Hello,
Hello beautiful soul and welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice,
Finding calm amid the holiday season.
This practice is designed to help you find peace during this busy time of year.
This time of year often brings joy,
Connection,
And celebration,
But it can also feel overwhelming.
And fast-paced and together we'll journey into a space of stillness where you can rest,
Recharge,
And reconnect with the essence of this season,
Love,
Presence,
And peace.
Find a comfortable place lying down on your back,
You might even slide a bolster or pillow underneath your knees.
Be sure that your cervical spine,
Your neck is lying flat.
You can place a blanket over your entire body and allow yourself to begin to come into stillness,
To close your eyes and take a deep breath in and as you exhale,
Let go of everything that you've been carrying today.
Allow your body to soften into stillness.
Yoga Nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.
And those are the only important factors.
In dreams,
You have no control.
In Yoga Nidra,
You get to become the creator of the dream.
Know that throughout this practice,
We're moving between the conscious and the unconscious.
I'll encourage you to do not sleep.
Please listen to the voice.
Do not sleep.
But whatever happens is what you are here to receive.
Don't judge your experience.
Simply allow whatever happens to occur.
And the practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Begin to visualize without opening your eyes,
The room that you are laying in.
See the four walls,
The ceiling.
See your body lying on the floor.
See your body lying in perfect stillness on the floor.
And then begin to expand into the city and expand into the state and expand out into the country and the continent that you are laying on,
The Northern Hemisphere and the Western world.
And when you think of it like this,
You are just a tiny piece of a ginormous puzzle.
And now begin to cultivate your sankalpa.
Your sankalpa is your intention for yourself,
A simple statement that brings you back to your center during this holiday season.
Keep it in the present tense.
I am calm,
Present,
And at peace.
I move through this season with ease and joy.
I embrace the gift of stillness and presence.
Whatever your sankalpa is,
Silently repeat it to yourself three times with a little passion,
A little fire behind it.
That's what brings it to light.
Letting this intention settle deep within you like a seed planted in fertile soil.
And now we begin with the body scan.
I will name a body part and you will silently say that body part in your mind.
Your awareness has to jump from point to point.
The practice always begins with the right hand,
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the right hand,
Right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side body,
Right waist,
Hip,
Upper leg,
Right knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Feel the right-hand side of your body,
Feel the entire right-hand side of your body.
Left-hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Pinky finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Left waist,
Side body,
Upper leg,
Left knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe.
Feel the left-hand side of the body,
Feel the entire left-hand side of the body.
And now we will balance out each of the hemispheres of the brain,
Beginning with the sole of your left foot and the sole of your right foot.
Feel both soles of the feet together,
Left ankle,
Right ankle.
Feel both ankles together,
Left calf,
Right calf.
Feel both calves together,
Left knee,
Back of the right knee.
Feel both knees together,
Left thigh,
Right thigh.
Feel both thighs together,
Low back,
Mid back,
Upper back.
Feel both shoulder blades together,
Cervical spine,
Neck,
Crown of the head,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Left eye,
Right eye.
And feel your third eye alert,
Awake,
And open to transformation.
And from the third eye,
We move on to the lips.
And from the lips,
We move on to the breath.
The subtle qualities of the breath in through your nostrils,
And the subtle qualities of the exhale out your nostrils.
We'll begin counting backwards.
I am breathing in 32.
I'm breathing out 32.
I'm breathing in 31,
Out 31.
I'm breathing in 30.
I'm breathing out 30.
Continue counting on your own,
Total awareness of breathing.
Wherever you are,
You may stop counting.
As we move into a more subtle layer of the body,
We'll begin to explore opposites to deepen your sense of calm.
Please do not sleep.
Listen to the voice.
Do not sleep.
Awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body.
Your body is so heavy.
It's as if you are sinking into the floor.
Awaken the feeling of heaviness.
And now awaken the feeling of lightness in the body.
Your body is so light.
It's as if you are levitating,
Floating.
This feeling of weightlessness in your body.
Awaken the feeling of lightness.
And now imagine the bustling energy of a holiday gathering.
Feel its liveliness.
And then shift to the stillness in this moment.
The quiet sanctuary within.
And now picture the sensation of rushing to complete a task.
Feel its sense of urgency.
And now imagine moving slowly,
Intentionally,
And gracefully with no need to hurry.
No rush.
And now just briefly recall the heaviness of stress.
And now embrace the lightness of letting it go.
And feel how the opposites create balance,
Harmony,
Reminding you that peace is always within reach.
Return to your third eye.
Imagine yourself stepping into a peaceful winter landscape.
The air is crisp and the world is blanketed in fresh,
Glistening snow.
Everything feels quiet and serene,
As if the earth itself is at rest.
And in the distance,
You see a small,
Cozy cabin surrounded by tall,
Evergreen trees.
This cabin represents your sanctuary,
A place where you can retreat,
The busyness of the world.
And as you walk toward the cabin,
You feel the soft crunch of snow beneath your feet.
And with each step,
You leave behind any stress,
Worry,
Anxiety,
Or holiday overwhelm,
Letting the snow absorb it.
You arrive at the door of the cabin and you step inside.
The space is warm and inviting,
Lit by the soft glow of a crackling fire.
And you notice a comfortable chair by the hearth,
Waiting just for you.
And as you sit down,
You feel completely at ease.
This is your moment to pause,
To breathe,
And to simply be.
The fire radiates warmth,
Melting away any lingering tension in your body.
And through the window,
You watch as the snow gently falls,
Blanketing the world in peace.
The stillness outside reflects the calm you feel within.
And you realize that no matter how busy life may seem,
This place is always of peace.
It's always available to you.
And now take a moment to reflect on the gifts of the season.
Not the presents we give or receive,
But rather the deeper gifts of connection,
Love,
And presence.
You feel immense gratitude for these blessings,
Letting them fill your heart with warmth.
And now bring your awareness back to your heart space,
Where the warmth of the fire continues to glow.
Imagine this light radiating outward,
Filling your entire body and extending into the world around you.
Remember your Sankalpa,
Your intention that you set at the beginning of this practice.
And silently repeat it to yourself three times with that same passion,
That same fire behind it.
And begin to return back to the physical body.
Feel the surface beneath you,
The movement of your breath,
And the softness of your fingers and toes.
And carry this calm with you into the rest of your day and the holiday season.
May it guide you through each moment with ease and joy.
And taking your time when you're certain that you're wide awake.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
