Yoga Nidra For Reconnecting To Self And Nature

This 20-minute Yoga Nidra is an invitation to explore your inner landscape and reconnect with the world within and around you.

Through deep rest, body awareness, breath and nature-based visualisation, you'll be guided toward deep rest and remembering that the same rhythms of growth, rest, change and renewal that shape the natural world are also unfolding within you.

A practice to return to whenever you feel disconnected from yourself, from nature or from the world around you. Come as you are. There is nothing to achieve - simply rest, listen and receive.

This practice includes sankalpa (intention), rotation of consciousness through the body, breath awareness, and guided nature visualisation.

Transcript

Welcome. Take a moment to settle into a position where your body can be completely supported. Making any final adjustments now, Perhaps placing a blanket over yourself or anything else that will help you feel comfortable and warm. Yoga nidra is often translated as yogic sleep. It is a practice of conscious rest where we invite the body to soften while the mind remains subtly alert. There is nothing that you need to achieve, Nowhere that you need to be for the next 20 minutes, So simply allow yourself to listen to the sound of my voice and receive this practice. Today's practice is an exploration of your inner ecology, Your inner landscape. Just as forests, Rivers and oceans exist as living ecosystems, So too does your inner landscape. Your thoughts, Emotions, Breath and body are all in constant relationship with one another. And in a world of endless distraction, It's very easy to feel disconnected from nature, From one another, And often even from ourselves. So this practice is an invitation to reconnect to yourself. And to remember that the same rhythms of growth, Rest, Change and renewal that exist in nature are also unfolding within you. So as we begin taking a slow breath in through the nose. And gently breathing out through the mouth. Again, Breathing in. . . And out. As you breathe, Feel the weight of your body settling into the earth beneath you. Now bring to mind your sankalpa, Your intention. This is a short I am statement expressing a quality that you wish to embody or cultivate more of. And repeat your sankalpa silently in your mind three times with your full conviction that it's true. And if nothing arises for you, Perhaps rest with the quality of presence. I am present to life. Now we begin rotating awareness through the body, So remaining completely still and simply directing your awareness to each body part as it's named. Bring your awareness to the right side of the body. Right hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Little finger, Palm of the hand, Back of the hand, Wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Right side of the chest, Waist, Hip, Thigh, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Heel, Sole of the foot, Top of the foot, Big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Little toe. Bring your awareness to the left side of your body. Left hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Little finger, Palm. Palm of the hand, Back of the hand, Wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Left side of the chest, Waist, Hip, Thigh, Knee, Shin, Calf, Ankle, Heel, Sole of the foot, Top of the foot, Big toe, Second toe, Third toe, Bring your awareness to the back of the body. Both legs resting heavily. Left eye, Left eye, Right ear, Left ear, Right cheek, Left cheek, Nose, Tip of the nose, Upper lip, Lower lip, Both lips together, Chin, Jaw, Throat, Right collarbone, Left collarbone, Abdomen, Pelvis, Whole right leg, Whole left leg, Both legs together, Whole right arm, Whole left arm, Both arms together, Whole back, Whole front, Head, The whole body. Become aware of your whole body resting on the earth beneath you. Now bring your awareness to the natural breath. Notice the gentle movement of the abdomen as you breathe in. And as you breathe out. Begin counting the breath backwards from 27. Inhale 27. Exhale 27. Inhale, 26. Exhale 26. Continue silently at your own pace. And if you lose your place just return to 27 and start over. Now let go of the counting and allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm. And start to allow images to arise in your mind's eye as you follow my words. There's no need to force an image, Just let it come naturally to you or not at all. An awareness or a feeling is just as good. Imagine a forest canopy with sunlight streaming through the leaves. A rainbow stretching across the wide sky. A coral reef alive with brightly coloured fish. Waves rolling onto the shore. A waterfall cascading into a clear pool. In an environment where it's sustainable. A mountain beneath the light of a full moon. A field of wildflowers. The night sky scattered with bright stars. Now imagine yourself within one of these landscapes. There is no need to choose one, Just let a place reveal itself to you and take a moment to notice what surrounds you in this place. The colors. The quality of the light. The shapes of the landscape. The sensation of your body in this space. There is nothing to do here. Simply rest in this space. And as you rest here, Notice that there is no clear boundary between yourself and this place. The same earth that forms the mountains forms your bones. And the same water that fills rivers, Reefs and oceans flows through your body. The same air moving through forests moves through your lungs. And the same cycles of growth, Rest, Change, And renewal that shape the natural world are also unfolding within you. Bring your awareness back to the intention that you set at the beginning of this practice. Repeating it silently three times. Begin to notice your natural breath once again. Notice the weight of your body resting on the earth. Become aware of the sounds around you. And the space you are in. There is nowhere you need to rush to. Remain resting here for as long as you need. And when you feel ready, Slowly blink open your eyes. Bringing this sense of connection with you into the rest of your day.