Yoga Nidra Natural Gratitude

Welcome and thank you for joining me for this Yoganidra as an offering of peace and gratitude to our natural world.

My name is Elka and I am honored to give and also receive this Yoganidra with you today.

Just as our breath is a gift of respirosity with the natural world,

Yoganidra is a gift of respirosity of peace and gratitude.

So thank you for your simple gift of being here.

Find comfort in whatever position you can rest in,

Allowing the whole body to rest down upon the earth.

Feel the dense earth beneath you and begin to align and attune your body with a supportive rhythm of Mother Earth.

Either choosing eyes closed,

Open,

Or halfway,

Welcome your true nature into view.

Welcome in the presence of your body resting.

Welcoming the sensations inside your chest as you breathe.

Welcome your whole body.

Whole body melting,

Sinking,

Softening into the care of Mother Earth.

As we gather here,

We send greetings and gratitude to all the members of the natural world.

We extend our practice today as a thank you to all people,

Plants,

Animals,

And planetary phenomena that create and balance our entire universal ecosystem.

Together,

Let us bring our minds as one so that we may be in balance and in harmony with the flow of all of our natural life.

In this yoga nidra,

We offer greetings and gratitude to each other,

All beings,

And we thank our spirit leaders,

Our ancestors,

Grandmother Moon,

Grandfather Sun,

And Mother Earth for all that nourishes us.

We extend our greetings and gratitude to our waters,

Our internal fires,

And the vastness of air and space around us,

And we thank the nature of our spirit mind.

We send our gratitude across the sacred directions of all of our seasons and thank our spirit winds for carrying the seeds of our intentions so that they may be planted where they are needed and can sow and grow for all generations to be nourished.

We recognize and honor ourselves as true nature with greetings and with our gratitude,

And together as our minds as one.

So dear one,

Fine tune your comfort now.

Settle into this practice today with the intention of love and gratitude.

Take comfort in a position that you can rest and be still in as you settle in for this yoga nidra,

Making small movements only if you need to,

And then resting back in to comfort and quiet.

And could you now welcome the sensations of your breath?

Bring your attention and your awareness to your breath as it moves inside and outside your body.

Come in this calming breath,

This calming life force within you.

Feel your breath inside your nose,

Either cool or warm.

Notice and feel the breath inside your chest and inside your belly.

Breathing out,

Flowing with the current of your breath,

Flowing with the natural current of your breath.

Notice how your whole body naturally softens when you release.

And could you also welcome the sound of your breath?

Listening with the whole body as you breathe.

Listening with the whole body.

Whole body being breathed with the natural support of the universe.

Your universe inside and outside.

Breathing in the essence of the natural world.

Breathing out,

Sharing your essence as gratitude.

Feel this essence of air moving in and out.

An act of giving and receiving.

Receiving and releasing.

Reflect from the whole universe.

Could you welcome the feeling of stillness inside your body?

Listening where inside your body you feel quiet or still or the essence of your breath.

During this yoga nidra,

Could you remain with the sound of my voice and also remain with the essence and stillness of your breath?

Breathing in while you remain with your very own awareness.

Awareness of movement and stillness inside your body and mind.

Remaining with the awareness of your whole body listening.

And with the welcoming of the flow and energy within you.

In yoga nidra,

We practice intention.

So let us gather with our intention to offer greetings and gratitude to our natural world today.

Placing this intention of greetings and gratitude throughout your entire body.

Throughout your entire body is a quiet whisper.

Let us repeat our intention together.

Breathing in and quietly repeating three times to yourself,

Together we are one.

Each breath in and out offering this intention of together we are one.

Respirosity with the essence of the natural world.

Together we are one.

Breathing in,

Respirosity with this natural world with our intention.

And today we offer this intention out to be spread by our winds,

To be nurtured by our waters,

And to be spread wide across the lands of our earth.

Together we are one.

There's nothing to do,

No thinking,

Just listening,

Noticing,

Feeling and sensing all that is in your awareness.

Open your senses.

Feeling the senses of the taste inside your mouth,

Tasting the nourishing nectar of this yoga nidra and your intentions.

Feel your tongue and 10,

000 taste buds alive with sensations inside your mouth.

And welcome the sensation of vision behind your either closed,

Open or half-opened eyes.

Feeling,

Feeling any light or darkness,

Any colors,

Shapes or textures here.

Internal vision opening.

Internal vision opening up to your natural being.

And now feel your skin.

Welcome the touch of air and clothing on your skin.

And welcome the touch of ground beneath you,

Mother Earth.

Feeling the touch of air and the touch of Mother Earth.

Notice your ears and your ears listening,

Inviting waves and layers of sounds inside your ears.

Listening with the whole body,

Whole body sensitive,

Open,

Listening with the whole body now.

And welcome now in the touch of air and aroma at the tip of your nose.

Feeling the air and essence of the natural world inside the nose.

Welcoming in all senses.

Whole body sensitive and open and in tune with the natural world around you through your breath.

In Yoga Nidra we practice a rotation of consciousness or awareness throughout our body.

As I name a body part,

Feel and sense the sensations inside this body part.

Or even fill this body part full of greetings and gratitude.

Feel the top of your head.

Feel the back of the head.

Feel the back of your neck.

Your upper back.

Right shoulder.

Left shoulder.

Center of your back.

Your lower back.

Feel your right hip.

Left hip.

The backs of both legs.

Both heels.

And the soles of both feet.

Placing gratitude and greetings inside both feet.

Now feel the front of the feet.

The tops of the feet.

And your ankles.

Shins.

Knees.

Upper legs.

