A Hero's Journey - Choosing Our Future - Yoga Nidra

This meditation practice is best done lying down.

As you settle in,

Notice how your attention is drawn from the external world to the internal world.

Even as I invite you to make yourself just 5% more comfortable,

Notice how you need to go inwards,

Into your body to find out what sensations are there and you may need to adjust your neck or your legs.

Welcome these minor adjustments now.

Attune to your own body's needs.

This is your time,

A space to be fully present,

Leaving everything else behind.

Life is waiting for you.

Everything is waiting for you.

All you need is your attention and imagination for this meditation.

I'll give you a few moments to welcome stillness into the body and remain still for the rest of the practice,

Adjusting yourself only when you need to.

Now notice the space around you,

All five senses opening to the space around you.

Feel the touch of air on your skin,

Cool or warm,

And each point the surface of the body is resting upon.

Notice any lingering smells or fragrances in the room,

And now the sun,

The sun's close by,

The sun's further away,

And all the layers of suns,

And any colours or images behind your closed eyelids,

And now the tongue.

Notice any tastes,

Taste buds alive when I draw your attention to them,

And notice the space all around you,

The space in front of you,

Behind you,

To the left,

To the right,

And now the space inside you.

As you settle into this practice,

Begin to welcome this as an experience of getting to know yourself better,

And maybe an inquiry into something.

This is your practice,

Be open,

Curious,

Welcoming to everything.

And notice your breath,

The breath even,

Smooth,

No jerks,

The breath flowing continuously,

No pauses between the inhales and exhales,

The breath flowing deep down into the belly,

And out into the sides of the ribcage.

Now allow an intention to emerge into your awareness,

Perhaps you have one that you already wish to use for this practice,

Or you may wish to allow one to emerge here spontaneously.

What brings you to your practice today?

Why are you choosing to be here?

You're making a conscious choice to pull yourself away from all the distractions of life.

This is your time,

Your space,

A place to be wholly you,

A safe place to allow your aspirations to arise here.

No one to judge you,

Or tell you no.

You deserve your intentions and more.

You are important,

You are worthy,

And you're enough.

Be curious,

Who makes the decision of whether you deserve this thing,

But not that thing?

Each of us deserves peace,

Health,

And love,

Just as you deserve oxygen to breathe,

Water to drink,

And food to eat.

I'll give you a few moments to set your intention.

Your intentions are a deserving of your conscious attention.

Where attention goes,

Energy flows.

And imagine your intention as if it were true in your life right now,

As if you're already living it.

What does the intention feel like?

Using all of your senses,

Perhaps a visual image or simply a visceral knowing,

What sensations and emotions are present?

Happiness,

Peace,

Health,

Vibrancy,

Inspiration,

Freedom,

Contentment,

Courage.

Use your own words.

And now let your intention go,

Like a message being sent out into the ocean in a bottle.

Let it marinate in the ocean of your meditation practice without the need to think about it.

And now let's draw our attention to the body and all the sensations in the body.

Direct your attention to the sensations in your mouth.

Sense your entire mouth,

The tongue,

The jaws,

The teeth,

The lips,

The upper lip,

Lower lip,

And the space inside the mouth.

Draw your attention to the left ear,

Right ear.

Welcome the sensation of both ears at the same time.

And feel into the space around the ears.

Sense the space in front of the nose,

Left nostril,

Right nostril,

And the air flowing in and out of both nostrils.

Soften the eyes,

Left eye,

Right eye.

And sense the eyelids covering the eyes in soothing darkness.

And allow the eyes to drop back and relax.

Now bring your attention to the middle of your forehead,

Left cheek,

Right cheek.

Left temple,

Right temple.

Soften the entire forehead,

Scalp,

And sense the back of the neck,

Throat,

Left shoulder blade,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

Left palm,

And each of the left fingers one by one.

Now the right shoulder blade,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

Right palm,

And each of the right fingers one by one.

And now both arms at the same time.

Draw your attention to the chest,

Ribs,

Heart,

Upper back,

Spine,

And abdomen.

Feel your abdomen and chest as you breathe.

And take a moment to sense your entire torso,

Allowing everything to arise and fall just as it is,

Without intention to change anything.

Draw your attention to your left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

Back of the knee,

Left ankle,

Left heel,

Left top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

And each of the left toes one by one.

And now the entire left leg.

Draw your attention to the right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Back of the knee,

Right ankle,

Right heel,

Right top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

And each of the right toes one by one.

And now the entire right leg,

And both legs at the same time.

And allow your attention to wander throughout your entire body,

Front of the body,

Back of the body,

Left side,

Right side,

Inside,

And outside.

Notice what's present,

Thoughts,

Images,

Emotions,

Sensations.

Be the observer,

The witness of everything.

