Yoga Nidra For Clarity Of Heart

This Yoga Nidra practice supports you on a journey towards greater clarity of heart. Let its gentle guidance shift your awareness inward to strengthen the connection to the deepest longings of your heart.

Transcript

Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

My name is Maria McDonald and the intention of this specific yoga nidra practice is to guide you closer towards the clarity of your heart.

Begin to position your body with the most exquisite care.

Lay your spine long and allow its full length and weight to rest heavy on the earth below.

Spread your arms and legs wide expanding your limbs in all directions.

Allow the soft center of your palms to face the sky.

Let the toes fall to the sides of your body as hip bones open and spread.

If it feels more comfortable add a pillow or bolster under the knees to find more space in the lower back.

Gather all your cozy layers and create a cocoon of warmth and safety that you can comfortably rest yourself within.

As your body arrives sweetly in its cocoon begin to settle into a deep stillness.

Observe the backside of your body and all of your parts that touch the earth.

Imagine those parts becoming heavy and sinking you deeper into a position of rest.

Now shift your awareness to the front side of your body and observe all of your parts that are open and lifted towards our expansive sky.

Imagine those parts the front side of your body becoming light and free.

As your physical body feels gently suspended between these two points anchored into earth,

Expansive towards the sky,

Allow the muscles in your body to spread.

Invite your joints to soften and observe your skin releasing from bone as deeper levels of comfort and peace settle in.

Feel into the palms of your hands.

Feel your palms open and soft.

Then move that awareness from the center of your palms to the center of your eyebrows,

The space in the middle of your forehead.

Allow that space to release all tension as you begin to move your focus onto your breath.

Begin to take deep full breaths.

Cultivate intentional breaths that are round and full,

Steady and deep.

Observe the fullness of each breath in.

Feel the gentle release of each breath out.

Keeping that steady rhythm of breath,

Move your focus into your belly.

Feel your belly rise and fall with your own rhythm of breath.

Slightly exaggerate the movement of your belly,

Feeling the belly rise with your breath in,

Then fall with your breath out.

Invite in a few more deep belly breaths,

Allowing the belly to expand and contract.

With your next steady breath out,

Release control of breath and allow your breathing to return to its natural rhythm.

Noticing perhaps how your natural cadence is now deeper,

More steady.

As your breath finds that steady pace,

Feel your entire body,

Your whole body,

Rest even deeper into its cocoon as body and breath rest in peaceful stillness.

The practice of Yoga Nidra now begins.

Begin to call into your awareness the warmth and light of the Sun.

Create in your mind's eye at the center of your forehead a glowing golden light.

Feel yourself becoming more visual as the golden light,

Which may start small,

Becomes more real as you place your focus on its rich color.

Let this light take on your favorite shade of sunshine yellow as it begins to form and swirl in your imagination.

As the color comes into focus,

Add into your experience its great warmth.

Feel the warmth of the Sun touch your skin and spread throughout your entire body.

Let the golden light you've created be warm and comforting and as its warmth builds,

Move the warm golden light from the center of your forehead into the center of your heart.

Imagine the color of golden sunshine and sensations of its great warmth to surround your heart and steady its sweet rhythm.

Feel your heart pulsating in your chest and observe how the warmth and light you've planted in your heart space start to expand your beating heart.

The warm light gives your heart the safety and space it needs to gently unfold.

Opening and spreading with each new breath you take.

From this place of expanded heart,

Allow your sankalpa or intention to arise.

Your sankalpa is a positive,

Succinct,

Future-oriented I am statement that brings your heart's deepest desires to life.

It is a statement that pulls limiting beliefs you hold up from their roots and allows you to plant liberating beliefs in their place.

For example,

If you are currently feeling apprehensive or fearful,

Your sankalpa can be I am courageous.

If life feels particularly challenging,

Your sankalpa can be I am powerful.

Invite your sankalpa to arise without efforting from your open heart.

If nothing arises naturally,

Know that is okay and simply use the sankalpa I am at peace.

