Calling Yourself Home Yoga Nidra

This is a deeply soul-nurturing practice that will bring your focus and energy from the external to the inner, allowing you the opportunity to relax the mind (and inner critic) which will support the relaxation of the whole body. You will be offered an opportunity to reclaim your wholeness through a guided visualization that connects you to your inner child. This is a wonderful practice to balance and anchor your energy on a mind-body-spiritual level.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to your practice.

My name is Elizabeth Overton and I am stoked that you are here.

This practice is called calling yourself home.

My intention with this practice is to remind you of your wholeness and to give you the opportunity to collect all the parts of yourself that have been scattered about in your daily life that deplete your experience of wholeness so that you may feel more peace and harmony in your waking hours.

Allow yourself the opportunity to fully arrive in this experience,

In this space,

In this time.

Gather all the accoutrements that will allow you to be the most comfortable.

Get all the bolsters,

All the blankets,

All the pillows,

The eye coverings,

Bring it all in and get yourself nestled in a supportive way that feels welcoming and comfortable.

Just before you lie down,

Go ahead and take in the space with your eyes.

Notice the four corners of the room you're in.

Notice the walls,

The items present,

Notice the textures,

The colors,

The aromas,

The temperature,

The light,

And whatever else your senses perceive.

Go ahead and make your way to a lying down position that feels good.

Be sure to place support where it feels good,

Perhaps beneath your knees,

Under your back,

Or underneath your head.

Be sure to cover yourself with a blanket or get those cozy socks on your feet.

Your body temperature will drop when you practice yoga nidra.

Once you're settled in into your yoga nidra nest,

Go ahead and take in the space under your yoga nidra nest,

Go ahead and gently allow your eyes to close.

As you land in your cozy nidra nest,

Recreate the room you're in and your mind's eye.

Imagine the four corners and the walls and the items and the space.

Now begin to listen for sounds that are farthest away.

And now begin to listen for the sounds closest to you.

And now listen for the sounds of your body.

What do you observe?

As you transition into this practice,

Begin to notice the texture of the things supporting your body.

Feel your entire body resting on whatever is rising up to meet you.

And see if you can become heavier,

Allowing your entire body to sink further into your nest.

Allow your bones to be heavy.

Allow your eyes to soften into their sockets.

Relax the tension between your brows.

Allow the tongue to gently rest behind the front teeth.

And if there are any fidgets that would make you even one percent more comfortable,

Go ahead and make those now.

I promise to attend to your needs during this practice.

All you need to do is follow my voice as your guide.

If you need to move during the practice,

By all means do so.

Otherwise,

If you can remain still,

It will definitely enhance your experience.

I invite you to trust that whatever you need in this experience is exactly what you will receive.

Allow it to serve you.

No need to figure out what's going on,

Simply follow my cues.

We will begin with progressive muscle relaxation.

You will tighten your muscles on the inhale and release the breath on the exhale.

So as you inhale,

Squeeze your fists as tight as possible.

Now exhale and relax.

And as you inhale on your next breath,

Tense up your fists and your arms.

Now exhale and release.

On your next inhale,

Squeeze your toes as tightly as you can.

And exhale and release.

And on your next inhale,

Squeeze your legs from your hips to your toes.

And now exhale and release.

On your next inhale,

Squeeze your face,

Squish it up.

And exhale,

Release.

On your next inhale,

Tense up your face or scalp your neck and your shoulders.

And release,

Let it go.

Exhale,

Relax everything from your head to your toes.

And on the next inhale,

Tense up your entire body from your head to your toes.

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

Squeeze.

Squeeze it,

Give it everything you've got.

And now exhale,

Release everything from head to toes.

One more time.

On your next inhale,

Tense up your entire body from your head to your toes.

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

Squeeze.

And let it go.

Exhale,

Relax.

Let every cell in your body relax.

We now begin the practice of yoga nidra.

Take a moment to observe your body and notice the support that is rising up to meet your entire body.

Allow yourself to be held and nurtured by the earth beneath you.

Take a moment to acknowledge this show of support by you and Mother Gaia.

In addition to allowing this experience to support your entire being,

I invite you to consider the absolute wonder and awe that created you.

You have approximately 100 trillion cells.

100 trillion cells.

And every single one of those 100 trillion cells contains 100 trillion atoms.

You are made up of stardust and so much magic.

You have more atoms in your body than all the stars in the universe.

If that's not cause for a dance party,

I don't know what is.

Notice the way your breath is moving in and around your body.

Notice how it moves effortlessly in and out.

In and out.

Your breath is the river of life,

Bringing oxygen to every cell and corner of your body.

Your lungs and heart automatically give you life force energy with every single heartbeat.

Even when you feel uncertain,

Your body always knows exactly what you need and how best to deliver you the goods.

You see,

Your body was born with divine intelligence.

Your heart is just as wise and most definitely wishes for your life to embody as much joy and vitality as possible.

