Hello and welcome to this yoga nidra for the summer solstice.
You can practice this during the summer solstice,
The day surrounding or whenever feels good for you,
But particularly if you're in need of a quick energy boost.
The practice will be around 15 minutes long today and will help you to feel refreshed,
Revitalised and makes a great practice for the morning or when you're in need of that midday boost.
You can begin by getting yourself in a comfortable position,
You're welcome to lie on your back or you might prefer to lie on your side today.
And whilst you're getting yourself comfortable,
I will quickly go over some information about this practice.
So this nidra is around the theme of the summer time,
Celebrating the light and the energy that surrounds us during this time of year.
The summer solstice marks the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year,
A powerful time as the sun shines its brightest and illuminates the world around us.
As the sun shares its radiant energy,
We not only celebrate its warmth but also our own inner light.
And through this nidra,
You will embark on a journey to connect with the light within yourself,
Awakening your inner radiance,
As well as providing an energy boost.
Towards the end of the practice,
I will invite you to visualise or feel yourself among two strong trees with the light shining down on you.
If any images or sensations come up,
Feel free to ignore my suggestions and have your own experience.
And as I guide you through the practice,
If anything else I say doesn't resonate,
That's okay.
Just ignore the words in themselves,
Allow yourself to drift and let my voice be a safe sound in the background.
And please note,
There is no such thing as failure in yoga nidra,
So try to meet this experience without expectations and allow yourself to experience whatever the practice looks like for you today.
And now we will begin our practice by simply arriving in the body.
Just noticing how you are feeling today,
Knowing there is no right or wrong answer,
Just simply checking in.
Noticing any thoughts,
Any sensations.
And then bringing your awareness to your breath,
Watching the natural rhythm of the breath,
Effortless,
Flowing,
No need to change or control it,
But notice where you can feel the breath.
Noticing any sensations,
Any particular parts of the body you can feel the breath in,
And see if you can allow each exhale to be an invitation to soften that little bit more.
I'm going to rotate the awareness around the body.
As I name each body part,
Simply bring your awareness there.
If it feels comfortable,
You can imagine the sunlight shining down on you,
And as you bring your awareness to each body part,
Allow it to fill with the warmth of the sun,
Allowing this light to energize you and to illuminate you.
So starting at the top of the head,
The forehead,
The right eye,
The left eye,
The nose,
The tongue,
The lips,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The whole face,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The back of the head,
The neck,
The left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Left forearm,
The left hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
And little finger,
The whole left hand,
The whole left arm,
The right shoulder,
The right upper arm,
The right forearm,
The right hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
The whole right hand,
The whole right arm,
The base of the throat,
The collarbones,
The heart,
The stomach,
The left hip,
The left thigh,
The left knee,
Left lower leg,
Ankle,
And the left foot,
The whole left leg,
Glowing,
The right hip,
The right thigh,
The right knee,
The right lower leg,
The ankle,
And the right foot,
The whole right leg,
The tailbone,
The lower back,
Middle of the back,
Shoulder blades,
The whole back,
The back of the neck,
The back of the head,
Top of the head,
Your crown chakra glowing,
The whole body,
The whole body illuminated by the sunlight,
And bringing your awareness back to your breath for a moment,
Observing each inhale and exhale and with each inhale,
I invite you to imagine the light you've cultivated through the body scan growing bigger,
Illuminating you,
Surrounding you letting that light grow brighter with each breath and allow this light to radiate the space around you,
Representing your inner light,
Your beauty,
Shining out into the world if you like,
You can even add an affirmation with your breath,
Affirming,
I am enough,
I am capable,
I am living,
I am creative or any affirmation that works for you today and then releasing your awareness of the breath,
And beginning to visualize two strong trees you might be able to see them in your mind's eye,
Maybe sense them or feel them whatever helps you to connect to these trees taking a moment to notice what colors you can see,
The textures of them,
The width,
The height of the trees observing the strength and the sturdiness of these trees,
Sensing their solid foundations,
A wide strong trunk and then connecting to the freeness of the tree maybe noticing its branches swaying slightly in the summer breeze,
Noticing the leaves dancing and rustling above you and then connecting to the grounding earth elements of these trees,
The roots growing down into the soil,
Into the earth allowing it to stand tall and then drawing your awareness back to the top of the tree,
Noticing it growing and expanding towards the sun connecting to the element of air,
Feeling its freedom and its expansion and knowing that both these elements of grounding and of expansion also exist within you and coming back to the ground,
Begin to visualize yourself coming up between these two trees you might want to sit or lie on the ground,
Or you might choose to lie in a hammock between them maybe looking up at the beautiful blue sky above you what can you see?
Perhaps the clouds floating by,
Noticing what shapes that they make and what colors can you see?
Any colors that stand out to you in the trees or in the leaves?
Maybe you notice the leaves and the treetops lit up by the sunshine this light from the sun illuminating the leaves around you or maybe the sun casting shadows on the ground you might notice pollen falling from the trees,
Dancing through the air or maybe flowers surrounding you on the ground,
Taking in their colors and what sounds can you hear?
Are there birds singing?
Are these birds loud or quiet?
Maybe they're in the trees above you,
Or a little bit further in the distance maybe you can hear the rustling of the leaves as they sway and what smells can you pick up?
Any sense of nature?
Maybe noticing the scent of the grass,
Or of the flowers,
Or the pollen and what can you feel?
Perhaps you can feel the earth or the hammock beneath you maybe you're swaying slightly and now imagine a beam of sunlight shining down on you through the treetops this light filling every cell in your body,
Energizing you,
Renewing you perhaps you can feel the warmth of the sun feeling it touching your skin and allowing your inner light to shine out and meet with this light from the sun letting them merge together and then completely illuminate the space around you you can take a few moments to bask in this light feeling its warmth,
Its energy washing through you and allow yourself to be fully present in this moment feeling the sun's energy,
Feeling your energy and resting in this place it's now time to leave this place but know that you can return here at any time and invite you to slowly return your awareness to the breath taking a few deep inhales and exhales maybe even allowing a sigh out but feeling your energy increasing with each breath as you breathe,
Allow your body to reawaken feel the energy flow through every muscle if you would like you can come back to that affirmation from earlier and just taking a moment here to recognize your inner strength,
Your beauty maybe bringing to mind something you love about yourself,
Something that makes you unique having a moment of appreciation for bringing yourself to this practice today for taking time to refill your cup to reenergize yourself and then begin to add some gentle movements perhaps through the fingers and the toes if you want to stretch your arms overhead or take some bigger movements,
Feel free to do so doing whatever feels good for you in this moment and holding on to your light allowing it to shine out into the world knowing that you are valued,
That you are important and in your own time flittering the eyes open and thank you so very much for practicing with me today I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day,
That you feel revitalized,
You have more energy and I hope that you can recognize the light within you and let it shine out into the world thank you
