Crown Chakra: Universal Alignment: Yoga Nidra
This yoga nidra takes you on a journey from separation to connection; from discord to harmony. It is a remembrance of our interconnectedness and the great peace and wonder that comes from that! Come home to your intimate connectedness to all.
Transcript
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra.
My name is Lucy McCarthy,
And this journey is a call to remember our connection to all that is.
A homecoming back to wholeness,
Unity,
And knowing.
To prepare for the practice,
Lie down on your back on the floor,
Supported by as many props as needed to allow for optimal comfort.
A thin cushion or blanket beneath the skull,
A bolster or a couple of cushions beneath the backs of the knees,
A light eye covering for the eyes,
And a blanket draped over the top can all create maximum comfort and the coziest of Yoga Nidra nests.
Place your body symmetrically,
Legs hips-distance apart,
Allowing the feet to melt out to the sides,
Arms gently away from the sides of the body,
With the palms facing up.
Briefly scan your body from top to toe to see if there are any areas that need adjusting.
Then make any final movements or fidgets so that you can then settle the body into complete stillness for the duration of the practice.
As you next inhale,
Draw energy from the soles of the feet up to the crown of the head.
As you exhale,
Sigh out through an open mouth,
Washing,
Releasing energy from the crown of the head over the sides of the body down to the soles of the feet.
Repeat this a few more times until you feel a genuine sense of deep release.
The inhale draws energy from the feet up to the crown of the head.
The exhale washes the released energy from crown to feet.
Once you're done,
Surrender your breath into its natural state.
Take your awareness to the inside of the closed eyelids,
Feeling the curtains to the external sphere fall,
Eyes melting back in towards the back of the skull.
As we close our physical eyes to the outer world,
So we open our inner eyes into the subtle realms within.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Plummet your awareness into the center of your skull.
Envision a pea-shaped gland in the base of the brain,
The pituitary gland,
A power hub and sacred source within us.
Ask your pituitary gland to activate.
Envision it lighting up,
A spark igniting it.
Let that light fill in the entire inner brain.
From this place of illumination,
We open ourselves to receive what is known as our sankalpa.
Sankalpa is that which we long for most sincerely at the soul level,
What we came here to manifest.
What is it you yearn for deep within?
Listen.
Let it reveal itself to you.
We state our sankalpa in the present tense,
In positive language,
Starting with the word I.
Examples could be I am whole.
I am connected to all that is,
Or I am at peace.
Whatever yours is,
State it now three times within the garden of the mind.
Say it with reverence,
Commitment and devotion.
Now trust that your message has been sent forth with potency.
We will now move into the physical layer of our experience through a rotation of consciousness through the body.
As each body part is named,
Simply bring your awareness to the area and bathe and bless it with silent awareness.
Root your awareness once more into the pituitary gland,
The pea-shaped gland at the base of your brain.
Pour your attention here.
Feel.
Sense.
And then bless it with sacred inner silence.
Then move your awareness into the centre of the throat.
Feel.
Sense.
Bless with silent awareness.
Right shoulder joint.
Right elbow joint.
Right wrist joint.
Tip of the right thumb.
Tip of the right index finger.
Tip of the right middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the right baby finger.
Centre of the right wrist.
Centre of the right elbow.
Centre of the right shoulder.
Centre of the throat.
Left shoulder joint.
Left elbow joint.
Left wrist joint.
Tip of the left thumb.
Tip of the left index finger.
Tip of the left middle finger.
Tip of the left ring finger.
Tip of the left baby finger.
Centre of your left wrist.
Centre of the left elbow.
Centre of the left shoulder.
Centre of the throat.
Centre of the chest.
Right nipple.
Centre of the chest.
Left nipple.
Heart centre.
Solar plexus.
Navel centre two inches below the belly button.
Right hip joint.
Right knee joint.
Right ankle joint.
Right big toe.
Right second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Tip of the baby right toe.
Centre of the right ankle.
Centre of the right knee.
Centre of the right hip.
Navel centre two inches below the belly button.
Left hip joint.
Left knee joint.
Left ankle joint.
Left big toe.
Tip of the second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Tip of the fifth baby toe.
Centre of the left ankle.
Centre of the left knee.
Centre of the left hip.
Navel centre two inches below the belly button.
Solar plexus.
Heart centre.
Centre of the throat.
And returning your awareness once more to the pituitary gland in the base of the brain.
Feel the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body felt now.
Filled up with the light of your awareness.
Blessed with sacred,
Inner,
Silent presence.
Now fold your awareness onto your natural breath.
And without changing it or trying to change it,
Or trying to control it,
Simply watch yourself being breathed.
The effortless,
Spontaneous ebb and flow across the inner shores of the body.
Observing the gentle,
Expansive quality of the inhale.
The soft release of each exhale.
Be with the breath.
As it is.
As you are.
As you continue to follow the breath,
Accompany each natural inhale with the sacred sound,
Hum.
And each natural exhale with the sacred sound,
Sah.
Inhale,
Hum.
Exhale,
Sah.
Inhale,
Chant hum.
Exhale silently inside,
Chant sah.
Hum,
Sah.
Hum,
Sah.
I am that.
Hum,
Sah.
