Welcome to this practice.
And this.
Yoga Nidra meditation.
We'll be journeying together into the heart of an old growth redwood forest.
We'll be visualizing resting in this quiet.
Ancient place.
Deeply resting among the trees.
That have stood for centuries.
Resting in a place of calm.
Stillness.
And peace.
Try to remain awake and aware throughout the practice.
Hovering just at the edge of sleep.
But if your mind starts to drift or you feel like you're falling asleep,
Trust that your body and your subconscious are receiving exactly what they need.
This practice is about meeting yourself wherever you are and welcoming whatever arises.
With gentleness,
Curiosity,
And ease.
So as we begin,
Make sure that you feel warm.
Safe and supported.
Closing down and softening both eyes.
Allowing your teeth to slightly part.
Your lips.
To soften.
And your jaw to release.
Feel your shoulders dropping away from your ears.
Letting a wave of softness and ease to flow down your arms.
Softness flowing through your belly.
Your low back.
Your hips.
Me neither.
And ankles.
Letting go of the outside world.
As the mind starts to slow down.
And soften into rest.
Taking a slow breath in through the nose.
And exhale softly through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale slowly.
And release.
One last deep inhale.
And full exhale.
Letting your body melt.
Into the surface beneath you.
Breath flowing in and out in a natural way now.
Feeling it rise and fall.
Each inhale inviting in calm and ease.
Each exhale,
Releasing any effort or strain.
I invite you now to slowly scan your awareness through your body.
Noticing any sensations arising.
Noticing.
Subtle pulsations.
Or vibrations.
Simply witness whatever is arising.
Gently bringing your awareness now to your heart space.
And bring into your mind.
Your personal intention.
A word or phrase that speaks to you.
About who you want to be.
Or what you need to call into this life.
It may be a simple phrase.
Such as I am grounded,
Whole and complete.
I am safe and protected.
I accept and love myself unconditionally.
Or something uniquely your own.
Whatever it is.
Repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Planting it deep in your heart.
Like a seed being planted beneath the forest floor.
Will now rotate your consciousness through your body and as I guide your awareness to each part of your body.
I invite you to just notice.
Any sensations arising there.
Beginning with your mouth.
Noticing any and all sensations.
In your mouth.
Flowing your awareness down to your tongue.
The roof of your mouth.
The inside of our cheeks.
Your teeth and gums.
The entire mouth at once.
Awareness to your nose.
To the right side of your nose.
Left side of your nose.
And the ridge of your nose.
Awareness to the space between your eyebrows.
Your forehead.
Both temples.
A space between your ears.
Both hemispheres of your brain.
Noticing any sensation arising in your eyes.
Letting your eyes rest back heavy in their sockets.
Awareness flowing to the outer ears.
The lobes of your ears.
The inner ear canals.
Both ears at once.
Awareness to your jaw.
Your throat.
Collarbones,
And chest.
Awareness to your right shoulder.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest.
Home.
And fingers.
Letting your whole right arm rest deeply.
Your whole right arm alive with sensation.
And now bring your awareness to your left shoulder.
Left upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Rest.
Home.
And fingers.
Whole left arm.
Soft and filled with energy.
Attention now to your heart.
Noticing any sensation arising in your heart space.
Your lungs.
You're ripped,
Paige.
Flowing your awareness down through your belly.
Through the pelvis.
And over to the right hip.
The right leg.
The right knee.
Calf and shin.
Ankle.
And toes.
The right leg.
Filled with energy and sensation.
And then over to the left hip.
Left eye.
Meh calf and shin.
Ankle.
And toes.
Last leg.
Filled with sensation.
Noticing all sensations in your entire body now.
Bringing your awareness now back to your breath.
And let it flow gently in and out like water flowing.
In a forest stream.
Lower belly rising and falling.
As you take each breath.
Feel your breath slow… Quiet.
And study.
I invite you now to start to imagine,
Sense,
Or visualize.
That you've just stepped into the stillness of a redwood forest.
Imagine yourself walking slowly down a path.
Leading deep into an ancient grove of redwood trees.
Taking in the majestic trees rising all around you.
And above you.
Sun soaring more than 270 feet into the mist.
Giant redwoods as far as the eye can see.
Some solitary and alone.
And others fused and twisted together.
Arranged in groups circling a fallen ancestor as new life sprouts from the old.
These fallen giants returning to the earth.
To be recycled into new life.
Some with bark,
Blackened and scarred from long ago fires.
Imperfect yet still alive.
Witness yourself walking in this place as vividly as you can.
The sights,
Sounds,
And smells of this ancient redwood forest.
Trees soaring hundreds of feet above you.
Their canopies blocking out the light.
Allowing only patches of sunlight to filter through.
Noticing the ground beneath you is woven through with a mass of roots.
Decomposing leaves.
And soft mass.
The trail following along a slow flowing stream.
Its waters hidden beneath a valley of giant ferns.
Listening to the sounds of the forest.
The sounds of the birds,
Notably soft and muted.
The sheer size and density of the trees,
Absorbing and scattering all sounds.
Creating an ethereal quiet atmosphere a forest of tranquility and peace.
And as you continue to walk along the path.
Noticing that the air feels cool and moist on your skin.
And the earth.
Smells of damp soil.
And decaying wood and leaves.
Let yourself be held by the quiet embrace of the forest.
Deeply connected to the Earth.
The trees.
The life growing all around you.
Tapping into the wisdom of this place.
Resting here in the silence for several minutes until you hear my voice calling you back.
And now as we begin to close this journey,
Bringing your Sankalpa or personal intention back into your mind.
Planting it deep within by repeating it silently to yourself.
Three times.
As we start to come back into your body and your breath.
Know that this ancient redwood forest can continue to live within you.
And is a place that you can return to whenever you desire.
Coming back to the room where you're practicing.
Feeling all the points of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
Feeling the contact of the clothes on your skin.
The air on your face.
And noticing how you feel compared to when we first started this practice.
You may decide to continue to rest here.
Or when you're ready.
Begin to move gently.
Wiggling your fingers and toes shifting or stretching.
And when you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Taking a deep breath in.
And a slow exhale out.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
May you carry the wisdom and peace of this forest.
As you move throughout the day.
Namaste.
