The practice of Yoga Nidra,
This art of transformational sleep,
This practice of becoming aware of the depths within yourself,
The practice of rest,
Is a practice in becoming available to experiencing what is possible when you let go.
When we let go.
And it's transformative.
It's transformative because for many of us we've had experiences where we don't feel like it's safe to let go.
Because we got hurt.
Because we were blindsided.
Because we have trauma.
And that can be physical,
Mental,
Emotional,
Or any capacity.
So this is an opportunity to retrain the body for now,
For these 20 minutes,
For this time,
It is okay to rest.
And it is always safe to rest at home with you in your own physical space.
This body is your home.
And one of the ways that we treat it well and treat it kindly is to get everybody out of the house for a while.
Get the crazies out of the house and take some time for some stillness and peace.
So finding your comfortable lying down position.
We'll move the feet about hips-width distance apart,
If that's comfortable for you.
And the arms slightly away from the body.
Palms facing up in a gesture of receptivity.
And beginning to,
If it feels appropriate,
Close the eyes.
And just notice how it feels to tune the awareness inward.
Just taking a moment to do an inventory,
An energetic inventory.
How are you?
How are you?
How is your mind today,
In this moment?
Are the thoughts fast and speedy?
Is there noise in the mind or a sense of calm,
Stillness,
And peace?
Is there a specific thought or situation that's been nagging at you mentally?
Just notice with compassion,
With non-judgment,
With even a sense of curiosity.
How is the mind?
Bringing the awareness to the heart.
How are you feeling today?
How are you feeling in this moment?
Are there any emotions that are present?
Perhaps a sense of dull numbing,
Suppression,
Or disconnection.
Perhaps anger or joy,
Confusion,
Sadness,
Enthusiasm,
Hope.
Just notice.
And notice what it feels like to welcome your entire emotional color palette.
Can you embrace whatever emotion might be at the surface or beneath the surface right now?
Bringing the awareness to the body.
How are you physically?
How does the body feel?
Do the muscles feel tight or relaxed,
Stiff?
Are there any sensations you notice?
Any tingling?
Do you notice any vibration in the body?
Just noticing how the body feels,
What sensations are available to your awareness right now.
Notice what it feels like to accept and welcome all parts of you.
Welcome the mind and the thoughts.
Welcome the heart and the emotions.
Welcome all of the body in its potential and capacities and also its limitations.
And let's all together take a deep inhale into the whole body,
Filling the body with breath.
And exhale,
Take an audible sigh.
Make some sound,
Feel some release and relief.
Inhale into the whole body.
And exhale,
Audible sigh,
Feeling a sense of relief and release.
Letting go.
And once more,
Inhale into the body.
This time when you get to the top of the breath,
Hold the breath in.
Suspend the breath for a moment.
And then take another sip of inhale in through the nose.
And exhale,
Audible sigh,
Release it and let it go.
And just now allowing the breath to be as easy and natural as possible.
Allowing the rhythm of the breath to be just as it is,
Without needing to shape or change the breathing at all.
Just notice how the body breathes,
Bringing the awareness to the physical body.
Resting on the ground,
On the support underneath the body.
As the body naturally exhales,
Feel for a sense of letting go,
Softening,
Melting,
Releasing the weight into the earth.
Asking yourself with each inhale,
What does it feel like?
With each exhale,
To let go.
Inhaling,
What does it feel like?
Exhaling,
To let go.
What does it feel like to let go?
As the body naturally inhales,
Sense that the ground is rising and swelling to hold and contain the physical body.
As the body naturally exhales,
Notice the physical body's capacity to release its weight into the ground.
Inhaling,
The body receives the ground.
Exhaling,
The ground receives the body.
Beginning with the number 10 now,
Counting each exhaling breath all the way down to zero.
One at a time,
Counting each breath from 10 to 0,
Releasing more and more and more of the weight of the body into the ground with each passing breath.
If you lose count,
Simply begin again at 10.
And wherever you are,
Releasing the counting breath,
Letting it go.
Allowing the breath to be as easy and natural as possible,
As if a gentle ocean wave was just gently crashing,
Gently passing onto the shores of the body.
As the body inhales,
This gentle wave flows onto the shores of the body.
As the body exhales,
This gentle wave ebbs back into the pull of the surrounding space.
In your own way,
Draw three rings of golden healing light to surround the whole of the body.
One ring of golden light to support and hold the physical body.
One ring of light to hold and support the energy and mental bodies.
And one ring of golden healing light to surround and hold and support the wisdom and bliss bodies,
The heart and the soul.
Sense that you are held,
Supported and sustained by this cocoon of warm healing light energy surrounding and supporting you.
