Autumn Yoga Nidra To Let Go Seasonal Affective Disorder SAD

Welcome to this metal element yoga nidra to empower you to let go of the things that no longer serve you,

To cultivate closure,

Refinement and welcome courage and clarity.

The metal element governs our ability to reduce,

Simplify and let go.

When in balance it manifests in the form of clarity and when out of balance it can manifest as grief,

Inability to let go or move on or the lingering feeling of regret.

Today through yoga nidra we harness the power of the metal element,

Of your potential to refine and alchemize by shedding what is unnecessary and by extracting and keeping what is essential for your growth.

Let's take the next couple of moments to get really comfortable.

Adjust your clothing,

Grab any cushions,

Pillows,

Blankets,

Bolsters that you might need for yoga nidra and remove any distractions from your space.

Once we're in the practice of yoga nidra,

You will want to remain still for the full duration.

Settle in and invite a sense of stillness and calm.

Close your eyes and guide your awareness to your breath without changing your breath.

Notice it.

Notice the rise and fall of your breath at your belly.

Notice this sacred,

Natural,

Effortless rhythm.

Unhurried,

Unrestricted and stay with this rise and fall of your breath.

Witness its ebb and flow and observe as your inhale releases into your exhale and your exhale surrenders into your inhale.

With each exhale,

Let yourself to yield,

To release the weight of your obligations,

Your responsibilities,

Your worries,

To let go of any unfinished tasks,

Any responsibilities that you might need to fulfill.

Temporarily as you exhale,

Release any roles you are playing,

Any responsibilities you have for others and allow yourself to be you.

And with each inhale,

Feel the support of Mother Earth holding you.

Feel that at this moment,

In this space,

There is no one more precious,

More important than you.

In Yoga Nidra,

We work with a Sankalpa.

A Sankalpa is a positive I am statement that is true at the core of who you are.

It is your essence simplified into a short positive I am statement.

Allow to surface in the center of your being your Sankalpa and once it has formed,

Repeat it quietly and internally to yourself three times.

If no Sankalpa comes to surface,

Then allow an openness to whatever guidance your inner teacher,

Your heart,

Has to offer you.

Remain aware of my voice and be still throughout the remainder of this practice.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

Awareness to your breath.

Experience your breath as it is.

Follow its natural rhythm without altering it and experience the rhythm of your breath as if your whole body is breathing.

Luminous,

Sparkling prana.

Feel this vital life force flowing in and out of you with each cycle of your breath.

Let this renewed energy saturate your lungs and all of your being with each inhale.

Let this energy gently subside with each exhale.

Each inhale radiating and reaching fullness and then giving away to each exhale.

Experience the expansion and contraction,

The pulsation of the beating heart of Mother Earth.

As a dear friend,

This friend you've known for so long,

This friend you've known since the moment you were born.

For the next nine breaths,

Count each of your exhales from 9 to 0.

If you lose track of the counting,

It doesn't matter.

What matters is you let your mind rest with each exhale.

Let's begin.

We begin now to guide the light of mental awareness around your physical body as if your body is the lush,

Full,

Flourishing foliage of an oak tree.

And each point your light of consciousness lands,

It transforms each leaf from green to a shimmering gold of autumn.

We begin at the root of your tongue,

The tip of your tongue,

The roof of your mouth,

The bottom of your mouth,

The inside of your left cheek,

The inside of your right cheek,

Your left ear,

The lobe of the ear,

The shell of the ear,

Inside and all around the ear,

Your right ear,

The lobe of the ear,

The shell of the ear,

Inside and all around the ear,

The back of your head,

The crown of your head,

Your forehead,

Your left eyebrow,

Right eyebrow,

Your left eye,

And your right eye,

The bridge of your nose,

The tip of your nose,

Your left cheek,

And your right cheek,

Your upper lip,

And your lower lip,

And all along your jawline from the edge of your left ear where it meets your jaw,

