Yoga Nidra: Elemental Joy

Immerse yourself in "Elemental Joy," a Yoga Nidra meditation that guides you through the sensations of the elements within your body. Feel the flowing quality of breath and sensation, experiencing the coolness of water, the warmth of fire, and the grounding presence of earth. This meditation invites you to let go of thoughts and connect deeply with your sensory experience.

Your journey begins with a warming face massage, incorporating acupressure points and a focus on the vagus nerve to calm your nervous system and prepare you for deep relaxation.

As you progress the meditation, you'll become aware of any emotions that surface, allowing them to be present without judgment. The journey culminates in a full-body experience of joy and pleasure, as you invite memories of happiness and let them infuse your entire being. Feel the joy radiating within and around you, saturating every cell and creating a space of pure bliss.

Music by Chris Collins

Transcript

So welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.

So as you begin,

Be sure to have all that you need nearby or already set up.

So any additional items and props to really get as comfortable as possible.

So whether it's cushions,

Eye pillows,

Blankets,

Whatever it may be.

And just make some adjustments to your position.

And before you completely settle in,

We're going to do a little bit of face palming and massaging.

So keeping your arms and hands free.

And if you like,

You can create a little bit of extra containment and just placing a pillow on your solar plexus.

Notice how that feels in your body.

And this will help you really attune to whether a little bit more containment on the body feels good.

If it doesn't feel good,

Then of course you can remove a pillow.

A bit of weight on the feet can also feel good as a way of creating containment.

So these are some things you can play with as you set yourself up in your practice.

And so allow your spine to be long.

Your pelvis resting on the surface beneath you.

And now you're going to maintain your inner awareness and you're just going to take your hands together and just begin to rub your palms together.

Create a little bit of heat in the palms.

And then to the degree that you feel comfortable,

Place your fingertips on your eyelids and the entire surface of your palms touching your face.

And just receive the warmth of your hands.

And then we'll begin to massage the face a little bit,

Just following my guidance.

Let the fingers work around the eyebrows and up into the hairline.

Moving out to the temples.

Encircling the fingers at the temples and just going at the pace and the depth that feels just right for you.

The fingers working their way around the orbit of the eyes back to the temples and then slowly moving down to the joint of the jaw.

Just along the jaw line to the chin.

And then massage around the parentheses,

The kind of brackets of the mouth,

The corners of the mouth.

And then up to the bridge of the nose.

And again around the orbits of the eyes.

And then just allow a finger to rest at the side of the nose,

At the bridge of the nose between the eyes.

So there are these two points between the eyes.

And these are little acupressure points.

We quite intuitively reach for this place when we feel stressed or overloaded.

And so just give this little point between the eyes a little,

Soft little massage.

And just notice how this feels in your body.

You might even feel like a bit of a sigh.

And then start to run the index fingers up across and separating the brow,

Moving across the forehead as though you're wiping the mind clear of thoughts.

And then we're going to take a hand and separate our middle finger and ring finger,

Like Spock hands.

And you're going to place the hand so two fingers are in front of the ear and the other two fingers are behind the ear.

And then you're just going to start to gently massage in front of the ear and behind the ear.

This is actually the access point of the vagus nerve that comes into the face and comes around the ear.

And by doing this,

We're just really getting directly to that vagus nerve,

Which is what helps the whole nervous system downregulate.

So anytime you feel stressed or overwhelmed,

These little massage techniques can be really helpful just in the moment.

And then you can just take your fingers and start to massage the outer architecture of your ear,

And maybe pull a little bit on the earlobe.

And you might also take your index finger and just place it gently into the entrance of your ear,

And do little half circles inside the entry of the ear.

And this too is just a way to access that vagus nerve.

If it doesn't feel good,

Don't continue,

So we're always following what feels good.

And then continue to just move down the side of the neck,

And you can squeeze the back of your neck.

And coming to the side and front of the neck,

Just giving yourself a little massage down the side and front of the neck again.

This is where that vagus nerve wanders down into the main cavity of the body,

And we can even start tapping a little bit along the collarbones.

And then take your hand and reach it across to the opposite shoulder,

And just give the opposite shoulder a little squeeze.

There's another acupressure point in the big mound of a muscle on the shoulder.

Just give that a little rub and a squeeze.

You might feel a sigh or a deep breath,

Which are all signs of this downregulating of the nervous system.

You might sense a grumbling in the tummy or even your body temperature changing.

So now you can just release and make any last minute adjustments now.

If you have an eye pillow,

You can put that on.

You can bring your arms down to your side.

And now strap all expression from the face.

And then invite a deep breath in,

And with your exhaling breath,

Hum it out.

So allow there to be some sound as you let go,

And sounding also helps to stimulate that vagus nerve,

Helps us to shift into that parasympathetic relaxation.

And then another breath in,

Letting go even more,

And then one more inhale.

