Yoga Nidra: The Space Between (Live, No Music)

This practice invites you to rest in the tender in-between — those moments when answers aren’t clear and the mind reaches for certainty. Through a gentle body scan and spacious awareness, you’ll learn to soften into ambiguity without needing to resolve it. Instead of pushing for clarity, you’ll explore what it feels like to simply be with what’s here. A supportive nidra for times of waiting, transition, or emotional fog.

Transcript

So Grounded in Uncertainty,

It's going to be a four-part yoga nidra series to offer really refuge for the times that we're in right now when it feels uncertain and things won't settle.

And each practice is inviting you to rest in the unknown,

Not by escaping it,

But softening into it,

Into the presence,

Into the breath,

Into trust.

And we'll use grounding imagery,

Compassionate awareness,

And body-based stillness so that you can reconnect with something steady within yourself,

Because it's there.

It's just there.

And sometimes it feels a little bit shaky because of unsettling events around us,

But it is there.

So today's practice is the space between,

Or resting in uncertainty,

So learning to breathe without answers.

We'll rest in the liminal space.

And if you're like me,

About a year ago I heard that for the first time and I was like,

What is that?

It's the in-between where you don't have answers,

And sometimes that ambiguity can be hard to tolerate.

So we'll try to find some comfort in it today with this practice.

So let's start.

So with an option to signify the arrival into this practice today.

So either touching your heart,

Bringing your hands in prayer and bowing,

Or laying your hands in your lap,

Or however you choose to signify the beginning of this practice.

And this will mark the start of our session.

And just noticing objects,

Colors,

Sounds,

Perhaps reaching for some water,

Some tea,

Some candy,

Finding things in your surroundings to ground yourself.

And if you'd like,

You could use headphones for a more private experience.

You can adjust the lighting in the room that you're in.

And we'll be moving into the practice of yoga nidra.

And as is the case with everything in this practice,

You may want to choose the position you'll be in for yoga nidra.

Typically it is practiced in a laying down position,

Laying down on a yoga mat.

You may choose to do that.

You could lay down on your bed,

Lay down on a couch.

You could sit on the yoga mat,

Sit on a chair,

Sit on an armchair,

Or even remain standing.

You may also choose to close your eyes or keep them open or something in between.

And so moving on to the first part of yoga nidra,

Which is an option,

The setting of an intention or sankalpa.

You may choose a short supportive phrase like,

I am safe.

Repeating it inwardly to yourself.

Or something like,

I choose rest.

Repeating it three times inwardly to yourself,

Like planting a seed in the soil that will bear fruit.

And we'll move on to the rotation of consciousness or the body scan.

And we'll move our awareness slowly through the body.

There's no need to change or judge what you feel.

Just notice and allow what arises,

Letting your attention drift softly from one point to the next,

Like a light touch of awareness,

A quiet visit.

And if the mind wanders,

Simply come back to the body.

Beginning at the crown of the head,

The soft space where thought bequeaths to quiet.

The awareness moves to the forehead,

Smoothing away the lines of effort.

To the eyes,

Resting in their sockets.

Notice the space between the brows,

Wide,

Calm,

Open.

And the cheeks,

The nose and lips,

Relaxed and unguarded.

Awareness in the throat now,

The passage between heart and mind.

Let the breath flow freely here.

Move down to the right shoulder,

The right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm,

And each finger in the hand,

The thumb,

Index,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Sensing warmth,

Ease,

And release.

Shifting to the left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm,

And each finger.

Thumb,

Index,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Letting both arms rest in stillness.

Now bring your awareness to the center of your chest,

The heart space.

It's a quiet pulse of being.

It's steady and present.

Notice the breath moving here.

There's no need to change it.

Just allowing yourself to feel the breath.

And the awareness travels down to the abdomen,

Soft and rising with breath,

To the navel and the pelvis,

The hips,

Where the body meets the ground.

Feeling the pull of gravity and the invitation to let go.

Moving to the right thigh,

The knee,

The shin,

Ankle,

Foot,

Toes.

From the big toe to the little toe.

Sensing the weight,

The warmth,

The connection to the earth.

Now the left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Foot,

And toes.

From the big toe to the little toe.

Both legs now resting heavy and supported.

Now sense your whole back body,

The curve of the spine,

The shoulders,

The back of the head,

Everything that leans into the earth's steady presence.

And then the front body,

The softness of the belly,

The rise of the chest,

The quiet rhythm of the heart.

Feel your awareness expand to include the whole body,

Head to toes,

Front to back,

Inside and out.

The body as one field of awareness,

One gentle rhythm of being.

In this stillness,

In the stillness here,

There's nothing to solve.

No need to rush towards an answer.

Simply rest,

Whole,

Aware,

And breathing in the space between.

And we'll shortly move into our breath awareness.

And this practice of breath awareness again brings an option to focus on another anchor than the breath,

And you'll see that I will bring that option.

So finding a way to let your whole body settle a little deeper.

Feeling yourself fully supported by the surface beneath you.

There's nothing to do,

And there's nowhere to go.

