Though you may not believe it yet,
Dolly Parton and meditation go together like peas and carrots.
Light of the Clear Blue Morning is a song written by Dolly.
The song came out of the pain from her professional breakup with longtime musical and business partner Porter Wagner.
Parton left Wagner's band in 1974 to take the power of her pop career into her own hands.
Wagner responded by taking legal action and the next couple of years were very painful.
According to the 1978 biography Dolly by Alana Nash,
Light of a Clear Blue Morning was written as Parton felt the figurative clouds lifting as the fruits of her sacrifices of the previous few years were becoming apparent.
Many times in life,
Releasing that which doesn't serve us can cause great pain and suffering.
The promise of a better life on the other side,
The Light of the Clear Blue Morning,
Can help give us the strength to make it through.
Today's meditation will focus on that clear blue light.
Yoga Nidra is an accessible,
Beginner-friendly,
Deep relaxation practice.
We will practice in Shavasana,
Lying flat on your back.
If lying on your back isn't comfortable,
Feel free to practice in any position that feels good.
Take a moment to make yourself as comfortable as possible,
Maybe a blanket or pillow under the knees to support your lower back.
Pants or socks are recommended as body temperature tends to drop during the practice.
You may also like an eye pillow to block out any light.
There is absolutely no way to do this practice wrong,
So let go.
Release any fears or worry.
Invite your body to stay as still as possible during the practice.
If you do move,
Do it slowly and with awareness,
Then return to stillness.
If your mind wanders at any time,
That is completely normal.
Just return to the sound of my voice.
If you're tired,
You may drift off to sleep.
You may wish to set a timer to ensure you awaken fully at the end of this meditation.
Let's begin by taking three nice,
Long,
Deep breaths.
In through the nose,
Out through the mouth.
Invite your exhale to become a bit longer than your inhale.
Feel your body resting on the earth.
Remember,
The earth can hold the full weight of your body and anything else you may be holding.
Release any tension into the earth.
Feel the air on your skin,
The clothes touching your body,
The temperature of the room.
Invite any sounds you hear to float into your awareness.
Once you recognize a sound,
Let it go and listen for another.
Bring your awareness to the sounds inside the room,
The sound of your body breathing,
The sound of your body breathing.
Now is the time to set an intention or heartfelt resolve for this meditation.
This intention is stated in the present tense,
Like your wish has already been granted.
Take a few moments to connect to that which you seek to bring forward in your life.
Perhaps it's,
I live with unshakable wellbeing,
Or I am calm and relaxed.
Connect to a place in your body where you can feel the emotion that drives this desire.
Repeat this intention slowly and deliberately,
Three times,
Effortlessly filling the space of your body with this heartfelt desire.
Let this desire go and move awareness into the body.
Allow attention to move freely from one body part to the next.
As I speak each body part,
Mentally repeat it and imagine a small butterfly landing softly in that space of the body.
Imagine on the right side,
Right hand thumb,
Mentally repeat right hand thumb and imagine a small butterfly landing softly on the right hand thumb.
Next finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Shoulder,
Shoulder,
Shoulder,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Shoulder,
Shoulder,
Shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Whole right side of the body,
Whole right side of the body.
Bringing awareness to the left side of the body.
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Sole of the left foot,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Whole left side of the body,
Whole left side of the body.
Bringing awareness to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Calves,
Knees,
Back of the thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Spinal column,
Low back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head.
Bringing awareness to the front of the body,
Top of the forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Eyebrow center,
Eyes,
Ears,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Left cheek,
Nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Teeth,
Tongue,
Jaw,
Throat,
Heart center,
Heart center.
Let that go.
Return awareness to the natural breath.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of the chest.
Begin to count the breath descending from 20 to 1.
Inhale 20,
Exhale 20,
Inhale 19,
Exhale 19.
Let the breath be effortless.
If you lose track of your counting,
Gently return to begin again at 20.
If you finish counting before further instructions,
Simply continue to count the breath with gentleness and ease.
Let go of the count.
Prepare to explore different sensations in the body.
Invite in a time when you felt lightness.
Create the feeling of lightness and ease in your body.
Explore where that sensation lives,
Allowing it to take up space.
Let lightness go.
Invite in the sensation of heaviness.
Create the feeling of heaviness in your body.
Explore where that sensation lives,
Allowing it to take up space.
Let heaviness go.
Feel the body return to its natural state.
Rest within the body just as it is.
Shift attention into the space of the mind.
Different images will be named.
Connect to these images in whatever way is most accessible.
A long dark night waiting for the morning,
The sunshine,
The light of a clear blue morning,
The light of a clear blue morning,
An eagle flying high,
Clinging vines,
Clouds lifting,
The taste of freedom,
The taste of freedom,
A field of wildflowers,
The ocean waves,
A peaceful mind,
A peaceful heart.
Everything's going to be alright.
Everything's going to be okay.
Let go of this.
Visualize the intention you set at the beginning of the practice.
Write it in the mind's eye.
As you write it,
It grows brighter,
Enveloping your whole body with a sense of abundance and gratitude.
Gently guide your awareness back to your physical body,
Lying on the earth.
Become aware of your breath.
Without opening your eyes,
Become aware of your surroundings,
The earth beneath you.
As your awareness comes back,
Invite your breath to deepen.
Feel into your entire body resting on the earth.
Remember the room you are in.
When you feel ready,
Stretch your arms overhead,
Extend your legs long,
Point your toes,
And take a full body stretch.
Slowly roll over into the fetal position on your right side,
A posture that symbolizes new beginnings.
Take a moment here.
Breathe.
When you feel ready,
Gently press up to a comfortable seat.
Notice how you feel.
Notice what has shifted since the beginning of the practice.
Remember to carry this feeling with you back into your day.
This feeling of well-being and ease exists within you always,
Even when things are hard.
As Dolly says,
Everything's gonna be alright.
It's gonna be okay.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
