Welcome to a winter solstice yoga nidra.
To begin,
Lie back in a comfortable position.
You may choose to place a pillow,
A blanket,
Or a bolster under your knees to keep them slightly bent and relaxed.
If you like,
Cover yourself with a soft blanket.
And if it feels safe,
Close your eyes and perhaps place an eye pillow over your eyes.
Take a moment to settle in.
And make any final adjustments to your orientation,
Props,
And your clothing now.
As yoga nidra is best practiced in full stillness from this point on.
Take a moment to settle.
And feel the support beneath you.
Say to yourself mentally,
I will not sleep.
I will stay awake for the entire duration of this yoga nidra session.
Become aware of any sounds that you hear in the distance.
As you listen.
Seek out the most distant sound you can detect in this moment.
Treat each sound that you notice as though it were completely unfamiliar and new to you.
Notice the quality and the texture of each sound without feeling any desire to name the source of the sounds that you hear.
Listen intently and intensify your sense of hearing.
Slowly.
Notice sounds that are closer and closer to you.
And listen for the nearest sounds that you can perceive.
Now is the time for you to set a sankalpa or a determined resolve.
This short positive statement is your intention for doing this practice.
In this state of ease that you create,
Your mind is most open to the absorption of this statement.
Take this time to create your sankalpa now.
Please silently state this sankalpa three times.
Now I will invite you to rotate your awareness around various parts of your body.
Simply allow your mind to jump from body part to body part as I name them.
Mentally repeat the name of the body part to yourself after you hear me say it.
This body scan practice begins on your right side.
Bring your awareness now to your right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of your hand,
Back of your hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf.
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your foot,
Top of your foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of your hand,
Back of your hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your foot,
Top of your foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of your body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Your entire back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The back of your neck,
The back of your head,
The top of your head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of your eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
Your pelvic floor,
Your whole right leg,
Your whole left leg,
Your whole right arm,
Your whole left arm,
Your whole face,
Your whole head,
Your whole torso,
Your whole body.
Now,
Draw your awareness to the natural ebb and flow of your own breath.
Twist entirely with your breath and let all else simply fade away.
Notice how easily your breath flows without any direction nor guidance from you.
Notice the rhythm that your respiration naturally finds.
Attention to the briefest of pauses at the top of your inhale and at the bottom of your exhale.
Experience these peaks and valleys in the cycles of your breath.
And within this shortest of pauses at the top and the bottom,
Feel the stillness there.
Become aware of the sensations that accompany your breath.
Detect a slight cooling in your nostrils as you breathe in and a radiating warmth in your nostrils as you exhale.
Feel the subtle movement in your body in response to your breath.
Your back ribs gently nudge into the space beneath you as you inhale and you soften downward as you exhale.
Invite the experience of deep heaviness in your physical body.
With your exhale,
Feel as though you are sinking down into the earth below.
You become heavier and heavier as though gravity has grown five times more powerful and hugs you deeper down moment by moment.
Feel yourself deepening down,
Down,
And heavier yet down.
Now experience levity in your body as your lungs fill with air.
Awaken to a sense of lightness of physical being.
You are becoming so light that it feels as though the space between you and the ground below increases.
You're like a feather floating on the wind of each breath you take,
Lifting higher,
Becoming lighter and lighter.
Open to a feeling now of bitter cold in your body.
Feel as though you're outdoors on a cold winter day without a jacket.
Experience your skin becoming chillier.
Your inhale cooler and cooler.
Let this sensation of cold seep through your skin,
Deeply down into your bones themselves.
Experience now a searing wave of heat flash through your body.
Feel scorching heat encompass your physical being.
You're burning hot like red embers in raging fire.
Let that image go.
And instead,
Imagine yourself in a serene snow-covered woodland forest.
Although the night air is chilly,
You feel perfectly comfortable.
And as you gaze out,
You notice majestic,
Full pine trees with the tops of their branches perfectly frosted by heavy white snow.
Scanning the horizon,
The snow glitters upon each branch it rests.
And as you breathe in,
The air is redolent with the scent of evergreen.
The moon overhead is breathtakingly full,
And it bathes the forest below in gilded moonlight.
The atmosphere is hushed,
And the snow insulates the forest from all sound.
As you take in the trees that surround you,
You feel as though you are safely tucked away in a hidden sanctuary.
In the distance,
You notice a tree much larger than the others.
Its sturdy trunk is immense and solid,
And earthy tangled roots reach out well beyond its center.
The branches above have sheltered the space under the tree from any fallen snow,
Creating a safe haven at this tree's base.
You take a step in the direction of the tree and can hear the muffled sound of snow beneath your foot.
Step by step,
You make your way to the tree,
Your pace slow and reverential.
When you arrive at the space beneath the protective canopy of branches,
You can sense that the air here is slightly warmer.
You're able to smell the rich,
Loamy soil beneath,
And you decide to sit down upon the lush mulch.
You settle into a poised seat on the earth,
And again gaze into the placid winter forest.
You feel the moonlight bathing over you,
As the scene softly glows around you.
And you feel yourself becoming one with its tranquility.
You are practicing yoga nidra,
And you are awake.
You will now experience a few moments of silence.
Allow this time of silence to blanket over you,
Quieting any thoughts.
Five minutes of silence begins now.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
Five minutes of silence ends.
With a sense of pure resolve,
Repeat your saan kopa three times silently.
Deepen your breath,
And bring your consciousness back to your body.
Awaken to external awareness.
Feel yourself resting on that beneath you which supports you.
Feel your clothing against your skin.
And feel any props or blankets that are touching your body.
In your mind's eye visualize the room around you,
The floor,
The ceiling,
And where you are in this room.
When you feel ready,
Invite small movements in your fingers and your toes.
Feel the sensation of awakening climb from the periphery of your body towards your center.
Feel the sensation of awakening climb from the periphery of your body towards your center.
Your practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Peace,
Peace,
Peace.
Silence.
