So welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.
Take some time to get comfortable,
Really,
Really comfortable.
As you build your little Nidra nest,
Taking blankets,
Pillows,
Bolsters,
Maybe even an eye mask,
To invite the external world to just disappear as we move to our internal world for this practice.
And with this opportunity,
You're giving yourself to take a little respite,
A little time for deep rest,
Time to reconnect with yourself.
Know you are welcome here.
You are welcome just the way you are.
Knowing that we'll be moving through different stages of practice,
All of which will take you to the place you need to go today.
Really trust yourself and your journey today.
And I'll be guiding you through with my voice,
But if at any point you want to let go of my voice,
Then please feel free.
And there'll be some invitation to do visualization in this practice,
But again,
If anything doesn't sit right with you today,
Then just follow your intuition.
Your inner guide.
Remember,
This is your practice.
So take what you need and leave what you don't.
Take a sigh now or maybe a yawn and really settle down into the ground beneath you,
The ground that's rising up to meet you and support you.
Close down the eyes or lower your gaze if that's more comfortable.
And begin to become aware of the sensation of touch,
Those places on your body where material is touching and covering the body,
Maybe giving a sense of containment.
And those places which remain open to the air.
And just notice the difference between the two.
Those places which are covered and contained and those places which remain open,
The air just softly touching the skin.
And what might it be like using your mind's eye now to see your body lying here in this space?
Notice the floor,
The ceiling.
The walls around you and maybe windows or doors.
Just be aware of your body lying here in this space.
And start to become aware of the sounds around you.
Sounds which are near to you.
Sounds which are furthest away.
Sounds which are underneath you and above you.
Just notice where all of these sounds are coming from.
Maybe the sound of birdsong or children playing.
Maybe the sound of this voice.
Or maybe the sound of your own breath moving in and out of your body with ease.
And rest here in the centre of these sounds,
Inviting the external listening to become an internal listening.
Letting the outside world just fade away.
Breathe into your body,
Your wonderful whole body,
Lying here at rest in this space.
And start to extend the exhale,
Inviting your parasympathetic nervous system to take hold.
To take hold of you.
To allow you a deeper place of rest.
Rest here seeing your own body in your mind's eye in this space.
Your whole body lying here safely on the earth.
Your whole body as a landscape itself with its dips and hills.
Its valleys and crevices.
Its rivers of moving,
Pulsing breath and prana.
Energy running through its veins,
Its arteries and nadis.
Its reflection of the perfect equilibrium of nature when rested and at peace.
Your rich and fertile land.
All here in your body,
Your whole body.
And let everything be just as it is.
And welcome it.
Accept it.
This state of simply being.
And also welcoming this inner landscape of your body with your internalisation.
Letting go from all that is external.
Sink into what this land holds for you.
Your rich and fertile land.
What grows in this land?
What do you choose to cultivate in this land?
And imagine a seed now in your mind's eye.
And really look at this seed.
This tiny speck of husk.
But inside,
Inside this seemingly unremarkable piece of matter lies the very essence of life.
An embryo and a store of food reserves wrapped in the coat of the seed.
Everything needed to bring new life into the world.
Take this seed now and planting it as a seed of your intention deep into your consciousness.
Your San Calpa.
And remember the invitation for your San Calpa to make itself known to you.
See what your body brings you.
Be patient and wait.
Once you have your San Calpa,
Create a short positive statement in the present tense.
Starting with the words I am.
And repeat it to yourself silently and wholeheartedly three times.
What might be planted in the inner wisdom of your body here?
Here in your body.
Listen internally again as you see one of these seeds land gently on your tongue.
Your tongue lying softly in the back of your mouth.
More seeds of your intention plant them on your lower jaw.
Your lower row of teeth.
Your upper row of teeth.
Into your gums.
Along your upper lip.
And your lower lip.
Both cheeks.
Right cheek and left cheek.
Right ear and left ear.
All along your forehead.
Both temples.
Top of the head.
All along your scalp.
To the base of your scalp.
All along your neck,
Front and back.
All along your nose and the very tip of your nose.
Your right nostril.
Left nostril.
Right eyelid and left eyelid.
All around your right eye and your left eye.
Your right eyebrow and your left eyebrow.
The space between your eyebrows.
Now go to the right hand and see another seed be planted on the very tip of your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger and little finger.
Another seed is planted in the palm of your hand.
Onto the back of your hand.
Your right wrist.
Along your forearm to your elbow and the crease within your elbow.
Along your right upper arm to your shoulder and your armpit.
All along your torso to your right hip.
Your right thigh.
The knee and the space at the back of the knee.
Your calf.
Your ankle.
Your heel.
The sole of the foot.
And the top of the foot.
Another seed is planted on the very tip of your right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe and little toe.
And now to the left hand.
Another seed is planted on your left hand thumb and the very tip of your left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger and little finger.
Yet more seeds are planted deep into the rich and fertile land of your body,
The palm of the hand and the back of the hand.
