Yoga Nidra is a guided rest practice.
It's an invitation to pause beneath the fullness of the season and to listen inward.
Summer solstice marks the longest day of the year.
A time when light reaches its peak and the earth hums with growth,
Warmth,
And possibility.
And yet,
Even at the height of brightness,
Nature teaches us the importance of rest.
The fields ripen,
The flowers open,
And life unfolds without any force.
So during this practice,
You might drift,
Daydream,
Feel deeply relaxed,
Or you might remain fully awake.
All experiences are welcome.
There's nothing you need to achieve.
Simply allow the sound of my voice to accompany you like a gentle path through a sunlit meadow.
Guiding you inward and safely back again.
Settle into a position that feels comfortable and supportive for your body.
And if it feels comfortable,
Allow your eyes to gently close,
Or you can soften your gaze,
Whatever feels right for you.
Begin to feel the surface beneath you supporting your weight.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breath.
Imagine yourself resting beneath the vast summer sky.
The earth holding you with a gentle embrace.
Nothing needs to bloom faster.
Nothing needs to be fixed.
Nothing needs to be earned.
For these next few moments,
Simply rest.
And if it helps,
You can silently remind yourself.
I am here.
I am supported.
I welcome rest and renewal.
At the height of summer,
Seeds planted long ago begin to show their growth.
So take a moment to choose a simple intention,
Not as a demand,
But as an offering.
A quiet acknowledgement of what you wish to nourish within yourself.
This could be something like,
I welcome abundance.
I trust the timing of my life.
I'm open to joy.
I honor my own growth,
Or I carry my light with ease.
Just allow your intention to arise naturally within you.
Whatever you've chosen for today,
You can repeat it silently three times,
Planting the seed into the soil of the subconscious mind.
And now begin to notice where your body meets the ground beneath you.
Bring attention to your feet.
Notice any warmth.
Coolness.
Tingling.
Pressure,
Or absence of sensation.
Notice the heels resting.
And slowly move attention through your ankles.
Into the calves.
The knees.
And the thighs.
The legs are fully supported.
There's no need to change anything,
Simply noticing.
Bringing attention now to your hips.
Noticing the hips.
Good hips and pelvis supported and resting.
Bring awareness to your abdomen.
And feel it rise and fall with each breath.
If there's any tension,
Just simply acknowledge it.
And allow the next exhale to be.
Just the tiniest bit softer.
Shifting awareness now to the chest.
Notice your chest expanding on the inhale.
And settling on the exhale.
Bring awareness to your upper and lower back.
Observe any tightness.
Ease or any subtle sensations.
In the upper and lower back.
Just noticing.
Imagine giving these areas permission to be exactly as they are.
The back completely supported and resting.
Feel your fingers.
Noticing any sensation in the fingers and the palms of the hand.
Noticing any warmth or coolness.
Tingling or pressure.
Or perhaps the absence of any sensation.
There's no need to change anything.
Just notice.
And moving attention now into the wrists.
The forearms.
The elbows.
And the upper arms.
The arms fully supported by the surface beneath them.
And then notice your shoulders.
And see if they can drop even a millimeter on the exhale,
Just softening into the surface beneath you.
And bring attention now to the neck.
The jaw.
The cheeks,
The eyes and the eye sockets.
The forehead.
The scalp of the head.
The back of the head.
But had fully supported and cradled Allowing the jaw to unclench if it wants to.
Allowing the muscles around the eyes to soften.
Imagine the earth beneath you warm from a long summer day.
And now expand your awareness to the whole body at once.
Sense the complete picture,
The sensations,
Stillness.
Movement.
Comfort and discomfort.
There's nothing to fix,
Just awareness.
Knowing that you don't need to carry anything right now.
The ground,
The earth,
The surface beneath you is carrying you.
Now notice the body breathing.
Notice the natural flow of your breath in and out of the body.
There's no need to change it or shape it in any way.
Just noticing the natural breath.
In its natural rhythm.
And now imagine each inhale gathering the warmth and vitality of summer.
And then each exhale,
Softening the body deeper into rest.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
As naturally as waves eating the shore.
Continue like this for a few rounds of breath on your own.
And now bring awareness to a sense of gentle warmth spreading throughout the entire body.
Imagine it like sunlight resting across your skin in the early evening.
Warmth in the hands,
Warmth in the chest.
Warmth in the belly.
Warmth throughout the entire body.
And now imagine a refreshing summer breeze.
Like the cool shade beneath the tree.
Fresh air moving softly across the skin.
The body balanced between warmth and coolness.
And now sense the body filled with ease and vitality.
Like a garden in full bloom.
Fields of flowers waving beneath the summer wind,
Sensing the spaciousness.
The open sky above you,
The wide horizons.
Freedom of endless summer light.
And notice both experiences together,
Fullness and spaciousness.
Energy and rest.
Radiance and ease.
Now bring your awareness to the space between the eyebrows or simply to the center of your attention.
And allow these images to arise naturally.
Golden sunlight across an open field.
Wildflower swaying in a warm breeze.
A crown of bright sunflowers.
A honeybee moving from blossom to blossom.
Clear blue sky stretching endlessly overhead.
Ripening fruit hanging from branches.
A winding path through tall summer grasses.
Dragonflies gliding above a pond.
The scent of warm earth after rain.
Circle of friends gathered around a fire.
Lanterns glowing in the twilight.
The horizon painted with gold and amber brush strokes.
A field bathed in the last light of evening.
A bonfire beneath the stars.
A feeling of gratitude.
A feeling of belonging.
A place where you feel fully at ease.
And rest here for a few moments with whatever arises,
Knowing that it's perfect for you.
And now bring a gentle awareness to the center line of the body.
From the base of the spine.
To the crown of the head.
And imagine a warm golden light flowing through this pathway.
At the base of the body,
Steadiness.
And the lower belly,
Creativity.
In the upper abdomen,
Confidence.
Planting into the heart generosity.
In the throat expression.
Between the eyebrows,
Insight.
And at the crown of the head,
Openness.
As this golden light flows up from the base of the body to the crown of the head.
Nothing to awaken and nothing to force,
Simply notice the energy of being alive.
If you chose an intention earlier,
You can gently repeat it now three times.
Imagine it settling into you like a seed receiving sunlight.
And now bring awareness back to your whole body resting here.
Perhaps noticing any sounds around you.
Noticing the space around you.
Noticing the support beneath you.
Slowly beginning to return to the space you're in and to this present moment.
Perhaps wiggling the fingers and the toes if that feels right for you.
Or maybe taking a full body stretch with the arms overhead.
Or perhaps bringing the knees into the chest and giving yourself a warm hug.
Or rocking back and forth a few times.
Take a deep breath in if that feels right for you,
In through the nose and out of the mouth.
And as you reawaken,
Carry with you these gifts from Solstice of warmth.
Vitality.
Gratitude,
And trust in the natural unfolding of your life.
Like the sun at its peak,
May you recognize the light that already exists within you.
And when you're ready,
You can roll over to one side if that feels right for you.
Pausing there for just a moment.
And then when you're ready,
You can gently open your eyes.
Coming back to the room that you're in.
Thank you so much for being here today.
Thank you so much for your practice.
