Yoga Nidra (Surfing Experience)

This is a yoga Nidra practice for deep rest, relaxation, and moving deeper into your subtle energy body and expanding your awareness to connect with the universe. There is also a short surf experience to help mentally plant the seeds to surf better.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.

Take a few moments to find yourself in a comfortable position.

Laying on your back in shavasana,

Settling into the support of the earth,

Finding a position where you feel you'll be able to stay still for the entire practice.

If you have to move at any point throughout this session,

Feel free to just adjust and then find your way back to stillness.

You can place a bolster or a rolled up blanket under the knees if you like.

And if you're a bit chilly perhaps,

Covering yourself with a blanket now so that you really can sink into deep rest and nourishment without worries or cares.

So just adjusting in any way that you need at this time before we begin.

Now allowing yourself a moment here to wiggle and settle.

You can let the legs be about hips distance apart so the feet can roll open.

If it's comfortable,

Allow the palms to face up to the sky.

Now begin to draw your attention to the support that your body is resting on.

Allow the eyelids to soften.

The eyebrows.

Allow the eyes to close.

Now take a big inhale into the entire body and then on the exhale just sigh the breath out with a ha.

Readjust if necessary and then again taking a deep inhale into the body and taking another sigh out the mouth,

Letting go just a little bit deeper.

Now allow yourself to soften into this position,

Feeling your back body resting on the floor.

Begin drawing your attention to the points of contact of the body and the floor beneath you.

Become aware of the sensation of your body resting on the floor.

During yoga nidra you'll be guided to notice and feel physical sensations throughout the body,

The breath,

Emotions,

Thoughts and feelings.

Just to experience all of these as the witness.

So just letting them come and go as they will.

Knowing that whatever you experience here today is perfect,

Just as it is.

So simply allow yourself to rest at ease and follow my guidance.

Don't worry or become agitated if you don't hear absolutely everything that I say.

It's completely natural to a way we're in and out of hearing consciousness.

But know at your core self,

The deepest part of you,

You're always listening.

There's no way to do this practice wrong.

So just allow yourself to rest at ease without trying too hard.

Knowing that you're in a safe environment,

Protected and held.

So coming into stillness now and remaining still for deep rest and deep nourishment.

Begin to feel your natural breath as it flows in and out of the body.

Allowing your bones to become heavy.

Feel your bones heavy and sinking into the earth.

Release your bones down,

Heavy and sinking into the support of the earth.

It is now time to create our sankalpa,

An intention,

An affirmation based on your heart's deepest longing at this point.

So just take a moment to go deep inside and ask yourself,

What is it that your heart desires at this point in time?

Once you've tuned into that,

Just repeating it to yourself mentally three times in the present tense.

And with that sankalpa set,

Let go of the analytical mind.

Allow yourself to trust that this practice will be exactly what you need at this point in time.

Now begin to notice the belly as it rises on the inhalation and as it falls on the exhalation.

We'll begin scanning the body now,

So just allow your awareness to travel through your body on a journey of sensation.

You'll simply feel each part of the body as it is mentioned,

But without moving,

Remain still.

Welcoming all sensation just as it is.

We'll begin with the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Right side,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Heel of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now feel the entire right side of the body.

And moving your awareness over to the left side,

We will begin with the left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left side,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Calf,

Heel of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now bring your awareness into the entire left side of the body.

Now moving to the back of the body,

Bring your awareness to the right heel,

Left heel,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back.

Now feel the entire spine.

The right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

The right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

The right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

The right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

The right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together.

Feel the chin,

The jaw,

The throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

The upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right groin,

Left groin,

The pelvic floor.

Now bring your awareness to the whole right leg,

Now the whole left leg,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm.

Now the whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

Now the whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now bring your awareness to the mouth.

Feel your mouth,

Feel the sensations within your mouth.

Feel your jaw,

Your lips,

The upper lip,

Lower lip.

Notice the point where the lips touch.

Now move your awareness to the inside of the mouth.

Feel the roof underneath the tongue,

The upper teeth and gums,

The lower teeth and gums,

The tongue,

The root of the tongue,

Center of the tongue,

And the tip of the tongue.

Begin to notice the sense of taste within the mouth.