Notice what it feels like to rest and let go and bask in this healing light,
Gently bringing the awareness to the top of the crown of the head.
Imagine this healing light energy entering through the crown of the head and moving to the center of the mind,
Gently illuminating the thoughts,
Beliefs,
Neural pathways and all contents and connections in the mind.
As the body exhales,
Naturally feeling a sense of pause and renewal and resetting in the mind.
Imagine the mind being restored and renewed.
Imagine this light from the mind moving downward now into the center of the throat,
Illuminating the voice,
The neck spine,
The esophagus,
The tongue,
The teeth,
The lips and the throat.
Sense and feel and intuit this healing light glowing and illuminating the power of the voice.
Exhaling,
Feeling a sense of pause,
Resetting in the throat,
Inviting in this healing energy.
And this light moves downward now into the center of the chest,
Illuminating the heart and the breathing of the lungs.
Sensing a healing energy in the ribs and chest,
Shoulders and arms,
Allowing the heart to be fully reset and restored by this healing light.
This light descends now into the solar plexus,
The center of the chest,
The center of the navel and abdomen,
Illuminating the stomach,
The lower spine,
The kidneys,
Allowing for healing energy moving into the core and the gut.
Exhaling,
Feeling a sense of rest,
Reset,
And full restoration and renewal in the gut.
And this light descends now into the pelvis and the hips,
Illuminating the lower digestive organs,
The sex organs,
The hips and the glutes,
Illuminating the whole of the pelvis with this healing light energy.
Exhaling,
Feeling a sense of restoration,
Replenishment,
And renewal.
And this light now descends into the tailbone base of the spine,
All the way down the legs,
Into the soles of the feet,
Illuminating the base of the spine and the legs,
The roots of the body,
The stable foundation,
The energy of the earth.
And this light now descends now into the solar plexus,
The solar plexus,
The soles of the feet,
Feeling a sense of replenishment,
Restoration,
Reset,
And renewal,
Radiating through the whole body.
Imagine and sense that the ground can carry and hold any weight,
Any heaviness,
Anything that is not yours to hold and carry and control.
Imagine the body releasing this energy now into the earth for the earth to hold,
So you can experience a freedom of mind,
A relief in the body,
And a release in the soul.
And just noticing the sense of inner lightness,
Of spirit,
A presence of lightness within.
Notice the body breathing.
Notice how the body both breathes and is also breathed by a power and energy beyond.
Notice the body's capacity to be in relationship with the surrounding space,
Feeling how the inner space within merges and communicates in a dance with the surrounding space.
Feel the physical body resting on the ground,
Remembering the room in which the body lies,
Perhaps noticing the texture of the temperature on the skin,
Noticing the air that touches the face,
Slowly begin to wiggle the fingers and wiggle the toes,
And come to slowly with care and gentleness,
With a sense of sacredness and sweetness,
Come to roll onto the right side of the body,
Coming to a comfortable fetal position.
Just imagine here that you're holding yourself,
Perhaps you right now,
Or you when you needed sweet and gentle care,
Or perhaps even your younger child self.
Imagine that you are holding yourself.
Simultaneously sense that you are being held,
Held by this space,
Held by this breath,
Held by the ground,
And held by this practice.
And with as little effort as possible,
Again honoring this transition,
Finding your way to a comfortable seated position,
Keeping the eyes closed and the awareness internal.
Just take a few moments here to notice the body breathing,
To feel and sense the benefits of you carving out this space to be with yourself and rest with yourself and explore more of the power and potency and presence of your own inner space,
Feeling the aliveness within.
And then together on the next inhale,
We'll reach the arms up overhead,
Take a big stretch upward,
And exhale,
Bring the hands to the center of the chest,
Palms press,
Rest the thumbs on the sternum and also lift the sternum into the thumbs,
Taking a deep inhale into the whole body,
And exhale,
Release.
Again,
Deep inhale into the whole body,
And exhale.
Now bow the chin to the chest,
Linking the head towards the heart,
Honoring and acknowledging the wisdom and intelligence of the heart.
May the peace,
Stillness,
And wisdom that we've cultivated energetically in this practice be offered externally as a vibration and intention for peace and stillness,
Not only within ourselves,
But also in our relationships,
Our communities,
And in our world.
May this vibration that we've cultivated on the inside be felt on the outside.
Deep inhale into the whole body,
And exhale,
Letting it all go.
And begin to rub the hands together,
Create some heat,
Friction,
And warmth in the hands.
And then bring the hands over the eyes,
Just gently cup the eyes with the hands,
Imagine receiving that warmth from the hands in through the eyes to the center of the brain.
And as you're ready,
Slowly let the eyes flutter open,
Begin to take in the light,
And notice what you see.