Once your clear sankalpa rises from your heart,

Imagine both of your hands gently scooping your sankalpa up from the space of your heart and replanting it in the wide open space at the center of your forehead.

Allowing this deepest wish emanating from your heart to anchor itself into your mental and intuitive self.

As your sankalpa is gently placed at the center of the forehead,

Silently repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times now.

We will now begin to rotate your awareness through your physical body.

I will name a body part and you will feel it with your full attention without touching it or moving it.

Simply move your awareness into that space.

Starting with your awareness at the center of your throat.

All of your attention and focus at the center of your throat.

Recall again the light and warmth of the golden Sun and feel that light and warmth emanating from the center of your throat.

Move that light up and let it rest in your mouth.

Feel your whole mouth warm and drenched in golden colors.

Light moves then up into the forehead.

From here the light moves like a pinpoint and lands on your right thumb.

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger.

Feel the light flood the palm of your hand,

Back of your hand,

Middle of your wrist joint,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Collarbone,

Underarm.

Feel your whole right arm filled with golden light.

Whole right arm.

Light then weaves down through your ribs into the right waist,

Hip.

Warm light floods your knee socket,

Spreads down the leg to the ankle,

Heel,

Sole of your foot.

It illuminates your foot and fills into your toes.

Feel your entire right side full of light.

All awareness.

Whole right side body.

Entire right side vibrant and alive with warm golden light.

Follow the light as it moves to your left thumb.

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger.

Light floods the palm of your hand,

Back of your hand,

Middle of your wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Collarbone,

Underarm.

Feel your whole left arm.

Whole left arm alive with golden light.

Light weaves through your ribs down into your left waist,

Hip.

Golden light lights up your knee socket,

Spreads down the leg to the ankle,

Heel,

Sole of your foot.

Light illuminates your foot and fills into your toes.

Feel your entire left side full of light.

Entire left side.

Full awareness.

Left side body warm and flooded with light.

Light now moves along your backside body.

It starts in your heels,

Flows up your calves,

Washes across the backs of your knees,

Moves up your thighs and rests in the bowl of your pelvis.

Feel your whole pelvis flooded with light.

Warm light travels up your low back,

Mid back,

Upper back,

Shoulder blades.

Light curves up the back of your neck and floods into your head,

Forehead,

Both eyebrows,

Both eyes,

Upper lip,

Lower lip.

Light fills your mouth,

Illuminating your teeth,

Your tongue,

Your whole mouth.

Your jaw spreads with light.

Light fills your chin,

Your cheeks,

Your temples,

Your whole head and whole face.

The light within your head travels down to fill your throat,

The sides of your neck,

Whole chest,

Abdomen,

Whole torso,

Both legs,

Both arms.

You feel your whole body,

Your entire body flooded with warm,

Golden light.

Feel your whole body.

Pull your awareness back to the space of your beating heart and observe your body breathing.

Feel your heart,

The rhythm of your body's life force,

Rise and fall with your breath.

Move the warmth and color of the Sun back into the space of your heart as your heart continues to expand and contract with the inhaling and exhaling of your breath.

As you take your next breath in,

Imagine that breath moving the warm light from your heart to the center of your eyebrows.

As you take the following exhale,

Move the light back from the center of your forehead down into the space of beating heart.

Inhale,

Light rises to the forehead.

Exhale,

Light falls back into the depths of your heart.

Continue this pattern of moving breath as energy,

Your own unique and powerful life force from heart to forehead for a few peaceful moments.

Allow awareness to settle in the space of your forehead.

Feel into this space as wide open expanse,

A place of spacious neutrality.

From this neutral expanse you'll now explore pairs of opposite emotions.

Allow each emotion to move with ease through your experience,

Knowing yourself as this backdrop of spacious awareness in which emotions arise,

Travel through,

And dissolve.

Starting first with heaviness.

Feel a sense of heaviness take over your entire experience.

Body is heavy,

Weighted,

Dense,

Whole body heavy.

Feel the weight present in your bones.

Feel your whole body sinking heavy.

Feel heaviness in your heart.

Feel density in your spirit.

