44 Minute Yoga Nidra For Equanimity | The Guest House

The Guest House is a guided journey through the koshas toward a doorway. On the other side of this door is a divine appointment with a visitor worthy of your welcoming. You might work with this visitor as a momentary emotional awareness, as a character of the psyche, or perhaps as a wise guide here to offer you consciousness to that which has been as of yet hidden.

Through the techniques of this particular practice we can begin to build and harness our capacity to be with all parts of ourselves, all of our inner stories, and characters of the psyche, both personal and collective; we can learn to recognize, allow, inquire into and care for our seemingly disparate parts and through this practice, remember our wholeness.

In this journey we'll be exploring techniques to deeply relax body and mind, to soothe the nervous system, and to rest back in and as spacious awareness.

Background composer: Liborio Conti

Transcript

Namaste and welcome friend.

Thanks for joining me.

My name is Christine and I'm grateful to be here with you.

The guesthouse is a guided journey through the koshas,

All the layers of you in this multi-dimensional human experience toward a doorway.

On the other side of this door is a divine appointment with a visitor worthy of your welcoming.

You might choose to work with this visitor as a momentary emotional awareness,

As a character of the psyche,

Or perhaps as a wise guide here to offer you consciousness to that which has been as of yet hidden.

Through the techniques of this particular practice we can begin to build and harness our capacity to be with all parts of ourselves,

All of our inner stories and characters of the psyche,

Both personal and collective.

We can learn to recognize,

Allow,

Inquire into,

And care for our seemingly disparate parts and through this practice remember our wholeness,

Embody and celebrate our wholeness.

When we establish this profound and unconditional acceptance with what is,

We touch the boundless mercy of the divine.

This is the love of the universe.

So we practice facing what arises with that unwavering compassionate presence,

Moment by moment,

Breath by breath,

All this in the name of consciousness,

Knowing that whatever it is that arises for us to face,

Each emotion,

Each guest brings us an offering,

An opportunity to learn,

To become conscious so that we might integrate,

Transmute,

Transform,

And even transcend our personal and collective emotional patterning,

Ignorance,

And wounding.

It is an alchemy of love.

It is a door we need not fear.

As a fruit of this practice of welcoming what is,

Of tending to and befriending ourselves exactly as we are,

We can experience the grace of equanimity.

We can become free,

Dancing in the polarity,

Unfettered by likes and dislikes,

Aversion and attachment,

In knowing and sacred celebration of each thread of the divine tapestry as essential to the whole cosmic play.

From this perfect seat of wisdom,

We are able to observe the nature of these arising,

Shifting,

Changing phenomena from a place of stillness,

Resting as the unwavering eye of the one immaculate heart with full capacity to witness the pains of the world without turning away,

But instead fully capable of bearing and holding our being here with unconditional understanding and compassion for ourselves and for each other,

Siempre,

Always.

By now you may already have begun to settle into your yoga nidra nest,

Your sanctuary,

Your cocoon.

You might use pillows and blankets to support your body behind the knees and head,

And to cover up for warmth and coziness.

Perhaps you're lying on your yoga mat or reclined in your favorite chair.

I would like you to be as comfortable as possible,

Setting the intention to leave the body alone,

To let the body be settled and still for the duration of the practice.

Take a moment to feel the body resting downward,

Keeping awareness on your whole body,

Your whole body on the floor,

Relaxing.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Make yourself aware of the room you are in and imagine where you are positioned within it.

Notice sounds just outside of the space you're in.

Can you hear them as pure sound without attaching a story or narrative to them?

Notice any sounds inside the space you're in.

Can you hear them as pure sound without attaching a story or narrative to them?

Let sounds fall into the background of your awareness.

Begin to take five or six easeful breaths,

Focusing on your exhale.

Each exhalation grounding your body,

Tension falling through your body and into the ground beneath you.

Momentum of your day slowing down,

Consciously relaxing the lower jaw,

Root of your tongue softening and widening in your mouth,

Relaxing around the eyes,

Both eyes relaxing down and back,

Quieting the mind.

Might you imagine thoughts and worries dropping back toward the earth.

Let the back of your throat relax and widen.

Feel your shoulder blades surrender to the support underneath you.

Your lungs and organs rest in the back of the body,

Softening deeper with each exhale,

Softening deeper with each exhale.

Visualize your muscles relaxing away from the bones.

It is time to rest.

Imagine your whole body settling into rest.

Imagine your whole body surrendering to rest.

Visualize your whole body resting deeply.

Permission to rest deeply.

Notice the breath at the low belly for a moment,

Just witnessing the rhythm and sensation of the breath.

Follow the pathway of the inhalation.

Follow the pathway of the exhalation.

Begin to invite a gentle lengthening of the exhalations,

Inhaling and filling the lungs,

Exhaling gentle lengthening.

