Year-End Yoga Nidra: Let Go, Celebrate & Renew

Welcome,

Beautiful being.

Welcome to this guided meditation for the close of the year.

I am Ana and I'll be guiding you through this yoga nidra designed to help you reflect on the past year and embrace the promise of new beginnings.

As we honor this moment of transition,

Let us prepare to journey inward and rediscover clarity,

Gratitude and hope for the year ahead.

Before we begin,

The end of the year is a powerful time for introspection.

It offers us to reflect and take the opportunity to honor the experiences and lessons of the past year while consciously letting go of what no longer serves us.

This is a sacred pause,

A chance to celebrate your growth and create the space for renewal as you step into the possibilities of a fresh start.

Coinciding with the energy of transition,

This meditation invites you to plant the seeds of your intentions for the year ahead.

Reflect on the journey you've taken and release the weight of the old,

Taking the time to nurture the light within as you prepare for the opportunities to come.

If the past year represents the foundation,

Then the year ahead represents and symbolizes new possibilities.

We must honor the path we've walked,

Trusting that every experience,

Whether joyful or challenging,

Has somehow contributed to our growth.

This is a journey of gratitude,

Of release and trust in the cycles of renewal.

The close of the year reminds us that with every ending comes the potential for new beginnings.

It is a time to embrace resilience,

Celebrate the light you carry within and step forward with intention and clarity.

Let us honor this transformative energy together and prepare for the coming year with open hearts and minds.

Now let us start by coming into a very relaxing position,

Making any adjustments you need to create a space of deep relaxation,

Taking the time to return to your body's innate wisdom of the necessity of rest,

Feeling supported by the first surface your body is resting upon,

And just taking a couple of deep breaths to allow your entire body to relax and drop deeper into the surface beneath you.

Now bring attention to the sounds around you.

Notice the sounds at the farthest point away from you.

Notice the sounds closest to you.

Notice the sounds closest to you.

Now draw your awareness inward,

Noticing the sound of your breath.

Becoming aware and turning into the breath flowing in and out without changing the breath,

Just simply noticing.

Perhaps noticing the breath coming through the nose and out through the nose.

There may be even a sense of ease by just simply tuning into the waves of breath flowing in and out.

Begin to extend the exhalation very gently,

Letting in the air.

Letting in the in-breath happen naturally,

But extending the exhalation.

You may do that by visualizing the in-breath coming through the crown of the head,

And then visualizing the out-breath sweeping through the body and down and out through the soles of the feet and beyond.

So the focus is on lengthening the exhalation,

Breathing in the crown of the head,

And breathing out the soles of the feet.

Now letting that go and just coming to a natural organic breath.

Letting the breath just flow in and out.

A wave of ease moving throughout the body with the breath.

Visualizing roots growing from the base of your spine,

Extending deep into the earth.

Feeling the stability and nourishment from the earth filling you up,

Grounding you firmly in the present.

Now begin to bring your awareness to your heart center,

Feeling the gentle warmth and energy at the center of your chest.

Taking a moment to now plant the seed of intention for yourself.

As we close this ear,

Choose a sankalpa,

A heart intention that aligns with your truest desire.

It could be something like,

I welcome transformation and move forward with ease.

Or I let go of the old and embrace the new with gratitude.

I welcome transformation and move forward with ease.

I let go of the old and embrace the new with gratitude.

Repeating this intention silently to yourself,

Feeling it resonate through your entire being.

We will now move through a rotation of consciousness,

Experiencing a sensation of energy at each point.

Moving from point to point,

You may like to imagine a healing light touching each point I name and welcoming in sensations of prana life force energy in each point.

Beginning on the right side of the body,

Feel sensation of energy in the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger.

Experience a sensation of healing light inside the palm of the right hand,

The back of the hand,

The middle of the wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder joint,

Armpit,

Right side of the chest,

Heart center.

Sensation of energy traveling down the right side of the waist,

The right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

Right heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot.

Feel energy in the right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Experience the sensation of pranic life force energy lighting up your entire right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body is alive with pranic life force energy.

Now,

Take your time to float your awareness of sensations over the left side of the body.

Feel sensation of energy in the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Pinky finger.

Experience a sensation of healing light inside the palm of the left hand,

The back of the hand,

Middle of the wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder joint,

Elbow,

Armpit,

Left side of the chest,

Heart center.

Sensation of energy traveling down the left side of the waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

The left knee,

Left ankle,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot.

Feel energy in the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Pinky toe.

Feel the sensation of pranic life force energy lighting up the entire left side of the body.

The whole left side of the body is alive with pranic life force energy.

Now,

Feel the whole left side and the whole right side simultaneously.

Feel both sides together as a whole field of sensation.

Experience the whole body,

The right side,

The left side,

The front,

The back.

Sensations of pranic life force energy lighting up the whole body together.

Now,

Allow yourself to effortlessly breathe.

Feel the gentle rise and fall of the breath.

Now,

Feel the sensation of breath moving in through the right nostril,

Breathing in and out just through the right nostril.

Just holding awareness of the breath moving in and out of the right nostril.

Now,

Feel the sensation of breath moving in and out of the left nostril,

Just breathing in and out of the left nostril.

Hold your awareness of the breath moving in the left nostril,

In and out of the left nostril.

Hold your awareness of the breath moving in the left nostril and now out of the right nostril.

Holding your awareness of the breath moving in through the right and now out through the left.