Now feel all parts of the mouth together as a whole,

As energy,

As radiant vibration.

Moving your awareness up to the nose,

Begin to feel your nose.

Notice the nostrils,

The left nostril,

The right nostril,

Both nostrils together.

Notice the breath,

Nasal passages.

Feel the breath entering and exiting out of your nasal passages.

Begin to follow your nasal passages all the way back into your head.

Now become aware of the ears,

The right ear,

The left ear,

Both ears together.

Feel the ear lobes,

The backs of the ears,

Center of the ears,

Ear canals.

Follow your ear canals into the inner ear.

Notice your ears receiving sound,

Listening.

Feel your ears hearing.

Feel your eyes,

Left eye,

Right eye,

Both eyes together.

Notice your eyelids.

Notice the point where the eyelids touch.

Start to become aware of the surface of the eyes,

Center of the eyes,

Backs of the eyes.

Feel your eyes now as energy,

Radiant,

Glowing embers.

Now bring your awareness to your crown,

The forehead,

The face.

Feel your whole head.

Feel your neck,

The back of the neck,

Sides of the neck,

The throat.

Now notice your right palm,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Begin to feel your whole right hand alive with energy.

Now notice the left palm,

The thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Feel your whole left hand alive and filled with sensation.

Now become aware of the upper chest,

The upper back,

Shoulder blades.

Now feel your heart center,

Your abdomen,

Solar plexus,

Navel center,

The pelvis,

The hips.

Feel your right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Right calf,

Ankle,

Foot,

Toes,

Sole of the foot,

Whole right foot.

Now feel again the pelvis,

The left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

The lower leg,

Calf,

Ankle,

Foot,

Toes,

Sole of the foot,

The whole foot.

Now notice both feet together resting on the floor.

Bring your awareness up to the root between your sitting bones,

Navel center,

Solar plexus,

Heart center,

Throat center,

Mouth,

Third eye between the brows,

And finally the crown of the head.

Now feel the back body resting on the earth.

Bring your awareness to the entire back of the body resting on the earth.

Feel the back body alive with sensation.

Bringing your awareness to the front of the body.

Feel the whole front of the body filled with radiant vibration.

Now begin pouring your awareness like liquid into the entire right side of your body.

Feel the entire right side of the body.

Now pour your awareness like flowing sensors into the entire left side of the body.

Feel the entire left side of your body.

Now feel the midline.

Now feel your body as a whole.

One complete entity.

Feel sensation throughout the entire body.

Now moving through the sensation of opposites,

Begin to imagine your whole body becoming light.

As light as a feather as if you could float off the floor and up towards the ceiling.

The head is light and weightless.

The limbs light and weightless.

The torso light and weightless.

The whole body light and weightless.

Now letting go of the sensation of lightness and start to feel heaviness in the body.

Feel the whole body become heavier and heavier.

Heaviness in all parts of the body.

The head is heavy,

The limbs are heavy,

The torso is heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

So heavy that you feel it melting into the floor.

Letting go of the sensation of heaviness and coming to the sensation of heat.

Feel the whole body alive with heat as if you were standing beside a blazing fire.

The hands are hot,

The feet are hot,

The cheeks are burning hot.

The whole body alive with heat.

Now letting go of the sensation of heat and coming to the sensation of coolness.

Feel as though you are standing outside in winter next to a frigid lake.

The whole body becomes ice cold.

The feet are cold,

The hands are cold.

Whole body ice cold.

Now letting go of these sensations.

Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transparent movie screen,

Stretches for as high and as wide as the mind can see.

Concentrate on this mind screen,

Allowing yourself to become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.

Colors,

Patterns,

Light.

Whatever you see manifesting within this mind screen,

Just allowing it to come and go.

Continuing your awareness of the space without becoming overly involved.

Just practicing detached awareness here.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go.

Just continuing to watch the dark space without becoming overly involved.

Now begin imagining yourself sitting in a grassy field surrounded by tall palm trees.

The bright blue sky above you.

It's a beautiful sunny day.

It's a gentle breeze on your skin.

You slowly get up from your seat and you begin to walk across the field to the edge.

Looking over a cliff,

You see a desolate tropical beach below you.

