Yoga Nidra For Alchemizing Fear (Pandemic Support Series)

In this day and age, fear seems to be a dual pandemic operating parallel to the one lead by the coronavirus. Regardless of what is going on in the world Fear does not have to be our default. It can be alchemized. It can be used for growth. It can be overthrown and pacified through love. On the other side of unnecessary fear lays everything you ever dreamed of. The intent of this Nidra is to help you get there.

Music by Harmonic Pathways & The Monk by the Sea

Transcript

To have some fear is healthy.

Without it you would see many of us running into streets and acting on every impulsive behavior quite chaotically.

In this day and age fear seems to be a dual pandemic operating parallel to the one led by the coronavirus.

It is for all of us touched by this life-changing event that I create and dedicate this nidra.

Regardless of what is going on in the world fear does not have to be our default.

It can be alchemized,

It can be leaned into,

It can be used for growth.

Fear can be overthrown and pacified through love.

On the other side of unnecessary fear lays everything you ever dreamed of.

The intent of this nidra is to help you get there.

For this practice you will need a space large enough for you to lay down flat on your back.

It can be a yoga mat or a pile of blankets on the floor.

It can also be a bed if you so choose.

Coining a place in your home as a nidra nest is highly recommended so that you can practice as often as you'd like.

The use of pillows or bolsters beneath the knees,

Behind the head or pillows over the eyes are all encouraged.

It is also recommended that you cut out the time where you will not be interrupted or disturbed for the entirety of this practice.

It is not designed to do in bits and pieces but instead as a whole.

Let us begin this yoga nidra practice by first coming into a seated position on your mat or in your comfortable space.

Begin by crossing through the legs and lengthening through the spine,

Softening through the shoulders,

Drawing them down away from the ears,

Softening through the hips,

Letting the knees fall out to the sides.

From here let us close through the eyes or bring your gaze down towards the floor,

Welcoming the left hand to the chest resting over the heart and the right hand to the low abdomen resting just below the belly button over the sacral center.

Begin to notice the breath,

Seek not to force or change it in any way but instead to just notice and then observe what is effortlessly happening.

What changes happen in the body when you begin to bring your attention here?

Do the shoulders become tense or relaxed?

Does your torso soften or become more rigid?

Do you automatically have an urge to change and adjust what is naturally occurring?

I invite you to instead welcome whatever is here and continue to breathe.

Visualize the breath entering the body and follow it as it moves.

Imagine it as a light mist as it enters the nostrils and continue to track as it moves to the throat,

The chest,

The belly and back out.

Notice how all these spaces open just a little bit more as you breathe.

On the next inhale following the mist through the nose to the throat and when it reaches the chest let it expand outward in all directions,

Moving outward from the chest filling the upper body,

The shoulders,

To the neck,

Down the arms,

Into the hands,

Into the farthest edges of the fingertips.

Release on the exhale.

Next inhale filling all the same spaces once again drawing in through the nose,

The throat,

The chest,

This time feeling the expansiveness enter the belly letting the mist move the belly out,

Filling the ribs move,

The chest rise,

Bringing the spaciousness to the low back,

To the hips,

Legs,

Calves,

Down to the soles of the feet and the toes.

Release on the exhale,

Breathing in one more time here letting the mist reveal all the areas that are touched by the breath,

Filling it enter,

Filling the body head to toe,

Inhale and exhale to soften and release.

Now bringing awareness to the parts of the body that are connected to the mat,

Then bring awareness to the heart space.

Take another breath before slowly opening the eyes or bringing the gaze up.

From here we will navigate ourselves to the floor coming to lay in Shavasana or corpse pose.

You're welcome to take a moment to gather any props or blankets you might wish to use.

Once settled bring your awareness to all the areas of the body that are touching the mat or the floor.

Rock out gently through the back of the head,

Moving it side to side,

Roll the shoulders up and then down the back body.

Feel the shoulder blades,

The low back,

The hips,

Possibly moving up one and then the other if you feel calmed.

Finding stillness,

Bringing attention to the glutes,

The thighs,

Calves,

Ankles and allow the feet to fall out to the sides.

Proceed to bring the left hand to rest on the chest over the heart and the right hand on the low abdomen just below the belly button.

Notice how things feel beneath the hands.

Are they cool to touch or is there warmth here?

Is there a particular feeling or emotion that surfaces?

Maybe there's silence or you feel absolutely nothing.

Please know that whatever is there is perfectly fine.

Take a breath into whatever is there for you and then let it go on the exhale.

Without identifying with any part of it invite the feeling of fear as it comes up see if you can surrender to its cosmic unfolding.

