Yoga Nidra | “The Anchor Within” | 36 Mins

A guided Yoga Nidra practice for deep rest - British female voice - themed around anchoring in stillness. Created to release stress & tension and invite you into deep rest; cultivate inner steadiness & calm, and anchor your awareness into your deeper Self. In today's ever-changing times, and the world's changing tides, this Yoga Nidra invites you to return to your still point - the anchor inside that remains steady no matter what arises around you. So find a quiet space, lie down comfortably, and let the guidance carry you. Use headphones for best sound quality. Trust the process, trust the practice.

Transcript

So,

Welcome to today's practice of Yoga Nidra.

Find a comfortable position and make sure that you feel supported,

Warm and at ease.

Take whatever you need around you to fully settle and when you are ready,

Gently allow your eyes to close.

Let your mouth be soft,

Your lips gently parting,

Breathing in and out of your nose if that's comfortable for you.

Feel your face relax and soften,

Your shoulders letting go.

Your arms and your legs,

Everything sinking onto the support beneath,

Everything letting go.

Give yourself permission to simply be.

Notice the room that you're in,

In your mind's eye,

The walls,

The ceiling,

The floor and all the detail around you.

And then gently open your ears to all the sound around you,

The sounds near and the sounds far away.

Maybe there's distant traffic or birdsong or the quiet hum of your house.

Bring your awareness to touch,

Sense the air on your skin,

Notice where your body is supported by the ground beneath you,

Your bed,

Your sofa or your mat.

Feel a texture of clothes or covers over you and then notice any fragrance there might be in the air,

Subtle or strong.

Any lingering taste in the mouth.

For a few moments,

Be aware of everything,

Notice how alive all your senses are,

How fully present the world feels when you open to it,

When you are fully aware of it in this moment.

And then give yourself permission to let the external world fade away for this time.

Come inside to this present moment fully with your whole being.

Here there is nothing for you to do,

The invitation is simply to be.

This is your time.

In today's world of uncertainty and changing tides,

This practice is a gentle invitation to return to your still point within.

The anchor inside that remains steady no matter what moves or shifts around you.

As Ravi Shankar reminds us,

Be anchored in the self,

Not in the mind.

The mind changes,

The self never does.

Let these words settle softly inside.

The steadfastness you seek isn't out there,

It's already here,

Quietly waiting within.

Become aware now of where this steadfast still place resides in you.

The place inside that feels like your center.

The source where everything leads from and to.

Breathe here.

Now imagine an anchor being lowered into the still calm water of this place within.

A steadying,

Feel yourself gently docking into rest.

Allow everything to settle here,

All the fluctuations of the mind drifting away.

As you remain steady,

Anchored,

Connected to the quiet,

Unwavering stillness inside.

In this quiet,

Allow your sankalpa,

Your heart's deepest intention,

To rise to the surface.

That which has not yet unfolded,

Yet which already lives within.

Invited to surface in your heart.

And in the space that follows,

Repeat your sankalpa three times silently to yourself.

Beginning with the words,

I am.

Allow your sankalpa now to drop into this still place.

And feel your body let go further to rest.

Let it be anchored in rest,

Weighted,

Supported,

And held.

And allow your awareness to travel now around your body,

Link by link,

Throughout your whole body,

Connecting,

Anchoring.

So bring your attention now to your right hand and your right hand thumb.

Bring your full focus,

Awareness,

And attention.

To the tip of your right hand thumb.

Tip of your first finger.

The tip of your second finger.

The tip of your third finger.

And the tip of your fourth finger.

Remember,

Moving your full focus,

Attention,

And awareness to the palm of your right hand.

The top of your hand.

Your right wrist.

Elbow joint.

Shoulder joint.

Your right waist.

Right hip.

Knee joint.

Ankle joint.

To the sole of your right foot.

Moving your full focus,

Attention,

And awareness to your right big toe.

And the tip of your right big toe.

The tip of your second toe.

The tip of your third toe.

The tip of your fourth toe.

And the tip of your little toe.

The top of your right foot.

Your whole foot.

Your whole foot.

Your whole foot.

Moving your full focus,

Attention,

And awareness to your left hand and to your left hand thumb.

Be aware of the tip of your left hand thumb.

The tip of your first finger.

The tip of your second finger.

The tip of your third finger.

And the tip of your fourth finger.

The tip of your fourth finger.

The palm of your left hand.

The back of your hand.

Your left wrist.

Left elbow.

Left shoulder.

Left waist.

Your left hip.

Your knee.

Your knee.

And the sole of your foot.

Your left big toe.

And the tip of your toe.

The tip of your second toe.

The tip of your third toe.

The tip of your fourth toe.

And the tip of your little toe.

The top of your left foot.

Your whole foot.

Your whole foot.

Your whole foot.

Now move your full focus,

Awareness,

And attention to both your heels.

The backs of your knees.

To your glutes.

To your back.

Your whole back.

Your whole back.

To both your shoulder blades.

And to your neck.

And then your head.

Your whole head.

Your whole head.

Move your full focus,

Attention,

And awareness now to the crown of your head.

To your forehead.

Your right eyebrow and your left eyebrow.

And the space between your eyebrows.

