I'm Michelle and today's yoga nidra practice was recorded to mark the Celtic festival of Lunassa which occurs in high summer.
It's the beginning of the harvest and is the whole of the six week period leading up to the autumn equinox.
You might listen during the summer or any time you want to call in abundance.
So taking some time to gather anything you might need.
Maybe some socks,
A pillow,
A blanket,
Perhaps some cushions beneath the knees and you might like to lie on the floor,
Your sofa or your bed.
Just taking some time to ensure that the physical body feels well supported.
So whilst yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep it can be practiced at any time of the day.
It's a guided relaxation that might put you on the border between being awake and being asleep.
A place where you can rest deeply and get all kinds of benefits like creativity and stress relief.
There will be short periods of silence for you to have your own experience and fully let go into the practice.
Although it's called yogic sleep the intention isn't to actually go to sleep.
We're hoping to hover in that liminal space between waking and sleeping.
But if you do find that you've fallen asleep then of course that's perfectly alright.
It might be that that's what you really need more than anything else right now.
If you become uncomfortable and have to move then go ahead and do so but seeing if you can move with awareness and without too much disturbance.
If anything in the practice makes you feel uncomfortable and you want to stop all you have to do is to move your fingers and toes and open your eyes and you'll come out of the nidra state.
So knowing that there's no way to do this practice wrong there isn't anything to be done.
Just to be here resting the body and mind is more than enough.
And thoughts will come and go just allow that to happen.
Let's see if you can step back from the thoughts and guide your awareness back to the practice and back to the sound of my voice.
There might be times when you're very aware of the words that I'm saying and other times when my voice is more in the background and all of that is perfectly alright.
So the first part of the practice is to get really comfortable.
That might mean lying on the back or on the side if you prefer.
If you're lying on the back I recommend having a pillow beneath the head and a bolster or some cushions beneath the knees to allow the lower back to settle.
Just making any last minute movements or adjustments that would allow you to be even 1% more comfortable.
And inviting stillness to settle in over the body.
And the invitation is to close the eyes.
If that's not comfortable just softening and lowering the gaze.
I think you're welcome now for any sounds that can be heard.
Perhaps the sound of the singing balls.
Sounds all around you.
Sounds from far away.
Outside the space where you find yourself.
Perhaps sounds from within the body.
Sounds from within the body.
The sound of your own breath.
Welcoming all of the sounds without any labelling or anything.
Just observing the abundance of sounds.
And now tuning into the abundance of sensations.
Letting there be a welcome for all of the sensations that might be present.
Perhaps the feeling of clothing on your skin.
Perhaps the covers.
Or maybe there's a taste in the mouth.
Any smells that you notice.
Again just observing this abundance of sensation without any judgement.
Feeling all of the places where the body is held and supported by the earth beneath.
And the exhale now.
Breathing down through all of the points of contact.
Between the back or side of the body and the surface below.
As if you might give away the whole weight of the body down into the earth below.
And we'll use a Samkhalpa,
An intention in this practice.
An intention in Yoga Nidra.
As a wish for something positive in your life.
Or a statement of your values.
How you want to live your life.
You might choose a Samkhalpa around abundance such as I welcome abundance into my life.
Or perhaps something else that resonates with you.
If you don't have a Samkhalpa right now then you might just spend the time relaxing and breathing.
And if you would like a Samkhalpa but don't feel that you have one at the moment you can spend the time tuning inwards for an intention to arise.
And if you have an intention just phrasing it in the present tense as if it's already happening.
And just repeating it three times in the mind.
And next we'll allow our awareness to travel around different parts of the body.
We don't need to move that part or do anything other than allow our awareness to rest there.
And you might just focus on the different body parts or you might imagine a warm golden light shining there.
Perhaps the summer sunshine.
It's beginning at the point between the eyebrows.
Imagining you could place that warm golden light at the point between the eyebrows.
A little hollow at the base of the throat.
The right shoulder.
Right elbow.
The wrist.
The right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
And little finger.
The wrist.
The elbow.
The shoulder.
And the base of the throat.
Awareness travelling to the left shoulder.
The left elbow.
The wrist.
The left hand thumb.
The index finger.
The middle finger.
The ring finger.
The little finger.
The wrist.
The elbow.
The shoulder.
And the base of the throat.
The heart centre.
Inviting that golden light into the heart centre.
The left side of the chest.
The right side of the chest.
And back to the heart.
The navel.
The centre of the pelvis.
The golden light at the right hip.
The knee.
The ankle.
The right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And the little toe.
The ankle.
The knee.
The hip.
And the centre of the pelvis.
The left hip.
Left knee.
The ankle.
The left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And little toe.
The ankle.
Knee.
The hip.
And the centre of the pelvis.
Golden light at the navel.
The heart centre.
The base of the throat.
And the eyebrow centre.
That's abundant golden light infusing the whole body.
The whole of the right arm.
The whole of the left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole of the right leg.
The whole of the left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole of the right side of the body.
And the whole of the left side.
Both sides together.
And the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole physical body.
I'm inviting the awareness now to rest upon the breath.
Just observing the natural rhythm of the breath as it moves in and out of the body.
Almost as if the body is being breathed.
Just feeling the abundance of sensations with the in-breath and the out-breath.
And now with the next in-breath having a sense of the breath coming in up the feet.
And then up the legs.
Through the spine and all the way up to the crown of the head.
And with the out-breath breathing back down out through the feet.
And you might imagine that golden light moving up and down the body with the breath.
So breathing in that golden light moving up the body with the inhale and back down with the exhale.
Right,
Imagine now that with every inhale we could gather in our golden light of abundance.
To a single point in the centre of the body,
Perhaps at the navel,
Drawing it into a tiny point of light.
And then with the out-breath imagine radiating that abundant light out so that the whole body is filled with the golden light.
Inhaling,
Drawing the light in to a single point at the navel.
Exhale,
Radiating it out,
Perhaps out beyond the limits of the body.
Imagining we could share our abundant light with those in our community and beyond,
Perhaps to all beings.
Knowing that you already have the abundance you seek within you.
It's already there.
And then gently letting that go.
Gently guiding the attention to the heart centre.
Bringing to mind the sankalpa or intention that you set at the beginning of the practice.
Once again repeating it to yourself three times in the present tense as if it's already happening.
Or just enjoying some quiet time with the heart.
And once again just letting that intention go.
And noticing the breath coming and going.
Feeling all of the sensations associated with the movement of breath in the body.
Feeling the abundance of sensations.
Perhaps the touch of air upon the skin.
Any taste in the mouth.
Any smells that can be detected.
Resting the awareness on the abundance of sounds in this unique soundscape we find ourselves in.
Feeling the way you're welcome for all of the sounds.
The sound of the breath.
Sounds from within the room where you are.
Sounds from far away beyond the room.
And letting there be a wiggle and a jiggle in the fingers and the toes.
We start to wake the body back up.
Perhaps taking any move or stretch that feels delightful,
Unnecessary.
And whenever you're ready coming to a sitting position.
This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
