Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,
A guided journey into deep rest,
Where the body can soften and the mind can quiet.
Tonight you're held by stillness,
By breath,
By the gentle light of the season.
Take a moment now to arrive exactly as you are.
No effort,
Nothing to fix.
Simply rest.
Allow your body to find a comfortable position,
Lying down,
The earth supporting you.
Let your hands rest easy,
Your jaw unclench,
Your shoulders drop,
And begin to feel the ground holding you.
In yoga nidra,
We plant a seed,
An intention,
A quiet inner truth.
Emboke is the season of the return of warmth,
The spark beneath the snow.
Let a simple intention rise.
I am renewing.
My inner flame is steady.
I trust what is growing within me.
Choose one gentle phrase and repeat it silently three times.
Let it settle into the deep soil of your being.
Now we begin to travel through the body with awareness.
Bring attention to the right hand,
The right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
The right big toe,
Second toe.
Now the left hand,
Left thumb,
Index,
Middle,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
The back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Chest,
Waist,
The heel,
The sole,
The top of the left foot,
The left big toe,
And third toe.
Now awareness to the back of the body,
The back of the head,
Neck or back,
The whole spine resting,
Back of the pelvis,
Back of the legs,
Heels sinking down.
Now the front body,
Arms.
Feel the whole body as one field of sensation resting.
Now bring attention to the natural breath.
Not changing,
Just noticing the inhale arrives,
The exhale releases.
Like waves in winter,
Cool air in.
Count the breath backward from ten.
Ten,
Breathing in.
If the mind wanders,
Simply return.
Seven.
Half awake,
Half dreaming.
Five,
Four.
Breathe like a lullaby.
Three,
Two,
One.
Let the counting fade.
Only breath remains.
Now we welcome opposites to balance the nervous system.
Imagine the body becoming heavy,
So heavy resting onto the earth.
Feel the weight.
Now imagine the body becoming light,
Almost floating,
Spacious,
Open,
Light.
Now again heavy,
Warmth of gravity,
And light,
Soft as moonlight.
Now sense coolness,
A winter hush,
Snow air.
And now warmth,
A gentle hearth,
A candle glow,
Cool.
Let all opposites dissolve into quiet peace.
Now in the inner space of rest,
Imagine you're lying beneath a winter sky.
It's full,
Bright,
Watchful.
And in the distance,
A single flame appears,
The flame of Brigid,
The sacred spark.
Not a roaring fire,
But a steady,
Living light.
This flame represents your creative life,
Your inner strength,
Your renewal.
You do not need to force anything.
Just sit with the flame.
Feel it warming the heart,
Gently melting what has been frozen,
Softly awakening what is ready.
Under the snow,
Seeds are stirring.
In you,
Something is beginning.
Let the flame whisper,
You are becoming.
You are held.
Your light returns.
Rest here.
Receiving.
Now return to your intention,
Your sankalpa.
Repeat it silently three times.
Plant it once more into the deep inner ground.
Trusting its growth.
Begin to feel the body again.
Wiggle your fingers.
Wiggle toes.
Gently roll the head.
Perhaps bring knees in.
And when you're ready,
Roll onto one side.
Rest there briefly.
Honoring the softness you've created.
And slowly come back.
Carrying this calm,
This flame,
Into the days ahead.
Thank you for practicing.
