Hello,
This is Amanda and I'll be guiding you through your yoga nidra practice today.
Today's practice is to honor the fall equinox.
The fall equinox is a moment of balance when day and night are nearly equal.
It marks a turning point in the seasons,
A gradual movement away from the brightness and expansiveness of summer and toward the quiet inward energy of fall.
For centuries,
Cultures around the world have marked this turning point as a time of harvest,
Gratitude,
Reflection,
And release.
The equinox reminds us that nature moves in cycles.
There are seasons of planting and seasons of harvest.
Seasons of expansion and seasons of rest.
Seasons of holding on and seasons of letting go.
Today is an opportunity to pause and notice where you are in your own cycle.
To acknowledge what has come to fruition.
To appreciate what has sustained you.
And perhaps to gently release what you no longer need to carry.
Let's get started.
Begin to settle in for your yoga nidra practice.
You can lie on your back,
On the floor,
On a couch,
Or on a bed.
You can place a pillow under your knees to support the legs.
As well as the pillow under your head to support the neck You can cover yourself with a blanket and place a covering over your eyes.
As you settle into stillness,
Allow yourself to receive the grounding wisdom and quiet energy of this season.
As you settle in,
Begin to notice your breath moving in and out of your body.
Feel your belly rise as you inhale.
And fall as you exhale.
Rise as you inhale.
And fall as you exhale.
Now we'll take two inhales in through the nose and then exhale inside out through the mouth.
Let's start with two sips in through the nose.
And then exhale,
Sigh through your mouth.
Twice more just like that.
Two sips of air in through the nose.
And exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
One more just like that.
Inhale two sips of air.
Exhale,
Sigh it out through your mouth.
Now release that and return to your regular inhale and exhale.
And as you continue to settle in for your practice,
Consider what you can do to get even more comfortable here.
Feel your toes soften and melt.
Allow the legs to grow heavy.
The face softens.
The jaw relaxes.
And the eyes rest.
Allow your body to get heavy.
Fully surrendering into the support beneath you.
Nestled into the cozy embrace of your yoga nidra nest.
This is a time for rest.
There's nothing you need to do now.
We'll continue by setting a sankalpa or an intention for your practice.
As the body relaxes and the mind becomes more receptive,
Bring awareness to your heart center.
Consider what you would like to cultivate during this season of transition.
Perhaps your intention relates to grounding.
Balance,
Trust.
Acceptance.
Clarity.
Simplicity.
Peace.
Or perhaps simply letting go.
Allow an intention to arise naturally.
And repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Really planting that seed of intention.
And now rotating attention throughout the body.
Letting your attention move from place to place as you listen to my voice.
The only thing there is for you to do is listen,
Sense,
And feel.
Moving your attention to different parts of your body as you hear them named.
Following the sound of my voice.
Bring awareness to the center of your chest.
Feel the rise and fall of your inhale and exhale.
Feel the rhythm of your heart beating in your chest.
Now bring your awareness to your right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow,
Forearm.
Wrist back of the hand.
Palm of the hand.
The right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Waste.
Bye.
KNEE Lower leg.
Ankle HEAL sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes.
The whole right leg.
The whole right side of the body.
The whole right side of the body.
Give some time for your attention to move back into your chest.
Feel your breath.
Notice your heartbeat.
Feel yourself deeply rooted to the earth from the center of your chest.
Now bring your awareness to your left shoulder.
Upper arm.
ELBOW Forearm.
Rest.
Back of the hand.
Palm of the hand.
Into the left thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
5th finger.
Ways.
Die.
Me.
Lower legs.
Ankle Heal.
It's all of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
All five toes.
The whole left leg.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side of the body and the whole right side of the body simultaneously Can you equally divide attention between the left and right side of the body?
Now sensing the back of the body.
Right heel left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf,
Right hamstring.
Left hamstring.
Right glute.
Left glute.
Sacrum.
The whole back of the pelvis.
Lower back Middleback.
Upper back.
The entire spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Moving toward the top of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Bright eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Center of the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Right cheek Left cheek.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Good job.
Throat.
Right collarbone left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel lower abdomen.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
The whole face.
The whole body.
Front and back.
Left and right.
The whole body.
Sensing the whole body.
Sensing the whole body.
Bring your attention to your belly.
Begin to notice your belly expanding and contracting as you inhale and exhale.
In and out.
Up and down.
Begin to deepen your inhales and exhales,
Feeling the expansion in your belly and up into your chest.
