Yoga Nidra: A Nature Journey To Surrender

Two of my favorite things combined: a beautiful nature spot with flowing water and deeply relaxing yoga nidra. Join me on this visual journey through one of my favorite local canyons with intermittent yoga nidra techniques to relax the body and mind. We will end up in a peaceful place of deep surrender to the vibrant, life-affirming flow that also exists in our day-to-day lives. For those less visually inclined, simply imagine the sensations and feelings of being in the places I describe. May you carry this mindset of ease and flow beyond this meditation!

Transcript

It has been said that in order to experience peace,

One must understand struggle.

It has also been said that to experience surrender,

One must understand resistance.

And to experience flow,

One must truly understand blockage.

That being said,

We do have a choice.

Life does not have to be perpetual blockage,

Struggle,

Resistance.

It actually can be predominantly peace,

Flow,

And surrender.

There truly is a choice here.

Last Friday afternoon,

I went back to one of my favorite local mountain canyons here in Southern California for a really beautiful hike.

I was so excited about it,

I planned it all week.

But it took me a bit longer to get myself out and away from the house than I had planned.

So I started feeling a bit stressed,

Thinking about,

Oh my gosh,

The Friday afternoon traffic.

It's going to be terrible.

And I'll run out of daylight by the time I get there.

And I just really was stressing myself out about something that is really supposed to be fully about enjoyment.

So on the way there,

I stopped at the store to get some snacks.

And I was already kind of in this stress mindset.

So I thought I'm just going to run in,

Grab what I need,

Run out,

Be on my way.

Well,

I chose a line with a brand new cashier in training.

And bless her heart,

It wasn't her fault.

But someone just in front of me needed a return.

And that was very challenging for her to process,

Being new.

And it took a very long time.

And I can feel the energy in me is just seething.

Like I'm going to miss the daylight.

I'm not going to get to go.

I might as well just quit and go home.

And all these thoughts are going through my mind.

But somewhere beneath all that surface anxious thought and stress was a deeper,

Quiet,

Small,

Still voice that really was saying to me,

It's all going to work out.

Go with the flow.

Let go of control.

And it will all be beautiful.

And I knew that voice was there.

And I was kind of in this internal battle of which information do I go with?

That still small voice within telling me it's all going to be great?

Or the stress and anxiety voice?

And I think that's something most of us can relate to.

At any rate,

I did breathe in that line at the grocery store.

I stopped.

I breathed consciously and helped to calm myself down.

And I had a friend with me.

And we were able to get in the carpool lane and save a lot of time in the carpool lane and had plenty of time and sunlight to enjoy nature.

It was amazing.

So all that to lead us into our Yoga Nidra journey that I'm going to share with you today.

If you have never experienced Yoga Nidra,

It is a deep relaxation technique where we actually lay down.

And I like to encourage people to get whatever accoutrements you need to be comfortable,

Such as an eye pillow or eye covering of sorts,

A blanket.

Definitely want to do this in a quiet place with either a bed,

A couch,

A comfy yoga mat to lay on.

And if you like aromatherapy,

I highly recommend any kind of tree essential oils,

Such as a spruce,

A cedar,

A pine,

Anything along those lines.

Juniper,

Cypress.

Because we are going to be working with nature,

Big tree energy,

Forest energy today.

And before we settle into this meditation,

I want to invite you to take a moment to get comfortable,

To go ahead and lay down.

Cover yourself with a blanket.

Get any wiggles,

Itches and scratches out of the way now.

Because one thing I have observed with Yoga Nidra is that if I can get all the wiggles and itches out before settling in,

And I can remain absolutely still,

I go so much deeper into relaxation.

So make any final adjustments to your body.

Make any itches or scratches or wiggles you need to get out.

If you'd like aromatherapy,

Put it on your center of your forehead,

Your temples,

Your heart.

Perhaps even put some on your hands and take a breath or two to receive its benefits within.

And then once you are settled and situated,

I invite you to close your eyes.

And the first breath you take,

As you inhale,

Imagine you are inhaling the earth up to hold and support your body.

And on your exhale,

You are letting go,

Sinking,

Melting,

Releasing,

Letting the earth hold you.

And continue that,

Breathing the earth up to hold and support you,

Breathing out any effort,

Any tension,

Any stress from the body.

Letting yourself melt and release.

