Rise - Yoga Nidra To Rest The Spiritual Body

Hello and welcome,

I'm so honored to be here with you.

Welcome to your yoga nidra practice,

Your rest practice.

In today's practice,

The third in our rest release rise series,

It's intended to help you rest and restore your soul and your spiritual self.

We'll tend to our soul exhaustion and give more attention to our purpose,

Our dreams and our goals and our leadership.

How can we live and lead better from a rested and calmer state?

The poet Young Pueblo writes,

How to lead yourself.

Number one,

Develop a relationship with your intuition.

And then number two,

Have the courage to follow its guidance.

May this yoga nidra practice create the space and ease to help you do both.

Traditionally,

Yoga nidra is practiced comfortably in a supported shavasana like pose.

However,

If lying down is not an option for you today,

That's perfectly okay.

Please find yourself a comfortable seated position,

Preferably with support for your bed to lean on and able to place your feet flat on the floor.

Either way,

All you have to do is simply listen to the sound of my voice as I guide you into a relaxed state.

So now I'm inviting you to take a few moments to get yourself nice and comfy,

Cozy,

Seated or lying down and feeling free to use any props or blankets to make yourself as nice and comfortable as possible.

And know that if you become uncomfortable to the point of distraction through your practice today,

Please know it's okay to shift or to move.

Just do your best to try and stay as turned inward as possible.

Reminding you today that some people may experience emotional shifts through their nidra practice,

And some will experience deep relaxation and some both.

Please know there's no way to do this wrong and whatever comes up for you today,

Whatever you experience today,

That's what's right for you right here and right now.

So I invite you to let go of any expectations around your practice and simply be open and allowing to whatever comes up for you today.

So settling into your nice and cozy space,

You're welcome to close down the eyes if that feels good,

Or if you prefer to keep your eyes open,

It's okay to just soften your gaze towards the ground or to the lamp.

And begin to invite relaxation into your body.

Feel the support of the earth beneath you and settle into that support.

You are so held.

You are safe and you are supported.

And begin to deepen and slow down the breath.

In our practice today,

You'll be working with something the yogis call sankalpa,

An I am statement of your choosing.

Your sankalpa is an intention formed by your heart and your mind,

A positive present tense affirmation of how you want to be,

How you want to show up in this life of yours.

It's quite common and totally allowed to use the same sankalpa you've been using through the series.

It's quite common to use them until you feel that you fully embodied them within your practice and within your life.

However,

It's completely up to you,

And if you prefer to work with another one today that feels more timely for today's practice,

That's perfectly okay too.

This is your practice.

There's no way to do it wrong.

Again,

Some examples of a sankalpa can include,

I am peaceful.

I am worthy of rest.

Or perhaps,

I trust my intuition.

Whatever feels right to you to bring about positive change or a more positive direction in your life.

Take a nice deep breath in through the nose.

With a nice big sigh,

Exhale through the mouth.

Again,

Let's inhale nice and deep through the nose.

And exhale,

Sigh.

And listen now.

Listen deeply to the whispers of your heart.

Take a moment and set your sankalpa,

Choosing an intention that feels right for you right now.

I am.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

And the practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Allow your body to surrender into this pose and into the support that's beneath your body.

Feel supported by the props and the mat or the seath beneath you,

And begin to allow all your muscles to let go of any tension.

And again,

Let go of any holding and begin to settle.

Beginning with the tips of the toes.

Relaxing through the arches of the feet and the ankles.

The knees.

Softening through the hips.

Softening across the collarbones and the shoulders.

And letting your hands fall heavy wherever they may lie.

Relax the space between your eyebrows and soften the space between your lips.

Allow your whole body to be completely and totally relaxed.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

Travel your awareness to your breath and notice the quiet,

Gentle rhythm of the natural flow of breath.

Notice where your breath is landing in your body.

Notice the pace of your breath.

Notice its rhythm.