So beginning to notice one steady rhythm within you.

It might be the natural movement of your breath.

Maybe it's the soft hum of sounds in the distance.

Or maybe you sense warmth under your palms,

Under your hands.

Whatever feels easiest to sense,

Let that be your anchor.

And if that anchor is your breath,

Notice how it moves on its own.

Each inhale arrives like a gentle tide rolling in,

And each exhale drifts out,

Releasing what's no longer needed.

Between them,

A small pause,

A moment of stillness,

That asks nothing of you.

You can rest there for a few breaths.

It's like it's floating in the calm between the waves.

And if you prefer another anchor,

Let your attention settle on the sounds that surround you.

They may be shifting.

Some are near,

Some are far.

Maybe they're soft and subtle.

It's like a reminder that life is all around you and continues to be so.

You could also rest in the sense of contact or touch.

The weight of the body,

The warmth beneath the hands,

The solid presence of the ground meeting you.

Feel that steadiness and that connection.

Notice how awareness can gently expand and contract.

Touching sound,

Warmth,

Or breath,

And it softens back into stillness.

There's no right way to do this.

This is a steady rhythm of noticing and returning.

Let the awareness rest.

You don't have to hold on to it tightly.

Simply stay close to what feels real in this moment.

With every breath,

Feeling yourself soften a little more.

And sensing the quiet thread of life within you.

And even here in the space between where we know and we don't know,

There's presence.

There's breath.

There is ground beneath you,

And it's holding you.

And stay here for a few more moments,

Resting in that gentle balance.

Uncertain yet safe.

Alive and aware.

Our visualization of contrast will start soon.

So now that you've settled into the rhythm of stillness,

Begin to imagine yourself surrounded by a vast open space.

It might appear as mist,

Twilight,

Or a gentle fog.

A space without edges or answers.

You're resting right in the middle of it.

Safe.

Suspended.

No hurries.

And sense the weight of your body.

How it meets the ground.

How gravity cradles you.

Then notice the opposite.

A faint feeling of lightness.

As if the edges of you could dissolve softly into air.

Both are true.

Grounded and floating.

Held and spacious.

Now bring awareness to temperature.

Imagine a quiet warmth spreading through the chest.

Perhaps like sunlight resting on the skin.

And around it,

Notice a coolness.

Like air brushing against your cheeks.

The breath moving through space.

Warmth and coolness coexisting.

Each defining the other.

Each reminding you that change is constant,

Yet gentle.

And sense the pulse of stillness in your body.

The quiet steadiness within.

And the subtle motion that never stops.

The breath shifting.

The heart pulsing.

The energy alive beneath the surface.

Stillness and movement.

Neither needing to win both part of your experience.

And you might imagine yourself floating in this in-between.

Neither anchored to the past nor reaching for the future.

But resting in the quiet current of now.

The mist around you is soft and luminous.

Alive with possibility you don't need to name.

And if your mind searches for clarity,

Offer it this image.

You're standing at dawn.

The horizon just beginning to glow.

You can't yet see the full light.

But you can feel it that it's coming.

And for this moment it's enough to rest in that gentle not yet.

And let this feeling of contrast,

Heavy and light,

Warm and cool,

Still and moving,

Remind you that you can hold many truths at once.

You can be uncertain and grounded.

Quiet and alive.

Soft and strong.

And rest here in that wholeness for a few more breaths.

Trusting that even in the space between,

You are held.

You are becoming.

You are enough.

And if you wish,

You may begin to sense the edges of your body again.

The soft boundary where air meets skin.

Feel the weight of you resting.

The warmth that's gathered beneath the surface.

Notice how your body has become quieter.

And even the spaces between your thoughts feel wider now.

Like still water after the tide has turned.

Let your awareness return to the ground beneath you.

With each breath,

Releasing a little more into that support.

Drawing in steadiness,

Calm,

And quiet trust.

There's nothing you need to figure out right now.

You can simply rest in what is.

And if you wish,

Bring one hand to your heart,

One to your belly.

Feel the quiet rhythm of your breathing.

The rhythm of life still moving through you.

Because even here in this uncertainty,

The breath flows.

The heart beats.

The body knows to rest.

And silently repeat and inwardly to yourself.

I can rest even without answers.

I am held in the space between what was and what will be.

I trust the unfolding of what I cannot yet see.

And let those words echo softly within you.

As gentle reminders that you can return to whenever your world feels unsure.

And bringing your awareness back to your surroundings.

The light behind your closed eyes.

The soft light of your half-closed eyes.

The sounds around you.

And the subtle feeling of breath moving in and out.

And taking a deep breath.

And when you feel ready,

Move in your fingers and toes.

And perhaps turning your head to your side,

Rolling over.

And as you open your eyes,

Carry with this,

With you,

Carry your breath.

Carry with you this quiet knowing that you can live in the space between.

It's uncertain,

But it is still whole,

Present,

And becoming.

And if anything at all felt unsettling in this practice,

Please take time to ground,

To journal,

Or to reach out to a trusted person.

And I'd like to thank you for taking time today to take care of yourself.

Namaste.