This is Sarah Eiler.
Thank you for joining me for this deep sleep alpine meadow nidra.
In this practice we'll be journeying together to a peaceful alpine valley.
We'll be deeply resting there and then gradually slowing down into a deep sleep-like state.
The nidra is a gentle yet powerful practice that helps you realize you are more than just your physical body.
Gives you an opportunity to step away from your thinking mind and discover your true nature.
Taking the time now to make sure your body is supported,
Warm and comfortable.
Silencing all distractions and allowing your body to settle.
Listening to what your body needs and then making any small adjustments to ensure your complete comfort.
Adjusting the position of your head,
The angle of your neck,
Adjusting the slant of your elbows,
Deciding whether to rest your palms upward or downward.
Adjusting and leveling both hips,
Adjusting your legs and adjusting the angle of both feet.
During this yogic sleep practice,
Once you feel settled you will ideally rest in stillness.
But if you feel like you need to shift or move at any time,
Please do so.
All this practice asks of you is to follow my voice.
At the end of the recording I will give you the choice to drift off to sleep or come back to a wakeful state.
Try to remain aware of my voice throughout,
But if you lose track of my guidance before we end our time together,
Trust that you will still reap the benefits of this practice.
Making any final adjustments and then allowing your eyes to close and soften.
Moving away from the thinking mind and releasing any and all mental friction.
Instead allowing yourself to embrace sensing,
Feeling and perceiving as I gently guide you down into a conscious sleep.
Begin by taking three deep breaths.
As you breathe in,
Body feels light like you're floating.
As you breathe out,
Body feels heavy.
Taking several more breaths.
On the inhales,
Feeling light.
And on the exhales,
Sinking down into a deep rest.
Beginning our journey together,
I invite you to imagine,
Sense or visualize an alpine meadow nestled in a hidden valley.
A valley cradled between tall snow capped mountains.
Imagine yourself lying this meadow on a dense carpet of grass.
Surrounded in all directions by wildflowers and tall grasses swaying in the wind.
Resting in this valley.
A valley crisscrossed by mountain streams.
Opening your senses and absorbing all your surroundings.
Becoming the witness to the life unfolding all around you.
Lying in stillness among the flowers.
Noticing their colors.
Noticing their shapes.
Inhaling their fragrance.
Listening to the sounds of birds.
The sound of streams cascading down the valley.
Looking in the blue sky above you and the clouds drifting slowly by.
The earth beneath you cradling your body.
And the mountain breeze blowing across your skin.
Resting in serenity,
Stillness and peace.
In Yoga Nidra we work with sankalpa.
A powerful word or phrase that imprints on your subconscious mind.
If you're not currently working with your own sankalpa you can ask yourself what is my greatest wish or longing for my life right now.
Perhaps it's to feel worthy,
Peaceful,
Strong or balanced.
Know that this wish is possible to realize if you work with it consistently.
If you're still forming your personal sankalpa today you can simply work with a statement such as I am resting peacefully.
Bringing your sankalpa into your full awareness now and amplify its potency by repeating it three times silently inside your mind.
Facing it like a seed that will germinate and grow over time.
Coming back again and experiencing your alpine meadow.
Imagining,
Feeling or sensing your body resting in this place.
Maybe sensing soft grass underneath you.
Or the warmth of the rays of the midday sun on your face.
Or the wind gently caressing your skin.
Aware of all the points where the back of your body is being held.
Allow the upper spine to soften down even more.
The middle of your spine release and the tailbone to descend.
Awareness without judgment,
All sensations flowing through your body.
Noticing the subtle shifts and changes in the sensations from moment to moment.
In your body flowing up and down like a gentle wind.
Your life energy constantly flowing like a mountain stream.
Seeing the aliveness of your body and welcoming everything you feel just as it is.
Blowing through the landscape of your body together now.
Simply bring your attention to each body part as I mention it by name.
Becoming aware first of the inside of your mouth.
The top of the mouth.
The bottom of the mouth.
And all the sides of your mouth.
The base of the tongue.
And the tip of the tongue.
Aware of your gums top and bottom,
All your teeth,
Both of your lips,
Both cheekbones,
The entire nose,
The right side of the nose,
Left side of the nose.
And the space where the air flows in and out.
Awareness moving up to your right temple.