As you lay here in complete support of your whole self,

Can you call forth what is on your heart to nurture at this time?

If you were experiencing your maximum level of joy and vitality,

What is it that you would be participating in?

Is there something that you need to release to arrive in such a joyful space?

Allow yourself to feel curious about what your soul desires for you in this time of your life.

So what is it?

What is tugging at your soul to be co-created with the universe?

Perhaps it's to feel at ease or to feel free.

Yoga Nintra is like a powerful garden that fertilizes your desires through a powerful affirmative statement called the Sankalpa that claims exactly what it is that you desire in a short affirmative tone.

The Sankalpa is spoken silently three times.

Begin to call forth the desire that's on your heart to bring forth into your life and create a corresponding Sankalpa.

For example,

If you desire to feel less stuck,

Your Sankalpa could be as simple as this,

I am free.

Maybe your desire is to experience less stress,

Simple your Sankalpa could be,

I am calm.

Go ahead and claim your Sankalpa and repeat it three times silently.

The simpler the better.

We are now going to activate the soil of your garden that holds your Sankalpa by helping you connect with your body with something called a rotation of consciousness.

I will name specific body parts in rapid succession and all you need to do is visualize that body part or move your awareness to each part as it is named.

We will begin by bringing your awareness to your right thumb,

Right index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And your pinky finger.

The palm of your right hand and the back of your right hand,

Your wrist,

Your forearm,

Your elbow,

Your upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of ribs,

Right waistline,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

The sole of your right foot,

The top of your right foot and all five toes.

Feel the entire right side of your body,

The whole right side.

Now bring your awareness to your left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger,

The palm of your left hand,

The back of your left hand,

Your wrist,

Your forearm,

Your elbow,

Your upper arm,

Your left shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of ribs,

Left waistline,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

The lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

The sole of the left foot,

And the top of your left foot and all five toes.

Feel the entire left side of the body,

The whole left side.

Now bring your awareness to the back lines of the body beginning with the soles of both feet and the heels of both feet,

Both ankles,

Both calves,

The backs of both knees,

Both sets of hamstrings,

The left and right buttocks,

Both buttocks together,

Your pelvis,

Your low back,

Your mid back,

Your upper back,

Your shoulder blades,

The curve of your neck,

The back of your head.

Bring your awareness to your forehead,

Your eyebrow center,

Your right eyebrow,

Your left eyebrow,

Both eyebrows together,

Your right eye,

Your left eye,

Both eyes together,

The bridge of your nose,

Your right nostril,

Your left nostril,

The tip of your nose,

Your whole nose,

Your upper lip,

Your lower lip,

Your teeth,

Your tongue,

Your upper palate,

Your right jaw,

Your left jaw,

Your chin,

Your right ear,

Your left ear,

The space between your ears.

Bring your awareness to the center of your throat.

Now notice the right side of your throat and the left side of your throat.

Now notice your whole throat together.

Move your awareness into your chest.

Notice your right lung and your left lung and both lungs together.

Notice your heart.

Move your awareness to your upper abdominal area,

Your lower belly and your pelvis.

Notice the tops of both eyes,

Both of your knees and both shins.

The tops of both of your feet and all ten toes.

Notice both legs together and your torso.

Now add your right arm from the shoulder to your fingertips.

And now your left arm from the shoulder to your fingertips.

Add your throat,

Face and head so that your entire body is wrapped in your awareness.

Whole body awareness.

Whole body awareness.

If you have fallen asleep,

This is a perfect time to come back to my words.

Take a moment to observe your breath.

Notice how your body is breathing you.

And notice the space that you occupy with your physical body.

Notice the spaciousness within your body.

Can you sense the spaciousness within your cells,

Your atoms and organs?

Notice the direction of energy as you breathe.

Notice its expansion beneath you and above you.

Now to the left and right of you.

Can you expand your energy to the four corners of the room?

What does that feel like?

And now can you pull your energy back so it's close around your body?

Observe the expansion and contraction of your energy and the spacious awareness that you occupy.

Bring your attention to your eyebrow center,

The seat of your intuition.

We're going to explore a variety of emotions using what's called pairs of opposites.

Really allow yourself to explore these different emotions.

I will bring you back each time.

Call forth the experience of disappointment.

What arises when you call forth the experience of disappointment?

Does this experience create any sensations in your body?

If so,

Where do you notice it?

What does it feel like?

Is this idea of disappointment connected to a specific person or circumstance?

Whatever you notice is just right.

Allow yourself to feel disappointment.

And now I want you to release the feeling and the experience.

Now imagine the state of delight.

What arises when you call forth the experience of pure delight?

Is there a place in your body that lights up or turns on when you imagine being delighted?

Is this sensation related to a person or experience?

Are you aware of any images or symbols when you imagine a state of delight?

Go ahead and release that experience and bring your focus back to your eyebrow center.

With your focus on your eyebrow center,

Feel the expansiveness of your wholeness.

You are always whole even while you experience challenging emotions.

