A Yoga Nidra For Letting Go

Take a journey to help you release and let go. The autumn season is the traditional time when nature releases what it no longer needs to prepare for the quiet winter season. This yoga nidra incorporates both fall imagery and that of the metal element in traditional Chinese medicine. In addition to being associated with the fall season, the metal element is linked to the lungs and large intestine, and the emotions of clarity, strength, grief and sadness. Although this practice utilizes fall imagery, feel free to use this meditation whenever you need to release something in your life.

Music by Liborio Conti

Transcript

Lie down and find a comfortable position for yourself.

Almost making a cozy nest,

A place where you can really let go and relax.

Take the time now to make those adjustments to make yourself even just a tiny percentage more comfortable,

And then allow yourself to settle into this space.

Notice the connection between the body and the supports beneath you.

Feel every point where the body is supported,

And allow yourself to release more deeply into those supports,

Like you're melting into those supports,

Knowing that the more you let go,

The more the earth comes back up to support you.

Then it's okay to release.

It's okay to not hold on so tightly.

Becoming aware of the breath moving in the body,

And feeling that gentle rise of the body with inhale,

And that natural release with exhale.

Feeling the body rise with inhale,

And let go with exhale.

This natural massage of the breath,

A gentle expansion with inhale,

And a softening release with the exhale.

Becoming aware of the body letting go more and more with every exhale,

Tension and stress strain let go.

With every exhale,

The thoughts letting go.

With every exhale,

Intense emotions just letting go.

The body,

The minds and emotions,

Feeling more and more at ease with every breath you take.

Become aware of your sense of hearing,

And begin to listen for sounds.

Listening for sounds in all directions.

Listen for sounds that are in front of the body,

And behind it.

Sounds to the left,

And sounds to the right.

Sounds all around you.

See if you can notice if there are any sounds outside your space.

Sounds beyond the room.

Letting your awareness drift from sound to sound,

Just noticing the various qualities of these sounds.

Some sounds might be rhythmic,

While others are arhythmic.

Some high pitches,

And other low pitches.

Some might be melodic,

Or others like drones.

Noticing more the qualities of these sounds,

Rather than trying to identify them.

Noticing all these sounds that are a bit closer to you now in the space.

Sounds inside the room.

Hearing those sounds individually,

And then like a symphony,

An orchestration of sounds.

All the sounds that make up your very own soundscape.

Now,

Listen even closer,

And try to discover sounds from yourself.

Sounds from the body.

You might notice your breath,

Or maybe sounds of digestion.

Maybe a ringing in the ears,

Or the sound of the heartbeat.

Maybe even other sounds that you feel,

Their vibrations,

But they don't have a name,

Yet you hear them and feel them in yourself.

Now,

Listen even closer,

And see if you can hear the whisper of your heart's desire,

Your sankopa.

Your heart's desire.

Something that you would like to be true for yourself in your life.

Something that helps you achieve your highest good.

So,

Look deep within your heart space,

And find the sankopa,

This resolve for yourself.

And feel it now within you,

Embodying this heart's desire.

Envision it clearly in your mind,

And phrasing it in the present tense,

As if it's already happening.

Repeat your sankopa three times mentally,

With full awareness,

Knowing that the seeds you plant in your yoga nidra practice will grow and blossom in your life.

Moving on to the rotation of consciousness in the body.

The body remains still,

And we take a journey through it with our awareness.

Bringing our attention to each body part as it's named.

Welcoming any and all sensations that may or may not occur.

It might help to mentally repeat the name of the body part,

Or visualize it.

But try not to focus or concentrate too much.

If you lose track or fall asleep,

Just join back in when you can.

And we begin by bringing awareness to the right hand thumb.

So bring all awareness to the right hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the hand.

Forearm.

Back of the hand.

The whole right hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Right side of the ribcage.

Waist.

Hamstring.

Knee.

Back of the knee.

Shin.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Toe.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Arch of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

All the right toes.

The whole right foot.

The whole right leg.

Right arm.

The whole right side of the body.

Now bring all of your awareness to the left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

The whole left hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Left side of the ribcage.

Waist.

Hip.

Thigh.

Hamstring.

Knee.

Back of the knee.

Shin.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Arch of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

All the left toes.

The whole left foot.

Whole left leg.

Left arm.

Whole left side of the body.

Awareness of the right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf muscles.

Left calf muscles.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left knee.

Right hamstring.

Left hamstring.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

The whole spinal column.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Scalp.

Crown of the head.

Forehead.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

The eyebrow center.

Right eyelid.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eyelashes.

Left eyelashes.