Moving from side to side,

Effortlessly breathing from side to side.

Now,

Release that and feel the sensation of air moving through both nostrils.

Experience the sensation of the breath moving through both nostrils simultaneously.

Now,

Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a forest.

There is a gentle path before you.

This forest represents the year that is now behind you.

As you step into the path,

You notice the sights,

The sounds and the smells around you.

The rustling leaves,

The crisp air,

The soft light filtering through the branches of the trees.

Now,

Feel a sense of coolness.

The cool,

Fresh air gently touches your skin.

Now,

That feeling of cool,

Fresh air washes over you.

Now,

Feel a sense of warmth.

The sun rays are touching yourself.

You're feeling warm,

Energized.

The feeling of warmth washes over you.

Now,

Feel warm and cool at the same time.

Feel these sensations of warmth and coolness together.

Now,

With each step you take in the forest,

You move through the moments of the past year.

Notice what comes to mind without judgment,

Just simply as an observer.

Allow memories to appear,

Acknowledging both the joys and the challenges.

As you walk deeper into the forest,

You see a beautiful clearing opening just before you.

In this clearing,

There is a fire,

A warm,

Inviting flame.

Approach the fire and sit beside it.

This is the fire of transformation.

Take a moment to reflect on anything you wish to release from this year.

One by one,

You're placing these burdens,

Worries,

Or habits into the fire.

Watch them dissolve into the flame.

Their energy is transforming into smoke that rises and disappears into the night sky.

Now,

Notice a gentle glow emerging from the center of the fire.

It begins to shift,

Forming into a vision,

A vision of yourself stepping into the new year.

See yourself moving with grace and confidence,

Embodying the qualities you wish to cultivate.

Feel the warmth of the fire filling you with light,

With the energy of possibility,

Hope,

And renewal.

The flame transforms into a golden light as you breathe in,

And you draw in this light into your heart,

Feeling it expand within you.

Now,

From the clearing,

Notice a beautiful path leading to a colorful,

Light,

Serene garden.

As you enter this garden,

You feel it filled with vibrant flowers and plants that symbolize new beginnings.

Each flower represents a dream or intention to the new year.

Take a moment to walk through the garden,

Noticing the colors,

The fragrance,

And the beauty all around you.

See yourself planting new seeds in the rich soil.

These seeds are the seeds of your intentions.

Feel the earth beneath your fingers as you plant them with care,

Trusting that your intentions will grow and flourish in the coming months.

Now,

Imagine a gentle flowing stream through the garden.

Walk towards it and see it by its edge.

The stream represents the flow of time.

As you walk into the water,

You see reflections of moments of the past year.

Notice the moments that brought joy,

The lessons you learned,

And the times you showed strength.

Allow the water to carry away anything you wish to release,

Letting it flow downstream,

Creating space for the new energy to enter your life.

Now,

Let your visualization go for now,

Knowing that everything is being taken care of by divine and that you can truly rest.

Enjoy resting in blissful awareness,

Knowing that you are perfect and whole,

Resting here in silence.

Now,

Take your time to bring your awareness back to the space at the center of your heart.

Now is the time to bring your sankalpa back into your heart space.

Repeating your sankalpa now,

Or perhaps repeating,

I welcome transformation and move forward with ease.

Or,

I let go of the old and embrace the new with gratitude.

I welcome transformation and move forward with ease.

Or,

I let go of the old and embrace the new with gratitude.

I welcome transformation and move forward with ease.

Or,

I let go of the old and embrace the new with gratitude.

Now,

Take a few moments to reflect on your journey,

Taking a moment to let insights come through a few questions.

What are the three things from this past year that I am ready to release?

What are the three things from this past year that I am ready to release?

What are the moments of joy or gratitude that stand out from this past year?

What are the moments of joy or gratitude that stand out from this past year?

What seeds of intention do I wish to plant for the new year?

What seeds of intention do I wish to plant for the new year?

Allowing these questions to guide you in deepening your reflection and setting intentions for the year ahead.

Now,

With whatever insights you got,

Very slowly,

Start to deepen your breath and very slowly bring your awareness back to being aware.

As you become aware,

You let the vision,

You let the visualization fade away knowing that the energy of your intention remains with you.

Letting your awareness back guide those little slow movements into your body.

Noticing how your body is resting comfortably,

Supported by the earth,

Maybe wiggling the fingers and toes,

Reconnecting gently with the physical world around you.

Feel how it's like to be back in time and space.

And when you're ready,

Very gently lift your arms above your head for a stretch.

Yawn or sigh it out.

Beautiful.

And then very gently roll to one side,

Just taking a moment in that fetal position to honor the space,

Honor your commitment to showing up to practice.

And I would invite you to,

As you step off the mat in a few moments,

That if you can,

Spend some time journaling through the questions that I have guided you through,

So that you can really contemplate the beauty of the practice and honor yourself,

Knowing that the space of sacredness of connection is always here.

All it takes you is simply showing up again and again and again.

With that,

You can press yourself back up for a cross-legged seat.

Bring your hands in prayer in front of your heart,

That beautiful heart of yours.

Start rubbing the palms,

Rubbing the palms.

Once you have enough heat,

Then you can gently bring the hands into your face.

Inhale that heat.

And once you're ready,

You may gently blink your eyes open.

Come back.

For that,

I thank you so,

So much for practicing with me today.

May you have an incredible end of the year and happy new year.

From my heart to yours,

I look forward to practicing with you again very soon.

Namaste.