And welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.
So settling in to this comfortable position,
Whether you're seated or lying back in shavasana,
Taking your time to become super comfy and cozy.
And we'll just take a moment to bring the arms overhead.
And just let your arms stretch up,
And your legs lengthening in an opposite direction,
Inhaling.
Create a bit of tension in the body,
Holding.
And then release and exhale,
Keeping your arms overhead.
And again,
Inhale,
Arms and legs stretching in opposite directions.
Stretch even more,
Even more.
And then letting go,
Exhaling one more time,
Just allowing your arms to stay overhead.
And then again,
One last time,
Stretch even more,
Arms and legs opposite direction,
Create a little bit of tension through the body.
And then with the exhale,
Letting go,
And allow your arms to come down to your sides.
And now cover yourself up in all the ways that allow you to be comfortable,
Covering your eyes if you choose,
Adjusting your blanket or your cover or your positioning,
Just so you can sink in,
Be just a little more comfortable.
And once you're settled,
Take a deep breath in,
And let your body go,
Letting it go completely.
With each progressive breath,
Allow a softening of your forehead and brow center.
And your jaw,
Perhaps gently opening the mouth,
Wiggling it around a little.
Maybe there's a yawn.
And drop shoulders away from ears.
Take a deep breath into your chest,
And with a sighing exhale,
Letting go of any gripping in your belly.
And with another exhaling breath,
Notice any clenching in your glutes,
And let them soften.
In Yoga Nidra,
We make space to learn to meet and greet and welcome what is arising.
We welcome every experience as a messenger that is inviting you to explore sensations,
Emotions,
Thoughts,
Without trying to change,
Fix,
Or make anything happen.
As you welcome whatever is arising,
Your body,
Mind are learning to remain at ease,
And discover the feeling within that is always at peace,
At ease.
Allowing yourself to be unchanging well-being,
A witnessing presence that is welcoming everything.
And now,
Begin to sense into the space around you,
Sensing it as warm,
Welcoming,
Comfortable,
A safe environment.
And as you become aware of your surroundings,
The safety of your own space around you,
We'll invite a felt sense of safety within you.
We'll bring alive an inner landscape,
An inner sanctuary that invokes a sense of peace,
Calm,
Well-being,
And protection.
Now notice within your own body if you feel any restriction,
Or lack of a sense of safety.
And then ask this sensation,
What can I bring in to create a little more felt safety?
Could it be a person,
An animal,
Something from nature,
Or something else,
Perhaps another realm?
Take your time with allowing the answer to arise,
And notice what is arising.
Allowing for any images to arise spontaneously,
No matter how strange or bizarre it may appear.
Allow the image,
This inner resource to emerge in your mind's eye,
Or sense it in your body.
Allowing time for it to fully emerge.
Then draw it down into your heart,
Drinking it into every cell.
Allow it to spread throughout your body.
Notice your facial expression relaxes,
A sense of letting go.
Noticing any other signs of relaxation appearing in your body as you invite your inner resources in.
Breath slowing down,
A calm expression appearing on the face,
A dropping in,
And a more peaceful energy emerging.
Feeling protected,
Knowing you are here,
Protected in this space,
On this land.
Know you can call on these inner resources,
Within this inner sanctuary,
Anytime during the practice,
And anytime outside your practice.
Now invite your attention back into your heart space.
As you enter the heart,
Hear the breath of the heart as if it were the voice of your heart's own wisdom.
Listening to the breath of the heart,
Simply rest in the receptivity and trust of the heart's guidance.
And be open to whatever wisdom may come through,
And trust that the heart truly knows the way.
Welcome it.
Know that the heart's guidance,
Whether through clear words,
An image,
Or simply through trusting your felt sense,
Is like a seed being planted and nourished in the fertile soil of your soul's wisdom that is already growing and manifesting in your life.
If words arise,
Repeat them to yourself three times,
Or simply allow for an open receptivity.
