Anahata (Heart) Chakra Yoga Nidra

Please enjoy this 30 minute guided meditation focused on the heart chakra. The anahata chakra represents love, compassion, and acceptance. Signs of imbalance include grief, jealousy, and hate for self or others. We could all use some heart healing in this crazy world. You will feel empowered to open your heart and foster compassion and love for yourself and others in this relaxing practice.

Transcript

Hello,

Catherine here from Yoga Narasaka.

Welcome to today's practice.

We will be practicing Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep.

This type of yoga does not require any movement.

All you need to do is lie down in a comfortable position and listen to my voice.

You will be in a reclined position for the entirety of the practice,

So make sure that you have somewhere to lie down,

Either on your yoga mat or a bed or couch.

You may want to take a minute to find a pillow,

Blanket or sleep mask to ensure that you are comfortable.

You may choose to lie on your back in savasana or on your side in the fetal position.

I will guide you into deep relaxation using a variety of techniques,

Including breath work,

A body scan and visualization.

You may not remember all that is said during the practice as we reach deeper states of relaxation,

But your subconscious will receive this information.

Remember that there is no wrong way to do Yoga Nidra.

Trust that you will get what you need out of the practice.

Settling in now for the practice of Yoga Nidra,

Is there anything you can do to ensure that your body is even 5% more comfortable?

Perhaps placing an extra pillow beneath the head,

Neck,

Low back or knees.

Pulling a soft blanket over the body for warmth.

You might let the eyes flutter closed or place a sleep mask over them.

Letting the low back sink into the support of the earth.

Finding comfort,

Aiming to settle into stillness,

Making any final movements you need,

But knowing that you may move at any time during your practice if you need.

The theme of our practice today is the Anahata or Heart Chakra.

This chakra is located in the center of the chest and represents love,

Compassion,

And acceptance.

It calls us to open our hearts to others,

Even though this makes us vulnerable to heartbreak.

The mantra of the Anahata Chakra is,

I love.

This is an affirmation to remind us that we have a deep capacity for love for others in our hearts and that we are just as worthy to receive love from others and from ourselves.

Repeat this mantra to yourself three times,

Either internally or out loud.

Let's take a deep inhale.

I love,

And exhale.

Inhale.

I love,

And exhale.

Inhale.

I love.

We will take a journey through the body now,

Bringing your attention to each part of the body,

Following the guidance of my voice.

Imagine your awareness to be a beautiful,

Shimmering emerald light,

The color of the heart chakra flowing through each part of the body as you bring your attention to it,

Noticing any sensations that arise when this light of awareness shines in the body.

We will start in the heart.

As you breathe in,

The light grows brighter,

And as you breathe out,

It dims slightly but never goes out.

Focus on this green light pulsing for the next few breaths,

Growing brighter and brighter as you focus your attention on it.

On the next breath in,

Send the light from your heart to your head,

Letting it fill your head with radiant energy,

Loosening the jaw,

Letting the tongue fall away from the teeth,

Softening the cheeks,

The space between the eyebrows,

The eyes,

Releasing any tension in the face,

Gentle breath in the nostrils,

The ears listening,

Beautiful emerald light glowing from the inside out.

On the next breath in,

The light flows down to the nape of the neck,

Along the right collar bone,

To the shoulder,

The upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the hand,

The thumb,

Pointing finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Emerald light pulsing in the right hand.

Breathing back up the arm now to the wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

And collar bone,

Sending the light back to the heart for a moment,

Breathing in and out,

Building energy,

Emerald light pulsing with the breath.

On the next breath in,

The light flows along the left collar bone,

To the shoulder,

The upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of the hand,

The thumb,

Pointing finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Emerald light pulsing in the left hand,

Moving back up the arm now to the wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

And collar bone,

Sending the light back to the heart for a moment,

Breathing in and out,

Building energy,

Emerald light pulsing with the breath.

As you breathe deeper,

The light begins to grow to fill the whole chest,

Feeling the lungs expand with breath and energy,

The ribs expanding too,

The belly gently rising and falling,

The whole upper body basking in beautiful emerald light.

The light flows now to the waist,

The hips,

The pelvis,

To the right thigh,

The knee,

The calf,

Ankle,

Foot,

The toes,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole right foot,

Pulsing with green light,

Back of the leg now to the ankle,

The calf,

Knee and thigh,

To the left thigh,

The knee,

The calf,

Ankle,

Foot,

The toes,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole left foot,

Pulsing with green light,

Back of the leg now to the ankle,

The calf,

Knee and thigh,

The whole body now basking in beautiful healing light,

Emerald light from the heart,

Bringing your attention to the breath now,

Witnessing its natural rhythm,

The gentle movement of air in and out of the nostrils,

Noticing cool air entering the body and warm air leaving.

The seed sound of the heart chakra is the sound yam,

Let's chant this sound three times,

Imagining the sound coming from the heart center and resonating through the whole body.

We'll take a deep breath in,

Make the sound on the exhale,

Either out loud or in your mind.

