Driven To Drawn Yoga Nidra

Driven to Dawn Yoga Nidra - 30-minute yoga nidra practice to increase presence and awareness. Includes body sensing, breath sensing, the practice of opposites and holding both, witnessing pure awareness, and integration into life.
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Transcript

Welcome. This is from being driven to being drawn. So there is a lot of stuff in life that drives us. We've received to have this drive within us. We have to get so much done and everything. Here's just a few words from Richard Rohr who was a Franciscan priest and he said there's a deep okayness to life. Despite all the contradictions somehow sadness and joy are able to coexist at the same time. The negative value of things no longer cancels out the positive nor does the positive deny the negative. So further he said when we do these types of contemplative inquiry or meditative practices we start to beginning to have the sense of yes to life and at the same time no to injustice so that our whole world view begins to change from fear and reaction to deep and positive connection. There are a lot of challenging things going on and we also hold true that still beneath everything is love and okayness. So in meditation you're moving towards source, Awareness from being driven by negative emotions to being drawn from a positive source within and then we find ourselves thinking much more in terms of both rather than either or and that helps us learn to forgive to let go of hurts to be compassionate and even here's a stretch to love our enemies. Rumi the famous poet said let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love it will not lead you astray. Meditation can help us connect to inner wisdom opening up more and more to a deeper truth within us. We're able to be more discerning and discriminating about what is true and what is right and then there's an okayness for when we don't get it right. There's this okayness and it's okay to be not okay as well. So if you want set yourself into a comfortable position create a rest nest. You may want to lay down put some blankets around you something under your arms a bolster under your knees whatever it takes to make you as comfortable as you can be and perhaps begin by opening up to that feeling of being drawn. It feels like a kind of saying yes to life and to your life in this moment. As you settle back knowing that all the space around you the surface beneath you is welcoming you just as you are. As you settle back feel the body sinking into the surface. During our practice of yoga nidra meditation we welcome every experience as a messenger inviting you to explore a particular sensation emotion thought or perhaps the true recognition of our true essence our source spacious awareness and that everything that's presented to us is really an opportunity to take us home home to that true source. So as we welcome then each messenger that arrives in your guest house of awareness we do so with curiosity and openness. It may have something to share or absolutely nothing maybe just passing through. We need not push anything away we set everything free to being here just as it is and then also open all your senses touch taste smell sounds through the ears opening to all the sounds around you. Some are distant some close by some are very subtle welcoming all that is coming to you nothing to analyze or figure out just sound feeling it right here right inside and take a moment to inquire what brought you here today. What would you like to experience in the practice today? Is there a particular something from your life that you'd like to take into the practice inquire into or perhaps it's just about being open and curious having a sense of ease and well-being or even peace or a deeper level of divine awareness you're longing to connect with. So consider your intention for being here perhaps it's simply to relax and then open to a deeper intention that connects with your heart or further down into the center of your body deep longing deep desire or wish permission that wants to be fulfilled in your life. What is this for you? Feeling of life living through you as deep longing perhaps it's for health healing or awakening spontaneous desire that you wish to manifest more than anything else during your lifetime maybe something that gives you a sense of meaning or purpose whatever this is bring forth into words and then affirming and experiencing the felt sense of your heartfelt desire as true in this moment and then when you're ready set your health thought desire aside and welcome how it may affirm itself more throughout this practice and in your daily life and then bring attention to your inner resource resting back into experiencing a felt sense of unchanging being or feelings of well-being in your body a safe haven or refuge that helps you feel secure or at ease and that is welcoming felt sense of being and well-being as spacious open timeless perfect familiar unchanging yet fresh and always present. If it's helpful invite in people or images or an experience a place in nature images that nourish feelings of being secure grounded peaceful and at ease felt sense of being and well-being throughout your body. Feel yourself in this experience and all that it conjures up for you knowing that you can return to your inner resource at any time day or night and throughout your practice of meditation whenever you need to feel totally secure and at ease. Now let's go further on this journey and begin to open up to sensations in your body bringing your attention up into your mouth jaw the lips inside the mouth teeth and gums floor and ceiling all interior of the mouth including the tongue floating within feel softening in the cheeks and the temples in the forehead and then bring your attention to the nose suddenly being aware sensations of air coming in going out coolness warmth of the air the ears welcome sensations of the external ears those little folds and valleys that funnel down inwards into the canals of the ears living deep inside the safe warm space within and the eyes the eyebrows space between the eyebrows the lids and all the muscles surrounding the eyes back behind the eyes welcoming crown of the head feels it beneath the surface of the scalp scalp is soft and resilient and the whole interior of the head that the whole of the head is brilliant shining out like a light bulb in all directions simultaneously notice where your attention is has it wandered has it gone into sleepiness lethargy perhaps some thoughts have attracted just notice what's present you can hang out anywhere along the way and catch up with us later or join in with us now sinking into the neck in the back of the throat down into the shoulders feel the shoulders as becoming more spacious giving space around any tensions that might be present should you find some tension tightness can you find where this ends and open spaciousness begins and then feel that open spaciousness beginning to be like a flow that's being drawn down your arms moving into the upper arms and the armpits spacious flow that flows through the elbows and their density spacious flow that opens into the lower arms and moves through the density of the rest and opens up into the palms of the hands bring your attention fully into the left palm feel the softness warmth of the palm perhaps even fingers feel the thumb of the left hand forefinger middle finger ring finger little finger all the fingers together the whole the left hand the whole of the left arm all at once feel it spaciousness openness and then draw your attention to the right hand feel the aliveness here and find the little finger sensation in the little finger the ring finger middle finger pointer finger and the thumb feel the aliveness and radiance of the right hand and the whole of the right arm this radiance