And as I name the body part,
Bring your total attention accompanied by a feeling of heaviness,
Sinking like a stone in water,
Both feet.
Heavy like stones,
Calves and knees heavy,
Sinking deeper,
Thighs and hips very heavy like lead,
Abdomen,
Chest and back,
Gravity pulling you down deeper,
Shoulders,
Arms and palms very,
Very heavy.
Feel your entire head heavy like a stone.
Give your body completely and totally to the omnipresent field of gravity.
Now experience your whole body heavy like a rock.
Feel your whole body sinking deeper and deeper.
Totally let go into the pull of gravity.
Sinking,
Sinking heavy like a stone.
Sinking deeper into stillness and silent awareness.
Now shift your attention as I name the part of the body.
Let all the heaviness drain away.
Let your body be buoyant and light like a fluffy cloud,
Both feet limp and light,
Calves and knees empty and free.
Feel it.
Thighs and hips hollow,
Weightless.
Abdomen,
Chest and back light and empty.
Shoulders and arms and palms floating,
Head hollow,
Empty.
Feel your whole body empty,
Light and hollow.
Sense the emptiness of your body and silence of your mind.
Enter the power and protection of your energy body.
And sense the space around the right side of the body.
Sense the space as it touches the skin boundary on the right side of the body.
Sense the space around the left side of the body.
Sense the space as it touches the skin boundary on the left side of the body.
Sense the space as it touches the entire skin boundary.
Experience the entirety of the body simultaneously and equally.
The entire body more energy than density,
Pulsing,
Tingling.
Whole body breathing in.
Whole body breathing out.
Sense the space around this body.
Every breath moving in this space.
Just the breath.
Just space.
You are both the space and the experience contained in it.
One whole cohesive experience.
Experience it.
Become it.
Simply watch and feel the in and out flow of breath like a gentle breeze.
Breathe in and deeply fill your lungs from the bottom to the top as if filling a water bottle.
And as you breathe out,
Empty your lungs from the top to the bottom.
Let your breath be slow and steady.
Full attention directed at the breath with no struggle around breathing.
Now allow your full attention to shift to your whole left side.
Breathing in and out of the left nostril.
And breathing in and out through whole left side.
Then inhale through left nostril.
And shift your attention across the midline to the right side.
Shifting to your whole right side.
Exhaling,
Breathing in and out of the right nostril.
And breathing in and out through the whole right side.
And inhale through right nostril.
Then shift your attention across the midline to the left side.
Transpose across the midline to left nostril.
Let it saturate whole left side.
Then exhale.
And inhale left nostril.
Transpose across the midline to right nostril.
Then exhale right side.
Letting it saturate whole right side.
Exhaling and continuing on your own.
Each time transpose your awareness across the midline before breathing in and out of that side.
And now return to a natural breath.
All excess tension and holding carried out with each exhaling breath.
Carried out into vast,
Open,
Spacious awareness.
Now invite attention to an emotion that is present in your body or one that you are working with in your life.
It may be helpful to recall a memory that invites a particular emotion into your body.
Welcoming the emotion as sensation into your body.
Inviting this emotion to unfold fully as sensation in the body.
And if no emotion is present,
There is no need to make anything happen.
Simply welcoming whatever is present.
And if an emotion is present,
Where are you feeling it in your body?
Allow it to fully blossom.
While welcoming thoughts,
Images or memories that co-arise with this emotion.
And now allow an opposite emotion to emerge.
Perhaps recalling a memory that invites this opposite emotion into your body.
If an opposite emotion is present,
Where do you experience it in your body?
Taking your time.
Welcoming this opposite of emotion.
And then begin to move back and forth between the opposite of emotions.
Experiencing first one,
And then the other.
Sensing how each is experienced in the body.
And now invite both emotions into awareness at the same time.
Without thinking,
Simply experiencing how this affects your entire body-mind.
