Heart Centered Yoga Nidra

Aristotle considered the heart to be the center of not just our body, but the true center of our human intelligence. Recent scientific studies are lending credence to this view. This practice will open your awareness of the heart, and connect you with its power. Note: This guided practice contain several silent periods of up to two minutes as is traditional for advanced yoga nidra sessions. It ends with the words, “Thank you for being a light in this world.” Cover photo: Mac Walter

Transcript

As we begin this heart-centered practice,

Please settle back into the most comfortable position possible.

I'll give you a moment to make any adjustments you need.

Let's now explore the inner realms of the heart.

Start by giving yourself permission to receive this practice as an act of self-care.

Now we'll begin to leave behind the busy world of doing and come to the inner world of being and feeling.

Let go of any desire for results,

Any desire to fix or analyze.

Take a deep breath and let it go.

Again,

Take a deep breath in and let it go.

And just arrive here in your body and as you begin to relax more,

Your sensitivity towards what's going on in your body will increase.

Notice in your fingers and hands how the energy starts to become less frenetic,

Smoother,

More refined,

And expand your awareness to experience how this is happening everywhere in your body.

Notice how your heart is beginning to slow and your breath along with it.

The breath begins to find its own rhythm and like a soothing mantra,

The sound of your breath washes in and out of the body.

The air cool as it enters the nostrils,

Your sinuses,

And your throat.

And now warm as you release it.

Your body tempers the breath as it moves into the body.

And reabsorbs some of that warmth on the way out.

Sense the texture of the air like a liquid washing over your soft palate and throat.

And notice how your floating ribs gently flare outward as you breathe.

Your whole body surrendering to the rhythm of the breath.

The breath is the bridge that connects you to your deepest self.

Imagine now that your body is falling back into the earth,

Your whole body falling back.

Trust enough to let go completely.

And become aware of all the places your body touches the floor or your mat.

Feel your heels against the floor.

Your lower legs,

Upper legs,

And the whole of your pelvis.

Now as you exhale,

Allow the whole of your lower body to settle just a little more.

Your belly softening and all the organs inside settling into their natural places.

Every breath massaging your belly organs,

Enhancing their function.

Feel your back ribs on the floor.

Your upper back resting in the cradle of your shoulder blades.

Both shoulders sinking back.

Feel the backs of your arms against the floor.

Your hands.

And finally the back of your head against the floor.

Feel now the whole of your upper body against the floor.

Your back,

Arms,

Shoulders and head.

Sinking back.

Now experience your whole back body,

The back of your legs,

Hips,

The back of your chest,

Shoulders,

Arms,

And your head.

Your whole back body together.

Now please picture your Sankalpa.

This is the intention you choose for this practice.

Picture it vividly as though it were already accomplished.

Picture it now.

And seal this image with a deep breath.

Now let it go,

Trusting it to the universe to resolve.

As you now go deeper,

Say to yourself,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra and I will remain aware.

And bring your awareness now to your chest and your heart inside.

Let the muscles between your ribs soften as you gently expand and contract.

Creating a sense of spaciousness all around your heart.

The ancient Greek word for the chest or thorax was also the word for armor.

Let your physical and mental armor soften now.

The more you let it go,

The more your body naturally opens to breath.

Allow your breath to seek out any remaining tight places in your body.

The breath like a solvent,

Melting away those pockets of tension.

Your whole body opening from the inside out.

Stay with the breath.

Anapanasati means mindfulness of breath.

The Buddha emphasized this meditation,

Calling it a gateway to enlightenment.

As you now fully experience your in-breath,

Mentally say,

I breathe in.

As you fully experience your exhale,

Say to yourself,

I breathe out.

And just allow the body to breathe itself as you mentally continue with this mantra.

I breathe in.

I breathe out.

I breathe in.

I breathe out.

I breathe out.

I breathe out.

Stay with the breath and the mantra for a few more rounds.

I breathe in.

I breathe out.

Notice how the action of the breath massages your heart as you breathe.

And now just return to the natural breath.

Belly gently rising and falling.

Chest still gently expanding and contracting.

And again,

Experience a sense of spaciousness all around the heart.

Sensing even the space behind the heart.

We sometimes call this the cave of the heart.

And notice how this spacious feeling also creates more space for the breath.

The action of the breath gently massaging the heart.

In some religious traditions,

A candle flame on the altar represents the presence of divinity.

In yoga,

That sacred place is your heart.

And a flame there represents the presence of your own divinity,

Your connection to creation itself.

Seeing the world through the eyes of your own divinity automatically changes your perception.

It changes how you see the world around you.

And this then changes how the world interacts with you.

Picture that flame inside now illuminating your heart.

Feel its presence.

This flame is your true identity.

It is the flame of your own creative power.

Let it now permeate every cell of your body.

Your whole body bathed in light.

We'll again take a sensory journey through the body.