unfolding into spaciousness throughout both arms now both arms as connected into oneness notice where your attention is even if you're thinking about something else or distracted lethargic or sleepy it's still hearing a voice in the background presence just being into that awareness presence no matter what is also here and then bring your attention down to your chest heart it's been beating since before you were born heart lungs moving into the rib cage area feeling a softening spaciousness moving throughout the chest ribs into the abdominal region the whole abdominal region just expanding releasing letting go any holdings feel this openness from above front of the body filtering back through all the organs inside kind of melting back into the back the upper back scapula spine middle back and the lower back sacrum buttocks welcome the pelvic bowl supports the whole of the torso ceiling of the torso walls of the torso inside all around and then continuing a journey down through the hips into the thighs and legs like a spacious expansiveness that's creating more space here as well flowing down through thighs and knees lower legs ankles down into the feet soles of the feet alive with sensation begin to coalesce all of this whole body as a one wholeness one integrated wholeness integrating this whole experience spaciousness inside spaciousness outside to begin to feel more and more the quality of being and well-being expanding everywhere you find a center to this awareness of your body you find surface or boundary perhaps feeling as though you're becoming boundless transparent almost translucent and free free to be just as you are whole complete perfection take a moment now to gather attention back into your physical body feel connection with the surface beneath you grounded in ease well-being your inner resource the body itself as a whole sensations in the form of flow or energy how do you feel this very subtle subtle sensations of aliveness perhaps pulsating throbbing shimmering a body very relaxed and yet very much alive all along even if senses of sleepiness are here as well still an awareness of all this and then welcome the breath notice how the body has been breathing itself all along with no thinking needed the miracle of the breath can you feel it you feel the sensation of this breath as a life force that's entering through the nose brushing against the back of the throat flowing into the lungs no thinking needed for this just sensing now observing and sensing how this occurs automatically feel the sensation of belly rising and releasing the diaphragm allows this life force pushes down the belly gently rises and releases and also feel into the rib cage area how the ribs are all around central in the torso they move they expand the inhalation and they release on the exhalation present with this phenomenon feel the gentle expansion in the front ribs feel the gentle expansion in the side ribs left and right feel the gentle expansion into the back ribs can you feel all the ribs on all sides expanding on the inhalation and releasing on the exhalation being with the breath being with the flow flow of the breath feel that sense of okayness with the breath and with the body being that okayness and then setting this aside begin to let your attention expand all around you as though as a witness or observer of yourself resting breathing any sensations that are still present perhaps noticing sensations of coolness or warmth heaviness or lightness notice how they coexist in your body some areas are cool some are warmer some sensations of heaviness and lightness and comfort perhaps potentially some areas of discomfort and feel that okayness with it all being with it all and then notice what else might be present any thoughts feelings you brought with you from your day and your life something that wants to be heard listened to something that has a need within you set that free to be here send everything free to be here not choosing one thing over another though you may you may move from one to the other so choose something whether it be a sensation feeling emotion thought can you welcome that in whether it's sadness or joy some challenge in your life find something to land on with your attention with your awareness bring it close if you can just be with it just sitting with it as you would sit with a small child that wants to share something see if anything wants to be shared from this as a message something that may help you or help it begin with this just allowing it to be present and then finding an opposite if this were not here what would be here instead or what would you like to be here instead so for example if there was a sadness that arose or some challenge how would you like it to be how would you like to feel go there welcome in this set it free to be here to hold body saturated with feelings that could accompany this then go back to the original if you can the sadness or fear or something that's challenging how it feels when it's present and then rest back into your inner resource feeling of well-being ease comfort and then bring it all together two opposites have shown up to be present side by side not choosing one over the other notice how as you do something unfolds a kind of letting go letting go that may even mean making space for compassion or even love let yourself be drawn now by what's here feel that being drawn that strange pull by something you truly love and how that can evolve and expand into something even greater source of love source of love and awareness and well-being resting here perhaps feeling as you do some feelings of joy may arise entire body coming as a radiant field of joyful sensation radiating all directions simultaneously inwardly outwardly like an effort of essence that's radiating pulsating through the whole body every cell every entire body radiantly alive with feelings of well-being happiness joy bliss love sense all you are aware of now everything is a movement within awareness feel back into awareness spacious unchanging awareness to all the changing sensations arising unfolding changing sensation revealing unchanging awareness felt sense of being and well-being well-being is arising in this unchanging spacious field of awareness now let go and dissolve into being awareness notice how awareness contains everything even thoughts that may arise feelings and awareness is everywhere nowhere specific yet it is undeniable as presence being this presence everything just as it is and then take a moment now and reflect on this journey you've just taken sensing the qualities that are or have been present feelings emotions thoughts sensations and awareness which is everything is arising unfolding passing away be aware of your heart's deepest longing bring this forth again and notice if it's changed at all since the beginning allowing itself to announce itself and experiencing it now as your present reality and also noting an intention that supports your living this heartfelt longing in your everyday life so see yourself moving back into your day feeling sensations all that's present and yourself as unchanging awareness in which all the activities of your life are unfolding emotions thoughts sensations your personality this undescribable sense of being unchanging awareness so take all the time you need now to come back towards wakefulness alertness begin to feel into the body perhaps the surface beneath you begin to breathe a little deeper and if you'd like to even a little stretching or moving of your body in some way to bring you back welcome once again roomies words let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pool of what you really love it will not lead you astray notice how you feel and as you ready to move back you may choose to spend a few minutes journaling and thank yourself for taking this time to practice