Remembering that there's no right or wrong way of doing any of this.
And you're welcome to return to your inner sanctuary at any time.
And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.
Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present.
Sensing what's present.
Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is arising.
And resting as this field of awareness,
Allow yourself to receive the following images and experiences.
No need to analyze,
Nor judge.
Remaining unconditionally open and present to all that passes in the field of awareness.
Now sense,
Feel,
Or see snowflakes falling in the mountains.
Pine trees heavy with snow.
A majestic tree with deep roots snaking down into the earth.
Watching a perfectly balanced spinning top.
Sitting solo on the beach by the ocean.
Stuck in a traffic jam.
Standing on the soft earth in the midst of a fragrant mossy forest.
In multi shades of green,
Nestling and welcoming you in as a part of it all.
Jumping into cool refreshing waters of a lake on a hot summer's day.
And feeling the tingling sensations of both the shock and sweetness following the plunge.
Easefully floating on your back upon the gentle lapping waves on the lake.
As you watch white clouds weightlessly drift across the vast blue sky.
Sense yourself connected to the lake,
The land,
The earth.
And everything within and upon it with lightness,
Ease,
And joy.
Sense cuddles with friends and loved ones.
Stillness of the silence of winter.
Curled up sleeping next to your loved one by a fireplace.
Now riding the stillness,
Witnessing unattached all that passes.
If nothing appears,
Just be aware of that.
Be totally present,
Resting as awareness.
You have entered the domain of grace.
And let your awareness rest back in the space of the heart.
With each breath,
Breathe into the heart with a growing feeling of love,
Joy,
And appreciation.
Sense an inner smile radiating from the heart space.
If it's helpful,
Call on a memory of someone or a beloved animal or situation that brings about a great sense of joy and appreciation.
And allow this inner smile to radiate a sense of joy and love,
Expanding in great care.
Feel your heart smiling and connecting with everyone here.
Then smiling and connecting to your own loved ones.
And then sense your heart connecting with beings across the planet.
Broadcasting love and compassion into the energetic field.
Strengthening the vibration of unity and cooperation,
Respect and honoring of each other and all beings.
In this fertile space of awareness,
Invite your intention,
Your sankalpa back in.
This way of being that is born of your heart.
Let it echo in your body as though it were already so.
Either with words or simply trust in the deeper intuitive guidance of your own soul's wisdom that already knows the way.
And slowly become aware of the gentle rise and fall of your belly with the in and out flow of breath.
When there is a natural urge to rise to the surface of awareness,
Allow yourself to drift without effort,
Without pull.
A natural rising back into eyes open state of consciousness.
Then take a moment and walk back through this journey you have just taken.
Recalling your inner resources,
These means of inner support.
Know you can visit your inner sanctuary at any time.
And continuing to walk back through your journey,
Experiencing your body as heavy and light.
Noting the different sensations,
Qualities and vibrations present.
Your breath moving through both sides of your body.
Holding emotions within your larger awareness.
And the beauty of nature of which you are a part of.
And the joy that comes in recognition of our inter-beingness.
Take your time as you transition now from practice to wakeful life.
And every once in a while as you go through the next couple of hours,
Internally come to a full stop and sense back to the interconnection between your body,
Your breath,
Your emotions,
Nature and the awareness.
All the while,
Sensing into your spacious beingness.
Feeling back into your spacious,
Open,
Ever-pervading presence.
And sensing the air as it touches your skin,
Like the breath of the earth.
And sense your own body resting on the body of the earth.
And then gradually starting to move.
When you're ready,
Begin to reorient back to your surroundings.
And if you're lying down,
You might let your body roll off to one side.
When you're ready,
Slowly beginning to open the eyes and just letting them rest on something that brings you a sense of pleasure or delight,
Whether it's a color or a texture.
Just easing back to your awake and alert state.
And this Soma Nidra is now complete.
All my relations.
