Exploring The Paradox Within | 31-Minute Yoga Nidra

Hello,

And welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.

We'll begin by tuning into our bodies as you find yourself preparing a cozy nest for this practice of rest.

Whether that's in your bed,

On the floor,

Or someplace else,

Take a moment to intentionally experiment with and make some choices based on your comfort and your comfort alone.

So if you're lying on your back,

You may choose to place a support underneath your head,

Or your knees,

Or ankles.

You may also find comfort in placing a blanket over you,

Or a cover over your eyes.

Whatever you choose,

Do so out of care for your body.

Your body as a vessel of your gifts,

Contributions,

Your heart,

And your connection to this world.

And as you settle into this nest you've carefully crafted,

Begin to close your eyes if that feels accessible to you,

And perhaps sense into the physical space you're in now,

And how the fullness of your body lands there.

What sounds or sensations do you notice far away from your body?

What sounds or sensations feel more near?

Is there any curiosity you have in this moment about your comfort,

And can you make an adjustment that would provide you with that comfort?

You might perhaps explore this by noticing how different parts of your body feel against the surface.

Are they tense,

Relaxed,

Somewhere in between?

See if you can place your attention on one of these parts that feel more at ease already.

With your next inhale,

Expand your attention from this part of your body to your whole body.

When you reach your exhale,

Settle your attention back to the part of your body that feels most at ease.

And once again,

At your own pace,

Inhale as you expand your attention,

And exhale as you settle your attention.

Repeat this on your own a few more times,

And see whether through your breath you can expand this felt sense of ease through the whole of your body.

And on your next exhale,

Allow your breath to return to its natural rhythm,

And see if you can notice how your body feels now,

Just as it is,

Without changing anything.

Held by this surface and this nest you carefully crafted,

All of you held by your commitment to show up for yourself in this way.

And held by your heartfelt wish that led you to this practice today.

If it feels welcome,

Perhaps honor your heart and your commitment through your inner voice,

Saying,

I give myself permission to rest.

I can rest in this moment,

The present moment.

Or this body I'm in is worthy of rest.

Allow whatever words that resonate with you to arise.

Or perhaps,

Instead of words,

You find a feeling or an image that honors you being here right now.

And begin to feel this image or these words or this feeling playing on repeat each time,

Also leaving more space in between each refrain.

And after a few cycles,

Allow this to fade gently into a quiet whisper that rests in your heart space.

And eventually allow it to fade to the point where you cannot even notice it at all,

Though it's still there.

With your next inhale,

See if you can draw the reflections of this wish that you placed in your heart space up to the crown of your head.

And on an exhale,

Allow it to rest there as you prepare to carry this wish around the body.

Beginning with the crown of your head,

Down to your forehead,

Your eyebrows,

Space between your eyebrows,

The bridge of your nose,

Your eyelids,

Your hands,

Your eyes,

Your cheeks,

Your lips,

Your teeth,

Jaw,

Throat,

The base of your throat,

Over to your right collarbone,

Right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Right inner elbow,

Forearm,

Forearm,

Wrist,

The palm of your right hand,

Thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Middle finger,

Pinky finger,

And all of your right hand,

The back of your right hand,

Your forearm,

Elbow,

And upper right arm,

Right shoulder,

Right collarbone,

The base of the throat,

And over to your left collarbone,

Left shoulder,

Upper left arm,

Inner elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

And the fullness of your left hand,

The back of your left hand,

Left forearm,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Left collarbone,

Base of throat,

Down to your chest and heart center,

Down to your navel,

Your diaphragm,

Your pelvis,

Your pelvic center,

Your right hip,

Your right glute,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The fullness of your right foot,

The sole of your right foot,

Right heel,

Right ankle,

The back of your right knee,

Right thigh,

Right glute,

Right hip,

And then back to your pelvis,

Pelvic center,

And left hip,

Left glute,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

The top of the left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

And the fullness of your left foot,

Your left sole,

Left heel,

Ankle,

Ankle,

Back of the left knee,

Thigh,

Left hip,

Pelvic center,

Through to the base of the spine,

Along and up the base of the spine,

To your back,

Shoulder blades,

Over your shoulders,

Through to your chest,

And landing in your heart space,

Back in the heart space,

With your wish still here,

Allow yourself to remember,

Remember your whole body as a container for so many things,

Full of multitudes and paradox,

With the capacity for spaciousness and density,

Lightness and heaviness,

Anger and gratitude,

Confidence and fear,

Focus and distraction,

Doubt and resilience,

Creativity and melancholy,

Exhaustion and buzzing energy,

And so much more.