The whole right eye.

The whole left eye.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Bridge of the nose.

Tip of the nose.

The whole nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Both lips together.

Teeth.

Tongue.

Gums.

The whole mouth.

Chin.

Jawbone.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

The hollow between the collarbones.

Right chest.

Left chest.

Heart center.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Waist.

Lower abdomen.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

Both legs together.

The whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

Both arms together.

The whole left side of the body.

The whole right side of the body.

The whole front of the body.

The whole back of the body.

The whole right side of the body.

Awareness of the legs.

Arms.

Right.

Left.

Front.

Together.

Awareness of the whole body together.

The whole body together.

Complete awareness of the whole body together.

Awareness of the whole body.

The whole body.

Awareness if you are awake or asleep.

Staying awake and aware.

Drawing all your awareness.

To the space behind the closed eyes.

Become aware of the mind space behind the closed eyes.

And just observe whatever appears here.

Like you are watching the screen of your own mind.

Letting whatever thoughts or images play out on their own.

Just noticing what is here.

Observing with a curious mindset.

And being a witness to the screen of your mind.

Now in this space.

See yourself outside on a cool day.

And you are standing in front of a forest.

You are in front of these woods.

And the trees are filled with many colored leaves.

The leaves are hues of orange.

And red.

And purples and various shades of browns.

And you can see the branches of these trees.

Intertwining with one another.

Amidst the leaves of various colors.

You walk closer to the forest.

And there seems to be an archway made of these branches and leaves.

That leads onto a path through the woods.

So you walk under this archway.

Deeper into the forest.

You can feel the coolness of the air upon your skin.

And it feels refreshing.

The air is cool as it enters your lungs.

But as you breathe out you can feel the warmth as well.

You make your way deeper into the forest.

And you can hear the sound of water running.

Eventually you come to an opening in the forest.

Where there is a stream.

And there is a large flat rock near the stream.

And you take a seat upon this rock.

The rock is cool but comfortable.

It feels smooth to the touch.

And you listen to the flow of the water.

And watch the leaves fall from the trees.

And the leaves as they fall.

Float down to the stream.

Floating on top of the stream.

And down the stream.

Following its currents.

The colors in the water and the leaves.

Seem to compliment one another.

The stream is almost a silvery color.

It shimmers in the light.

And as each leaf touches it.

The color in the leaf seems to brighten.

And almost glow.

The oranges become even brighter.

The yellows glow like the sun.

The purples are like the sunset.

And the browns like the earth around them.

And the tree trunks.

As you watch these leaves.

You hear something approaching from the forest.

You see a beautiful white tiger.

Coming to the stream.

And the tiger makes its way to the water.

It begins to lap it up.

Drinking the cool water from the stream.

The tiger is quite close to you.

But you are surprisingly unafraid.

You watch the tiger drinking.

And it pauses.

And looks right at you.

You gaze into the tiger's eyes.

And it's as if the tiger is communicating with you.

What does the tiger have to say?

What is its message to you?

The beautiful tiger seems almost to smile.

As it breaks its gaze with you.

And takes a few more laps of water.

From the shimmering stream.

You say your goodbyes.

To the big cat.

And it makes its way back into the woods.

The leaves crunching beneath its paws.

As it walks away.

And the leaves continue.

To drift down to the water.

Floating.

To land on its surface.

The trees shedding the old.

To make way for the new.

Letting go.

Of what's no longer needed.

In this peaceful autumn season.

Now bring awareness to your heart space again.

And recall your sankalpa.

The statement you made at the beginning of the practice.

Repeat it again three times.

With full awareness.

And know.

That the seed of your sankalpa will grow.

In your life.

Become aware of the breath again.

Feeling the breath move.

In the body.

The gentle rise of the inhales.

And the fall of the exhales.

And feel the body itself.

Feel the weight of the body.

The temperature of the air on the skin.

The touch of the clothing and the supports beneath you.

Become aware of the whole body.

From head to toe.

Becoming aware.

Of how relaxed you are.

The peacefulness.

You've created within yourself.

And taking a moment.

To say a thank you to you.

For your practice today.

For taking time to rest and reconnect.

To the true you.

When you're ready.

You can start to move a little bit around.

To physically reawaken the body a bit more.

Moving the fingers and the toes.

And maybe rocking the head side to side.

Stretching.

Whatever feels good.

Opening the eyes when you're ready.

Taking in all the sights and colors around you.

And taking the feeling you've cultivated in your yoga nidra practice along with you for the rest of the day.

Namaste.

Reviews

Lovely practice, thank you 😊 🙏