Welcome to Yoga Nidra.
I'm Carrie Martinez of Soul Rattle and this is a winter solstice yoga nidra practice.
Let's prepare for rest.
First,
Make sure your space that you're resting in is free from distractions.
Lie down in this comfortable space and you can use a pillow for the head or under your knees to release any tension in the back.
Maybe have a cozy blanket and settle in to your rest in.
Now that you're settled,
Feel free during the practice of yoga nidra to adjust your rest position at any time you feel the need.
Remain as comfortable as you can be.
During the practice,
Try to remain still,
As still as you can,
But know at any time you can move around if needed.
Do not fall asleep,
Remaining somewhat alert with a trace of awareness through this practice.
Stay in touch with my voice and its guidance throughout the meditation.
Now bring your attention to the body and begin to feel into the places where the body comes into contact with your supports right now.
Feeling the heels and the calves and the backs of the knees,
The backs of the thighs in contact with the supports.
Feeling the pelvis and the buttocks release.
Feel the low back and spine completely supported along with the backs of the shoulders,
The middle back,
The arms and hands are supported.
Maybe feeling tension release in the neck and feeling the point of contact with the head and your pillow.
Imagining that the earth herself was rising up from beneath you,
Holding you up in the dark night.
Imagining that you can see the night sky above you,
The stars shimmering and the planets shining.
Feeling connected to earth on the longest winter night.
Close the eyes and draw the attention deep inside of your heart space.
Bringing attention to the heart space,
Begin turning inward and becoming very quiet like a snowflake falling to the ground.
In the heart space you notice a light,
This light within you that's always there.
You know here you're safe and secure and held through the practice.
Let's take a deep breath,
Inhale and exhale,
Let it go.
Breathing fully once again,
Breathing in,
Exhaling and this time letting go any tensions,
Holding,
Stress,
Worries,
Anxieties,
Let it all go with this breath.
Bring your intention into your awareness.
Repeat your intention three times within this safe heart space within you.
Allow the intention to begin to seep into the cells of your being.
Bring your attention to your breath and we'll begin our practice with breath holding.
Let's take three deep breaths together and hold each one.
When you release the breath you're going to purse the lips as if you were breathing out through a small straw through the mouth and exhale very slowly.
Between each of these three breaths we'll just breathe normally.
So let's inhale together taking a deep breath in,
Full and complete.
Hold the breath,
Holding the breath in and hold it in until you feel prompted by the urge to exhale.
And let the breath go until there's almost nothing left.
And now breathe normally.
And now the second breath,
Let's breathe it in together once again,
Full deep breath.
Again hold the breath in,
Closing off the throat.
And this time you feel a little tension begin to build but there's no stress in that,
No struggle.
And again when your body feels ready just begin to release the breath slow and easy.
Imagining that whatever needed to go from the body could just be breathed out right here right now.
And breathe normally.
And now let's breathe this last third breath in together here.
Take a deep breath,
Inhale.
Hold the breath in,
Holding just a little bit longer this time.
Again no strain or struggle.
And when the body is ready to release the breath,
Exhale and let the breath go.
And here you breathe it all out.
Let it all go.
Breathing normally,
Feeling open.
And you simply here just let the breath breathe itself.
Breath rising and falling in its normal pattern.
And with your next exhalation just allow all expression to just wipe from the face as you bring your attention to the head and the face.
And here as you breathe in and out you feel the tiny muscles in the face around the eyes and the eyeballs and the eye sockets.
Feel those muscles begin to release tension.
Muscles around the mouth soften and release.
The whole jaw begins to let go.
And maybe you can sense some space between the teeth.
The tongue resting back in the mouth,
Soft and easy.
Allowing the cheeks to release,
The forehead to release.
And the head becomes heavy as it surrenders to its supports.
And the scalp as it's resting on the skull loses its tension.
The neck becomes softer,
The throat is soft.
All the tension draining out of the neck,
The head,
The face,
Even the ears soften.
And you become aware of all the sensations of this tension releasing in your face and head.