The right eye socket.
Entire right eye.
Over to the left temple.
The left eye socket.
And then the whole left eye at once.
Blowing your attention to the right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
And the space between both eyebrows.
The center of the forehead.
The top of the head.
And the back of the head.
All the vertebrae in the upper neck.
The right shoulder blade.
And the left shoulder blade.
And tracing awareness down the spinal column.
Beginning at the neck.
Down the upper back.
Middle of your back.
Lower back.
And to the base of the spine.
And then the whole spinal column all at once.
Attention flowing into the back of the right thigh.
The back of the left thigh.
And the right knee.
Behind the left knee.
Flowing down past the right calf.
The left calf.
The right ankle.
And the left ankle.
The bottoms of both feet.
All the toes on the right foot.
And all the toes on the left foot.
The top of the right foot.
And the top of the left foot.
Attention flowing up the right shin.
The left shin.
Past the right kneecap.
Left kneecap.
Right thigh.
And left thigh.
Past the right hip bone.
And the left hip bone.
Attention now to the center of the pelvis.
And into the low belly.
The navel.
The right side of the chest.
And the left side of the chest.
Flowing your attention into both of your lungs.
The base of the throat.
The chin.
Both sides of your jaw.
The mouth.
Nose.
Both eyes.
Both ears.
Coming to rest at the crown of the head.
Now bring your attention and awareness to the whole body all at once.
Noticing the entire body.
All sensations.
Noticing any vibration.
Tingling or pulsing.
Noticing the aliveness of your body.
Your body alive with sensations.
Coming back to your body resting in your alpine meadow.
Body lying in the grass held by the earth.
Surrounded by the sounds of nature.
Opening the entirety of both of your ears and listening.
The sounds surrounding you.
Listening to the sounds of nature post by.
And then as distant echoes.
The rustling of the grass.
Trickling sounds of water.
Mountain streams flowing.
The sound of the wind as it circulates through the valley.
Listening to the wind and its aliveness as it ebbs and flows.
And finally listening to the sounds of your breath.
Seeing the sound of your breath flowing in and out.
Tuning in to its natural cadence.
Feeling and sensing its unique rhythm.
Feeling the belly,
Ribs and chest naturally and effortlessly rising and falling with each breath.
Connecting to your breath in this moment.
As it moves and flows in and out.
Moving and flowing like the wind flowing through your valley.
Your breath like the mountain breeze rising and falling.
Moving in and out.
Slowly and gently start to change your perspective.
And see yourself from a bird's eye view looking down below at your body resting in your alpine meadow.
Resting on the earth peaceful and calm.
Like an impartial observer witnessing the entirety of your body.
Slowly expanding your perspective out.
Zooming out farther and farther until you can see your body and the entire valley surrounding you all at once.
Now just seeing the vastness of the mountains surrounding you.
You resting in the center of the valley,
A tiny being lying in a widening landscape.
Seeing this vastness as you sink even farther into deep rest.
Zooming back in slowly now until you're hovering right above yourself.
From this perspective noticing an energy field of white light radiating out and around your body.
White light starting to grow and spread.
Zooming and growing out even farther.
Farther and farther.
Into the light radiating out of you is covering the whole valley.
Your energy filling up the entire valley.
Emerging and becoming one with the valley itself.
Feeling vast and small at the same time.
Step out of your ego and into your divine self.
Resting in this place of peace.
Resting in this place of peace.
Repeating your sankalpa silently to yourself again three times.
Looking back to your body,
Inhabiting your body again lying in your alpine meadow.
Listening for any messages from deep inside.
Setting yourself up to whatever comes,
Whatever is being revealed,
To whatever you need to hear or see.
Continue resting here peacefully.
Looking up now at the sky.
Seeing the sun starting to set.
Stars eventually rising in the sky.
Twinkling stars filling the night sky in all directions.
The moon now illuminating your body.
Start to come back to the room where you're lying.
Witnessing the natural quality of your breath,
Your inhales and exhales.
If you feel like you'd like to drift off to sleep,
You can release any last bit of consciousness now.
If you're ready to come back and continue your day,
You can slowly make the transition by adding some gentle movement and eventually bring back to a seated position.
Practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
But remember that this practice and your alpine valley are always here for you.