Inhale,
Feel cool air entering your body.
Exhale feel warm air leaving Again,
Inhale cool air entering your body.
And exhale,
Feel warm air leaving.
With each inhale,
Imagine drawing in the crisp,
Clear air of fall.
And with each exhale,
Release what is no longer needed.
Breathing in clarity.
Breathing out heaviness.
Breathing in spaciousness.
Breathing out what you have outgrown this season.
Allow the breath to become easy and effortless.
In and out of your body.
In and out of your body.
Bring your awareness to the center of your chest.
Imagine there was a small warm light.
Not the bright expansive light of summer.
Something softer.
A steady amber glow.
Like the warm light of a candle as evening begins to arrive.
With each breath,
Feel this warmth spreading gently through your body.
Feeling your chest.
Your shoulders.
Your arms.
Your abdomen.
Your legs.
Your entire body.
The light represents the wisdom you've gathered.
The experiences you've lived.
The strength you have cultivated.
The parts of you that remain steady even as the seasons change.
Rest in the warmth of this inner light for a few moments.
Now imagine yourself standing in a beautiful autumn forest.
The air is crisp and cool.
The trees around you are changing.
Some leaves are still green.
Others have turned golden,
Orange,
Red,
And brown.
A gentle breeze moves the branches.
Leaves begin to fall slowly to the earth.
There is nothing the trees need to do to make this happen.
They simply allow what is ready to fall away.
Take a moment to notice what has come to fruition in your life over the past season.
What is grown.
What has become clear.
What are you proud of?
What experiences have nourished you?
What lessons are you carrying forward?
Allow whatever comes to arise naturally.
I'll give you a few moments here.
Now imagine gathering the gifts of this season.
Your experiences.
Your growth.
Your wisdom.
Your relationships.
Your memories.
Things that have nourished you.
Imagine gathering them gently and placing them into a basket.
There's no need to take everything with you.
Only what you truly want to carry forward.
Now notice the leaves falling around you.
Consider whether there's anything you're ready to release.
A habit.
An expectation,
A responsibility.
A story you've been telling yourself.
Something that once served you but no longer does You don't need to force anything to leave.
Simply notice.
And if something arises,
Imagine placing it gently on a falling leaf.
Watch as the leaf releases from the tree.
It floats downward and the earth receives it.
No judgment.
No resistance.
Just release.
The trees do not cling to what is leaving.
They trust the cycle.
They know that letting go is not an ending.
It is part of making space for what comes next.
Take a moment to rest in that knowing.
Now notice yourself standing in the forest.
The trees.
The earth beneath you.
The cool air around you.
The quiet.
The changing colors.
Everything around you is in transition.
And you are part of this same natural rhythm.
There is nowhere else you need to be.
Nothing you need to rush toward.
Simply being here.
Simply allowing yourself to move at the pace of the season.
Let's spend a few moments here in deep rest.
Now return to your intention or sankalpa.
For the season ahead.
Bring awareness back to your heart center.
And repeat your intention silently three times.
Imagine placing this intention like a seed into the earth.
Not something you need to force into being.
Something you can tend to gently.
.
.
Trusting that beneath the surface things can continue to grow even when you cannot see them.
Trusting the wisdom of your own timing and your inner knowing.
Now I'll invite you to bring your attention back to your breath.
We'll take 10 deep inhales and exhales together.
Inhale deeply.
And exhale completely.
One.
Inhale deeply.
And exhale completely.
Two.
Continue at your own pace,
Counting up to 10.
Bring awareness to your physical body.
Feel your body on the earth.
Begin to sense the space around you.
Begin to wiggle fingers and toes.
Stretch your arms above your head if that feels good.
As you slowly and at your own pace begin to return,
Carry with you the grounding energy of the fall equinox.
Carry the reminder that you don't have to hold on to anything that does not serve you.
That there is wisdom in slowing down.
That release is part of growth.
And that every season has something to teach you.
Slowly and at your own pace,
Roll onto one side.
And as you're ready,
Make your way back to a seated position.
As you come out of your yoga nidra,
Begin to tune into how you feel.
I'd like to invite you to consider what has shifted for you during this time of rest.
What are you ready to carry forward?
What are you ready to release?
Where in your life are you being invited to find more balance?
And what would it look like to honor the season you're actually in rather than rushing toward the next one?
I'd invite you to reflect and journal on your Yoga Nidra experience and anything that came up for you in today's practice.
Your yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you so much for practicing with me and happy equinox.