I'm going to take you on a journey to the magical canyon I mentioned earlier.

For those of you who are visual in meditations,

I invite you to visualize.

For those who are less visual,

Imagine the feelings and sensations of being in the places I describe.

You might surprise yourself.

Sometimes people tell me they're not visual,

And we end up having visualizations during meditation.

Allow your breathing to naturally slow and become more shallow.

As in stillness,

Our need for oxygen is less and less.

Begin the journey with me,

With the drive,

Perhaps not the most pleasant part of the journey,

But an important part.

Driving through miles and miles of city and traffic and freeways and start-and-go traffic to get to this magical place.

And how do you choose to view or approach the drive there?

Do you choose frustration that the traffic is stop-and-go,

Sometimes more stop-and-go?

Do you choose to feel frustration with the drivers who are not always respectful on the road?

Do you choose to be frustrated with the city noise?

Or do you choose to focus on the anticipation of all the nature you are about to behold?

While present in the car driving,

There is that choice to simply be excited about and feel the joy of the place you are about to go.

As you continue driving,

Choosing the latter hopefully to be excited about what is to come.

Before you know it,

You are already able to exit the freeway and get on to the road that climbs up the mountain towards the canyon.

As you begin the climb,

The houses become farther and farther apart until there are no more houses.

And the journey takes you around windy,

Twisty roads and switchbacks that weave their way up the mountain,

Offering the occasional glimpse of the city below,

Which is actually quite spectacular from this perspective.

As you weave around twists and curves going higher and higher,

You observe that the temperature is becoming cooler and cooler in the thermometer of your car.

And eventually you find your way to the parking area,

Nestled among giant pine and cedar trees.

As you step out of the car,

You are greeted with the aromatic scent of those beautiful evergreen trees.

And instead of being in a hurry,

You just feel this instant calm and you notice a bench.

So you sit on the bench and just breathe,

Receiving that aromatherapy from nature itself.

Allowing yourself the ability,

The time to reset and resync with the energy of nature,

With the flows and patterns of nature,

Rather than the stress of the city.

As you imagine yourself sitting on this bench,

Taking in the beautiful scent of the trees,

The chirping of the birds,

The wave of calm slowly begins as a warm sensation at the crown of your head that very slowly moves down and flows through your entire body,

From your arms and legs to your hands and feet,

Fingers and toe tips.

Now you really are syncing up with this place,

Even noticing the soothing sound of the breeze moving through the evergreen trees.

And for the first time you notice the distant sound of flowing water,

Which is also quite soothing.

As you imagine yourself on this bench,

Resetting,

Resyncing,

I'd like to share a portion of the yoga nidra practice where we relax various parts of the body.

I'm going to ask that you stay with the sound of my voice,

Rather than lagging behind or anticipating what comes next.

Simply imagine,

As I mention a part of your body that it is not doing anything but releasing effort and coming to a place of peace and effortlessness.

We'd like to,

Let's start with your right thumb.

Imagine that there's this warm,

Peaceful,

Relaxing sensation in your right thumb.

And there's no effort,

Just peace in the right thumb.

Let's carry that same warm peace into the right index finger,

The right middle finger,

Right ring finger,

Right pinky finger.

Feel that warm peace in the palm of the right hand,

The back of the right hand,

The right wrist,

The right forearm.

Warm sensation moving up to your right elbow,

Into the right tricep,

Around to the right bicep.

Warmth and peace in the top of the right shoulder,

As it slowly flows down to the right shoulder blade,

The right side of the upper back,

The right side of the mid back,

The right side of the lower back.

Warm peace flows into the right glute,

To the right hamstring,

Into the back of the right knee,

Right calf,

Right Achilles,

Heel of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot.

Now warm peace moves into the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And little toe.

Complete warm and peace moving into the top of the right foot.

Now observe how the entire foot,

The right foot is at ease.

There's no effort,

No gripping,

No tension,

Just peace.

As we flow that warm peace into the right ankle,

Up to the right shin,

Front of the right knee,

Right quadricep,

Right hip crease.

It flows up to the right side of the abdomen,

Soothing the internal organs on the right side,

Into the right ribcage,

To the right side of the chest,

And finally the right column bone.

Now the entire right side of the body,

From the neck down,

Is effortless and at ease.

Let's bring that same peace to the left side of the body.

Beginning with the left thumb,

Imagine a warm,

Peaceful sensation in your left thumb.