And feeling all of that release of tension flow throughout your whole body.
Letting go.
And everything that's going is free to go.
And everything that is coming is free to come in.
As long as it's for our highest good,
Our highest frequency and vibration,
It is welcome.
Feel yourself a little bit more relaxed.
The outward attention is beginning to move further inward.
Begin to feel these sensations of release everywhere.
And it's becoming very quiet within you,
Even more quiet.
Once again,
Bring the breath into your attention here.
Feeling the gentle rise and fall of the belly and chest with every breath in and every breath out.
As you breathe in and out,
Bring your attention to the right nostril and the right side of your body.
And imagine the breath coming in through the sole of the right foot,
In through the right side of the body,
Right nostril,
Right side of the head,
Right arm,
Right hand.
And exhale the breath out.
And so just take your attention here on the right side.
Breathing in on the right side.
Feeling the warmth of the right side of the body as you breathe in and out.
The warmth of the air,
The warmth of the energy.
Inhaling and exhaling,
Not trying to make anything happen.
Just let the breath come and go on its own.
And then bring your attention to the left nostril,
Left side of the body.
And imagine here breathing in through the left sole of the foot,
Into the left leg,
Left nostril,
Left side of the head,
Left arm into the hand.
Breathing that breath in and releasing it out.
Here on the left side,
We experience the cooling breath.
Breathing in and out,
Left side.
Inhaling left side and exhaling left side.
Feel the energy on the left side of the body.
And so now let's alternate sides.
Starting with the right sun side.
Inhaling in through the right side of the body and through the right nostril.
Up to the third eye,
The brow center.
Exhaling down the left side,
Left nostril.
Expelling the breath.
And inhaling in through the left nostril,
Left side,
Up to the third eye.
Exhaling out through the right side,
Right nostril.
And go.
Inhale right,
Third eye.
Exhale left.
Inhale left,
Third eye.
Exhale right.
Inhale right.
Continue in this pattern.
We'll add the mantra So Hum on the next inhale.
And exhale.
Hear the sound so.
Third eye.
Exhale.
Hearing the sound hum until the breath has been released.
Inhaling so.
Exhaling hum.
Inhaling so.
Exhaling hum.
Continue here until I ask you to stop.
Being totally engaged in the presence of That I Am.
That I Am.
So Hum.
And now release the technique and breathe normally.
And bring your attention to the third eye point and just rest in silence.
Feel your whole body lying still.
Feeling safe and comfortable.
And you begin to drop into that space where all struggle is released.
Do nothing from now on.
And now follow my guidance as we begin to move our attention through a body scan.
Bring your attention to the sole of the right foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Right knee.
Thigh.
Hip.
Waist.
Right side of the chest.
Right armpit.
Shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Back of the right hand.
Little finger.
Ring finger.
Middle finger.
Index finger.
Right thumb.
Palm of the right hand.
Right side of the throat.
Neck and jaw.
Right side of the face and the head.
And here sense energy pulsing through the entire right side of the body.
Pulsing energy moving on this right side.
The whole right side of the body.
In awareness.
And now bring your attention to the sole of the left foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Lower leg.
Left knee.
Thigh.
Hip.
Waist.
Left side of the chest.
Left armpit.
Shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Forearm.
Wrist.
Back of the left hand.
Little finger.
Ring finger.
Middle finger.
Index finger.
Left thumb.
Palm of the left hand.
Feel the left side of the throat,
Neck and jaw.
Left side of the face and head.
Experience energy pulsing through the left side of the body.
Moving up and down the left side.
You feel this energy pulsing through you now.
The whole left side in awareness.
Whole left side of the head.
And now become aware of the whole body.
From the soles of both feet.
All the way up to the crown of the head.
The whole body.
One pulsating energetic field.
Layers and layers of your being.
Pulsing and synchronicity.
Experience the whole body as a balanced body.
Creating all experiences through all lifetimes.
The whole body is just bathed in this awareness.