Each inhale breathing in the outer universe.
Each exhale releasing back out into her.
The act of breathing unifying us infinitely with all that is.
Now gently release the mantra.
And begin to sense the energy beneath the breath.
The vital life force energy that sits beneath and within the breath itself.
The animating force of every single thing in the universe.
Feel this energetic layer of your experience.
The soft hum,
Gentle pulsation of vital life force energy flowing in and all around you.
Sense the vitality of your energy body.
Pulsing and in harmony with all that is.
We will now move into the mental emotional layer of our experience.
Through the practice of working with opposites in order to find the unity and harmony beyond these.
Each sensation or feeling that is named.
Conjure forth as fully as you can in the here and now.
Whilst remaining deeply relaxed and at ease.
Root the awareness back to the brow center.
And ever so slightly back into the midbrain.
This point known as Chid Akash.
The space of consciousness itself.
We will use this as an anchor to return to.
As we play with pairs of opposites.
What does isolation feel like?
Awaken as fully as you can the feeling of isolation.
To feel alone.
Removed.
Distant and remote.
Fill your whole being with this sense of isolation.
Notice any memories,
Thought forms or visions that rise up alongside this feeling of isolation.
Now let that go fully.
Now conjure forth the feeling of connection.
What does being connected feel like?
Connected to yourself?
To others?
Where does the feeling of connection land within you?
Fill yourself with this sense of connection.
Inner and outer.
Now release that fully.
And tether your awareness back to the point in the midbrain.
Now what does separation feel like?
To be separate.
Apart.
To feel separated from everyone and everything.
Awaken the sensation of separation as fully as you can.
If memories or storylines rise up,
Let them fall away and stick with the pure feeling itself.
Separation.
Now surrender this fully.
What does wholeness feel like?
To feel whole.
Complete.
Full.
Lacking nor wanting for anything.
Embrace the sensation of wholeness in your being.
Whole body.
Whole being.
Now let that fall away.
And once more bring your awareness back to the midbrain.
Awaken the sensation of disharmony.
To feel unsettled inside and out.
An inner and outer war.
A discord.
Conflict.
Strife.
How does disharmony land within you?
Allow yourself to feel this fully.
Now release that entirely.
Now awaken the feeling of harmony.
What does harmony feel like?
Harmony in mind,
Body and spirit.
Inner harmony.
Outer harmony.
Harmony that arises from feeling universally connected.
Flood yourself with the sensation of harmony.
Bask in it.
Let it fill you up.
Harmony.
Now even surrender that fully.
And once more return the light of your awareness back to Chidakash in the midbrain.
This seat of consciousness.
A place of peace and oneness.
Beyond duality.
We will now journey into the wisdom layer of our experience.
Through inner visioning.
Take the light of your awareness into the centre of the chest.
Behind the breastbone.
In the space between the breastbone and the spinal column.
Here see,
Envision or imagine a violet coloured flame.
See the potent violet flame flickering in the heart centre.
Be drawn into its mesmerising beauty.
As you watch this violet flame,
You begin to see a portal open up vertically towards the crown of the head.
See the violet flame and its energy begin to gush upwards.
This central inner channel from heart to crown of the head filled with this violet flame.
Filled with its radiance and pure pristine energy.
The violet flame continues to rise up through the central column.
And as it meets the crown of the head,
It bursts forth and pours itself down outwards over the entire body until it meets the feet.
This cascade of violet energy pouring down and in all directions from crown to feet.
Then watch the flame be drawn back up through the feet into the body rising once more through the central column.
Feel the violet flame energy circling now up through the central channel pouring forth from crown to feet in a ceaseless flow creating a torus field in and all around you.
As you continue to envision and feel this violet flame and energy pouring within and all around you you sense the perfect harmony of this energy field within and all around you creating a unity between heart and head earth and sky self and other.
As you continue to be bathed in this violet flame this sacred,
Healing,
Energetic toroidal field an immense sense of peace washes over you.
All separation falls away only oneness remains this all-knowing,
Love-filled totality of which you are utterly a part of.
Now as if you were dropping an elixir into a flame to be alchemized let your sankalpa your statement of innermost longing be dropped into the violet flame of the heart let it be pulled into the flow of this energetic field circling within and around you.
As it washes over and through you state it three times in this healing vortex now let that integrate and become part of who you are now and forevermore.
Very tenderly begin to pull your awareness out of your inner visioning into the concrete solidity of your physical body lying on the earth in this present moment.
Feel the weight of your body releasing downwards the touch of your clothing on the skin once more noticing the gentle rising and falling of the breath within begin to deepen the breath as a way of slowly reawakening.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Gently trace your thumb across your fingertips swirl the tongue around the inner mouth then when you feel ready one by one hug your knees up into your chest then gently roll to one side.
Pause here now notice how you feel now the quality of your inner mind gently press yourself up to a comfortable tall seat with the spine upright place your hands in prayer in front of the heart may we never forget our place within the totality the sacred unique expression of divinity that we each are as precious and needed as any tree ocean or the vast sky above may we allow this feeling of harmony and connection to remind us always of our true identity and essence Hari Om Tat Sat Hari Om Tat Sat Hari Om Tat Sat as above so below all is one many blessings
