Welcome to Tree Yoga Nidra.
Invite yourself to get more comfortable as if you are a bird in a nest in a tree.
What would bring you more comfort?
Do you need more blankets or pillows?
Change your position?
Whatever is going to feel like a comfy nest.
And when you're ready,
Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Feel the flow of the breath through your nose and your mouth,
Breathing in and out.
Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.
Invite your breath through your whole body,
However it needs to circulate.
And become aware of your body from your toes as the root and foundation for yourself through the trunk of your body to your head.
And continue to find whatever is bringing you more ease as you continue to breathe and notice whatever sensations are arising in your body.
Notice the sensations throughout your whole system as I read the English translation of the poem Maple Leaf by the Chinese poet Xu Ting.
Here is a heart-shaped leaf picked up by a gentle hand on a very special hillside at the edge of a special wood.
It may not mean very much,
This leaf with its trace of frost,
But still the leaf reminds me of a twilight avenue,
A mind crowded with thoughts,
Released on a gentle breath that scattered from my shoulders the rays of the setting sun.
Again,
On a special evening,
That touch alights on me,
Having grown heavy with meaning.
This time I can't deny it,
Deny that intimacy.
Now,
When the wind rises,
I am prompted to turn my head and listen to you leaf as you quiver on your twig.
Notice how your body feels and the nature sounds that you hear around you as you continue to breathe in the air around you,
Inviting more air,
Inviting the breath to just deeply inhale and exhale.
And now is the time to set an intention for yourself for this session,
Something in the present tense.
I am peaceful like a tree,
Or I am rooted and grounded,
Or something else that suits you.
And now we will begin the rotation of awareness.
Follow along and notice each part of your body as I say the words.
Notice the whole right side of your body.
Notice your right hand.
Right thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Right lower arm.
Right elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Right chest.
Right waist.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
The whole right foot.
Now notice the whole left side of your body.
Notice your left hand.
Left thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Left lower arm.
Left elbow.
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Left chest.
Waist.
Left hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Soul.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
The whole left foot.
Notice your whole left side.
Your whole right side.
Your whole left side.
Your whole right side.
Your left and your right side together.
The whole body together.
The whole body together.
Continue noticing the air and the breath around you.
And the breath's coming inside of you.
And imagine that you are like a tree.
And you're going to ground like a tree.
So first you're going to have a trunk,
A tree trunk that connects from the base of your spine into the earth.
Anything in your body,
Old energy,
Other people's energy,
Worries,
Thoughts,
Whatever is not truly you is going to go grounding down through this tree trunk into the earth.
So the tree trunk is grounding off whatever does not serve you,
Whatever is not truly you.
Just let it go down into the earth.
Continue to keep grounding through that tree trunk that you've magically attached to the base of your spine that goes directly into the earth.
Continue grounding.
And now picture yourself with your feet.
The roots soaking up and nourishing the energy from the earth.
And having that earth energy come up through your feet and let it circulate through your whole body.
However it needs to adjust itself.
Just absorb that energy from the earth through your feet and let it come up through your body and let it continue to circulate as needed.
And let that energy continue,
The earth energy continue to circulate and help you to ground and let go of whatever needs to go down that tree trunk into the earth.
And whatever earth energy you need to keep,
You keep.
Continue letting go and grounding through your tree trunk and pulling up earth energy through your feet,
The roots.
And above you,
Imagine the sun right above you.
And let the rays from the sun soak into your whole being.
And let that sun energy filter through every part of you.
The gold sun coming through and cleaning you out,
Providing you nutrients,
Bringing you healing.
Let that gold sun go into every cell and the space between spaces.
Let all that golden sun energy fill every space within you,
Healing you on every level,
Including a cellular level.
And let that gold sun energy expand beyond your body,
Let it expand and fill up your aura.
And above the gold sun,
Put your intention and let it filter down through the sun.
And repeat your intention three times with full awareness.
And when you are ready,
Let go of the images and just become aware of your whole body.
Become aware of your breathing.
Become aware of the surface beneath you.
And gently stretch,
Stretch your hands,
Stretch your toes,
Stretch your arms,
Stretch your legs,
Rock back and forth if you need to.
And when you are ready to open your eyes,
Notice the colors around you.
Notice whatever forms of nature are around you.
Notice how you feel and the sensations in your body.
Stretch some more if you need to and when you are ready,
Continue about your day.
Thank you.