And imagine from this surface of awareness you begin to dive deeper.
Into a deeper layer of awareness.
Imagine the earth holding you up as you lie back on the earth and gaze up at the night sky.
You see the stars.
Tiny pinpricks in the night sky.
The deepest midnight.
And in your heart you feel a call to rise up and sit up.
And you notice next to you is a basket.
In that basket you have put all of your treasured belongings.
And you stand and you pick up the basket as you begin to walk down a path.
It's a dark path but there's a little moonlight shining on it so you can see.
It is absolutely peaceful as snowflakes begin to fall and whiten the path to be seen brighter and brighter.
In the distance you see a fire pit.
A glowing fire that has been set.
It's very warm and bright.
In the middle of a clearing and you know that this fire has been lit for you.
And as you walk towards the fire you set the basket down and you begin to set out one by one all the treasured belongings side by side safe and sound by the fire.
Beyond the fire you can see a trickle of water from a stream.
And you hear the water trickling and moving.
And you feel called to it as you stand up once again and take the empty basket towards the water.
And there at the water's edge is something that you thought was lost of your treasured belongings.
Something that was a part of you that you thought you'd lost.
But you see it now it's found and you pick it up and you place it in your basket.
Walking back to the fire,
To its warmth,
To its safety,
Its peace,
Its calmness.
And as you walk back you feel this piece of you,
This lost thing,
This thing you thought you had lost and recognize it was with you all along.
And you feel it integrating into you as you walk back closer to the fire and sit down.
And you take it to and you set it down by all your treasured possessions.
If there's anything of these things that you know it's time to let go of,
You could throw it into the fire now.
But if all of these things you see carrying forward into this new world where you're fully integrated,
Fully self-realized,
Any of those treasures are to stay with you,
Then place them all in the basket now.
The fire is beginning to burn low,
Fading away.
And there's the dawn that is coming.
And you're ready.
You're ready to emerge into the light of day and you're free to express all of who you are,
The fully actualized and integrated being.
Recognize you have purpose,
That you are needed,
That you are desired and loved just as you are.
And here drop into the deepest levels of relaxation right now.
Give yourself permission to do nothing.
Open and empty of all doing,
All past and all future.
Become the space that you are,
In which everything is happening.
And here your intentions and affirmations can be received and actualized and fulfilled without any doing.
So bring your intention into your awareness now.
Repeat it to yourself three times.
And allow your intention to go to the deepest levels of your being.
And at this time,
Feel a circle of your guides,
Angels,
Mentors,
Teachers or family members,
Ancestors.
Those you feel so connected to and protected by,
Feel their presence now.
And it may feel as if it's a universal energy,
Light surrounding you,
Guiding you.
And just know that you are always in this presence.
You are always connected to this energy.
And that you can call on this presence at any time should you need.
Asking your guides and helpers for any guidance.
And right now if there's any message to be received or guidance of the highest council,
Just receive it now.
Staying open to receive any messages that need to be heard.
Otherwise,
Just simply rest back.
Rest back in the grace of the here and now and the sacredness.
Begin to take some deep breaths in and out.
Beginning to arrive back in your body.
Feeling into your fingers and hands and coming back up to this surface of awareness as if you were resting on all your supports again,
Connected to the earth,
But back in the body.
And here you can begin to just move and stretch gently as if you were awakening from a deep sleep.
Hugging the knees into the chest,
Rocking side to side,
Coming back into awareness.
And take a moment to roll over to the right side.
And bring your intention into the mind one last time.
And know that this intention has been planted like a seed in your soul and it will bloom and blossom in its time.
And that you can activate this intention anytime by repeating it to yourself,
Writing it down,
Whatever you need.
And that every time we practice yoga nidra,
Something deep shifts within us.
We don't have to know,
Feel it or know it or think it.
It just happens.
Coming all the way up to seated position for our close.
Taking a deep breath,
Inhale and exhale.
Om shanti shanti shanti.
Om peace,
Peace,
Peace.
Stay well rested.