And just follow the vibration into stillness.

Feeling the impact flowing through the whole body and the entire being.

Just letting yourself bathe in these sensations.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Sense the connection points of your own body now with the earth beneath you.

As you soften into the earth beneath you,

Know you are welcome here.

On this land,

In this space,

Among us here.

Fully welcome.

Fully cherished.

And whatever arises within,

Be it sensations,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Desires,

Images,

Tears or smiles,

All are welcome here.

And if any distractions arise,

Allow it all to be here with a sense of welcoming,

An invitation to move you more deeply within,

Knowing all along that you are held here in a safe space.

Give yourself full permission to simply move through this practice in any way that feels good to you.

There are no pressures,

No expectations,

No demands placed on you to be any other way than you truly are.

This practice is to fully support your body's deepest healing wisdom.

So now we'll take a moment to come back to our inner sanctuary.

This is a place where when you come to it,

You feel safe,

You feel a sense of ground underneath you,

A sense of being supported to be just as you are.

And as you return here to your inner sanctuary,

Really sense into it.

Bring all your five senses alive.

Notice what you see,

The sounds you hear,

How does it feel,

What smells,

How does it feel,

Do you pick up on,

Are there any tastes?

And as this inner landscape unfolds in your awareness,

You might take a moment to ask yourself what else is needed to invite a deeper sense of felt safety?

Is it an animal,

Perhaps a power animal,

A loved one or wise one?

Is it an element of nature,

Like a plant or a tree?

Or maybe it's something else,

A magical object or a special connection with other realms.

Invite it in to deepen your sense of well-being,

To help you feel totally loved,

Held,

Cherished,

Taken care of.

And let this sense of safety,

Protection,

Peace echo through your whole being.

Let that echo settle you more deeply into your ground of being,

Which can never be touched by any outside forces,

Knowing you are held safely here.

And at any time during this practice,

Should you feel the need,

You can instantly return here and feel how this special place acts on your body,

Your mind.

And as we move through this first phase of yoga nidra,

As we enter into the body sensing,

And as the body becomes very deeply relaxed and comfortable,

Notice if there's any sense of well-being or joy that begins to rise up within the body.

And as it does,

Begin to associate this feeling of joy with your inner sanctuary.

So that the joy and your inner sanctuary are one and the same.

Just thinking about your inner sanctuary,

You feel this cascade of deep relaxation,

Joy and safety move through and fill your entire body.

And now,

Let the sound of my voice be your guide and support you in experiencing sensations throughout your body.

As I name each area,

You may feel sensations that are present,

Or nothing in particular,

But whatever you experience is perfect just as it is in the moment.

Now bring attention to sensations inside the mouth,

Roof of the mouth,

Floor,

Inside cheeks left and right,

Back of the throat,

Tongue,

The entire mouth,

A field of sensation.

The ears,

Left ear,

Inside and out,

Right ear,

Inside and out.

Noticing both ears at the same time.

And welcoming the breath as pure sensation in the nose,

Left nostril,

Right nostril.

Both nostrils at the same time.

And left eye,

Right eye.

Both eyes together.

Both eyes a field of sensation.

Noticing forehead,

Scalp,

Back of the head,

Neck,

Sensation inside the throat,

Left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Left palm,

Fingers,

The entire left arm.

Right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Right palm,

Fingers,

The entire right arm.

Both arms and hands together as one field of sensation.

Upper chest.

Upper back.

Middle chest.

Middle back.

Abdomen.

Lower back.

Pelvis.

The entire torso as a field of vibrant sensation.

Left buttock,

Left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Foot,

Toes.

The entire left leg.

Right buttock,

Right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Foot.

And toes.

The entire right leg.

Sensing both legs and feet at the same time as one field of radiant sensation.

Sensing the entire front of the body,

Back of the body,

Left side,

Right side.

Sensing the entire body,

Inside and outside,

As a field of radiant sensation.

And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's present.

Noticing the one who is noticing.

Sensing what's present.

And experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is coming and going.

Now become aware of the body breathing and the flow of the breath as sensation in the nostrils.

The abdomen gently rising as breath flows in.

And releasing as breath flows out.

The body breathing naturally and rhythmically.

In-breath abdomen rising.

Out-breath abdomen releasing.

No need to change anything,

The body breathing itself.

And now begin counting each breath silently backwards from 7 to 1 in the following manner.

In-breath abdomen rising 7.

Out-breath abdomen releasing 7.

In-breath abdomen rising 6.

Out-breath abdomen releasing 6.

Continuing counting and breathing in your body's own natural rhythm.

If you lose count,

Begin again at 7.

Now let go of counting.

No need to reach 1.

Be aware of the fields and flows of sensation throughout your body.

In the mouth,

Face,

Scalp,

Neck,

Throat,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

Torso,

Pelvis.

Legs.

Feet.

The body a field of radiant sensation.

