Embodied Tranquility: A Journey Home

In this brief Yoga Nidra session, you're invited to find solace and grounding within your own body. Embracing all sensations - whether they're pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral - as honored guests in the sanctuary of your body. Through this practice, you'll effortlessly slip into a state of receptive relaxation, fostering a profound connection with your inner wellspring of peace, tranquility, and overall well-being. As you emerge from this practice, you'll carry with you a sense of nourishment and rejuvenation, allowing the essence of this experience to permeate your daily life.

Inspired by a student's desire to feel truly at home within herself - to embody the mantra or San Kalpa "I am Home" - this session serves as a gentle reminder that wholeness resides within, and wherever you go, you carry the comforting familiarity of Home within your own body and spirit.

Transcript

Welcome to your practice today and taking a moment here to settle in to a comfortable position,

Just taking your time such that you are feeling at ease and comfortable either lying down or in a chair,

Whichever is most nourishing for you.

And you may want to get a couple of blankets or even any props or pillows that may invite the body to come into even more comfort and ease.

So just taking a couple of moments to get yourself set up for practice today.

And then as you get your space all set up,

We'll get ready to begin our practice and this meditative journey,

Focusing our attention on the body as we begin to notice and bring all of our attention to the physical,

The somatic body,

And all of the sensations that are present in the present moment.

And I'll be guiding you through and all you need to do is listen to my voice staying awake and alert during our time together.

And of course,

At any time,

If you need to move or adjust the body,

Feel free to do that at any time.

But if it's just an itch or twitch,

Try to just let it go and let it move or release into stillness.

So remembering that whatever the sensation,

It's all welcome.

It being either pleasant,

Unpleasant,

Neutral,

Comfort,

Discomfort.

Imagine your body as a guest house and inviting each in as a guest into your home like you would invite a friend for tea and conversation.

And if you're noticing discomfort in the body,

You may need to adjust your body or maybe it just simply wants to hear something and let it come and let it pass just as it is.

And just remembering to welcome where you are and we're learning to meet and greet and welcome everything that life brings.

So before we do a rotation of consciousness around the body,

Let's just take a couple of moments to connect with the breath.

In this way,

So taking a deep inhale all the way through,

Expanding the lungs and pausing at the top of the breath just for a moment and then releasing the breath out through the mouth just by way of a sign.

Letting go,

Releasing any and all tension through the exhale.

And again,

Taking a deep inhalation,

Expanding the ribcage,

The lungs,

Pausing at the top of the breath and then exhaling with a sigh out through the mouth so as to release any of all tension in the body.

Letting it go.

Letting it go.

And one last time,

Inhaling a deep inhale,

Expanding the lungs,

Pausing at the top of the breath and then allowing a deep exhale,

Following the exhale all the way through,

And this time right to the very end,

Just a little more deeply and letting it go through a sign.

And letting it go through a sign.

And then just allowing that to dissolve and just noticing the natural rise and fall of the breath without any insistence,

Just allowing the breath to be as it is.

Is welcoming the breath to be in its natural rhythm as it comes and goes naturally.

So just paying attention to where you notice the breath.

Is it the belly?

Rising and falling?

Or is it the upper chest at the heart center?

Rising and falling?

Or maybe it's noticing the sensations of the air coming in through the nostril on the inhale,

That sense of fullness.

And on the exhale,

Noticing a sense of warmth of the breath on the exhale.

We're just taking a moment to notice where the breath is most dominant.

And placing all of your concentration here for the next couple of moments.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And then allowing the breath just to dissolve in your awareness and allowing that to rest in the background of your attention in equanimity,

Allowing it to come and go.

And now we'll rest our attention at the heart center,

Just for a couple of moments.

For a couple of moments to connect with our heartfelt desire or intention or our practice today or just in general,

Our intention for the day or in our life.

And maybe it's something like this.

I am feeling calm in my body.

In my body.

Or maybe it's I am content and happy.

Just taking a couple moments here and allowing these words to naturally surface that are curated just for you.

That will inform your intention today.

And once that's complete,

Repeating the phrase silently three times and then allowing that to dissolve in the background of your awareness as we now begin as we now begin a tour of body sensing.

So just bringing your awareness now to the crown of your head and noticing any sensations here at the crown of the head.

And maybe there's lots of activity,

Movement,

Flow,

Meaning any changes of physical movement that you might be noticing.

Or maybe there's not much going on where things are quiet and restful.

And all we're needing to do is just notice and welcome it in as a guest in our home.

And allowing that to dissolve,

Bringing your attention now to the forehead and noticing any and all sensations here in the same way.

Is it active or restful?

And maybe even intentionally releasing any tension here so as to nourish the restful side of our experience.

Dissolving any and all of the lines of the forehead.

And then allowing that to dissolve,

Bringing your awareness to the right eyebrow and then the right eye.

Sinking and relaxing into the socket and noticing here any and all sensations of the right eye.

