Today's Yoga Nidra explores the relationship between the busy,
Full energy of spring and the calm that exists in the heart of even all this activity.
I invite you to find a quiet place,
Dark or with gentle lighting,
And take some time to allow yourself to find a position that is fully comfortable and easeful.
Pause this recording if you need to,
To ensure that you are able to ease in,
Relax,
And enjoy.
Now settle into a comfortable position,
Supporting your body or covering yourself with anything that you need to be fully at ease.
Consider closing your eyes,
Allowing your attention to draw inward.
In spring,
The season of doing and movement and becoming,
Today's practice is an invitation to give yourself permission to simply be for a few minutes.
Start by listening to the sounds around you.
Spring can be noisy.
It is a season of singing birds,
Wind moving through new leaves,
Increased activity in so many places.
Acknowledge these sounds,
And then simply allow them to recede,
Bringing your attention inward to the sound of your breath and the sound of this recording.
Feel the support of the surface beneath you,
And below that the earth,
Steady and still,
While the world rushes toward the warmer,
Faster season.
Now I invite you to set a sankalpa,
Or heartfelt intention.
This can be a short,
Positive statement in the present tense,
An intention not only for your practice today,
But to take with you as you move through your busy spring.
Perhaps in the spirit of today's practice,
It could be something like,
I rest deeply as the world blossoms.
Choose this or another statement that calls to you,
And repeat it to yourself inwardly three times,
Allowing yourself to imagine your statement as fully real,
Embodied and present in your life.
Now we'll begin a rotation of awareness around the body.
As I name each part,
Simply allow your awareness to rest there briefly,
Without lingering too long or focusing too hard,
In much the same way as a bird might hop from branch to branch.
Beginning on the right side,
The right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth,
Fifth,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Up,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
The right side waist,
Hip,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Moving to the left side of the body,
The left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth,
Fifth,
Palm of the left hand,
Back of the left hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
The left side waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Ankle,
Heel,
The sole of the left foot,
The top of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
And now moving to the back of the body,
The back of the head,
Back of the neck,
The right shoulder blade,
And the left shoulder blade,
The middle of the back,
Low back,
The glutes,
The backs of the legs,
And the whole back together,
Resting gently on the mat.
The whole back together.
And now moving to the front of the body,
The top of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Nose,
Lips,
Chin,
Throat,
Chest,
Navel,
Abdomen,
And the tops of the legs,
And then the whole front of the body together.
The whole front of the body.
And now just feel the whole body together,
Resting in stillness.
The whole body together.
Now simply focus on the breath.
No need to change anything.
Simply observe.
Prana is not simply the breath,
But the energy within the breath.
Take a note of the path of the breath and of your prana through your body.
Imagine the breath flowing to your toes,
To your fingers,
To your belly,
To your heart,
From the base of your spine up to the crown of your head.
And then feeling the breath and the energy both within and around the whole body as you inhale and exhale.
Now let's move between the sounds and busyness of spring and its quiet and stillness.
Imagine you are standing by a pond or pool at night.
The air is thick with the noise of spring.
Hundreds of frogs singing,
Chirping,
Chaotic and vibrant,
Loud and frantic.
Now lift your gaze to the full moon hanging above the water.
Experience the moon's light and energy.
It is bright,
Powerful,
And massive,
And yet moves in absolute silence.
Feel this quiet energy washing over the noisy pond.
The noise of the frogs coexisting with the deeper silence of the moon.
Imagine yourself as the moon.
Watch the busyness of this spring scene from that place of silver,
Full stillness.
Now imagine a garden in the height of spring.
Everything in motion.
Bees vibrating and humming over blossoms.
Green shoots pushing through the soil with invisible force.
The wind,
Playful and restless.
Small animals,
Maybe a rabbit or a squirrel,
Darting,
Hopping,
Leaping.
In the center of this garden,
Notice a massive old tree.
Its roots reaching deep and stable,
Even as new growth rustles in the breeze.
Under this tree,
Notice a large ancient stone.
Find a place to sit under the tree,
Near the stone.
Feel its coolness against your skin.
Allow yourself to rest here,
Cool and quiet,
Just as the stone is cool and quiet as you observe the busy spring day.
Take in any sounds,
Smells,
Textures,
Colors.
Notice the temperature of the air,
Temperature of the stone,
And of your own skin.
As you sit,
The sky above you transitions from the bright blue of an active day to the soft,
Deep indigo of a spring night.
Perhaps you see stars or the moon.
Notice as the whole world around you,
Its busy plants and animals,
The tree you're beneath,
Even the singing frogs,
Pause,
Cool,
And catch their breath.
From this place of stillness and quiet under the tree,
Find your sankalpa,
Your intention,
Again,
And repeat it to yourself three times.
Now start to bring your attention back to the sounds in the room and outside the room.
Allow yourself to rest in this moment of still and quiet,
Yourself calm and peaceful,
While the world is busy.
And now start to return your attention to your body,
Wiggling your fingers and toes,
Gently turning your head from side to side.
When you're ready,
Roll onto one side and take a few breaths.
Eventually find your way back to your seated position.
Allow your eyes to gently open and rejoin your day.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