Your wrist.
Your forearm,
Your elbow and the crease of your elbow.
All along your upper arm to your shoulder,
Your armpit and down the torso to your left hip.
Along your left thigh to your knee and the space at the back of the knee.
Your calf.
To your ankle and your heel.
The sole of the foot and the top of the foot.
Onto your left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe and little toe.
More seeds planted in your groin.
Your right glute,
Your left glute.
Along your lower back.
Your middle back.
Your upper back.
Your right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
The back of the head.
More seeds into your right inner ear.
Left inner ear.
The roof of your mouth.
Your throat.
The right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right chest.
Left chest.
The middle of your chest.
Upper abdomen.
Your navel.
Lower abdomen.
Your whole spine.
Your whole head.
Right arm.
Left arm.
Both arms at the same time.
Both arms together.
Your right leg.
Your left leg.
Both legs at the same time.
Both legs together.
Your whole front body.
Your whole back body.
From the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.
Your whole body planted with the seeds of your deepest desire and intention.
Seeds planted all around the body deep into your rich and fertile land.
Connecting,
Growing,
Cultivating your seeds of intention.
These seeds of intention your heartfelt desire now planted all around your body deep into your landscape.
Now know they're starting to settle in,
To nestle in and take root.
Germinating and beginning to sprout the purest of new leaves,
That verdant fresh green.
Bringing new life and new opportunities and possibilities.
Your landscape now resting,
Lying heavy here on the earth.
Your seeds of intention having been planted deep into your rich and fertile land.
And then have a feeling of lightness,
A lightness rising up like the plants that are growing out of your seeds of intention.
Strong roots,
Deeply nourished,
Verdant and growing up alive with new life to the sunlight above.
Feel this sense of lightness and then feel the sense of being rooted down to the earth.
Again feel that lightness of the new leaves rising up lightly,
Rapidly to the sunlight above.
And then come back down to the strong deep roots within the earth.
And in your own time with your own breath,
Alternate between these two states of lightness and of rootedness.
Of rootedness and lightness.
And what might it be like to have those two states together in your mind's eye?
The feeling of being rooted and of being light together.
A feeling of lightness and of being rooted together.
And stay here with these two states in your mind's eye.
And now start to see the sunlight moving up and down your spine,
A cyclical movement of breath.
This is so effortless.
Your body knows exactly what to do.
Just let that sunlight move cyclically all the way from the base of your spine to the crown of your head.
And then come back down from the crown of your head to the base of your spine.
And on your inhale let that light rise back up.
Exhale,
Just let it fall all the way back down.
And continue in your own breath,
In your own time.
And now imagine that you're walking in the countryside.
You're walking in the most beautiful place of nature.
And you see a hill before you.
And you continue to walk and you notice the sounds of nature.
Maybe there are some skylarks or other birdsong.
Maybe the wind is gently rustling the trees.
It's a beautiful day.
And you continue to walk knowing you are really welcome in this place.
The rich and fertile land that you are walking on.
And you continue up this hill.
And when you reach the brow of the hill,
You look over as far as your eyes can see.
There are fields and fields of crops born out of your seeds of your intention,
Out of your rich and fertile land.
This harvest,
All your resources to draw on,
To feed you and nourish you in your life.
Your deepest desire has been sown and has now grown in abundance.
Rest here in your harvest,
Your abundant harvest of your intention.
And now notice one seed on the ground beside you,
One of your seeds of intention.
Picking it up,
You see within it the inscription of your Sancalpa.
And hold your seed preciously in your hand and repeat your Sancalpa three times,
Internally and with meaning.
Gazing at that seed,
Know that you are bringing it into your heart space to plant it there in the rich and fertile land of your heart.
Until the seed no longer exists on the external,
Can no longer be seen in the external world,
But has been fully embraced within and is now living and breathing in your heart space.
The rich and fertile land of your heart.
Rest here,
Knowing you are at one with all that there is.
That there is no separation between you and all that there is.
Be still and know.
May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are.
And remember,
You can keep all the benefits of this practice deep within your heart space.
Your body is the life force of some 50 trillion molecular geniuses.
You and you alone choose moment by moment who and how you want to be in the world.
Own your power and show up in your life.
Be bright.
Start to bring awareness back to your breath now and breathe deep into your body.
Deep into the soles of your feet and the tips of your toes.
To the palms of your hand and the tips of your fingers.
To the crown of your head.
Breathing deeper now into your body,
Start to come back to this space.
In your mind's eye,
Once again see your body lying here in this space.
See the clothes that you're lying in and the floor and the ceiling and the walls and perhaps windows and doors.
As you return to this space.
Start to hear sounds around you as you return to this space.
And taking all the time that you need,
Maybe start to give a little movement in your fingers and toes.
Maybe take a full body stretch,
Have a yawn as you return to this space.
And the peace which passes all understanding,
Keep your heart and your mind in the knowledge and presence of love.
This practice of Yoganidra is now complete.