Be the observer and witness what is here.

What does fear look like for you?

What does it feel like for you?

Does it bring with it a personalized message?

Remembering whatever surfaces is only a thought,

Only a feeling,

Only an expression and from a stable and still place you can watch safely and remain untouched.

Breathe into the fear allowing it to expand throughout the body gathering it all up with the strength of the breath and on the exhale release it back out from which it came.

Reevaluate how it feels beneath the hands coming to a place of stillness for a moment.

Begin to invite in the feeling of love.

What does it look like and feel like for you?

Listen for a message in the form of a mantra that will be used for the remainder of the practice.

Perhaps it comes as an affirmation such as I choose love over fear or perhaps as a one-word mantra such as safety.

You are welcome to use either of these,

One of your own or invite the Bijan mantra of the goddess White Tara which is Aum.

White Tara is known for providing swift yet nurturing healing as well as representing divine love,

Compassion,

Wisdom and protection.

Once your mantra is chosen begin to infuse your whole being with it as you breathe.

Fill all the spaces that were once occupied by fear with this infusion.

If you happen to uncover any new spots where fear resides also send your breath here.

Continue to do this until your whole body is overflowing with the essence of your chosen mantra and the feeling of pure love.

Keep the remembrance of this mantra as we move through the practice as this will be your touchstone whenever you need it.

I'm here for you as an outside guide and will be here to support you along the way but you are never trapped or forced to stay in the practice or follow my lead if it doesn't resonate.

Let there be natural fluidity and flow to your experience and only follow to places that are yeses for you.

Let us take two full belly breaths inhaling the mantra and exhaling out old stagnant energy and fear-based thoughts and beliefs.

Breathing in through the nose and out through the nose.

Breathing in through the nose out through the nose.

Taking one final breath here breathing in drawing the mantra into the whole body together.

Inhale through the nose exhale mouth letting the arms and hands release to the sides and the whole body relax itself onto the floor.

I will now guide you through a body scan.

Simply follow the words and draw attention to the body part mentioned as I go.

Throat jaw tongue roof of the mouth teeth gums inside of cheeks the whole mouth lower lip upper lip face right nostril left nostril the whole nose sensation of breath right ear folds of ear ear canal inner ear listening left ear folds of ear ear canal inner ear listening right eye eyebrow temple cheekbone behind the right eye left eye eyebrow temple cheekbone behind the left eye between the brows mind's eye center crown back of the head back of the neck inside the throat whole head and neck base of the throat heart center right shoulder upper arm elbow forearm wrist palm back of the hand thumb right arm first finger second finger third finger middle finger palm wrist forearm elbow upper arm shoulder base of the throat left shoulder upper arm elbow forearm wrist palm back of the hand thumb first finger second finger third finger little finger palm wrist forearm elbow upper arm shoulder base of the throat heart center ribs shoulder blades back of the heart whole back belly navel right hip whole thigh knee lower leg ankle heel sole of foot top of foot big toe second toe third toe fourth toe little toe whole right leg navel left hip whole thigh knee lower leg ankle heel sole of foot big toe second toe third toe fourth toe little toe whole left leg both legs together tailbone sacrum spine back of the head the whole right body the whole left body the whole body the whole body the whole body inhale,

Bringing focus to the whole right side of the body exhale,

Bringing focus to the whole left side of the body repeat,

Inhale on the whole left side of the body repeat,

Exhale on the whole right side of the body inhale the whole right side this time adding the awareness of the left side of the brain exhale,

Left side body right side of the brain repeat,

Inhaling left side of the body,

Right side brain exhale,

Right side body,

Left side brain inhale,

Whole body together exhale,

Whole body together continue to breathe observing how the breath radiates from the heart as you breathe in whole body together and expands out to the body like a starfish on the exhale feel how open and light the body and mind feel as they merge with the heart feel the seed of your mantra blossoming and blooming throughout the whole body invite this resonance of pure love and light in and radiate it out to your surroundings covering your mat or nidra space eventually filling the whole room observe the shifts in your physical body while this occurs continuing to radiate outside of your room to your community to neighboring communities and beyond pausing for a moment return to the heart center bringing your hands back to heart and sacral area take some time to reconnect with that feeling of fear first in your body where does it show up?

How does it reveal itself?

What thoughts does it bring?

Does it appear as a shape?

As a color?

Is there a taste?

A sensation?

A smell?