Your right eye and your left eye.

Your right ear and your left ear.

Your nose and the tip of your nose.

Your right temple,

Your left temple.

Right cheekbone,

Left cheekbone.

To your mouth,

Your whole mouth.

Your teeth,

Your tongue,

And your jaw.

Your whole face.

Your whole face.

Your whole face.

Moving on now,

Linking with your focus and awareness.

Your throat,

Your right collarbone and your left collarbone.

And the space between your collarbones.

The whole of the right side of your chest and the whole of the left side of your chest.

Your navel.

Your abdomen.

Your pelvis.

The whole of your right leg.

The whole of your left leg.

The whole of your right arm and the whole of your left arm.

Both your arms,

Both your legs,

Your head,

Your back,

Your whole body.

Your whole body.

Your whole body.

Your whole body now held in awareness,

Connected now,

At ease.

Sense your entire body as one unified field of quiet,

Steady presence.

And rest in the stillness inside,

The place that does not move,

Anchored,

Safe in its harbour,

Within.

Begin to sense your body gently resting on soft,

Lilting waves.

Held effortlessly as though lying on a warm,

Buoyant bed of water.

Feel the gentle to and fro of the tide beneath you,

Lapping softly,

Supporting you with every rise and fall.

Invite your breath to ride these gentle waves,

Each inhale a soft swell,

Each exhale a quiet ebb.

Breath and tide,

Moving as one.

Simply be with your breath.

Be your breath.

Now notice the movement of each breath.

Notice how it gently shapes the landscape of your body,

The rise of your chest and belly with the inhale,

And the soft release with the exhale.

A gentle sway,

Like the tide moving through you.

Now become aware of stillness,

That deep,

Quiet place beneath the surface,

Where everything is steady,

Unwavering and anchored.

Then allow your attention to return to movement,

The rise and fall of your breath,

The gentle expansion and release.

And once again,

Return to stillness,

That place you are anchored to,

The steadfastness within.

And move your awareness between movement and stillness,

Stillness and movement.

And then let go,

And release into the awareness that holds them both,

Movement and stillness,

Stillness and movement,

Together at the same time.

Emotions and thoughts rise and fall like tides,

Yet beneath them,

Your anchor remains steady,

Anchored,

Unmoving.

Rest here,

As Swami Vivekananda reminds us,

Everything in the world is changing.

Anchor yourself to that which does not change,

And you will find true peace.

I'm going to name some images,

And I invite you to imagine these images in your mind's eye.

There's no need to apply any thought here,

Just allow whatever comes,

Trust whatever comes,

Trust the practice.

The light of a lighthouse guiding you home.

A compass pointing due north.

The quiet after the storm.

A single candle flame flickering in the dark.

A meadow of wildflowers.

The sound of church bells pealing their song.

The smell of freshly baked bread.

Walking barefoot on the sand.

A feeling of peace and tranquility.

A feeling of joy inside your heart.

108 stars in the sky.

A single rose.

The triangle of love.

The golden leaves of autumn.

A sailing boat on calm seas.

Coming home to rest.

Imagine now you are anchored in a quiet harbour.

The water rocks gently.

You are safe,

Protected,

And happy.

You are unheld.

All around the world may change.

The weather,

The tides,

The winds.

But here,

You can rest secure.

You can be at peace.

This harbour is not only around you,

It is within you.

This is your inner resource.

The still place you can return to whenever you need.

A refuge that welcomes you exactly as you are.

Breathe gently into this place.

Feel it steady you.

Be the anchor.

How it shelters you.

Be the harbour.

And how it reminds you of your wholeness.

Be just as you are.

Be as you are.

Rest here as pure awareness itself.

That which lies beyond body,

Mind,

Or identity.

Know that you are awareness itself.

Witnessing all experience.

Anchored to the source.

There is only this.

And once again,

Call back Sankalpa.

Call the words forth,

Starting with I am.

And silently,

Clearly,

And wholeheartedly,

Repeat your Sankalpa three times.

Inviting it to surface in your heart.

To take root,

And to become.

Softly bring your awareness back to your body once again.

Lying here at rest,

At ease.

Becoming aware of your breath.

Feeling your body resting on the ground.

Sensing the room around you.

Start to invite soft movement in your fingers and toes.

Keeping your eyes closed,

But feeling fully awake and present.

Begin to deepen your breath.

Noticing the sounds in the room.

The contact between your body and the surface beneath you.

And carry with you this memory of your anchor.

This steadfastness that is always within you.

And know that you can drop back into this stillness.

Whenever you need it.

It is always there,

Within.

Regardless of what's going on in the world around you.

This stillness is always there.

Always within.

Take a moment now to thank yourself for making time for today's practice.

For anchoring yourself inside.

Ready to meet your world again.

And then,

When you are ready,

Slowly,

Ever so slowly,

Gently open your eyes.

Welcome back.

Welcome back to your world.

Keep the words of John Kabat-Zinn in mind.

You can't stop the waves,

But you can learn to surf.

So enjoy the ride.

May the peace which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in the knowledge and presence of love.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you for taking the time to practice with me today.

I wish you a wonderful rest of your day or evening ahead.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

The seen and the unseen are both one.