Then begin to notice the bottom of the exhalations,

Becoming curious of this turning point between breaths,

Perhaps even lingering,

Retaining the breath for a short pause.

Let the breathing remain calm and easeful,

Then letting that go.

Breathing returns to a natural rhythm.

Now take a moment to set an intention for your practice,

Calling in your sankalpa,

A heartfelt longing or vow for this lifetime,

Or perhaps a specific intention for this practice.

Listen with your intuitive heart,

Tuning in and noticing what is most needed here.

How might I best care for that which is here for me?

Perhaps silently stating your sankalpa as a positive I am statement.

You might choose to work with the following.

I listen deeply to what I am feeling as trustworthy guidance,

Repeating your sankalpa now three times.

Now just let it go.

No striving,

No grasping.

Trust it is already unfolding.

There is nothing you need to do.

Just be still.

Let my voice be your anchor as we continue on our journey together.

We will begin to move awareness throughout the physical pathways of the body with a rotation of consciousness.

As I name each point,

There is nothing to do except settle your attention on each body part and to feel sensations at each point.

Could you bring all of your awareness to the space in between the eyebrows,

Center of the throat,

Right shoulder,

Awareness cascading down the upper arm to your right elbow,

Down your forearm and into the right wrist,

Tip of the right thumb,

Tip of the right index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

And sensing the whole hand illuminated with sensation and awareness.

Attention soaking into the right wrist,

Right elbow,

Right shoulder,

And sensing the whole right arm illuminated with sensation and awareness.

Could you invite awareness to your throat center,

Left shoulder,

Awareness cascading down the upper arm to the left elbow,

Down your forearm and into the left wrist,

Tip of the left thumb,

Tip of the left index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Sensing the whole left hand illuminated with sensation and awareness.

Attention soaking into the left wrist,

Left elbow,

Left shoulder,

And sensing the whole left arm alive,

Illuminated with sensation and awareness.

Intention migrating back to the center of the throat,

The center of the chest,

The right side of the chest,

Center of the chest,

The left side of the chest,

The navel,

The whole of the pelvis and spinal column,

The space in between the pubic bones,

Sensing the whole abdomen and torso resting.

Center of the right hip,

Awareness cascading down the thigh to the right knee,

Through the shin to the right ankle,

Tip of the right big toe,

Tip of the second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Little toe,

Right ankle,

Right knee,

Deep in the right hip,

Whole right leg resting and radiant.

The space in between the pubic bones,

The center of the left hip,

Awareness cascading down the left thigh to the left knee,

Through the shin to the left ankle,

Tip of the left big toe,

Tip of the second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Little toe,

Left ankle,

Left knee,

Deep in the left hip,

Whole left leg resting and radiant.

Space in between the pubic bones,

Awareness rising to the navel,

Let the whole abdomen rest,

Center of the chest,

Let the walls of the throat relax,

Space in between the eyebrows,

Let your attention rest in between your eyebrows,

Let your whole body rest,

Whole body resting and radiant with sensation,

Whole body resting.

Touch in again with the breathing.

Notice there is this constant cycle in flow.

It builds from inhalation and fades into completion on exhalation and then there are the transitions between breaths.

These little quiet moments between,

Perhaps even a slight pause between breaths.

Might you invite in a curiosity of these liminal points between breaths,

Lingering at the bottom of the exhalation and the top of the inhalation while remaining totally still and relaxed.

Notice sensations at the entrance of your nostrils.

Follow the pathway of the breath in through the nostrils.

Notice the temperature of your breath as it enters.

Cool.

Notice the temperature as it exits.

Warm.

Sense that vital life force energy is riding on your breath.

For the next few moments could you become completely attentive to the breathing with no goal other than to listen and be present.

We will move into a psychic or mental version of Nadi Chodhana,

The alternate nostril breathing,

As the body remains still and the breath easy.

Begin to visualize the breath moving in through the right nostril and out through the left nostril.

In through the left,

Out through the right.

At the top of each inhalation,

Switching sides and exhaling.

Inhaling,

Pausing,

Switching sides and exhaling.

Allow the breath to be easeful,

Soothing,

Relaxed.

Nothing to force,

No need to strain.

Sense or imagine the breath moving in from below the nostril and traveling all the way up past the center of the eyebrows and into the middle of your brain.

Watch the breath fall,

Exhaling from the center of your brain all the way beyond the tip of the nostril.

Begin to count the breath from 21 to 0.

On your next inhalation,

Through the right nostril,

Count inhale right 21.

Exhale left 21.

Then inhale left 20.

Exhale right 20.

Sense or imagine the breath move from nostril to the brain,

Brain to nostril with ease.

Continuing this silent count for the next few moments.

Release.

Let all counting fall away.

All effort dissolving into deep rest.