Be aware of all that is present in your awareness.

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that is now present.

Notice the one who is noticing.

Sensing what is present.

Then experiencing yourself dissolving into being the field of awareness in which everything is arising.

Allow the body to descend into stillness.

At any time,

Sense your inner sanctuary as the ground of being that is safe and at ease.

Feel a profound sense of peace descending down over your body and being.

And now letting the breath be just as it is.

Setting it completely free to be just as it is without the control of your will.

The body breathing itself.

With each exhalation,

Feeling the body more and more being received.

Embraced and taken in by the ground.

The feeling of being supported by the ground.

Letting go completely and feeling the heaviness and weight of the body being taken by the support of the ground.

The earth taking the body into it.

The body dropping deeper.

Becoming as the element of earth.

Being absorbed into the ground as the element of earth.

Earth dissolving into earth.

And allowing inhalation to invite in an opposite feeling of lightness.

A feeling of lightness.

As if the body is floating lightly on a cloud of sensation.

Lightness.

And then come back to the weight and heaviness of the body.

Feeling the solidity and density of the body.

The weight of the body.

Earth dissolving into earth.

And feel the liquid flowing quality of the breath and the flowing quality of sensation.

Flowing throughout the body.

The element of water in the body.

Liquid sensation flowing and moving throughout the body.

Sense the feeling of coolness.

Earth and water as the feeling of coolness.

Can you feel coolness somewhere in or around the body?

Letting go of the mind of thoughts about the sensation and meeting your first-hand experience of the feeling of coolness.

And then finding its opposite.

A feeling of warmth or heat.

Somewhere on the skin or around or inside the body.

Sense warmth.

Become one with the feeling of warmth,

Heat.

Letting go of the concept and going deeply into your actual experience of warmth.

The quality of fire in the body.

And notice any emotion that may bubble up spontaneously to the surface of your attention.

And just letting it be there.

If nothing surfaces,

This too is just fine.

If something like an emotion or new sensation appears,

Just let it be there with an acknowledgement of your own inner voice.

Like a whisper of air that lovingly says,

I hear you.

And now become aware of feeling your entire body at the same time.

Invite pleasure or joy into the body,

Into awareness.

Your body lighting up with a smile from deep inside the heart.

A smile that spreads out from the heart into the body.

Into the shoulders.

Arms.

Head.

The lips forming a gentle smile.

The entire body vibrating with pleasure,

With joy.

Remember what it's like to celebrate something with the whole body.

Every cell in celebration.

Perhaps there's a memory that brings this pleasure,

This joy,

This happiness.

And invite the memory in.

And let it invite joy,

Pleasure into the body.

And then set the memory aside and feel the purity of joy itself.

Like liquid sensation pouring into the body,

Radiating in all directions.

Saturating the space around the body so that there is joy in the body and outside the body.

Joy in the space inside the body and joy outside the body.

Joy saturating,

Playing in and through the body.

Here,

All of time dissolves.

From this alone,

This allowing of just being.

Absorbed in the sense that there is no doing that needs to happen.

A softening out of time bound reality occurs.

Nourishing this space of open awareness.

Welcome the timeless,

Boundless,

Joyful peace of your own being.

Resting in the sacred stillness of your own being.

And when there is a natural urge to begin to rise to the surface of awareness.

Allow yourself to drift without effort,

Without pull.

A natural rising back up towards eye's open state of consciousness.

And as your consciousness rises,

Keep a tendril of awareness deeply rooted in the timeless,

Boundless peace and joy of your own beingness.

Where you remain untouched,

Boundless and free.

Connected and aligned with your own body's wisdom.

With your own inner sanctuary holding you safely.

Sense yourself rested,

Grounded,

Open and radiant.

Take a moment to gently scan your body for what feels good.

What feels pleasurable,

What brings delight.

And rest for a moment in this sense of goodness.

Perhaps a bubbling joyfulness or a simple pleasure.

If it feels good,

You can place a hand on your belly and a hand on your heart.

Remaining curious and connected to your inner felt sense.

Perhaps allowing your eyes to gently open and close.

Keeping your peripheral vision wide and relaxed.

Just taking in what you see in a receptive manner.

And let the eyes wander and notice something in your visual field that brings a sense of delight.

And just let your eyes rest on it for some time.

Begin to notice the sounds around you.

Sounds close by,

Sounds in the distance.

Sense the flow of air on your skin.

The pressure of clothing or props on your body.

And when you're ready,

Begin to invite some light into your body.

Back into the body.

Begin to either move back into your day or easing into your night.

If you're continuing with your day,

Come back fully into our shared space.

Anchoring to your breath.

Being fully in your body.

Sensing the earth beneath you.

Feeling grounded.

Present in your body.

This yoga nidra is now coming to a close.

We come in peace.

We go in peace.

Om Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Reviews

This was amazing! I am filled with joy!! Thank You!!