As it travels into your left index finger,

Onto the left middle finger,

Left ring finger,

Left pinky finger,

Soothing peace in the palm of the left hand.

Back of the left hand,

Left wrist,

Left forearm,

Left elbow,

Moving up to the left tricep,

Warmth flowing into the left bicep,

All the way to the top of the left shoulder.

And gently flowing down to the left shoulder blade,

Left side of the upper back,

Left side of the mid back,

Left side of the lower back,

Into the left glute,

Left hamstring,

Back of the left knee.

Left calf,

Flowing into the left Achilles,

Total peace in the left heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And little toe.

Flowing up to the top of the left foot,

Making its way to the left ankle,

Left shin,

Front of the left knee.

Warm peace in the left quadricep,

Left hip crease,

Left side of the abdomen,

Now soothing the internal organs on the left.

Flowing into the left ribcage,

Left side of the chest,

Left collarbone,

And observe the peace,

Perhaps even warmth in the body from the neck down.

As we now release all effort and tension in the neck,

The throat,

Warm peace in the right side of the jaw,

The chin,

Left side of the jaw.

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Lower lip,

Upper lip,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Bridge of the nose,

Left ear,

Right ear.

Right side of the head,

Peace in the left side of the head.

Now relaxing the left eye,

Right eye,

Left eyebrow,

Right eyebrow.

Warm,

Peaceful sensation in the entire forehead,

The entire back of the head,

The warm,

Slow moving wave of peace,

Beginning at the very top of the head,

Gently moving through the entire body.

Resetting,

Resyncing,

Releasing effort,

Total peace.

As we continue on our inner journey to this magical canyon,

Imagining that this moment of relaxation on a bench under the trees has helped you greatly reset and attune yourself with nature.

Now our hike begins in earnest.

The first part of this hike is a descent from the parking area down to the floor of the canyon below,

Where the trees are huge and the crystal clear stream rushes beautifully,

Chirping,

Gurgling its way to the valley below.

The winding trail offers vistas of little waterfalls.

And though it's steep,

You are surrounded by so much beauty that you are enjoying your time,

Finding yourself very present.

Eventually you reach the floor of the canyon to find that the rugged trail is going to get a bit more challenging.

You can see places where you will need to rock hop or perhaps even balance beam across fallen logs to cross the creek.

You see that there will be some steep climbs to ridge trails,

Steep descents back to the creek again.

Your muscles will strain.

There will be places where the trail is quite narrow with steep drop-offs.

Your breathing will be labored.

Where do you choose to focus?

On the intensity of the movement,

The strain in the muscles,

The sweat on your brow,

The bugs buzzing around?

Or do you notice a natural smile forming on your face?

As you take in the big playful squirrels jumping through the trees holding their acorns.

The hawk circling in the sky overhead.

The sound of the frogs in the creek.

And the salamanders that emerge from the creek to cross your path.

Perhaps even anticipating a sighting of a mama bear and her cubs off in the distance.

Where is your focus?

Frustration with pain,

Challenge,

And strain?

Or deep gratitude for the overwhelming beauty and magic of this place?

If you choose the latter to focus on the magic and the enjoyment,

I invite you to find a flat-topped,

Rather large,

Granite boulder right by the creek that has been smoothed and weathered to quite a comfortable place to sit for a moment of stillness.

And during this moment of stillness,

We will continue with some yoga nidra techniques that I find quite effective to relax and let go.

We are going to count backwards.

Beginning with the number 54.

And counting in the following manner.

Since we are in nature,

In our minds,

We will count like this.

Birds and butterflies,

54.

Birds and butterflies,

53.

Birds and butterflies,

52.

We will count in that manner,

Silently,

Internally,

Without moving lips or tongue.

All mentally.

All the way back to zero.

Or until I interrupt you to release the count.

Continue your count silently still now.

Wherever you are with the count,

I invite you to simply let it go.

Let it float away on down the stream.

Since nature's math and sense of time are so different from ours,

The backwards count helps pull us out of our normal patterns to make it possible to even better sync up with nature's rhythms.

Remembering where we left off on our journey through the Magical Canyon.

You are feeling so relaxed and refreshed.

From grounding,

Seated on this creekside flap boulder.

You stand up,

Take a stretch in this canyon and we continue down the trail.