Feel your entire self weighted down heavy.

Now feel sensations of lightness,

Of ease,

Feelings of space and freedom.

Feel light.

Entire body so permeated by empty space you feel yourself rising,

Weightless,

Whole body light.

Feel sensations of lightness in your heart,

A freedom and expansion of the spirit.

Feel your entire self light.

Recall into your experience sensations of heaviness and simultaneously hold heavy and light in the same moment.

Without overthinking hold both sensations heavy and light in a peaceful and easy way.

Allow both sensations to dissolve as your awareness returns to the neutral expanse between your eyebrows.

Neutral,

Open,

Expanse.

Now feel a felt sense of doubt,

Sensations of uncertainty,

Unsureness.

Where does doubt live in your body?

How does it feel?

Feel doubt,

Confusion.

How does doubt feel in your heart?

How does it impact the movement of your spirit?

Feel doubt in your entire self.

Observe now the felt sensations of trust,

Trust,

A firm confidence,

Certitude.

How does trust feel?

Where does it reside in your body?

How does this trust and confidence feel in your heart?

How does trust move through your spirit?

Feel a steadfast sense of trust through your entire self.

Now add back into sensations of trust,

Sensations of doubt.

Holding both sensations at the same time in equal weight.

Feel doubt,

Feel trust.

Awareness moves back into the eyebrow center and all sensations melt into neutral expanse.

Feel into your body the feeling of being lost,

Unable to find your way,

Lost.

How does it feel to be adrift or off course,

Unable to find your path?

How does the sensation of lost impact your body?

How does it feel in your heart?

What does it do to your spirit?

Feel lost,

Completely lost.

Now feel the feelings of home,

Sensations of being home,

Familiar,

At rest.

Being so central you feel at ease,

Fully embraced.

Feel how home feels.

How does home feel in your body,

Heart,

Spirit?

Feel how a sense of home feels in your entire self.

Now hold both sensations at the same time.

Feel lost,

Feel at home.

Hold both with balanced awareness.

Now both sensations soften and release entirely as awareness returns to the neutral expanse at the center of your forehead.

Observe again the spacious awareness from which all emotions arose,

Traveled through,

And dissolved.

Feel yourself as the spacious awareness.

Now tune in to your visual and imagination senses.

I will mention an image or scene and you will recreate the image or scene with your visual and imagination senses.

Let go of any judgment and allow yourself to become more visual.

Vines in a jungle.

Strong gust of wind.

Candles on a cake.

Generously helping a stranger.

Compass pointing north.

Koi fish in a pond.

A long and windy dirt road.

Receiving a much needed hug.

White sand desert.

Climbing a tall tree.

A messy,

Unfolded road map.

Snuggled up by a fireplace.

Waves crashing on a beach.

Ceremoniously lighting a match.

Finding your way home.

Visualize yourself now standing at the edge of a vast jungle.

You notice you are on a soft dirt path,

Gently worn by travelers who have come before.

The dirt path is warm and inviting,

So you take off your shoes,

Ground your feet into the support of earth,

And spread and wiggle your toes.

You leave your shoes and any clothing or items weighing you down at the entrance of the path and begin to make your way into the density of the jungle that quickly engulfs you.

You observe the sounds of flowing water in every direction.

You feel the humid jungle air embracing your skin and notice how supple and open your muscles,

Tissues,

And skin feel in the warm,

Wet air.

You take a deep breath in and the smell of flowers floods your senses.

Your eyes settle on the foliage that surrounds you and you observe the many shades of green bursting from trees and vines.

The jungle is quiet and calm,

Yet bursting with life and lusciousness.

Everything that surrounds you is either growing,

Sustaining,

Or decaying,

As is the natural cycle of life.

As you make your way deeper into the jungle,

You see the dirt path come to an abrupt end at the doorway to an ancient stone temple.

You pause in a moment of reverence,

Take in a deep breath and again remove any clothing or items that are holding you back from feeling your full freedom.

Then you enter into the ancient door.