Crystal blue water and perfect waves.

You find some stairs beside you.

You begin walking down the stairs,

One foot after the other,

Descending down towards the beach.

Making your way down the stairs,

You place one foot in the sand and then the other.

Taking a moment here to feel the sand beneath your feet.

Feel the texture.

The temperature.

Grain between your toes.

You slowly begin walking towards the water.

Starting to walk along the beach next to the water's edge.

Walking along the curve of the beach.

Listening to the beautiful sound of the tide rolling in and out.

Even when you come across a surfboard,

It seems to have been waiting there just for you.

It's the perfect size and shape for you.

So you pick it up,

You strap the leash around your ankle,

And you begin to walk in towards the water.

Placing one foot in the water and then the other.

Taking a moment to feel the temperature of the water around your legs.

Feel the cool sensation.

Walking a little further,

You place your board down.

You hop aboard and you begin to paddle.

Feel yourself paddling out into the ocean.

Feel yourself gliding above the sea.

How does the water feel as it passes between your fingertips?

Taking a few more effortless strokes,

You find your way out in the ocean to the perfect place to catch the oncoming waves.

You take a moment to sit up on your board,

Just looking out at the ocean as it stretches out for miles,

For as far as the eye can see.

And back behind you at this beautiful desolate beach,

Surrounded by palm trees.

As the next set of waves begin to approach,

You wait for the perfect wave for you.

And as it approaches,

You turn around and you begin to paddle.

Feel yourself paddling for the wave.

Feel the energy of wanting and desiring to catch the wave.

As the wave approaches,

Now feel the energy of the wave lifting up your board.

You've caught the wave,

Now you hop to your feet.

Now you're really riding the wave.

Feel the energy in the body as you ride the wave.

Gliding along the open face,

You're free to make any movements with the board,

Any cutbacks that you like.

Just envision yourself doing whatever you want on this wave.

It all comes effortless and natural to you.

Riding the wave all the way in,

You turn around and you paddle back out to that perfect spot.

Just getting ready to catch the next wave.

As the wave approaches,

Feel yourself paddling,

Feel the water gliding through your hands.

Feel the effortless ease of the connection with you and your board.

Now the energy of the wave lifting you up.

Feel the excitement and then popping to your feet.

Doing anything you want with the wave.

You ride your wave all the way back to the shore.

As the sun begins to set,

You step out of the water,

Unstrap your leash and place the board back where you found it,

Saying thank you with gratitude to whoever left it there just for you.

Slowly walking back up the beach to the stairs and across the grassy field to where you began.

Just taking a seat there,

Admiring all the beauty that surrounds you.

It is now time to repeat your samkalpa,

The inner affirmation that you said at the beginning of this practice.

Now come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Begin your awareness of breath and at the same time,

Begin to develop your awareness of the physical body.

Feel your body relaxed and lying on the floor.

Bring your awareness to the sense of sound.

Begin to notice the further sound and the distance that you can identify.

Lying the further sound away and starting to notice sounds that are a little bit closer,

A little bit closer,

And all the sounds that are closest to you.

Taking a moment to listen to all sounds together as a whole,

As one.

With your body relaxed and lying on the floor,

Begin to feel the container of your skin,

The clothes,

The props that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the floor.

Move your awareness into all points that are touching the floor.

So the heels,

Calves,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

The arms,

Hands,

And head.

Do not open your eyes just yet.

Instead begin to visualize the surrounding room.

Imagine where you are in the room,

The other objects that are around you.

Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.

When you're ready,

You can start by slowly moving your hands,

Your feet.

Taking your time,

There's no hurry.

When you're sure that you're fully awake,

You can gently open your eyes and roll to one side,

Staying there for a few moments until you're ready to get up.

Thank you for letting me guide you through this practice today.

We look forward to seeing you back at Talala Surf really soon.

Blessings to you and have a wonderful day.

Reviews

Good to connect with my body and relax. Thank you.

Great, thank you! Unfortunately I was drifting away when the surfing part began but you were right: Somehow my mind was still listening. Great meditation!

Portia, love the long body scan. It was fun with the surfing visualization, which I’ve never done. Thank you so very much.

Very enjoyable.
Thank you.