Hello Radiant Souls,
It's Nola Bloom here and today I invite you on a journey into deep rest and renewal with the Yoga Nidra meditation called the Whispering Grove.
Throughout history,
Sacred groves have been honored as places of wisdom,
Reflection and renewal.
Within their embrace,
Trees whisper secrets of the unseen,
The earth exhales its steady breath and silence speaks in the language of stillness.
As you soften into relaxation,
You will journey through the layers of your being,
The koshas,
From the most tangible form of your physical air to the flowing currents of breath and energy.
Deeper still,
You move through the landscape of mind and emotion,
Touching the quiet wellspring of wisdom within.
Finally,
You arrive at the luminous expanse of pure being,
Where stillness holds you in infinite peace and serenity.
Now go ahead and take any comfortable lying down position.
You may place a pillow under your head and knees to ensure your sweet soul is cradled just right.
And if you happen to have an eye pillow,
Resting it over your eyes while you relax can take you into a deep place of serenity.
Now close down your eyes,
Settle in,
Soften and surrender.
In this quiet space of deep knowing,
Allow your sankalpa to arise,
A heartfelt intention to guide your journey today,
Like a seed settling into fertile earth.
Your intention is held here,
Embraced by stillness,
Ready to take root and flourish in its own perfect time.
Your sankalpa may arise as a word,
A phrase,
Or a feeling,
Or perhaps it is already known.
If nothing comes,
Simply whisper to yourself,
I am open to receiving the ancient wisdom of the universe.
And let your sankalpa settle into your heart.
Trust that it will take root in its own natural rhythm and bring awareness back to your breath,
Watching the breath go in and watching the breath go out.
Every exhalation you feel yourself dropping deeper and deeper into relaxation.
Now imagine yourself standing at the entrance of a magnificent ancient grove,
Alive with a quiet presence.
The air is cool and rich,
With the scent of damp earth,
Moss,
And cedar.
A soft mist clings to the landscape,
Curling around the roots of towering trees.
The hush of the forest welcomes you,
Deep,
Still,
And timeless.
As you continue along the mossy path,
A clearing appears ahead.
A great oak stands in the center,
Its branches stretching wide.
Its roots sinking deep into the unseen world.
You walk towards it,
Sensing something beyond the physical,
A subtle energy drawing you in.
You stand still before the tree,
And you start to feel a sensation at the center of your forehead,
Between your brows,
Where a soft glow is beginning to form,
A point of light,
Like a star behind closed eyes.
Let it grow,
Pulsing gently,
Illuminating the space between your thoughts.
This is your inner sight,
Your cosmic eye.
The place where intuition speaks in whispers.
Let it open,
Effortlessly.
Hold your awareness here.
Breathe gently.
Allow your inner wisdom to sharpen.
Clarity unfolds.
Perception deepens.
A quiet knowing rises from within.
Now lie back on the soft earth of the grove.
Let the trees stand guard around you.
Their branches weaving a canopy of protection.
The golden light at your third eye begins to flow downward,
Cascading along the right face,
Softening your right eye,
Temple,
Cheek,
Down the right side of your throat,
And melting over your right shoulder.
It moves like liquid warmth,
Golden and radiant,
Spreading down your right arm,
Elbow,
Wrist,
And then pooling in the palm of your hand,
Like rich golden nectar,
Warm and luminous,
Flowing effortlessly into each fingertip,
Like rays of sunlight dancing on water.
The golden radiance then spirals through your right ribs,
Rippling through the right chambers of your heart,
Like the warmth of the rising sun,
Filling it with golden light in a quiet,
Steady pulse.
The light moves to your waist,
Pelvis,
Hip,
And cascades down your thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
And ankle,
Until it pools in the sole of your right foot and flows into each and every toe,
Leaving a trail of sunlit warmth in its wake.
Simultaneously,
Silver moonbeams pour over the crown of your head,
Flowing cool and luminous along the left side of your face,
Softening your left eye,
Temple,
Cheek,
Down the left side of your throat,
Melting over your left shoulder.