And begin to notice your breath,

The gentle rise and fall of your breath during inhalation and exhalation.

The breath rises,

The breath falls,

The body functions by itself.

And draw your attention to your navel,

The rise and fall of the navel as you breathe.

Begin to shape the breath.

Inhale for four,

Belly rising,

And exhale for eight,

Belly sinking.

The chest stays still,

Belly rising for four,

Falling for eight.

Continue to do this for the next few minutes.

And let go of this counting of the breaths,

And come back to breathing normally.

Notice what's present now,

And feel the body release and let go on the exhales.

Let go of any tension in the body,

And allow the body to relax from the tips of the toes to the top of the head,

A wave of relaxation flowing from the tips of the toes to the crown of the head,

Up and down again.

Now let's go on a hero's journey.

A hero is a chooser,

A person who decides to go on an adventure.

What if you were to treat this life as an adventure,

Your entire life as an adventure?

You go on a quest that comes with all the ups and downs of the hero's journey.

On this quest,

What are you willing to let go of?

What is holding you back from realizing the vision you have for your life?

Notice what arises naturally for you,

And if nothing arises,

That's okay.

Notice if you can let go of certain views,

Opinions,

And beliefs that keep you static.

Phrases that start with the word should,

For example.

I should be fitter.

I should meditate more.

I should be happier.

Perhaps replace the word should with could.

I could be fitter.

I could meditate more.

Or I could be happier.

Or I could be healthier.

Notice how letting go of expectations changes the intention to come from a place of empowerment,

And you might wish to make the decision now to perhaps replace all the shoulds in your life with could.

What else do you need to let go of?

Notice what comes up for you when I ask you this question.

Is there a specific way of being or personality trait?

Be open,

Curious,

Non-judgmental with yourself.

You are here to let go of the old with a simple,

Non-judgmental awareness.

What areas in your life would you like to direct your energy towards?

A hero chooses his or her own path.

Change starts with awareness.

Maybe feeling at home with yourself and others.

Or living your own life,

Not meeting the expectations and standards of others.

What path are you choosing?

If you were to look back on your life in 5,

10,

20 or 50 years from now,

What would be the guiding principle of your life,

This adventure?

What risks would you take to follow your heartfelt aspirations for life?

Notice what wants to arise from within.

If nothing comes up,

That's okay,

Don't force it.

Allow it to rise over the next few days.

Now bring your awareness to the sense of connection.

A connection with yourself.

Find something you are grateful for about yourself.

Perhaps you're grateful for your physical body which carries you.

Or your voice that allows you to communicate.

Or for your eyes and seeing.

Your ears for hearing.

Your mind and your intellect.

Or your intuition and inner wisdom.

Be kind to yourself.

And feel a deep sense of peace and contentment as you lie here.

Simply be,

In this present moment,

Connected to yourself.

Now bring your awareness to the sense of connection around you.

The relationships you have in your life.

Feel gratitude towards the people in your life.

A significant other,

Family,

Friends,

Even pets.

Feel the love you have for the close people in your life.

And how you are deeply connected to them.

Now feel grateful for your community and the people around you.

That you don't know so well.

Co-workers,

Neighbours,

Doctors,

Shop assistants.

Everyone who serves you on a daily basis.

Now expand your gratitude to others.

People you don't know.

Other sentient beings,

Animals,

Big and small.

All living creatures.

Expand your connection to the trees and plants that provide you with oxygen.

Be grateful for the world you inhabit.

That provides you with life.

And deeply feel into this sense of connection to yourself.

Your loved ones,

Your community and the planet.

As you lie here in stillness,

Sense how you feel content.

Light,

Open,

Connected.

Use your own words to describe this current state of being.

Now bring forth the intention you set at the beginning of the practice.

And repeat it mentally in your head three times.

Allow this intention to permeate every cell of your body.

Now become aware of your body lying totally relaxed on the floor.

You may notice yourself shifting in and out of awareness.

Simply enjoy this moment of deep relaxation in the body.

Simply just be in this present moment.

Now take a moment as you slowly come back to your body and mind.

Lying on the mat.

Reviewing the journey you have just taken.

Begin to sense the room around you.

And the feeling of beginning to move back into the world.

Taking several deeper abdominal breaths.

Begin to wriggle your fingers and toes.

Take a full body stretch.

Remove your body as you need to.

Bend your knees.

Gently roll onto your right side and take a moment to rest.

When you're ready,

Push yourself up into a seated position.

Scanning your body,

Notice what's present now.

And begin to visualize your day ahead and meeting each activity in person.

With this level of presence and awareness.

When you're ready,

Reorientate yourself to your surrendering.

Slowly blinking your eyes open and closed.

Coming back to your wide awake and alert state.