Noticing that the trail is quite steep in spots,

Requiring great effort on the part of your leg muscles.

And as you reach tall ridges,

The trail becomes quite narrow with very steep drop bottoms.

There's no fear,

Simply awe of the beauty and a wonderful sure-footedness is helping you through this journey.

Wind your way down the canyon.

You find yourself back next to the creek again,

Witnessing color-changing salamanders crossing the trail.

They're not frightened of you,

If anything perhaps a bit curious about you.

The trail climbs once again,

Very high above the creek to a steep ridge.

As you pause at the top of this ridge to catch your breath,

You spot further up the trail down below in the creek bed.

A beautiful,

Deep,

Crystal pool of water.

The color is so pure,

Wonderful and even inviting.

You decide you must make your way down towards this pool.

Something is calling you here.

Make your way over boulders,

Down the steep trail,

With a big joyous grin on your face that you couldn't suppress even if you tried.

Because this place and your chosen mindset are aligning you with all things good.

Despite the sweat on your brow,

The big time cardio workout,

Sore legs,

There's something magical here.

You notice another special,

Very broad,

Flat stone right next to a point in the creek where massive granite boulders are framing a gurgling waterfall.

And that gurgling waterfall ends in a deep pool,

The beautiful,

Deep,

Crystalline pool you saw from up above.

Without thinking,

Without hesitation,

Before you know it,

You are pulling off your hiking boots and your socks,

Rolling up the legs of your hiking pants,

And you are now ankle deep in this pool.

Before you can even think,

How did I get here?

You feel so enlivened,

Even though the water is cold and rushing,

You feel alive,

Energized,

Vibrant.

And now,

A thought strikes you.

I need to immerse my entire body and being in this flowing water.

And then an internal debate goes on.

Are you crazy?

That water is cold.

It's one thing to have cold,

Wet feet,

But your entire body?

Are you crazy?

And then somehow you realize that you had put your swimsuit on under your hiking clothes.

So the excuses are starting to run out.

Without stopping yourself,

You're pulling off the shirt,

The hiking pants,

The hat.

And you are 3,

2,

1 immersing yourself completely in this flow of water right at the base of this gurgling little waterfall.

The water rushing coolly past you.

It is quite a shock at first so you hold your breath,

And then you remember,

I need to breathe.

I need to breathe consciously.

As you restore belly breathing,

Your nervous system calms.

And you start to truly become one with this current,

This flow,

This energizing,

Life-affirming,

Life-giving flow.

Feel that sensation,

Being in the flow.

There's little effort needed.

Now that you are here and present in it,

It is flowing to you through you.

You are one with it.

One with this life-giving flow.

This life-giving flow is a beautiful parallel for the life-giving flow that is available in your everyday life.

A flow that is not about resisting,

Fighting,

Straining.

A flow that is about feeling where that positive energy is and where it is flowing,

Aligning yourself with it.

And being one with it.

That is life in the flow zone.

It does not mean that life is always fairytale happy endings and easy.

But when you find that flow and you make the choice daily to remain in it,

It brings you a momentum and carries you forward.

And it's oh so supportive.

Feel just for a moment,

This flow is carrying you to solutions.

Amazing creative new ideas.

Possibilities.

Long,

Hard-held dreams that you've had.

Things you've wanted to fulfill and experience.

A mindset of fear,

Doubt,

Worry,

Anxiety definitely can pull us out of the flow.

But we also have the choice to go,

Oh I'm tempted to exit the flow.

Let me breathe for a moment here in the flow.

And when you choose that conscious breath,

You realign with it.

And it's easier to decide to stay in.

Allow your energy,

Your consciousness to remain in this flow as we wind down our yoga nidra.

For a moment,

Keeping your eyes closed,

But very slowly starting to wiggle the fingers.

And then the toes.

Making gentle circles with the wrists and then the ankles.

First in one direction.

Then in the opposite direction.

Slowly turning the head from side to side.

And rolling over onto your most comfortable side.

Almost in the curled up fetal position.

Using the upper hand to gently press yourself up to seated,

Linking your eyes open.

I hope you enjoyed this journey through yoga nidra and that magical canyon and into the divine flow that is here to bring you immense support,

Immense strength,

Courage,

Ideas,

Excitement,

And joy.

I hope that this time has been beautiful for you.

I've enjoyed sharing it with you.

I look forward to connecting with you again.