This time illuminating each point as we go.

Picture your inner flames radiance now at eyebrow center.

That radiant glow now moving to your throat inside.

Now the whole of your right shoulder joint.

Let the illumination now reach down your arm to your right elbow.

Your wrist.

And experience your right hand with its abundance of sensation.

Let this awareness expand into your thumb.

Your index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And pinky.

And again illuminate the whole of your right hand,

Arm and shoulder with the flame of your awareness.

And feel it now.

The flames warm glow now in your left shoulder inside.

Letting it warm your shoulder from the inside out.

Your awareness of sensation flowing down your arm to your left elbow.

Your left wrist.

And experience your left hand with its abundance of sensation.

Let it expand now into your left thumb.

Your index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And pinky.

And your awareness now illuminating the whole of your left hand,

Arm and shoulder.

And again we return to the heart.

Its radiance now illuminating the whole of your chest.

The right side of your chest.

The left side.

The whole of your chest together.

Feel your awareness to your solar plexus and nurture the flame here too until its radiance illuminates the whole of your upper abdomen.

Your awareness now finding low belly center.

The flame here brightening in the light of your awareness.

Let it expand to include the whole of your pelvis and feel your aliveness here.

Carry that awareness now to your right hip.

Your right knee.

Your ankle.

Your right foot.

Your big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Sense your fourth toe.

And fifth toe.

Your foot and toes radiant with sensation.

Now the whole of your right leg,

Foot and toes bathed in the light of your awareness.

And that awareness crossing through low belly center to now illuminate the left hip.

Feel its glow deep inside.

Your left knee.

Your ankle.

Your left foot.

Your big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Your fourth.

And fifth toe.

From your hip to your toes the whole of your left leg bathed in the light of your awareness.

Return again to illuminate the pelvic center.

Your solar plexus.

And return home to the heart.

Take the next few moments to experience the vibrant power of your heart everywhere inside.

The echo of your pulse present anywhere in your body where you can put your mind.

Take these few moments to bathe in its vibrant power.

Now allow a sense of open spacious awareness to expand through your body.

Science tells us that in fact we are mostly space.

Space organized by pure energy.

You are pure energy.

Light open spacious energy.

Feel this now.

Sense the energy that is the universe all around you.

Above you.

Below you.

Everywhere around you.

And feel how the energy that you are is continuous with the energy around you.

You are the universe and the universe is you.

Feel it now.

Return to a sense of your physical body in the field of gravity.

Experience that nurturing feeling as the pull of gravity draws you into the earth's embrace.

Your whole body open,

Naturally grounded.

No more,

No less than your body's natural weight.

Your body is designed to work perfectly in the field of gravity.

Picture flowing through the field of gravity with ease,

Confidence,

Moving with grace as you move through life.

Now revisit your sankalpa,

Your intention for this practice.

Experience it now in your mind as already accomplished.

Now seal that image with a deep breath and trusting it to the universe as you let it go.

And now again return your awareness to the life-giving breath,

Just taking a moment to watch your body breathe.

Allow the breath to deepen as you consider the possibility of movement.

Maybe even taking a couple of deep yawning breaths,

Gently stretching you from the inside out.

Imagine the breath reaching down into your fingers and toes as you now experiment with some small movements,

Some gentle stretches.

Adding the wrists,

The ankles,

Your arms and legs.

Or even turning your head a little side to side.

Maybe adding a full body stretch,

Reaching your arms overhead before hugging your knees to your chest.

Now as you hold your knees,

Just rock a little side to side,

Releasing your low back.

And ease over onto your side,

Taking three or four breaths.

And please find your way up to a comfortable seat with your hands at your heart.

This concludes the Yoga Nidra practice.

Namaste.

And thank you for being a light in this world.

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Reviews

I have thoroughly enjoyed this several times, particularly after waking too early, before rising. Very restful.

Thank you so much! Light open spacious energy ❤️

Your voice is so soothing. Thank you

Thank you for.the gift of your voice and words X

Thank you. The pacing is just perfect for me. 🙏❤️

So good. Thank you. ❤️

This is such a beautiful and powerful practice of returning home. Thank you for being a light in this world.

Simply amazing! Bookmarking now. Thank you.

Very nice and soothing🙏🙏

This is a beautiful practice. Thank you 🙏

I liked this a lot. Very clear guidance through the body at a comfortable pace. A good way to start my day. Movement instructions at the end got me ready to get up.

Beautiful! I love your sessions. Thank you 🙏😊💞

Really liked the space and silence!

Thank you so much for this experience. I will do this meditation every day. This is my real self, my essence. I feel that I have come home for the first time of my life. It feels so good and liberated. I love you!

I am very grateful for this meditation. Thank you. 🌹

Thank you! It feels like I nourished every cell of my body. Thank you too for being a light in this world and for sharing this light.

🙏 Thank you - a lovely practice🙏