Inside your right hip.

And now inside your left hip.

Welcome both hips together as one.

Feel inside your belly.

And feel the center of the chest rising and releasing.

Being breathed.

Feel the energy at the right side of the chest.

And feel the energy in the side,

The left side of the chest.

And feel the chest as one.

Breathing as one.

Awareness floating into the whole chest at once.

And now feel the center of your throat.

Your chin.

Your teeth.

Your nose.

Your right cheekbone.

Left cheekbone.

And both cheekbones together as one.

Feel your right eye.

Your left eye.

And both eyes together as one.

Feel the center of the forehead.

Spread your awareness across the forehead into both temples.

Both temples as one.

And now feel the crown of the head.

And the whole body now as one.

Feel your whole body as one.

Whole body breathing.

Whole body being breathed.

Feel your breath.

And offer gratitude for this breath.

By the simple act of sharing your breath.

By you breathing in and out.

Sharing your very essence,

The trees,

And the natural world around you.

Breathing as one.

Whole world breathing as one.

Your very own lungs.

Hear the image of a tree and its internal wisdom.

Breathe in your natural essence.

Be present together as one with the trees.

Receiving the energy of trees.

And sharing your very own essence and energy back out.

Be present.

Breathing in the cycle of life.

Living in respirosity with the world.

Breathing with the natural world as one.

Being as one.

Feeling your whole body as one.

Whole body sensations.

Whole body a sensation.

Feel the warmth like the sun.

Feeling the whole body warm.

Whole body warm like the sun.

And could you now welcome the opposite.

Whole body cold.

Whole body cold.

Whole body cold.

Feeling in the opposite.

Whole body cold.

Like an iceberg in the ocean.

And welcome back in the feeling of warmth.

Feeling warm like the sun.

Whole body warm like the sun.

Welcome back into the cold.

Cold icy ocean.

Like an iceberg floating in the ocean.

And welcome the feeling of density.

No longer floating.

But heavy like the earth.

Feeling dark,

Cool like the forest floor.

Tense like the earth.

Feeling the whole body tense like the earth.

And could you now welcome the feeling of light.

Floaty,

Weightless.

Like an eagle flying above.

Welcoming in the sky like feeling of soaring.

Floating gently through the sky.

Like an eagle.

Body weightless.

And from the sky like view could you welcome inside your mind's eye.

Or begin to create,

Feel,

Or sense the following images.

Welcome or feel the image of an elephant walking on the yellow desert.

Sensing,

Seeing,

Feeling an elephant walking on a yellow desert.

And now welcome the image of a silver crescent moon.

Seeing,

Feeling dark sky with a silver crescent moon shining.

Silver crescent moon shining.

And now sense a campfire.

Feeling the warmth,

The glow,

The smell of a campfire under the night sky.

A campfire with warm textures of red,

Blue,

Orange,

And yellow.

And now welcome a blue lake.

Feeling the movement and dark hues of a blue lake.

A cool blue lake.

Sense and feel all the colors and textures within your awareness.

Black swan.

A peaceful black swan floating in a pond.

A black swan so peaceful floating on the water.

Notice.

Observe.

Sense and feel an elephant in a yellow desert.

An elephant walking on a yellow desert.

A silver crescent moon in the dark sky.

Crescent moon in the dark sky.

The warmth and smoke of a campfire.

Campfire burning bright.

And feel now the coolness of a vast blue lake.

A blue lake.

A vast blue lake.

A black swan.

A black swan floating in a still pond of lily pads.

Notice everything that is passing through your awareness.

An elephant on a yellow desert.

A silver crescent moon in the dark sky.

The dancing lights and warmth of a campfire at night.

A cool blue lake.

A black swan so peaceful floating in a still pond of white and pink and green lily pads.

Feeling so calm and peaceful.

So calm and peaceful like a black swan.

Notice how you are feeling.

Being aware of all that is present here.

Being still and grateful.

Taking it all in.

Feeling your whole awareness.

Seeing yourself as awareness itself.

And binding as your own witness to all that is present here.

Your feelings.

Awareness.

Awareness of body breathing.

Awareness of your gift of respirosity with the natural world around you.

In your present awareness of being.

Bring back your intention.

This intention of greetings and gratitude with our natural world and all that is around us.

This intention of our respirosity with all that is living.

Together we are one.

In the quiet space of your mind,

Welcome in your intention of gratitude for the natural world.

Welcome in your present essence of trees.

Welcoming in all that is alive within you.

Together we are one.

Together we are one.

Together we are one.

Notice how this feels inside your body.

Notice how quiet your mind and body feels.

Can you notice the quiet heartbeat within you?

Being so still and grateful for your presence.

For your own being.

Being present with the life force that is inside you and all around you.

Being present with your own gratitude.

Your own essence.

Sharing this essence with the whole natural world around you.

Invite this breath with fullness and gratitude.

Breathing in the whole body as a gift.

Being present with your breath.

Remain present with this feeling inside you.

Remain present with your own well-being and gratitude.

Begin to welcome the body to wake up gently.

When you are ready,

Welcome some gentle movement back into your body.

Wiggling fingers and toes.

Or inviting the whole body to stretch or yawn.

Sense whatever still remains present here.

Allow this presence to remain with you throughout your day or night.

Sharing your essence with the world around you.

We are not separate from the living world.

We are all peace messengers on this earth.

Let us all bring our own awareness to our own peace.

Let us breathe together as one in all of harmony with all the world.

May you be peaceful.

May you be healthy.

May you always be in tune with your nature.

And may you reside on this earth with gratitude.

Namaste.