Welcome,
My name is Leah and this is a yoga nidra practice to honor the air element within the body.
Connect with the air of your own breath through this airy,
Spacious,
Refreshing journey,
Invoking a sense of lightness throughout the body and a cooling of the nervous system as we gently lower into a more parasympathetic state.
Lie down comfortably,
Supported in every way,
Either laying on the earth,
The couch,
Or even in your bed.
Let your body feel light,
As if floating on a soft breeze.
Eyes close gently,
And you may even consider an eye covering to block out any light.
Arms rest at your sides,
Palms open.
Begin to notice the breath,
Breathing in and out through the nose.
The inhale like a cool breeze drifting in.
The exhale like a gentle wind flowing out.
With each cycle of breath,
Allow yourself to become lighter,
More spacious.
You are safe,
You are gently supported,
And you are ready to drift inward on the currents of awareness.
Feel your body soften and release.
Forehead smooth,
Eyes resting,
Jaw unclenched,
Shoulders softening into the supports beneath you.
Hips heavy,
Legs and feet relaxed.
Let each exhale carry away tension,
As though the wind is gently sweeping through you,
Clearing and refreshing.
Listen now to the sounds around you,
And in this recording,
Like echoes carried on the breeze.
Accept them as part of your practice.
Your whole body rests in stillness,
Like a feather floating on air.
Now bring to mind a sankalpa,
An inner resolve.
You may be working with your own sankalpa,
Or it may be something like,
I am light and free.
Or,
I move with the flow of life.
Trust it will take root and blossom.
Silently repeat your sankalpa three times,
Feeling it float gently into your awareness,
As if carried by the wind.
Now begin the rotation of awareness through the body,
Starting in the lungs.
Notice the breath as it fills the lungs,
And as the breath leaves the lungs.
Feel the right lung,
The left lung,
Both lungs together.
Right shoulder,
Right arm,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Hand,
Right thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger.
Left shoulder,
Left arm,
Elbow,
Wrist,
Hand,
Left thumb,
First finger,
Second,
Third,
Little finger.
Back to the chest,
Heart center,
Solar plexus,
Belly,
Navel,
Pelvis,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Ankle,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe.
Back to the pelvis,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Baby toe.
Now awareness in the spine,
From the tailbone to the crown of the head,
Forehead,
Eyebrows,
The space between the eyebrows,
The eyes and all around and behind the eyes,
The temples,
Ears,
Bridge of the nose,
Nostril flares,
Feel the cool breath coming in through the nose,
The warm breath going out,
Cheeks,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Inside the cheeks,
The gums,
Voluminous tongue,
Throat,
Neck,
Collarbones,
Lungs.
Sense the whole body,
Spacious and open,
Like a sky filled with air,
Alive with subtle movement.
Bring awareness to the breath.
We will begin to count the breath backward from 12,
Inhale 12,
Exhale 12,
Inhale 11,
Exhale 11.
Continue slowly counting down with each cycle of breath.
Let the numbers drift in and out with ease,
Like leaves carried on the breeze.
If you lose the count,
Gently return where you left off.
If you finish early,
Rest in the spaciousness of breath until guided forward.
Breath is light,
Effortless.
Now,
Sense the subtle winds of emotion and sensation moving through you.
Perhaps a feeling of spaciousness,
Perhaps a stirring within.
Let it all flow like air currents shifting through the sky.
There is no need to resist or hold.
Simply notice each thought,
Each feeling is like a cloud floating across an open sky.
You are the spaciousness that holds them all.
Now,
Imagine yourself outdoors on an open hillside or a meadow or a special place that you remember being.
The air is fresh,
A gentle breeze moves across your skin.
You hear the birds singing,
Carried by the wind.
You feel the grass shift,
The trees sway.
You breathe deeply,
Filling yourself with freshness.
The air moves through you,
Within you,
Around you.
You are both the witness and the wind itself.
Every breath connects you to the vastness of the sky,
To the spacious presence that is always here.
Now,
Allow yourself to rest in lightness and joy.
There is nothing to hold,
Nothing to cling to.
Only the feeling of expansion,
Freedom and spacious bliss.
You are the breeze,
The open air,
The quiet joy of being.
Now,
Return to your Sankalpa.
You may have planted your own Sankalpa,
Or perhaps you chose the Sankalpa.
I am light and free.
I move with the flow of life.
Trust its truth is carried into the currents of your being.
And repeat it softly,
Three times to yourself.
Let it float gently,
As if whispered by the wind.
Now we begin to return,
Counting the breath upward from 1 to 12.
Inhale,
1.
Exhale,
1.
Inhale,
2.
Exhale,
2.
Continue to 12,
Feeling each breath gently lifting you back toward waking awareness.
Breath by breath,
Rising with the currents,
Returning to the surface.
Now deepen your breath.
Begin small movements,
Fingers,
Toes,
Ankles,
Wrists.
Let your body stretch.
Only if you're ready and willing,
Roll to one side,
Resting there for a few breaths.
Grounded,
Yet light.
And when you're ready,
Gently rise to a seated position.
Palms together at your heart.
Feel your presence,
Airy,
Spacious,
Refreshed.
Carry this lightness with you.
Thank you so much for sharing your Yoga Nidra practice with me today.
It is always an honour to guide you through your inner landscape.
And I look forward to practicing with you again.
Let's close with a Namaste,
Which means the light in me sees and recognizes the light in you.
Namaste.