Feel it in its entirety remembering not to identify or merge coming to your mantra if you feel like it's too much now blanketing the fear with love feeling how love replaces it so easily as though love is our natural state and fear is just an impermanent state created when we grasp onto the things that are meant to move also notice the impermanence of the fearful thoughts the discomfort fear brings in the body how its nature can be moved and changes as we focus instead on the essence of love's true form feel the difference in the levels of safety as you shift between the two what arose with fear?

Perhaps darkness?

Emptiness?

Shame?

What arises with love?

Perhaps light?

Wholeness?

Confidence?

Rest into this,

Holding it in the system as you begin to navigate outward to the mat space to the room to others in the home sense any fears that might exist within your environment blanketing them with love continue to branch out to the community,

To your neighbours to all the people at various institutions in this present moment such as hospitals,

Jails,

Hospice be curious,

Move slowly,

And observe staying anchored in your mantra and the infusion of your love can you sense the fears of all these people in your community,

In the neighbouring communities throughout the province or state,

Throughout the country,

Throughout the globe can you sense their feelings of grief,

Loss,

Despair,

Disconnection can you tap into the global suffering,

All of the fears surrounding climate change surrounding politics,

Surrounding the coronavirus pandemic staying protected by your mantra,

Infused in love,

Can you tap into their collective fear continue to breathe and stay connected with breath,

Breathing in and out love as you witness these things all around you and beyond with each breath in,

Stoke the flames of your radiant heart and on the exhale extend this gift to all of those in need from your household,

To your community,

And the communities beyond notice the shifts that show up for you as this is happening the shifts that show you that this is being effective for you and others maybe it arises as a lightness,

Feeling like the weight of the world has been lifted from your chest or maybe it was seeming very dark and stagnant and now skies are bright and active attempt to find stillness within yourself in this moment how do you know love is being emulated from you successfully when only the language of your heart is speaking,

What does it sound like?

What does it have to say?

Begin to see the image of a heart before you,

See it first as small as though it was your very own individual sized heart what colour is it?

What size?

Is it flat?

Is it three dimensional like a cartoon?

Sink into its movement with your breath,

Watching it grow with each inhale and contract on each exhale continue to do this until the heart is the size of one collective heart once it is full,

Repeat your original mantra,

Feeling the mantra's echoes throughout the whole body feeling it every time that the heart beats on the next exhale,

Release it and now recreate a mantra that is supportive of everyone for example,

If it was when I choose love over fear,

Life begins to flow,

It could become when we choose love over fear or if it was one word like safety,

That might evolve to everyone is safe om is the sound of creation and you are welcome to continue to use this if it resonates for you once you have decided,

Continue to focus on the heart and sink breath,

Adding this new mantra now envision drawing this collective heart into the centre of your chest feel how much more full each heart beat is,

How much more love it is capable of exuding feel how much more love it is capable of holding take a deep breath in,

Filling the whole body on the exhale,

Softening as much as possible into the warmth of this collective heart connect with all the parts of the body that are touching the mat,

Rocking the head,

Moving the shoulders focusing on the low back,

The hips,

Thighs,

Calves,

Ankles,

Roll out through the wrists and the hands wiggling the fingers,

Roll out through the ankles,

The feet,

Pointing the toes turn the head to one side and then the other coming through centre,

Scrunching up the face tightly,

Tightening through the forehead,

Through the cheeks,

Through the chin,

Closing the eyes inhale tight tight tight,

And exhale release,

Opening through the eyes,

Opening the mouth,

Sticking the tongue out if you'd like then bringing the tongue between the upper lips and the lower lips release the whole body together if you would like to drift off to sleep,

You are more than welcome to stay here if you are planning on returning to your day or evening,

Get up slowly,

First bringing knees into the chest rocking side to side,

Massaging the low back lift arms up over the head,

Point down through the toes,

Taking a big stretch bringing knees back towards the chest,

And rolling to one side eventually come up into a seated position with the legs stretched out in front of you you're welcome to lightly massage the feet,

Tap the calves,

And the thighs with your fists,

Just lightly,

Just so lightly,

Just waking them up crossing your arms over each other,

Using one hand to squeeze one arm,

And the other hand to squeeze the opposite arm giving yourself a big hug here rub the hands together,

Warming them,

Then placing over the eyes,

The cheeks,

The ears bring your fingertips to the temples,

Gently rubbing here in circular motion if you'd like,

You can run the fingers through the hair,

Tugging very lightly from the top of the head,

To the sides and then at the base of the head,

Shaking out through the hands moving the feet continue to bring in any movement or breath you choose before going on with your day it's a pleasure guiding you through this heart-opening,

Fear-relinguishing practice the light that shines within me,

Honors and respects,

The light that shines within you namaste