As you enter the sacred space,

The sounds of the jungle fade and you find yourself in complete silence surrounded by ancient stone.

You walk slowly through the temple ruins,

Running your fingertips along the smooth worn rock,

Feeling the weight and power of its history.

The silence fades into the sound of rushing water.

You follow the sounds of the water and see a waterfall in the oldest corner of the temple.

As you walk closer,

The spray from the waterfall feels cool and refreshing in the humid air.

You remove any last clothing or items holding you back and step with full freedom into the cool pond of water at the base of the waterfall.

You feel your toes sink deep into soft sand and feel the water spray your face and skin.

You spread your arms wide and press your palms into the ancient stone that surrounds you and holds the waterfall in its place.

With feet rooted into earth and palms pressed into stone,

You lift your face and begin to step into the spray of the cascading water.

As the water first touches your face,

You feel it wash away the lines and long-held expressions that you carry.

The water feels cooling and healing,

So you allow the rest of your body to immerse itself under the rushing water and feel its gentle but heavy weight.

You feel the weight of the water now wash away long-held limiting beliefs and old stories that no longer serve your expansion.

The water continues to pour down on your head,

Showering your whole self in its cleansing power.

You feel the edges of your body begin to dissolve as you melt into warm sand,

Ancient stone,

Rushing water,

And jungle air.

Your entire body dissolves into wholeness.

Your whole self complete wholeness.

Feeling deep sensations of wholeness with all that is.

Feel whole,

Perfect,

And deeply connected to all that is.

You are whole,

You are home.

From this expansive place of wholeness and peace,

Your sankalpa materializes in the space at the center of your eyebrows.

Your I am statement returning to your conscious awareness.

As your I am statement becomes clear,

You repeat it silently to yourself three times.

Now imagine lovingly using both hands again to scoop your sankalpa out of the space of your forehead and plant it gently back into the space of your heart.

As your sankalpa takes root back in your heart,

Begin to deepen your breath,

And flood your body with its deep steady rhythm.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Observe your body taking its deep full breaths.

Easily pull movements back into the body wherever they feel best first.

Allow your body to stay aware of your breath as you return to this place.

Reviews

This was lovely. Well chosen visualizations and opposites involving a sense of balance very thoughtfully strength building.

A beautiful, calming and elevating practice. The pace is perfect. The image of the radiant sun powerful. Thank you, Maria.

Very impactful and important, it's like I've really needed this for months (ever😅) and I'm so grateful to come across this and will continue to utilize the valuable guidance. I was *waiting* to address my heart 🫣👀🤦‍♀️ My heart is my best guide and I was *waiting* to address her?!? I'm not even sure how I got myself in that place, so thank you I really needed this🥰🥰🥰

A beautiful and restorative journey…wow! Thank you, Maria!

Very nice yoga nidra. Interesting rotation with golden light.

Beautiful. It took me to a deep place of restoration. Thank you.

Thank you! Such a clear voice and clear directions for a deep, impactful practice. I’m grateful you’re sharing your gifts with the world.

Beautiful, thank you 🙏🏻

A beautiful and grounding practice in nature 🌷 I loved it.

Poignant themes here of the natural cycle here. Just what I needed to contemplate at this moment. Thank you! Namaste

Thanks so much, Maria. I use one of your meditations every night. They are so calming and relaxing. The sound of your voice is phenomenal and puts me to sleep every time. Thank you!

I loved this one too and look forward to practicing it again soon!

This was incredible. Seriously, I love being led to such a divine place. Thank you Maria

Very nice , thank you 🙏🏽

Quite a journey. Divine healing filled with light and love. Thank you.

Very nice practice. Thank u 😀

Thank you so much for that wonderful meditation 🙏💐 this is one of the best Yoga Nidra Meditation...Your Voice and your Words.. Thanks

Thank you for this magical, mystical tour into my heart and beyond. Your Yoga Nidra’s always transport me!🙏✨

Oh my Goddess that was spectacular🌈

Maria, thank you so very, very much for another truly incredible experience. This meditation is very powerful and you as a teacher are also. I truly appreciate this gift.