Walk Through The Garden Yoga Nidra

A light and relaxing Yoga Nidra, good for beginners. Find yourself being guided through a garden to a place of deep relaxation where you might plant seeds of positive thinking. This practice is traditionally done lying down on the back in a quiet space.

Transcript

Hi there.

Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.

My name is Leah and I'll be guiding you through the practice today.

Yoga Nidra is an ancient practice that guides us progressively into a deeper state of awareness.

Using visualizations to anchor while simultaneously igniting the imagination we might move closer toward a conscious dreamlike state where we can begin to shift from negative or stressful thinking toward a more positive way of being.

Come to lie on your back or whatever position brings you the most ease.

Make any adjustments or fidgets until you find your ultimate place of comfort.

You might fold a blanket or a pillow under the knees or the head.

You might cover yourself with a blanket for warmth.

Take your time to settle in and then allow some stillness to arise.

As you begin to find stillness bring to mind a place that brings you feelings of safety and support.

This might be somewhere you know,

Maybe the home of a loved one,

Your own home,

Somewhere outside or even a place in your imagination.

Now bring this place to life.

Who is with you?

Or maybe you're alone.

Can you see the sky or maybe a window?

What's the lighting like?

Are there any pets nearby?

Are there any special objects near you?

What does the space smell like?

Are there any textures coming to mind?

Breathe this space into your being,

Into your mind's eye.

And throughout the practice know that you can always return here.

Now bringing your awareness to your breath,

Noticing the rise and fall of your belly,

Your chest.

Imagining with each breath oxygen and energy spreading through your body all the way to the tips of your fingertips and your toes.

Now begin to notice any far away sounds.

Are there any sounds that are maybe a little bit closer?

It might even be the sound of your own breath or your own heart beating.

Bring your awareness to the space between your ears and placing a light in the center of your skull.

And now imagining this light traveling down your neck and your spine and stopping just at your heart center.

And here it begins to glow,

Dropping into the center of your heart space.

Without trying,

Begin to listen to your heart speak.

Where could you use some support?

What would you like to let go of?

What are you looking for more of in your life?

Find an intention and don't think too much about this.

Let whatever comes through be.

Your intention or sankalpa should be present,

Personal,

Positive and precise.

But if your heart is quiet today,

Here are a few you might try.

I am abundant through my existence.

I am capable of positive change.

I am human and I am always transforming.

I am surrounded by beauty.

Abundance of all expressions flows to me.

If any of these resonate with you,

You might repeat them in your mind three or more times.

But if not,

Just listening is fine.

I am abundant through my existence.

I am capable of positive change.

I am always transforming.

I am human and I am always transforming.

I am surrounded by beauty.

Abundance of all expressions flows to me.

Now envision yourself standing at the edge of a beautiful garden.

There is a path before you and flowers of all types and colors lean inward as if to welcome you.

You begin to take gentle steps forward.

Are there smooth stones beneath your feet or maybe soft grass?

The flowers reach toward you as you walk through the garden with encouraging joy beaming from their faces.

Notice if any colors come to mind.

Keep walking and let your garden come alive.

What time of day is it?

Is the sun reflecting off your skin?

Do shadows of leaves dance across your face?

The path begins to widen and a clearing appears as you walk through.

A lone willow invites you to lie beneath her.

Her low lying branches hold you safely,

Encompassing you as if in an embrace.

You might sit or lie at her base,

Glancing upward,

Watching her dance and laugh with the wind.

You notice the ground beneath you and maybe hear you lie down.

You close your eyes and rest,

Knowing that you are cared for.

Bringing your awareness to the top of the skull,

A space between your eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Your nose,

Right ear,

Left ear,

The mouth,

Your chin and jaw,

The tongue,

The front of the neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

The whole right hand,

Left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

The whole left hand,

The right side of your rib cage,

The left side of your rib cage,

The whole torso at once,

The right hip,

The right thigh,

The right knee,

The right shin,

The right ankle,

The whole right foot,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

Left shin,

Left ankle,

The whole left foot.

Now notice the backs of the calves making contact with the earth,

The backs of the hips and the buttocks,

The back of your rib cage and your heart,

The back of your head being held by the earth.

Now feel the whole body at once,

Heavy with each exhale sinking down,

Bones are heavy,

Grounding down into the earth.

With the next inhale you begin to feel light as air,

Light as the sky,

Light as a wispy cloud.

And at the next exhale feeling gravity pulling down,

Heavy again,

Grounded,

Supported,

The bones weighing you down.

Inhale and begin to feel light again as if you were a feather or a leaf falling from a tree or maybe a bubble floating upward.

Maybe you begin to blur beyond the confines of your skin and your body becoming one with the air around you.

Feeling heavy again and now light.

And now maybe holding these two opposites together.

Can you feel heavy and light at the same time?

Can you play with shadows and light at the same time?

Facing in the in between of balance,

Yin and yang.

Noticing yourself here in space.

Now bringing your gaze to the backs of your eyelids.

Bring a sense of curious observation to mind.

What do you see?

Colours,

Flickering,

Shapes,

Images,

Darkness.

Just keep watching without judgement.

With a slight feeling of kindness and compassion.

Just you,

Infinite space that is within you and this moment.

Here we will plant our seeds.

Where do you see yourself?

What is your heart's deepest desire?

Can you see yourself there now?

Doing whatever,

With whatever or whomever.

Feel that feeling of excitement as you realize your dream is coming to you.

Finish the sentence and repeat it in your mind.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

You are still beneath the willow tree and from here you begin to stir.

Thank the willow and slowly retrace your steps back through the abundant garden.

Back through the flowery path and back to your body wherever it is now.

Begin to notice your breath.

Noticing again the rise and fall of your body wherever you are.

Slowly coming back into the space that you are in.

Noticing any sounds nearby or far away.

In your mind can you see the walls and objects that are surrounding you here now?

Continue gentle breathing.

There's no rush to go anywhere.

You might notice some gentle movement in your fingertips or your toes.

If you would like to stay here and rest,

I invite you to listen to your heart.

Otherwise,

Mindfully rolling over to one side and pausing in a moment of gratitude for listening to your inner guide and for showing up for yourself knowing that in your self-care you are radically showing up for the collective.

Using a hand to gently bring yourself up to sit.

Take your time before you blink your eyes open.

Take in your surroundings.

Notice how you feel.

You can always come home to yourself.

Thank you for the honor of trusting me to guide you today.

May you be peaceful.

May you be

Reviews

Thank you for this class Leah.

Wonderful , relaxing and rejuvenating. 🙏🏽

So relaxing and beautiful