Yoga Nidra To Rest And Remember Your Innate Freedom

Welcome here.

Today's yoga nidra practice is inspired from a poem by poet David Gate.

I do not plan to start anew in January.

That is for spring.

That is the night in the dead of winter where I pare back excess to reach the bones of my life so when I am reborn I am reborn as only my most essential nature.

Let your forehead rest just slightly higher than your chin and have the palms of your hands facing up or alternatively you can have one hand on your chest and the other on your belly.

Just being mindful to not cross the midline so each hand stays on its own respective side.

With your eyes closed or eyes open if that feels more comforting take a long slow deep breath in and feel your eyelids becoming heavier on that exhale.

If your eyes are open just slowly move your gaze to a point in the space before you.

Let the heaviness of your eyelids sink your eyes deeper into the world behind them.

Draw in a few more deep breaths.

Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

Feel yourself expanding with each new inhale and releasing relaxing with each exhale.

Deep breath in and deep exhale out.

Deep breath in,

Deep exhale out.

Bring your attention now to the surface you are on.

Feel all the parts of your body that are connected to this surface.

The back of your head,

Your back,

Hips and all the way down to the backs of your heels.

Breathe in and feel.

Now become aware of the space around you.

The sky above,

The earth beneath.

Connect into the space around you.

Bring your attention to the sounds in this space and without getting too attached to a certain sound just allow your mind to drift from one sound to the next.

Like a snowflake floating from one location to another.

Notice and briefly observe each sound.

Bring your awareness inward now beginning by listening to the sound of your breath,

The sound of your heartbeat,

Perhaps any grumbling of your digestion.

Just continue shifting inward listening to the softest and most subtle sounds.

Envision now a golden key above you.

It shines brightly and it feels familiar.

Invite this key to come closer,

Closer and closer until it reaches your right hand.

Notice the sensation it brings as it nestles into your hand.

You might feel heat or pulsation,

Tingling,

Magnetism or radiance.

The golden light from this key now weaves around your right thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger and fifth finger.

Feel all five fingers of your right hand.

Feel all five fingertips and from your fingertips this golden light pours into the palm of your right hand again.

Feel the back of your hand.

Sense this golden light around your right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Armpits.

Observe the sensation it brings in your right side ribcage,

Right side waist.

Feel its glow gently move through your right hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

The heel of your right foot,

Sole of your right foot,

Top of your right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Feel the tips of all five toes on your right foot.

From the tips of your toes,

This golden light floods up through your right leg,

Torso and down your arm.

Take in the entire right side body.

Feel the entire right side body glowing.

This golden light slides over to your left hand.

Notice what sensation you feel there.

More specifically,

This light warms your thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger and fifth finger.

Feel all five fingers of your left hand.

Feel all five fingertips.

From your fingertips,

The golden light pours into the palm of your left hand again.

Feel the back of your hand.

Sense it lovingly weaving around your wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Armpits.

Observe the sensation you feel from it in your left side ribcage,

Left side waist.

Feel its glow gently wrap around your left hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Moving through the heel of your left foot,

Sole of your left foot,

Top of your left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Feel the tips of all five toes on your left foot.

This light floods up your left leg,

Through your torso and down your arm.

Take in the entire left side body.

Feel the entire left side glowing.

Now this golden light sinks into the back body,

Melting down into the soles of both feet,

Both heels,

Your calves,

Backs of both knees.

Feel this golden light in the backs of your thighs,

The entire back of your pelvis.

Notice the sensation it brings in your tailbone and your sacrum.

Feel it move up through the entire curvy length of your spine.

From your spine,

It radiates outward to take in the entire back.

Sense its warmth in your lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back.

Feel both shoulder blades simultaneously.

Take in the light through the back of your heart.

Move it through the curve of your neck,

The back of your head and the crown of your head,

Glowing.

Become aware of your entire scalp.

Feel its glow kiss the skin of your forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right side of your nose and right nostril,

Left side of your nose,

Left nostril.

Feel your upper lip,

Your lower lip,

Chin,

Jaw,

Tongue,

The roof of your mouth.

Swallow and feel the inside of your throat.

Feel the right side of your neck.

Feel the left side of your neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of your chest,

Left side of your chest,

Heart center,

Right side ribcage,

Left side ribcage,

Belly.

Imagining now that this glow transforms you into a seed in the dead of winter,

Desiring to burrow deep beneath the earth.

Breathe in and fold away from the world.

Breathe out,

Fold into the earth.

Breathe in,

Fold away from the world.

Breathe out,

Fold into the earth.

Breathe in,

Fold away from the world.

Breathe out,

Fold into the earth.

Continue this breath with an even longer exhale than inhale and begin counting down,

Beginning at the number 12.

If you lose count or finish before I do,

Just begin again at the number 12.

Begin.

Let go of your count wherever you are.

Imagine your body getting very,

Very cold,

Your arms cold,

Your legs cold,

Your heels in the back of your head,

Each breath out getting colder and colder and colder.

Call on a feeling of cold now.

Release it.

Now imagine your body warm,

Your arms warm,

Your legs warm,

Your fingertips and toes and the tip of your nose with each inhale getting warmer and warmer and warmer.

Make yourself warm.

Let it go.

Allow yourself to momentarily fluctuate between the two,

Feeling cold,

Then warm,

Cold,

Warm,

Cold,

Warm,

And allow your awareness to come back to the center between your brows and settle into neutrality.

From this place envision a calm,

Clear pond,

Holding hands,

Warm chocolate chip cookies,

A vast field of snow,

Planting seeds,

Laughter,

Sunshine,

A purple mouse,

Sleep,

An unlocked box,

An unlocked box,

An unlocked box.

Within the unlocked box lies a key.

Open the box and grab the key.

Feel the burning sensation of freedom it brings within your hand.

You're holding it.

It is a part of you.

Place your hand over your heart and accept that this is something that is within you,

For you,

All the time.

Freedom.

You do not have to look outside of yourself for confirmation that it is there,

For it is always there.

This freedom and internal peace is yours.

Nothing and nobody can take it from you.

With this activation you have a choice to look differently,

Feel differently,

Receive differently,

Understand differently,

Be differently,

All in your own time.

And it is all within that key that is now connected to you,

Connected to the golden light,

The thread of existence and oneness that runs through you.

Hold this key over your heart and watch it become one with you,

Revealing your true essential nature as you receive its light.

Welcome a more expansive breath into your body now,

Slowly coming back to awareness and taking a moment here to take another deep breath,

Remembering this journey we went on together.

And when you're ready,

Invite gentle movement back into your body,

Perhaps wiggling your fingers or your toes and blink your eyes open if they aren't already and just allow what's in front of you to come into focus.

Now allow your gaze to move around the space you are in and finally back to center.

Namaste.