Yoga Nidra For Winter

This Yoga Nidra practice was created for the Winter Solstice, but it can be practiced any time you need grounding. It's a lovely practice to balance Vata energy, to connect with your highest Self, and to find inner calm and a sense of peace. So, make yourself cozy and prepare to relax!
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Transcript

Welcome.

This yoga nidra practice was created especially for the winter solstice.

However,

It can be practiced anytime you need grounding or deep rest.

So take the time now to make yourself completely comfortable and at ease.

Gather as many pillows and blankets as you like to get cozy.

You can lie in bed or on the floor or in a reclining chair,

But make sure that your head and neck and your lower back are completely supported and that you are warm enough as your body temperature will drop as you lie still.

As you settle in,

Allow your body to be as symmetrical as possible.

Notice if your feet,

Legs,

Arms,

And hands are comfortable and be sure that no part of the body feels constrained.

Take notice now of all the parts of your body touching the surface beneath you.

Allow your shoulders to soften down to the tips of your fingers.

Let your arms be heavy and supportive.

Soften through the chest and the upper back and allow a sense of relaxation and ease to spread down through your trunk.

Allow the backs of the legs to rest heavy and supported.

Take a long,

Slow breath in and as you exhale,

Allow the back body to get heavier,

Sinking in to the surface beneath you.

Notice how relaxed you feel now and take another deep breath in.

As you exhale,

See if you can allow the sense of relaxation and ease to double.

Allow your body to melt into the surface supporting you.

Allow the thinking mind to let go of any to-do lists.

On your next exhale,

Allow the mind and the body to arrive fully in the present moment.

Let go of thinking.

Melt into sensing and feeling.

Breathe and be aware of your breath.

Begin to notice sound around you.

Listen to the sounds around you.

What is the farthest sound away that you can hear?

Notice sound coming and going.

Begin to draw your awareness closer now.

Listen to the sound of your own breathing.

Follow the breath inward.

Can you hear the beating of your own heart?

Sense and feel the beating of your own heart.

And listening to the heart with complete awareness and attention.

Asking what is your heart's deepest desire?

Allow this desire to form an intention.

This is your sankalpa.

Take a few moments to allow this intention to arise and form it in a short positive statement in the present tense such as I am healed or I rest with ease.

And state it three times silently to yourself with complete awareness and resolve.

Breathe this intention through your body now.

Begin to journey through the body,

Allowing your awareness now to go from part to part as quickly as possible.

Follow my voice with your attention as I guide you through the parts of the body.

Stay alert without concentrating too intensely.

Simply allowing awareness to rest at each part of the body.

We begin with the mouth.

Notice the inside of the mouth.

Sensing the tongue,

Teeth,

Upper palate,

And the space beneath the tongue.

Feel the inside of the cheeks,

The jaws.

And notice ears,

Feeling the right ear,

The left ear,

Ear canals.

Sense and feel the ears hearing sound.

Feel the space now above the upper lip.

Notice air as it passes in and out through the nostrils.

Feel the right nostril,

The left nostril.

Sense the bridge of the nose.

Following the bridge of the nose up to the space between the brows.

And feel the eyes,

Noticing the right eye,

The left eye,

And both eyes together.

Sense the eyelids,

The backs of the eyes,

And all the muscles around the eyes.

Feel the forehead,

Temples,

The crown of the head,

The back of the head fully supported.

Notice where the cervical spine meets the skull.

And feel the back of the neck,

The throat,

And the notch at the base of the throat.

And bring awareness now to the right shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist.

I feel the palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

Right thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger.

I feel the whole right hand,

Whole right arm,

Armpit,

Right side of the chest,

Ribs,

Waist.

Sense and feel the right hip,

The femur bone in the hip socket,

Knee cap,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Foot,

The sole of the foot,

The top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Little toe,

Whole right foot,

Whole right leg,

Whole right side of the body.

Sense vibration,

Energy flowing in the whole right side of the body,

Whole right side of the body at rest.

And bring awareness back to the notch at the base of the throat.

Sense the left shoulder,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Little finger.

Feel the whole left hand,

Whole left arm,

Sensing the left armpit,

Left side of the chest,

Ribs,

Waist,

Hip,

Femur bone,

Knee cap,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Left foot,

The sole of the foot,

The top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe,

Whole left foot,

Whole left leg,

Whole left side of the body.

Sense the aliveness,

Vibration,

Pulsing in the whole left side of the body,

Whole left side of the body at rest.

And bring awareness now to the root,

The tailbone,

The base of the spine.

Feel the sacrum,

The pelvis,

The navel center,

Solar plexus where the ribs meet,

The heart center,

The base of the throat,

The space between the brows,

The crown of the head,

The back of the head,

The back of the neck,

The space between the shoulder blades,

The middle of the back,

Lower back,

And tailbone.

Feel the whole body,

Complete awareness now of the whole body lying on the surface,

Supporting it.

The whole body awake and aware,

Yet completely at rest,

Completely still,

Practicing yoga nidra.

Become aware of the breath.

Feel the ebb and flow of the breath.

The body moving with the breath,

Sense how the inhale lifts the chest and the exhale releases.

Feel the sense of uplifting energy with each inhale and a sense of complete release and to ease with each exhale.

Allow each inhale to flow into each exhale.

No forcing,

No trying,

Just watching and allowing.

