave.

There's time to move deeper if you wish.

Time to explore the cave of the heart with curiosity.

Going back and in through the chambers and the layers into the dark interior.

Taking time to softly arrive in the heart's core.

Resting now with the mysteries of the heart.

Make space for whatever is present.

Gently become aware of the sunny outside world again,

With the flowers,

The birds and the sea.

It may seem distant but it's still there with all the activity,

Light and colour.

Travel your attention to this brightness,

Reaching out with your awareness.

And then drop gently back into the dark.

Lift your attention again to the brightness.

And then retreat gently back into the dark.

Repeat this with the flow of the inhale and the exhale if you like,

Moving between light and dark.

And perhaps also flowing in and out of the heart.

And now the invitation is to be with both the light and the dark together.

Holding both your deep heart's core and your surface energy in your awareness.

Sensing both.

And then let this go.

Return now to your intention again or your resolve.

Hold it kindly in the field of your awareness and noticing what's here.

And there's space now for anything else that's ready to be known or felt.

Gently release the visualisation.

Let go of the cave,

The shore and the island for now.

Calming back.

And as you come back trust that whatever you experienced today was as it should be and it was enough.

When you're ready come back to the natural rhythm of your breath.

The rise and the fall of the body,

Taking in,

Letting go.

Follow the movement and the cycle of the breath.

Sensing the breath in each nostril.

As we move towards the end of this yoga nidra we're coming back to the body.

So begin to sense the connection with the ground underneath you.

Notice the weight dropping down into the places that touch your supports.

Notice the feeling of your clothes and your covers.

Sense,

If you like,

The air moving on your skin.

Notice your eyes,

Any movement there,

Any colour.

Then become aware of how the mouth is.

You might be ready to move the lips and the tongue,

Maybe the jaw.

Perhaps finding some gratitude now.

Thanking yourself for making this time to connect with your whole self.

Thank you for joining me,

I really appreciate your time and the chance to practice together.

You might be ready for some deeper breaths or sighs now.

A stretch or a change of position.

If you like you can rub or tap the body.

Take your time to emerge in your own way.

Coming back to the here and now.

Coming back to engage with the space where you are.

I'll see you in the next meditation.

Your yoga nidra is complete.

Reviews

Thank you, Kerry🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻I so appreciate being led - within a yoga nidra- into the abundance of nature on this island in Scotland with your lush descriptions and wonderful background sounds. LOVE it, and love the exploration and expansion 🙏🏻🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🙏🏻

I love the “soundtrack” of this session —what a special setting. Thank you.