Now choose one of these paradox sets,

Or another paradox that resonates,

To explore more deeply through felt sensations in your hands.

To do this,

Place one side of your paradox in your left hand,

Without grabbing or holding on too tightly.

Simply allow the sensation of one side of this paradox,

This experience,

To rest in your left palm.

What does it feel like?

Now allow yourself to let go of that felt sense,

And place the other side of the same paradox gently in the palm of your right hand.

What does this feel like?

Now bring your awareness back to the felt sense in your left hand,

And once again to your right hand.

At your own pace,

Continue switching back and forth and sensing each side of your paradox,

Just noticing and observing without judgment.

When you feel ready,

See if you can hold a felt sensation coming from both hands at once,

One side of the paradox in your left hand,

And at the same time the other side of the paradox in your right hand.

Now allow both sensations to gently fade,

And just as gently,

Once again,

Feel the sensation from only your left hand.

And now only the sensation in your right hand.

And once again,

Feel the sensation of both sides of this paradox with both hands together.

And this time as you allow the paradox of these sensations to fade,

See if you notice another sensation or feeling in its place.

Existing in this liminal space,

What's present?

Observing,

Welcoming,

Without judgment.

Whatever sensation you notice,

See if you can guide your attention to the natural rhythm of your breath now.

Inhale.

See how you might begin to extend your inhale and exhale.

A longer breath in,

And a longer breath out.

See if you can now follow each breath to its very end,

To the end of the inhale or exhale,

Holding for a moment.

Then as your breath turns the other direction,

Find yourself following your breath back to the other end.

And forth,

Feeling the steady draw of the inhale and the relief and release of the exhale.

As you continue this pattern of breathing,

Begin to visualize your breath as weaving a rich tapestry of the many paradoxes you contain.

Each piece its own gradient of colors and patterns.

Each piece a different texture.

And breath by breath,

Imagine this tapestry coming together and taking shape.

Once you've made your final touches,

Take a moment to notice this tapestry in its fullness,

Its beauty,

And consider its place for now in your inner world.

Will you hang it up to admire or reflect on from time to time?

Will you wrap it around you to hold you and be a comfort in the harder times?

Will you sprawl it out on the ground with space enough to invite close people in your life to join you for a moment of sitting,

Chatting,

Or playing?

Perhaps you have another purpose in mind for this tapestry.

Whatever you choose,

See if you can also feel at rest within your choice.

At rest also within your heartfelt wish from before.

Saying,

I see what's possible when I give myself permission to rest.

I have the power to rest in this moment,

The present moment.

This body I'm in is worthy of rest now and whatever your heartfelt wish,

Remember it and repeat it now against the backdrop of the tapestry you so intentionally wove.

Know that you can come back to this wish and this tapestry at any moment in time,

Safely kept within your memory,

Safely kept within your heart space,

Safely kept within this body here at rest.

And if at this time you would like to continue resting or drift off to sleep,

You may do so now,

Still held by this wish and the surface beneath you.

Or if you would like to come back to this present moment,

Waking from your rest,

Begin to see if you can notice the rhythm of your breath or feel the beat of your heart.

See if any sounds in your space make their way into your field of awareness.

Perhaps sounds growing louder or hearing sounds from further and further away.

Maybe you choose to wiggle your fingers and toes or rock your head side to side.

And if it feels accessible to you,

Perhaps you bring your knees up to your chest and eventually roll to one side.

Remember now where you are in your physical space,

In your city and in the world.

Feel the surface beneath you and the comfort of your nest against your body.

You might now place your palms over your face,

Allowing your eyes to gently flutter open.

Massage your forehead,

Temples,

Cheeks,

Jaw,

Your chin,

Your neck.

Maybe you stretch and flex your body in a way that feels good to you right here and now.

Maybe you begin to make your way up to a seated position.

And as you savor these final few moments of this practice,

Remember to thank yourself for choosing to practice and know that you can come back here at any time.

And you can carry all of the paradox and the spirit of rest with you wherever you go next.

And for now,

Here together,

This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.