To your chin,

To your right ear where it meets your jaw,

The center of your throat,

Your right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Your right arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Center of the palm,

And all five of your fingers,

Your thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And your little finger,

Your left arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Center of the palm,

And all five of your fingers of your left hand,

Your thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And your little finger,

Your left lung,

Your right lung,

The center of your navel,

Your left hip,

And your right hip,

Your left thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Shin,

Ankle,

Heel,

Rainbow arch of your left foot,

The ball of your left foot,

And all five of the toes of your left foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And your little toe,

Your right thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Shin,

Ankle,

Heel,

Rainbow arch of your right foot,

The ball of your right foot,

And all five of the toes of your right foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And your little toe,

From head to toe,

From toes to head,

The whole of your body is now the lush,

Full foliage of shimmering gold,

Preparing for their final journey to the earth,

Guide your awareness to your breath,

As you exhale,

Feel heavy like a blanket of autumn leaves descending upon the earth,

Inhaling,

Feeling light like the sparse,

Naked branches of a tree extending towards the heavens,

Towards the sky,

Exhaling,

Descending heavy like autumn leaves falling onto the earth,

And inhaling,

Feeling light like the naked branches of the tree reaching up towards the sky,

Continue to alternate between these extremes,

A feeling of heaviness and lightness with your breath for the next five breaths,

Now invite both extremes,

A feeling that you are as heavy as autumn leaves descending down onto the earth,

And at the same time as light,

As the barren branches reaching up towards the sky,

Feel both of these in your consciousness,

At the same time,

Now gently let go of this practice,

And notice the natural weight,

Shape,

And form of your physical body,

To the center of your heart,

Feel and see a shimmering gemstone,

A little diamond in the center of your heart,

Inhale and allow light to gather inwards into the gemstone,

And exhale to release any dust or dirt,

Or dirt to reveal its inner shine outwards into the world,

Inhale to gather light inwards,

And exhale to release and reveal its inner shine,

Continue to alternate between these experiences for the next five breaths,

Now invite both extremes,

A feeling that you are both allowing light and luminosity to gather inwards in your gemstone,

And at the same time,

You are releasing and clearing out any dirt or dust,

Revealing your inner shine towards the world,

Feel both of these in your consciousness,

At the same time,

I will now describe images to you,

Experience them without attachment to wash over you,

The sun dips towards the horizon in autumn,

The sky at sunset is adorned with brushstrokes of fiery hues,

Not a single soul in sight,

In the distance,

A lake reflects a symphony of gold,

Yellow,

And amber,

You follow the tree-lined direct path westwards towards the lake,

Your steps are deliberate,

Yet slow,

Each falling leaf whispers to you a tale of closure,

Your path is lined with fallen golden tokens of transition,

All is refined,

Introspective,

And withdrawn,

The sun's glow softens further as the day inches towards the night,

You walk closer and you see a lone oak tree,

With each slow and deliberate step,

The blanket of fallen leaves crackle under your feet,

Your breath in sync with the soft rustling of the leaves in the crisp autumn wind,

You arrive beneath the single oak tree,

The wind caresses your cheeks and face,

You stop and adjust your scarf,

A feeling of clarity,

Release,

And closure permeates your being,

You bend down to pick up a single fallen leaf,

Its face golden with age,

Your fingers tenderly stroke its face,

You bring it under your nostrils,

As its piercing musky smell enters your nose,

You realize you recognize this familiar smell,

It's the smell of your sankalpa,

Now repeat your sankalpa internally to yourself,

Sense,

Smell,

Allow,

Embrace it in the deepest layers of your being with meaning and intention,

Become open to whatever guidance your heart has to offer you,

Now an embodied experience of this guidance as your lived reality,

Allow your breath to be more audible and let your body gently move with your breath,

Let these sounds and the sound of my voice awaken you,

More everyday state consciousness,

The practice of yuga nidra is now complete,

You may gently rise and stretch and savour your inner shine as you bring this with you into the rest of your day and the rest of your life.