As you're resting,

Feeling the body,

Feeling into the breath,

Take a moment to notice your mood.

Notice what's present for you.

How are you in this moment?

But rather than analyzing or resisting,

Could you instead welcome?

If there is tiredness here or perhaps some restlessness,

What is it here to show you?

Or perhaps it's a neutrality or a contentment.

Again,

What is this here to show you?

You might imagine your current emotional state walking through the door in your mind's eye and just notice what it is you see.

Could you turn toward this part of yourself?

Befriend it and tend to it.

Asking,

What are you here to show me?

What is the message or need here?

Or perhaps it's an old samskara,

An old habit of the inner critic trying to protect and keep safe.

Then perhaps it might feel more appropriate to just be with it.

Hold it with your compassionate and healing attention.

But most importantly,

Could you trust in this visitor?

Be with it.

Could you greet it with tenderness and kindness?

This aspect of yourself.

Remembering you are that wise adult able to hold and be with any of your inner stories or characters.

Entertain and be with them and simultaneously be with them in a mature way and hold them with a sense of loving care for truly each feeling,

Thought,

Emotion.

These inner weather patterns are messengers with purpose and guidance.

Could you welcome each momentary awareness as an honorable guest?

Could you imagine inviting in each joy,

Each depression,

Each surprise visitor as a trustworthy guide from beyond?

Continuing now on our journey together.

For the next few moments,

Might you try on the disposition of trusting yourself?

Perhaps affirming to yourself,

I can trust myself.

I can trust my inner experiences to help guide me.

And just notice how that feels to trust yourself.

How does the body respond?

How does the mind respond?

Does this sound good or maybe like a relief?

Or perhaps there is a hesitancy or some doubt?

Taking the next few moments,

Just noticing how this disposition of trusting oneself feels.

You might even see yourself with your mind's eye.

Later in this week,

Leaning into this disposition of trusting yourself and inviting in these momentary messengers to help guide you during a moment,

Perhaps of indecision,

Frustration,

Or doubt.

And seeing yourself trusting in your inner experiences with confidence,

Self-assured that you will know the next best step to take.

That your inner world will help show you the way.

See yourself practicing sitting like the mountain with dignity,

Strength,

And understanding.

No matter the storms swirling around,

See yourself fostering the capacity to fully connect with and be with whatever is happening around you or within you.

And responding with aligned action,

Forging the space between fear and compassion.

Now,

Could you just leave everything alone for a little while?

Allowing the mind to free associate images,

To come memories that appear,

Breath continuing to unfold.

Could you now begin to take on a disposition where all of this changing,

Moving phenomena is just unfolding?

Yet there's something here that's still.

Unchanging,

Quietly watching,

Resting for the next few moments.

Trying on this disposition of being nothing but the space where everything is alive.

Resting in awareness.

And sometimes it may be that a particular thought or sensation arises and attention is pulled back toward the changing content.

Yet in the following moment there is a chance to remember that there is this quiet watching presence.

And we can become interested again in what is still.

Resting here.

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your body.

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your mind.

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your whole being.

Unchanging,

Resting,

Whole and complete.

Resting here ever so deeply now in the unchanging nature of your whole self.

Resting here.

Begin to call back your sankalpa.

Perhaps you are calling back the following.

I listen deeply to what I am feeling as trustworthy guidance.

Silently repeating your sankalpa now three times.

And so it is.

No striving,

No grasping.

Trust it is already unfolding.

As you begin to transition from that still,

Quiet,

Restful state,

Begin to sense your body.

Notice the volume of your body.

How it rests down.

See your whole body resting in your mind's eye.

Trace the outline of your body with your attention from the crown of your head down to both shoulders and around both arms.

Down both sides of the torso.

Down both legs and back up to the base of your spine.

Whole body resting and welcoming the already happening rhythm of the breath.

Feeling the rising and falling of the diaphragm.

The gentle expansion and contraction of the ribcage and chest.

The touch of air inside the nostrils.

Then begin to take a slow deep breath in through the nose and a long exhale out through the mouth.

Let's take another slow deep breath in through the nose.

Long breath out through the mouth.

Notice how the body feels.

Notice as well the quality of your mood and the quality of your mind.

The practice is now complete.

Slowly,

Slowly inviting small gestures back into the body.

It's normal to feel a little out of it after one of these journeys,

So giving yourself a little bit of time to return to your normal waking state.

Thank you so much for joining me today.

I wish for you,

For me,

And for all beings many blessings as we remember and reclaim the capacity of our immaculate hearts and cultivate equanimity.

Finding and following the scent of freedom and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for fellow travelers to follow.

I look forward to practicing with you again soon.

So much love,

Be well friend.

The scent of freedom and leaving a trail of breadcrumbs.

Reviews

Great morning starter

Fantastic! Thanks so much! I will be doing this one regularly!