Inhale,

Melting into exhale.

Exhale,

Melting into inhale.

The body being breathed.

Breathe.

Bringing awareness now to sensation in the body.

Allow the body to experience each sensation as it is named.

Without holding on or forcing anything,

Simply allowing the experience to unfold.

Imagine the feeling of cold,

Bitter cold,

Sensation of cool air against the skin,

A shiver running through the body,

Sensation of cold.

Now imagine the sensation of heat in the body,

Burning heat,

Perhaps the sensation of warmth between clothing and the skin or blankets.

Sensation of internal warmth and heat in the body.

Notice that you can feel both heat and coolness in the body at the same time.

Now experience the sensation of hardness,

Density,

Sensation of bones,

Stable and supportive.

Bones that give the body structure.

Imagine the sensation now of softness in the body,

The softness of the hair on the skin,

Soft and subtle like a fluffy cloud.

Notice that you can experience both density,

Hardness and softness in the body at the same time.

Now imagine the sensation of dryness,

Perhaps dryness of the skin,

Flaking,

Cracking,

Perhaps the sensation of dryness in the mouth,

Sensation of being parched.

Now imagine the sense of moist,

Moisture in the body,

Sensation of water in the eyes,

The mucous membranes in the nose,

Saliva in the mouth.

Notice that you can experience both the sensation of dryness and moisture in the body at the same time.

Bring your awareness now to the third eye,

Center of the forehead between the brows.

Imagine a blank screen here and allow images to come and go without forcing anything or pushing anything away.

Really watching and allowing.

I will name a series of images now.

Allow your awareness to flow from one image to another effortlessly.

A forest of tall evergreens.

A forest of tall evergreens.

A forest of tall evergreens.

A snowy landscape.

A snowy landscape.

A snowy landscape.

Purple mountains.

Purple mountains.

Purple mountains.

A frozen lake.

A frozen lake.

A crackling fire.

A crackling fire.

A crackling fire.

A log cabin.

A log cabin.

A log cabin.

Icicles hanging from a roof.

Icicles hanging from a roof.

Icicles hanging from a roof.

Candle light.

Candle light.

Candle light.

A starry sky.

A starry sky.

A starry sky.

A circle of stones.

A circle of stones.

A circle of stones.

A brisk wind.

A brisk wind.

A brisk wind.

A cup of warm tea.

A cup of warm tea.

A cup of warm tea.

The North Star.

The North Star.

The North Star.

Begin to journey inward now.

Bring your awareness to the space behind the third eye,

The center of the brow.

From the darkness there,

An image begins to emerge.

See yourself in a thick forest.

It is nighttime.

The sky is a deep dark purple.

But it is lit by thousands of tiny glowing stars.

You find the North Star in the sky and begin to follow it.

It leads you down a path through a pine forest.

And continue down the path for some time until the trees open into a clearing.

There is a circle of stones there with a stone bench.

The circle is surrounded by tall oak trees and hemlocks.

You sit on the stone bench under a hemlock tree,

Placing your feet on the earth and feeling the connection between the feet and the earth.

You begin to sense the feet growing roots down into the core of the earth.

The roots entangle with the roots of the hemlock tree.

You rest your back against the stone bench as you connect to both stone and tree.

You become filled with the memories of all that these great stones these grandmothers have witnessed.

You begin to see ancient civilizations before your eyes.

All living close to the earth,

Caring for grandmother in a harmonious way.

A young woman approaches you and leads you to a small hut.

Inside the hut is another woman who appears older than time itself.

Instinctively you bow before her to honor her wisdom.

There is something familiar about this woman.

You ask her question.

She pauses for some time and you begin to believe she has not heard you.

And then she looks at you and without saying a word,

Hands you a small treasure.

You hold this treasure in your hand,

Feeling it against the palm of the hand.

The younger woman leads you back outside to the clearing where your body is still sitting against the stone bench.

You look down at the treasure in your hand,

Feel its texture.

Notice the color.

Is there a symbol associated with this treasure?

In gratitude you thank the tree,

The stones,

And the woman who accompanied you on this journey.

Holding your treasure,

You allow your intention,

Your sankalpa,

To arise.

Seeing your intention,

You repeat it again mentally to yourself,

Knowing you have planted the seed of this intention in your heart.

And you begin to sense your breath and your body,

Your belly and your chest rising and falling with the breath.

Become aware of your body lying on the surface beneath you.

Feeling all the points of contact between your body and the earth.

Become aware of your body.

Become aware of your breath.

Feel its natural rhythm ebb and flow.

Feeling your awareness back to the sounds in the room.

Feel the outline of your body on the earth and begin to stretch your body beginning with small movements of the hands and the feet.

If you like,

You can remain at rest for a while longer.

Or if you feel ready,

Begin to roll over onto your right side,

Pausing here.

Breathe into your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril.

Repeat this three times,

Breathing into the left nostril and exhaling through the right nostril.

When you're ready,

Slowly begin to walk yourself back to a seated position with your eyes closed.

Perhaps taking a moment to rub the palms of the hands together,

Creating heat and gently placing them over your eyes.

Allowing the eyes to slowly open and readjust to light.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Reviews

Ready for the day, ready for winter. Thank you for a restful practice. Feeling amazing and sharing that Metta with everyone. ☮💖🙏