Allow the breath now to expand through your entire body,

Breathing from the soles of your feet all the way to the crown of your head.

And then back down from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet.

The whole body expanding and condensing with your breath.

Make a commitment now to yourself and say,

I will not fall asleep.

Stay relaxed in your body,

Alert in your mind,

Anchored to the sound of my voice for the entirety of the practice.

If you find yourself drifting,

Use your breath as your anchor.

Remember,

You'll hear me through the practice reminding you to deepen the breath to help you stay alert and focused,

Yet relaxed and calm.

And yet,

Saying all that,

Please know if you do fall asleep,

Perhaps today sleep was what you needed.

Body is relaxed.

Breath is breathing.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

And then listen.

Just listen.

Expand your listening to the farthest point you can and notice what you hear.

Try not to attach yourself to any one sound,

But simply float from one sound to the next,

Releasing the need to label or search for the source.

And then slowly begin to draw your sense of sound closer to where you are.

Hearing the sounds in this room.

Hearing the sounds of your breath.

And perhaps even seeing if you can hear the sound of your own heart beating.

Body is resting.

Breath is breathing.

Mind is calm.

Bring now to your mind your sankalpa,

Your heart-centered affirmation,

Which you make to reshape the direction of your life in a more positive line.

As you make this positive statement,

Create more than just words in your mind.

Allow yourself to feel how it would be to have this already in your life.

Visualize your life and see yourself already living in the light of your sankalpa.

Repeat your affirmation in your mind three times now and allow it to be absorbed into all the layers of yourself.

I am.

Deepen the breath.

We'll now move your awareness through the body using a rotation of consciousness.

When I name out a body part,

You'll take all of your awareness to that part,

But your body will remain still.

Allow your awareness to fill into that space.

Feel it,

Mentally repeat it,

And deeply relax it.

The only movement will be the movement of your awareness.

Bring all of your attention into your right palms.

Palm of the right hand.

Right hand thumb.

Forefinger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Right side ribs.

Right side waist.

Outer hip on the right side.

Thigh.

Knee.

Shin.

Ankle.

Top of the right foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

All five toes together.

Bring all of your attention into your left hand.

Palm of the left hand.

Thumb.

Forefinger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Back of the left hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Left side ribs.

Left side waist.

Outer hip on the left side.

Thigh.

Knee.

Shin.

Ankle.

Top of the left foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

All five toes together.

Bring all of your awareness to the soles of your feet.

Feel the right sole.

Feel the left sole.

Feel both soles together.

Feel the right calf.

Feel the left calf.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left knee.

Back of the right thigh.

Back of the left thigh.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Whole length of the spine,

From the tailbone all the way to the back of the skull.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Both shoulder blades together.

Back of the skull.

Crown of the head.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Space between the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Bridge of the nose.

Hip of the nose.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Upper teeth.

Lower teeth.

Tongue.

Right lower jaw.

Left lower jaw.

Whole jaw and mouth together.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Chin.

Front of the throat.

Right side chest.

Left side chest.

Whole chest.

Whole torso.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Whole right leg.

Whole left leg.

Whole body.

Whole body.

Feel your whole body.

Feel your whole body together.

The whole body is resting.

Shift your awareness now to your breath.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen your breath in the body.

Develop the ability to become an intent observer of your breath.

See as your natural breath flows through your body so easefully and so effortlessly.

Now begin to count your breath backwards from 54 to 1.

Both sides of your breath will receive the same count and you'll be fully aware and connected to this breath and this count the entire time.

I'll do the first couple with you.

Inhale 54.

Full exhale 54.

Inhale 53.

Full exhale 53.

And continue with the counting of the breath.

If you get lost in your count,

Simply go back to 54.

And if you make it back to 1,

Start again at 54.

On your next exhale,

Release the count.

Allow your mind to create the vision of yourself seated peacefully,

Eyes closed in a wide open field.

Feel the warmth of the sun above radiating against your skin,

Cooled slightly by the soft gentle breeze.

