Yoga Nidra: Your Wild And Precious Life

Explore this gentle Yoga Nidra (Daring to Rest) inspired by Mary Oliver’s beautiful poem “The Summer Day.” Through guided relaxation and mindful awareness, you’ll be supported in releasing tension, quieting the nervous system, and reconnecting with the quiet wisdom of your own body and heart.

Transcript

So welcome to this space of rest.

This yoga nidra practice is inspired by Mary Oliver's poem,

The Summer's Day,

And it's an invitation to awaken to the miracle of being alive.

It's an invitation to rest,

To notice,

And to remember that your life is precious.

So as you settle in,

Allow your body to be completely supported.

If you can,

Resting on your back,

Placing a pillow under the knees if that's needed,

Or under the head,

Making sure that you are warm and comfortable.

And when you're ready,

You can let the eyes close as you begin to feel the ground holding you.

Nothing that you need to do,

Nowhere to go,

Nothing to achieve.

This time is for you.

Feeling each breath as it moves.

Each breath is precious.

And finding your way into stillness as best you can,

Allowing all the sensations that are here in the body to be here.

And if you are using a touchstone,

Let it rest in your left hand.

And if you don't have a touchstone,

An object that brings you a sense of comfort,

You can imagine one in your hand.

Taking some time to tune into the touchstone for a moment,

Feeling its energy.

And when you feel ready,

You can place or imagine your touchstone somewhere on the body,

Somewhere that needs healing today.

Someplace that feels ready for transformation.

And if you don't want the touchstone on your body,

Then feel free to place it next to you.

Feeling now the heaviness of the body,

The solidity of the body.

The feeling of clothing on the skin.

The feeling of air on the skin.

The feeling of the breath.

Hearing the sound of the breath.

And now take in this poem by Mary Oliver.

The summer's day.

Who made the world?

Who made the swan and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper,

I mean the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

The one who is eating sugar out of my hand.

Who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down.

Who's gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her faces.

Now she snaps her wings open and floats away.

I don't know what exactly a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention,

How to fall down in the grass,

How to kneel down in the grass,

How to be idle and blessed,

How to stroll through the field,

Which is what I've been doing all day.

Tell me what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last and too soon?

Tell me what it is you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.

When you're ready,

Taking a slow full breath in through the nose,

Sighing it out gently through the mouth,

Feeling the weight of your body being met by the earth.

And in this moment of stillness,

Invite a simple intention or a heartfelt wish.

Repeating this intention to yourself three times as you let the intention settle deep into your being.

Like a seed planted in fertile soil.

And if you can't find an intention,

Perhaps using the intention,

May I live my one precious life.

Or may I awake to the beauty of this day.

And now we're going to move awareness slowly through the body,

Welcoming each part as though sunlight is gently touching it.

Starting with an awareness of the right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Left hand,

Right wrist.

Awareness to the right forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Side of the body.

Thigh,

Ankle,

Foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And little toe.

And now bring awareness to the left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Left forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder.

Moving awareness down the left side of the body,

Into the left hip,

Thigh,

Foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Little toe.

Now bring awareness to the back of the body,

Heels,

Calves,

Backs of the thighs,

Buttocks,

Lower back,

Mid back,

Upper back,

Shoulder blades,

Shoulders.

Sensing now the front of the body,

Aware of the belly rising and falling.

Aware of the chest expanding and softening.

Feeling the neck,

Throat,

Jaw,

Forehead,

Crown of the head,

Head.

Sense now your whole body,

The whole body as one field of light,

One field of sensation,

Completely relaxed and awake.

And now begin to bring attention to your breath,

Just noticing how the body breathes itself.

With each in-breath,

Breathing in the summer field,

With each out-breath,

Releasing into the earth and softening.

Breathing now the left side of the body,

Sensing the breath like a wind moving through the left side of the body.

And now breathing through the right side of the body,

Like a breeze feeling the breath moving through the right side of the body.

And now feeling the whole body breathing,

Whole body breathing.

And now begin to sense warmth through the body,

Feeling the places of warmth through the body,

Like sunlight touching the skin,

Knowing warmth in the body.

And now sensing coolness,

Coolness in the body,

Coolness like the shade of a tree sensing coolness.

And now allowing both warmth and coolness to be felt through you,

Warmth and coolness.

And bring your attention now to the space between the eyebrows,

The space between the eyebrows,

Seeing yourself now lying in a meadow on a summer's day.

The air is soft and golden,

Noticing the scent of grass and wildflowers filling the air,

Noticing the small creatures moving through and around the plants,

Sensing the life around you,

Feeling the miracle of nature,

The miracle of this,

The simple sacred pulse of life around you.

Aware of the vast blue sky above you and the warmth of the sun pouring in over you like kindness,

Letting yourself rest now in the awareness that everything is alive and so are you.

Now bringing your attention to the quiet of your heart,

Just breathing with the space of the heart,

And as you rest here hearing the words of Mary Oliver again,

I don't know what a prayer is,

I do know how to pay attention,

How to fall into the grass,

How to kneel down in the grass,

How to be idle and blessed.

Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

Letting this question echo softly within you,

No need to answer it,

Just simply feeling the life in the question itself.

Taking time now to listen to your heart,

Being open to any messages in the form of images,

Sensations,

Emotions that it might bring.

And as you listen now,

Inviting the intention that you set at the beginning of this practice,

A heartfelt intention for your life,

Repeating that intention to yourself three times.

And as you close your eyes,

Rest here,

And begin to sense your breath again,

The natural rhythm of breathing in and breathing out,

Feeling your body resting here,

The contact with the ground,

The weight and warmth of your being and your body,

And slowly begin to deepen the breath,

And allowing small movements to arise in the body,

The fingers,

The toes,

Perhaps moving the shoulders,

Stretching the body in whatever way it calls for.

You might invite another full in-breath,

Holding the breath,

And exhaling completely.

And before you open your eyes,

Maybe sensing the quiet inside of you.

And if you feel like you need to rest here for longer,

Feel free to do so.

And as we bring this practice to a close,

Perhaps setting an intention to carry the stillness with you.

And as you return to your day,

May you remember the miracle of being here alive and breathing,

Awake to the wild and the precious gift of your life.

This yoga nidra is now complete.