Welcome,
My name is Nola Bloom and today I invite you into a gentle journey of deep rest and quiet renewal.
This is Yoganidra,
The whispering grove.
Since ancient times,
Groves have been honored as places of quiet wisdom,
Reflection,
And renewal.
Places where silence speaks softly,
Where the earth remembers,
And where ancient secrets are felt rather than spoken.
In this journey,
You are invited to rest within a quiet presence,
To soften,
To listen,
And to be gently guided inward.
Before we begin this journey,
Allow yourself to fully settle.
Come into a comfortable lying down position.
You may place a pillow beneath your head or underneath your knees so that your body feels fully supported.
If you have an eye pillow,
You can rest it softly over your eyes and allow the nervous system to settle.
Take a slow breath in and a soft,
Easy breath out.
There is nothing you need to do for this practice other than follow the sound of my voice as it guides you gently inward.
Now begin to imagine that you are resting within a whispering grove.
The air is cool and alive with quiet presence.
You notice the scent of cedar and damp earth.
A gentle mist drifts between the tall,
Ancient trees.
The hush of the forest welcomes you.
You rest comfortably upon the soft moss,
Supported by the earth beneath you.
The trees rise around you,
Their branches forming a quiet canopy overhead.
You are held here.
You feel safe.
You are already part of this living landscape.
Now bring awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath.
The inhale arrives softly.
The exhale releases slowly.
Breath moving gently through the body like wind moving through the branches.
Now allow your sankalpa to arise,
A heartfelt intention to guide your journey today,
A quiet seed resting in the fertile soil of awareness.
Your sankalpa may come as a word,
A feeling,
A sensation,
Or a felt sense.
If no words come,
Trust in your own heart's wisdom that already knows the way.
Let this intention settle gently into the heart.
Now sense a soft glow forming at the space between your brows,
A small point of light like a distant star behind closed eyes.
It brightens gently without effort,
A quiet,
Inner-seeing awakening.
Allow that point of light to soften as awareness widens again into the whispering grove around you.
Golden sunlight begins to stream through the leaves above,
Warm and luminous.
At the same time,
Silver moonlight drifts through the branches,
Cool and soothing.
Golden sunlight flows from the crown of the head and moves slowly down the right side of your face,
Softening the right eye,
Cheek,
And temple,
The light glides down the right side of the throat and over the right shoulder,
Travels down the right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Pulling into the palm of the right hand like warm,
Liquid gold.
The golden light gathers there,
Swirling softly and sparkling like sunlight on water before flowing outward through each fingertip until the whole hand glows with gentle warmth.
The golden current moves through the right ribs and into the right chamber of the heart.
It flows into the belly,
Bathing the organs in warm sunlight,
The liver,
The intestines,
The deep inner center of you softened and nourished.
The light spirals through the waist and gathers in the deep bowl of the pelvis,
Swirling gently like liquid sunlight.
From the pelvis,
It travels down the right hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Ankle,
Pulling into the sole of the right foot like golden nectar and spreading through the sole and into each toe until every toe shines with quiet warmth.
Simultaneously,
Silver moonlight pours over the crown of the head.
It moves slowly down the left side of your face,
Softening the left eye,
Cheek,
And temple.
The moonlight glides down the left side of the throat and over the left shoulder.
It flows through the left upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
And into the palm of the left hand like liquid moonlight.
The silver light gathers there,
Shimmering softly like moonlight dancing across still water before flowing outward through each fingertip until the whole left hand rests in cool,
Spacious calm.
The silver current moves through the left ribs and into the left chambers of the heart.
It flows through the belly,
Soothing the organs with cool moonlight.
The stomach,
The kidneys,
The deep inner waters of your center settling into peace.
The moonlight spirals through the left waist and gathers in the deep bowl of the pelvis where silver and golden light gently swirl together.
From the pelvis,
It travels down the left hip,
The right knee,
Pooling in the sole of the left foot like a quiet silver tide,
And spreading through each toe until every toe rests in calm stillness.
Now bring awareness to the whole right side of the body,
From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot.
Warm and sunlit.
Now bring awareness to the whole left side of the body,
From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot.
Cool and moonlit.
Right side warm.
Left side cool.
Sense the contrast.
Feel the harmony.
Now gently feel both sides of the body at the same time.
The warm golden current begins to drift towards the center of the heart.
The cool silver current also moves softly towards the heart.
Both streams arriving in the heart space.
Here the golden and silver lights begin to swirl together slowly,
Like two streams meeting in a calm pool.
The spiral widens with each wave.
Each breath spreading through the chest,
The ribs,
And outward until the whole entire body rests in a quiet feel,
Balanced light.
Now bring awareness back to the breath.
Notice how it rises and falls on its own.
The inhale gently expanding through the ribs and belly.
The exhale softening the body back towards the earth.
The breath moving through you like wind through branches.
Natural,
Unforced,
And steady.
Now sense that you are not doing the breathing.
You are being breathed.
As though the grove itself breathes with you.
Trees swaying,
Leaves whispering,
Your body joining the same ancient rhythm.
Now simply rest here,
Feeling the breath moving through the body,
Held by something larger than yourself.
With each breath,
Awareness becomes more spacious.
Thoughts soften like mist dissolving in the morning light.
Emotions move like ripples on a quiet forest pond.
The trees around you whisper in a language beyond words.
A language you can feel more than you can hear.
A hush that moves through the grove and through you at the same time.
They whisper of patience,
Of deep roots,
Of open skies,
Of belonging without effort.
Their wisdom is simple.
You are already whole.
Allow this knowing to settle through the body,
Mind,
And spirit.
Now turn awareness inward beyond thought and sensation.
Resting in the quiet presence that has always been here.
Clear,
Open,
And steady.
This is the gentle light of inner knowing.
Not something you force or chase.
Simply a calm recognition of what is true beneath the changing surface of experience.
Rest here.
Quietly awake.
You are the whispering grove.
You are the stillness between the trees.
You are the breath moving through the forest.
You are held in a deep and effortless belonging.
Even here,
The grove continues whispering.
A quiet hum of life.
A soft presence that asks no questions.
Nothing of you.
Rest here in this gentle whispering.
Allow yourself to simply be.
Begin to sense the grove around you once more.
The soft breeze moving through the clearing.
The feeling of air against your skin.
The support of the earth beneath your body.
The sky slowly brightens towards dawn.
Light filtering gently through the canopy.
And return now to your sankalpa,
The heartfelt intention.
Let it arise naturally once more.
Trust that the seed has been planted in fertile ground.
Take another deep breath in.
And a long,
Easy breath out.
Begin to notice the physical body once more.
Wiggling the fingers and toes.
Perhaps a gentle stretch.
Take a slow breath in.
And a soft,
Easy breath out.
And when you're ready,
Gently open the eyes.
The whispering grove remains within your heart.
Namaste.