Yam yam yam Letting the breath return back to its natural rhythm now,

Focusing on the sensation of the belly and chest rising and falling with each inhale and exhale.

Focus on your emotions for a moment now.

Emotions can be felt in the body,

Notice the sensations that arise in different areas of the body when I mention these various emotions.

The feeling of love,

Imagine being with someone you love,

It could be a person from your past or present,

A romantic love or platonic love.

Perhaps you feel warm,

Cheeks flushed,

Your heart may beat a little faster,

You may feel it fluttering in the chest,

Yet you feel calm,

The feeling of love.

Now imagine the feeling of compassion.

When you are feeling upset,

Another person may meet you with compassion.

You might feel some of your sadness or fear begin to dissipate,

Any tension or heaviness in the body,

Perhaps in the shoulders or the face,

Begins to relax.

You feel physically lighter.

You're more aware of your physical body because you finally feel seen.

The feeling of compassion.

Now imagine the feeling of kindness when you go out of your way to do something nice and unexpected for others.

You may feel a swelling of pride in your chest,

Again you might feel warmer and lighter.

You can't help but smile,

Feeling the corners of your mouth turn up when you know that you have also brought a smile to someone else's face.

The feeling of kindness.

All of these wonderful emotions that opening our hearts can bring to us.

Let your mind be free of attention to the body and the breath now and let your mind's eye wander as I guide you through some visualizations.

Take notice of the images that visit you from this dreamlike state of consciousness.

Imagine a lotus flower at the heart center floating just above the body as if floating on water.

It is a lush shade of green.

It begins to open as you inhale,

Unfurling its petals as if opening to the sun.

As you exhale it begins to close as if signaled by the moon.

Opening and closing,

Opening and closing,

Opening and closing,

Undulating on invisible waves.

I will list some images now,

Let them float up to the surface and fade away only to be replaced by the next.

The number 12.

12 items,

Your subconscious may choose what these are.

A green object.

An animal that you have compassion for.

A person that you love dearly.

Imagine now that you are standing at the top of Mount Everest,

The highest peak in the world.

The air here is very thin.

You can almost see the atmosphere,

The layer of air that circles the globe like a protective blanket extending out in all directions.

You take a deep breath in,

Gathering as much of this thin air as you can and breathe out.

Imagining the air that you breathe out to be more dense and settling down towards the earth.

Taking thin air in,

Letting dense air out.

The element of the heart chakra is air.

Just imagine that we are breathing in love as air.

Taking thin air and turning it into love to blanket the whole planet.

Breathing deeply,

Spreading love everywhere around the earth.

Wrapping it in a protective blanket of kindness,

Compassion,

And peace.

Remember your mantra now.

I love.

I love.

I love.

Reaffirming to yourself that you will open your heart despite the risks.

That you hold within you a deep capacity for love,

Kindness,

Compassion,

And acceptance.

That the world needs these virtues now more than ever and that you can be a shining example of this beautiful heart energy.

Bringing your attention back to the breath now.

Focusing on the sensation of breath in the nostrils.

Cool air in,

Warm air out.

The feeling of breath as it touches the roof of the mouth and the back of the throat.

All the way down and into the lungs.

Expanding outwards,

Pressing the rib cage,

And expanding the spaces between them.

The sensation of the lungs compressing.

Sending air back up and out.

Taking a deep breath in,

Long sigh out.

Deep breath in,

Long sigh out.

Deep breath in,

Long sigh out.

Coming back into the physical body now.

Feeling warmth,

Perhaps under blankets or clothing.

Feeling coolness on exposed skin,

Perhaps on the cheeks or ears.

Sensing any sounds in the room around you,

Any smells.

Noticing the light behind the eyelids,

Perhaps fluttering them open and adjusting to the light.

Wiggling the fingers and toes,

Taking a big stretch if that feels good.

Tensing all the muscles in the body as you inhale.

And relaxing as you exhale.

Releasing any tension.

Repeating this a few times,

Tensing and relaxing.

Tensing and relaxing.

Breathing slowly and mindfully now,

Rolling over to one side,

Taking a moment here to rest and reawaken.

Concluding your practice of yoga nidra today.

And pressing yourself up to a seated position.

Bringing hands to heart center,

Take a gentle bow as you thank yourself for showing up.

Thank you for taking the time to practice with me.

The light in me sees and honors the light within you.

Reviews

Beautiful nidra practice, nicely paced, not too slow, not too fast. The music is in the background and doesn't disturb the words, spoken in a calm and nice voice.
Great introduction. Includes body scan, sankalpa, Anahata bija sound, visualisation, breath awareness.

I really needed a practice like this and will return frequently.
Thank you very much! 🙏💚🙏

Excellent nidra, very relaxing and heart opening 💗
I love that it's extended to healing the earth.

Catherine, thank you so much for your beautiful nidra. So peaceful and calming.

Thank you ❤️

Beautiful.
Thank you.
💖

A much needed elevation and sweetening of my weary body and soul.