The silver light glides down your left arm,
Elbow,
Wrist,
And pools in the palm of your left hand,
Like silky,
Liquid moonlight,
Cool and soothing,
Flowing effortlessly into each fingertip like shimmering streams of stardust.
The silver radiance then spirals through your left ribs,
Flowing into the left chambers of your heart,
Like the quiet glow of the moon,
Filling it with a gentle,
Rhythmic luminance.
It moves through your left waist,
Pelvis,
And hip,
Cascading down your thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
And ankle,
Until it pools in the sole of your left foot.
Trickling into each and every toe,
Leaving behind a gentle,
Cooling shimmer.
Now bring awareness to the whole right side of the body,
Warm,
Bathed in golden sunlight.
Now bring awareness to the whole left side of the body,
Cool,
Resting under silver moonbeams.
Now sense the contrast,
Feel the harmony.
Right side warm,
Left side cool.
A perfect balance of energies,
Merging and flowing within you,
Like the breath of the cosmos.
As the golden sunlight and silver moonbeams meet in the chambers of your heart,
They spiral and intertwine,
Weaving together in a luminous dance.
Warmth and cool,
Light and shadow,
Unifying,
Harmonizing,
Dissolving into a single luminous presence that radiates outwards,
Filling your entire being with a deep,
Quiet peace.
Rest here,
Body open,
Breath effortless,
Mind still like a pond in a quiet,
Sacred grove.
And bring awareness back to the breath,
Watch it rise and fall.
Inhale and exhale.
Now feel the breath,
Not as something you do,
But as something that moves through you,
Like the trees breathe in harmony with the wind.
You too are being breathed by something greater.
Each inhale,
Fresh energy flows into your body like the morning mist,
Every exhale,
A gentle release,
Dissolving into the vast sky of the grove.
The breath moves with ease,
Flowing like a gentle current through your being.
A steady rhythm,
Energy moving in waves,
A quiet presence expanding through every space within.
Big breath in,
And big breath out.
You notice the trees around you in the sacred grove are whispering to you,
Not in words,
But in a language of feeling,
Of sensation,
Of memory.
They whisper of stillness,
Of patience,
Of deep roots and high branches.
Their wisdom is simple,
You are already whole.
Let this truth settle in,
Mind at ease,
Emotions like tiny ripples on a peaceful lake.
All is welcome here.
Big breath in,
And big breath out.
Turn your attention more inward,
Deep within you,
Past thought,
Past emotion,
Is something vast,
The part of you that does not seek,
Because it already knows,
The part of you that does not hold,
Because it already has.
Let yourself rest here,
Trust settles deep,
Knowing arises effortlessly,
Woven into the quiet hum of the forest's wisdom.
Awareness expands,
Boundless and clear.
Insight flows naturally.
A gentle unfolding of understanding and presence.
And soften the body a little further.
Dissolve completely.
Nothing to hold,
Nothing to do,
Only breath,
Only space,
Only an endless open awareness.
The grove is not separate from you.
You are the sacred grove.
You are the whispering trees.
You are the vast stillness.
You are the breath,
The golden and silver light.
In an effortless state of being,
A deep and infinite return to self.
And bring awareness back to your breath,
Back to the sacred grove.
You notice a gentle breeze moves through the clearing,
And you feel the sensation of air moving past your skin.
The trees stand tall around you,
Unchanged,
Unwavering.
The sky shifts from night to dawn.
Soft light is filtering through the canopy.
You remember your sankalpa once more,
The heartfelt intention planted deep within the fertile soul of your being.
If words do not arise,
Simply whisper inwardly,
I am open to receiving the ancient wisdom of the universe.
Feel it alive within you,
Taking root and growing deeper with each and every breath.
Take a big breath in,
Sensing the weight of your body on the earth beneath you once more.
Wiggling your fingers and toes,
Perhaps turning your head from side to side.
Notice the breath within you,
The quiet presence around you.
And when you're ready,
Slowly opening your eyes.
The whispering grove remains within your heart,
Always.
Namaste.