And then moving your awareness over to the left eyebrow,

Down to the left eye,

Sinking and relaxing into the socket.

Sinking and relaxing into the socket.

And then drawing your awareness down to both cheeks as the eyes naturally settle and drop.

The energy just naturally dissolves by way of gravity down into the cheeks.

Through to the jaw.

And then relaxing into the cheeks of the mouth.

Dissolving any tension in the lips,

The tongue,

All the way to the base of the tongue.

Resting in sensation.

And then noticing the right ear,

The left ear,

And then bringing your awareness to the entire head and allowing that to dissolve,

Drawing your energy down to the throat.

And then bringing your awareness to the center of the chest.

And then drawing your awareness over to the right shoulder.

Noticing the gravity of the right shoulder,

Perhaps maybe drawing down to the right elbow,

Down to the wrist,

To the center of the palm of the hand,

The right thumb,

The first finger,

Through to the fingertip,

Second finger,

Through to the fingertip,

The third finger,

Right through to the fingertip,

And the fourth finger and fingertip.

And then bringing your awareness to the fall of the right arm,

And the shoulder right through to the fingertips at the same time.

Noticing any and all sensations here.

Noticing any and all sensations here with this welcoming of presence at home.

And then allowing that to dissolve.

And then allowing that to dissolve.

In the background of your awareness,

Bringing your attention back up through to the right side of the chest,

Over to the heart center,

Just resting at the heart center just for a couple moments.

The heart center is home.

And then allowing that to release.

Moving your energy over to the left side of the chest,

Over to the left shoulder,

Drawing down to the left elbow,

Drawing the energy down to the left wrist,

To the left thumb,

To the first finger right through to the fingertip,

Second finger through to the fingertip,

The third finger through to the fingertip,

And the fourth finger right through to the fingertip.

Now bringing your awareness to the left arm,

From the left shoulder all the way through to the fingertips.

At the same time,

The left arm and all of its sensations at home,

In presence.

And then allowing that to dissolve into the background of your awareness,

Bringing the attention back up through to the left omegle of the chest,

Over to the center of the heart,

To the center of the heart,

Back home.

And then drawing the energy down to the belly,

Down to the pelvis,

The center,

Of your seat,

Seat of your soul,

At home.

And then drawing the energy over to your right hip,

Down to the right knee,

Down to the right ankle,

To the center of the sole of the right foot,

And to the right toe.

Now bringing your awareness to the entire right leg at the same time,

From the right hip,

Down to the right toe.

Welcoming any and all sensations here.

The right leg at home,

At ease,

And restful.

And then allowing that to dissolve in the background of your awareness,

Bringing your attention back up through to the right hip,

Over to the center of the heart,

To the center of your seat.

Drawing the energy over to the left hip,

Down to the left knee,

The left ankle,

Over to the center of the left sole of the foot,

Down to the left toe.

Now bringing your awareness to the entire left leg at the same time,

From the left hip,

All the way down to the sole of the left foot,

To the tips of the toe.

Noticing the entire left leg at home.

Any and all sensations here.

It's all welcome.

And then allowing that to go.

Bringing your awareness now gently and easefully over to the right side of the body.

Now bringing the lower leg,

Upper leg,

The right side of the torso,

The right arm,

The right side of the neck.

In your awareness at the same time,

Just as it is.

Welcoming it in as experience.

Welcoming it home.

Just as it is.

The right side of the body,

While the left side of the body dissolves completely.

All of our awareness ending to the right side.

And then allowing that to dissolve.

Bringing your awareness now over to the left side of the body.

And just taking your time.

And land all of your awareness over to the left side of the body.

To the entire left leg,

The left torso,

The left arm,

Left side of the neck and face.

All at once.

Welcoming in presence the whole left side of the body at home.

Allowing it to dissolve.

Now bringing your awareness to the whole body.

The whole body as one in your awareness.

Now noticing here the back body supported completely by the earth.

Back of the head,

The upper back,

Lower back,

Foot up,

The back of the legs and heel,

The whole back body,

And the front body.

Noticing all the parts of the front body.

Supported by the sky,

The stars.

And then coming back to the whole body again as one.

In this whole body.

Feeling into a sense of home and wholeness here.

And all sensation.

And then allowing that to dissolve.

And remembering here your intention.

And either repeating the intention silently or just allowing the words to be felt throughout the body.

Your body as sensation.

And inviting the words and those felt sensations to linger throughout the rest of your time and practice throughout the day,

Throughout the weeks to come.

And gently and easily taking your time to come into a more wakeful state.

And to know that our practice doesn't end here.

That we can ride the momentum and bring the benefits of our practice to our next task.

This sense of calm,

Perhaps peace,

Or the sense of being complete,

At home,

Whole,

As it can continue to walk with us.

So enjoy that and thank you for your practice today.

And I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Bye for now.

Bye.

Reviews

😌Very soothing practice💯TYVM

Peaceful and Relaxing! I'll bring my intention with me throughout the day. A wonderful start to the day. Thank you, Paula!