The scent of wildflowers fills the air and you hear them brushing softly against each other in the tall grass as they sway in the breeze.

As the sun above starts to move behind a cloud,

Allow the sensation of heaviness to start to spread through your body.

Feel the weight of every bone,

Every muscle,

Every fiber in your body as you start to sink ever so slightly into the earth beneath you.

Feel as though there's an invisible force pushing down heavy,

Heavy on your shoulders,

Then spreading out to the edges and corners of your body.

Adding weight to your fingers and your toes,

Sinking deeper,

Heavy into the earth.

Feel yourself so heavy that you couldn't lift yourself from the ground if you tried.

So heavy,

Extreme heaviness,

Lightness,

Lightness,

Lightness.

Your body now becomes light,

Weightless as the sun illuminates the sky and again warms your skin.

Every bone,

Muscle and fiber begins to lighten and feel buoyant,

Beginning to float up off the earth.

Your hands grazing the edges of the wildflowers as you rise above them.

You feel infinitely light.

The boundaries of the physical body begin to dissolve and fade away as your inner space begins to merge with the space around you.

Lightness,

Lightness,

Lightness.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

Release the image of the field and become aware now of your mind,

The mind by which you know.

Become aware of the faculty of awareness.

Become aware of yourself.

Develop the awareness that you are practicing Yoga Nidra.

Become aware that you are practicing Yoga Nidra.

We'll now move through rapid visualization.

Continue to be aware and alert while allowing your mind to be clear.

As I call out numerous images,

Simply allow yourself to project these images within your mind's eye,

However they may arise for you.

A crystal clear lake.

A sunrise.

Footprint.

The scent of freshly baked bread.

The full moon.

The full moon.

The full moon.

A campfire.

Wild horses.

A warm bath.

The sound of church bells.

A library.

The ocean.

A brewing thunderstorm.

Stillness.

Freedom.

Freedom.

Freedom.

A body is resting.

A breath is breathing.

A mind is calm.

Invite your awareness now to settle into the space of your heart.

Sink your attention into the most center point of your heart space and see a tiny white light in that center point.

And with full awareness,

Begin to see the white light expand on your inhales and contract on your exhales.

Connect to the feeling of this expansion and contraction of light guided by the infinite power of your heart.

With each inhale,

Allow the light to grow and expand,

Starting to expand past beyond your chest and begin to envelop your entire body,

Your entire being.

See the white light begin to shift and expand beyond the physical boundary of your body,

Enveloping your whole self and the space around you with brilliant bright light.

Rest here in stillness.

Reveling in the immeasurable brilliance of your heart.

And then bring your sankalpa,

Your intention,

Into this space,

Into the light of your heart and hold it here for a moment.

Remember,

Revisualize the words,

The feeling,

The experience of your sankalpa and repeat it now three times with feeling,

Faith and awareness and allow the energy of your sankalpa to wash over your entire being.

I am.

Deepen the breath.

Deepen the breath in the body.

And with your next breath,

Slowly start to bring your awareness back to your body.

Become aware of your physical existence and that you are relaxed.

Feel the air moving past the tip of your nose as you draw it into your lungs and start to observe the subtle movements of the body as the breath moves through you.

Feel your body in space.

Feel the seat or the mat beneath you and the clothing on your skin.

Feel the temperature of the air in the room.

Stay motionless here for a few more moments,

Simply becoming more aware of the external world around you.

And then slowly begin to awaken your body by inviting in small movements through your hands and your feet.

Wiggling the fingers,

The toes,

Circling the wrists and the ankles and just taking a moment to ask your body what it needs,

Maybe a stretch overhead.

Taking a moment to connect one last time to your breath and just noticing how you feel right here,

Right now,

In your body and in your mind.

And finally taking a moment to acknowledge yourself and thank yourself for taking time for you today,

For your rest practice that you are so grateful for.

Very worthy of.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Wishing you peace and ease and rest.