Namaste dear one,
Welcome back to this Yoga Nidra course.
My name is Ni Ni Li and I'm so grateful to be your guide on today's journey where we will be focusing on peace.
Peace within me,
Peace surrounding me.
Peace is described as a state of tranquility,
Harmony and freedom from conflict or disturbance.
It refers to a sense of calmness,
Contentment and balance within,
Free from stress,
Anxiety and conflict.
Peace is a personal journey and what brings tranquility to one person may not always work for another.
It is therefore essential to explore and discover what resonates with you individually and incorporate those key practices into your life as much as possible.
To truly experience peace,
I believe one must journey through the depths of their shadows,
To be courageous enough to face their darkness so that it can be transmuted instead of suppressing it and allowing it to linger,
Draining their life force energy.
The healing journey is not linear.
It is a spiral that leads upwards,
Always towards the light.
When we choose to do the inner work,
We eventually reach a point where we feel so at peace within ourselves.
And we begin to experience less stress,
Anxiety and negative emotions,
Allowing us to navigate life's challenges with greater resilience.
Our peaceful energy also impacts those around us and our relationships and it helps us foster healthier connections.
It enables us to communicate more effectively,
Listen attentively and respond with more compassion,
Empathy and love.
Inner peace is an energy that permeates through our life,
Helping us be more deeply attuned to our core values.
It enhances our self-awareness and facilitates our growth and expansion.
The great Buddhist Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh once said,
If you are not living in peace at this moment,
You will never be able to.
If you truly want to be at peace,
You must be at peace now.
Otherwise,
There is only the hope of peace someday.
So dear one,
My invitation to you right now is choose to be at peace.
I invite you now to settle into a comfortable and relaxing position,
Lying down on your back in Shavasana,
Corpse pose,
With your feet hip distance apart,
Hands away from your body,
Palms facing up.
Please place a cushion beneath your knees to support your lower back if you wish.
Gently cover yourself in a warm blanket and softly cover your eyes to reduce light.
Remember that comfort is queen.
Just know that this is your practice.
It's all about you.
Yoganidra is a practice of stillness,
But if you need to move at any point,
Please do so.
As you are guided to various points throughout your body,
There is nothing to do except settle your attention on each body part with an intention to rest.
You may even use the word rest silently on each part of your body to help you relax.
Remember that you are remaining awake.
Just follow my voice,
Follow my guidance.
A journey of rest and stillness,
Of healing and of self love.
Your Yoganidra practice begins now.
I invite you to bring your awareness to your breath.
Notice the quality of air moving in as you inhale.
And out as you exhale.
Breathing in.
I am aware that I am breathing in.
Breathing out.
I am aware that I am breathing out.
Make yourself aware of the space that you are in.
Imagine where you are positioned within your space and notice if you can hear any sounds.
Just observe without attaching a story or narrative to it.
Allow them to come and go.
Just as your thoughts come and go.
Like the clouds in the sky.
Passing by,
Forms changing,
Never the same.
Let it fall into the background of your awareness.
Let it be.
And let it go.
If at any point your mind feels busy,
Try to move your focus from the front of your brain,
Behind the forehead,
To the back of your brain.
Imagine your thoughts and worries dropping back towards the ground.
Now before we set our sankalpa together,
Let's take 3 deep conscious,
Easeful breaths together.
As you inhale,
Feel your belly rise.
And as you exhale,
Feel your belly deflate.
Allow each in-breath to fill you with love.
And each out-breath to ground your body and release what no longer serves you.
Let your whole body surrender.
Softening deeper with each exhale.
Visualize the muscles of your body softening.
Visualize your skin softening away from the muscles.
Imagine you're a whole new person.
Imagine you're a whole body settling into rest.
Imagine you're a whole body surrendering to rest.
Visualize you're a whole body resting deeply.
Permission to rest deeply.
Now let's set our sankalpa.
Our sankalpa,
Our intention for today is peace within me.
Peace surrounding me.
I give myself permission to rest,
To be and to love myself wholly.
I invite you now to set an intention of your choice if you like to.
Now that we have set our sankalpa,
I invite you to repeat these words after me.
This is a time for me to fall awake,
Not to fall asleep.
I am aware of my experience as it is unfolding,
However it is.
I am a conscious observer.
I choose to feel everything fully.
And I am not here to change anything.
Begin by bringing your awareness to the left side of your body.
Starting at your left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Letting your attention rise up to your left ankle.
Left calf.
Left knee.
Left thigh.
Deep in the left hip.
Allow the whole left leg to rest.
Now raise your awareness up to the left side of your waist.
Left side of your chest.
Left armpit.
Left shoulder.
Left upper arm.
Left elbow.
Left forearm.
Left wrist.
Left back of the hand.
Left palm.
Left thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
And your pinky finger.
Allow the entire left side of your body to rest.
Now become aware of the right side of your body.
Starting at your right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Letting your attention rise up to your right ankle.
Right calf.
Right knee.
Right thigh.
Deep in your right hip.
Allow the whole right leg to rest.
Now raise your awareness up to the right side of your waist.
Right side of your chest.
Right armpit.
Right shoulder.
Right upper arm.
Right elbow.
Right forearm.
Right wrist.
Right back of the hand.
Right palm.
Right thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
And pinky finger.
Allow the entire right side of your body to rest.
Now moving to the back of your body.
Become aware of the right shoulder blade.
The left shoulder blade.
The whole upper back.