Now imagine the sensation of heavy.

What does that bring up for you?

Do you feel it anywhere in your body?

Does the sensation of heaviness prompt images or situations related to your current reality?

Allow yourself to go there,

To really feel the sensation of heaviness.

And go ahead and release that.

If it helps,

You can imagine a boulder that holds this experience and you can go ahead and set it down.

Let it go.

You have released the heavy.

Now conjure up the experience of lightness.

What does lightness bring forth into your experience?

And does this show up anywhere in your body?

What does it feel like?

Maybe you receive a symbol or an image when you imagine lightness.

What does it look like?

Does it have a certain color,

Flavor,

Shape or symbol?

Does lightness create any emotions?

Does it have a frequency or waveform?

Does it create an inner smile?

Allow yourself to experience lightness in every ounce of your being.

And now release that experience and return your focus to your eyebrow center.

Imagine a fountain of light erupting from your eyebrow center and streaming right into your heart and pouring over the rest of your body.

As you allow this infinite flow of light to permeate your being,

I want to remind you that you are infinite.

You are whole.

Allow all the parts of you to come back to you and vibrate in your magnificent wholeness.

Really feel your wholeness.

Feel your expansiveness.

Feel your spaciousness.

Feel your groundedness.

You are supported.

And life is designed so that you may experience emotions and life experiences that both take your breath away and drop you to your knees.

And you continue to be whole in all of your human experiences.

Always and in all ways.

Now imagine that you are in a forest and you find yourself at the edge of a lake.

You see your reflection in the water and you have to do a double take.

Your reflection is your eight-year-old self.

She has a message for you.

She tells you to make your way down to the path to the grandmother tree to receive an important message.

You make your way to the most incredible tree that you have ever seen.

Perhaps it's one that you know very well.

Or maybe it's one you've never seen before.

Either way,

You feel the loving ways of this wise grandmother tree and you make your way to her trunk.

She places her hand on your shoulder and says she is delighted you have come to see her.

She says she has come to remind you of your wholeness.

She shares that the circumstances that have scattered your energy are temporary and she has a gift for you.

She opens a treasure chest and asks you to receive a symbol of your wholeness.

You reach into her treasure chest and suddenly you feel,

Sense,

See,

Or know what your sacred symbol is.

And you are overcome with a wave of the richest unconditional love.

You wrap your arms around the grandmother tree to thank her for her love and wisdom.

You sit down on the fluffy grass to reflect on your experience with the wise grandmother tree.

And you feel an inner smile twinkle inside your heart.

You feel immense gratitude for this expansive experience and you give your eight year old self an embrace for playing along.

You promise her that when your energy gets scattered in the future that you will pause and imagine your symbol of wholeness.

You lay back on the grass and allow the warm sun to kiss your cheeks.

You welcome the inner smile that is growing in your heart space and the gentle breeze and the way you feel so supported by Mother Gaia and the plants,

The birds,

And the sun,

The moon,

And the stars.

You bask in your connection to the cosmos and allow it to wash over you and through every cell of your being.

You sense a pulsation of opportunity,

Potential,

And adventure coursing through your veins.

Come now to the altar of your heart.

Kneel before her and notice who has shown up from your wise spirit,

Earth,

Cosmic protectors,

And guides.

You feel protected.

You feel alive.

You feel connected.

You feel at home.

You are home.

You are whole.

Allow this sensation to expand from your heart to every organ,

Joint,

Tissue,

Cell,

And atom of your being.

The absolute beauty and awe of this experience,

Energetic connection,

And wellspring of juicy life force expansion is available to you any time you desire.

For now,

Begin to come back to this moment.

Begin to feel your body laying on the support that rises up to meet you.

Begin to connect with your breath.

Begin to awaken your senses.

Begin to notice the sounds around you.

Begin to feel your whole body.

Begin to introduce small movements.

Gently wiggling your toes,

Brushing your thumb across your fingertips,

Gently rocking your head from side to side.

And now,

Recall your sankalpa that you stated at the beginning of the practice.

Repeat it to yourself one time with conviction and reverence.

Feel that desire well up within your being.

Continue to make subtle movements,

Cueing to your body that the practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

As you are ready,

Roll over to your right side,

Allowing your heart to kiss the earth.

Take a breath here to come back into your body and the space.

Slowly push yourself up to a seated position and bring your hands to your heart.

I want to acknowledge you for taking this time to honor your wholeness and I thank you for trusting me to guide your journey.

Thank you for practicing with me today.

If it feels right,

You could set an intention for what you wish to focus on for the rest of this day or evening.

Until next time,

May you know peace,

May you know compassion,

And may you feel whole always and in all ways.

Reviews

Love this practice. I really needed it today. Thank you 🙏

This is a beautifully guided Nidra. Lisbeth’s tone is so inviting and the background music is so complimentary. The practice feels infused with life and energy. I have practiced it a number of times now. I feel restored in the day and eased into sleep at night. Thank you so much!

Beautiful