The whole lower back.
Your entire spine.
Lower spine.
Mid spine.
Upper spine.
Moving around to the front of your body.
The center of your chest.
The right side of your chest.
The left side of your chest.
Your heart.
Stomach.
Your navel.
The space in between your pubic bones.
Let the whole abdomen and torso rest.
Notice how it rises as you inhale.
And deflates as you exhale.
Move your attention to your neck.
Gentle swallows.
And allow your throat to clear.
Bring your awareness to the hinge of your jaw.
And allow it to soften.
Let your tongue soften.
And widen your mouth.
A gentle smile.
Relaxing your face muscles.
Let your attention wander to your lips.
Nose.
Forehead.
Eyes.
Your entire head.
Imagining a spaciousness within your head.
Housing your mind.
Your beautiful,
Magnificent mind.
Let your attention rest in between your eyebrows.
Make an intention for your whole body to rest.
For your whole body rest.
Your whole body rest.
In this restful space,
Witness the rhythm of your breath.
Without the need to change anything.
Let it all be as it is.
Begin to visualize your breath moving in through your right nostril.
And out through your left nostril.
Then in through your left.
And out through your right.
Again in through your right.
And out through your left.
Allow your breath to flow in and out effortlessly.
Rest in the alternate sensations of your in-breath and your out-breath.
Now visualize your breath moving in from below your nostrils.
Travelling all the way up past the centre of your eyebrows.
And into the centre of your brain.
Watch the breath fall,
Exhaling from the centre of your brain.
All the way beyond the tip of your nostril.
As you exhale,
Let it all go.
Allow the exhale to cleanse and ground you.
Continue to breathe all the way up past the centre of your eyebrows.
To the centre of your brain.
And watch your breath fall,
Exhaling from the centre of your brain.
To the tip of your nostril.
And just continue this breath for the next minute.
Let all counting fall away.
Let yourself fall into deep rest.
Now take a moment to scan your entire body.
From your head down to your toes.
Imagine how it would feel for your whole body to feel weighty.
As though you have let yourself sink into the support of Mother Earth beneath you.
Allow your body to sink deeper into rest.
Into this space of healing.
Now imagine your body floating above the ground.
Let your whole body feel light as a feather.
As though you are resting weightlessly.
Explore this duality.
Let yourself wander between these two opposites.
Feel your body heavy.
Feel your body light.
Feel your body heavy.
Feel your body light.
Oscillate between heavy and light.
Can you feel the sensations that are arising between heaviness and lightness of your body?
See if you can merge these sensations together within your whole being.
Allow yourself to rest in this space of emergence.
Surrender into this space.
Deep rest in your body.
Deep rest in your mind.
Deep rest in your spirit.
Deep rest in your entire being.
Now I invite you now to remind yourself of your sankalpa that you had set for yourself at the beginning of your practice.
Coming back to this promise that you have made with yourself.
Repeating it to yourself three times.
Allow it to sink deep into your subconscious mind.
Now gently repeat the following affirmations after me.
I am at peace within myself and my surroundings.
I am worthy of taking time for myself to rest and recharge.
I prioritize self-care and activities that bring me joy and peace.
I am filled with love,
Positive energy and vitality.
I trust in my body's ability to heal and restore itself.
I am worthy of experiencing inner peace.
I am grateful for the present moment and the peace it brings me.
I allow peace to fill my heart.
I invite you now to slowly start to return by bringing your awareness to your physical body.
To all your senses.
Notice how your body feels against the earth.
The weight of all your muscles,
Organs,
Bones,
Flesh.
Scanning your body once again from the crown of your head down to the soles of your feet.
As you slowly return,
Is there anything about today's practice or inquiry that you would love to remember and take away with you?
Whether it be a feeling,
Sensation,
Thought or memory.
It's okay too if there is nothing.
Accepting it all to be as it is.
Now let's take three deep grounding breaths together.
Feel your breath move your body.
Feel the oxygen permeating through every single cell of your body.
Allow your breath to enrich you.
To revitalise you.
To nourish you and empower you.
Slowly,
Gently land back.
Remember where you are in your sacred space.
Feel free to open your eyes slightly if that is helpful.
Begin to move your body by wiggling your toes and fingers.
Stretch your arms and legs.
Take this moment to make any movements that will gently help you bring your body back into a wakeful state.
Keeping your eyes closed,
Gazed inwards.
Gently roll to one side into fetal position just as you are when you were in your mother's womb.
In a warm loving embrace.
Soak this moment all in.
Now using your top arm to help yourself come into a comfortable seated meditative position.
Gently bring your hands into prayer,
Into namaste.
In front of your heart space.
Connecting the feminine and the masculine aspects.
The sun and the moon.
The yin and the yang.
Let's take this moment to close our yoga nidra practice together.
In deepest gratitude and reverence for the journey we have been on.
For the healing,
The feelings,
The sensations,
The wisdom,
The insights,
The deep breaths,
The emptiness,
The spaciousness,
The silence and everything in between.
Bowing down to your heart,
Thank yourself for showing up for doing this practice together.
Feel free to gently open your eyes and take in the beauty that surrounds you.
As that beauty is a reflection of what's within you.
You are supported,
You are guided,
You are so loved because you are love.
Welcome home to your heart.
Welcome home to your heart.
Thank you for being here with me.
From heart to heart,
From light to light,
From my heart to yours,
Namaste.
My name is Nini Lee and I will meet you in our next journey together.
