Yoga Nidra with Sounds of Nature

Take a moment now to become comfortable in your space.

As you allow yourself to settle onto the surface which you're resting on.

You might just notice if there's anything that's going to make this posture maybe five or 10% more comfortable so that you can continue the practice with ease.

Let your next breath come in through your nose and out through your mouth a nice sigh if it suits you.

And perhaps two or three more breaths,

A way to allow your body and even your nervous system to register that you're letting go of your breath.

You're letting go of the day or the evening.

You're letting go of what just came before.

Letting your breath now continue in and out through your nose.

And just guiding a simple awareness to the way that your body is resting on the surface of what you are resting on.

Feel the weight of your body,

The back of your skull,

Backs of your shoulder blades,

Elbows,

Hands,

Hips,

Calf muscles,

Heels.

Wherever you feel weight in the back of your body,

Allow it to feel like it's settling even more into the surface on which you're resting.

A heaviness,

Like a small weight has been placed on top of your body,

Anchoring it,

Fixing it.

From the weight in the back of your body and the feeling of heaviness,

Also sense that the places that are touching this surface on which you're resting are pushing back up against the back of your body.

Feel the way that the surface presses against your skull,

The backs of your shoulders,

The backs of your pelvis and hips,

Your calves,

Your heels.

And feel that as heavy as you let yourself get,

As much as you surrender your weight,

There's something beneath you that is holding you up,

That is giving you support.

Lean into that support now and feel how it moves up against you.

As we move through this practice,

There is no way that you can do it wrong.

You may relax deeply,

You may stay awake.

Nothing is wrong,

Only a discovery.

As if you were out on a walk through the woods,

Picking up a stone or a flower,

Hearing a bird,

There's nothing about that thing that you've noticed that you have to change,

That you have to analyze or figure out or create some solution for.

In this practice,

Your experience is merely to be curious and to accept whatever it is that you find is coming up and to enjoy the situation that there is nothing that you're responsible for.

Bring your attention now to the center of your forehead,

Collecting your awareness right in the place where your eyebrows would normally crease if you were concentrating very hard.

And as you rest your awareness there,

You can imagine a cool light,

A light not unlike cast by the moon or a star.

And as you take your next breath,

You can feel the light coming in,

Imagine that that light pulses,

Grows a little brighter,

A little bigger at that point in the center of your forehead.

And as you exhale,

It dims just a bit,

Consolidating.

These next few breaths be an expansion and then a contraction of that cool light at the center of your forehead.

Move down to the tip of your nose,

Another point of light,

Expanding slightly on your inhale,

Condensing slightly on your exhale.

The center of your mouth,

Add another point of light.

The center of your chin,

Your right cheekbone,

Your left cheekbone,

Both cheeks,

Your right earlobe,

Your left earlobe,

Your right cheekbone,

Your left cheekbone,

Both cheeks,

Your right earlobe,

Your left earlobe,

Your left cheekbone,

Both cheeks,

Your right earlobe,

Your left earlobe,

Both earlobes,

Your right earlobe,

Your left earlobe,

Both earlobes,

The center of your mouth,

The center of your skull,

The top of your skull,

The back of your skull,

Your right earlobe,

Your The center of your mouth.

The center of your skull.

The top of your skull.

The back of your skull.

Now imagine that between these points of light,

You begin to create connections,

Cords,

Lines.

That now you feel as much of the surface of your face,

Head,

Skull,

The insides of your mouth,

Ears,

Any sensation you can bring to your awareness in your head,

Face.

Feel it as completely as you can as you breathe in.

And on your exhale,

Let it go.

Move your awareness to the center of your throat,

Placing a small,

Cool point of light right in the center of the throat.

Another one now at the notch between your collarbones.

Painting your awareness to your right shoulder.

Moving down to your right elbow.

Right wrist.

Center of the right palm.

Right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

And pinky.

Feel all of the fingers of the right hand.

The right hand completely.

The right hand and right lower arm.

The entire right arm,

Hand,

And fingers.

As you take your next breath in,

Bring as much attention to any sensations you can feel in this part of your body.

On your next exhale out,

Let it go.

Bring your awareness to the center of your collarbones again.

Painting across your left collarbone to your left shoulder.

Down your left upper arm towards your left elbow.

Moving down to your left wrist.

Center of your left palm.

Left thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky.

Feel all of the fingers of your left hand.

Your entire left hand.

Left hand and lower arm.

Entire left arm.

As much sensation as you can feel.

Or noticing lack of sensation.

Breathing into this space.

And on your next exhale,

Letting it go.

Move back to the center of your chest.

The notch between your collarbones.

Now to the center of your chest again.

Your right chest.

Your left chest.

Your right ribs.

Your left ribs.

Pour your awareness from the right side of your torso to the left side of your torso.

Like pouring water into the right side of your trunk.

And then letting it pour back into the left side of your trunk.

Bring the awareness to the middle of your torso.

The space at the solar plexus.

Take a full breath in.

And on your exhale,

Let it go.

Awareness at your right hip bone.

Painting your way down the front and the sides and the back of your thigh towards your right knee.

Painting your way down your right shin and calf towards your right ankle.

The top of your right foot.

The sole of your right foot.

Your right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Pinky toe.

All of your toes at once.

Your toes and your entire foot.

Foot,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper thigh.

As much of the right leg,

Foot,

Toes as you can feel at once.

Draw all of your awareness here.

Feel it completely as you take the next breath in.

And as you breathe out,

Let it go.

Move to your left hip bone.

Down to your left knee.

Down to your left ankle.

The center of your left foot.

The top of the foot.

The sole of the foot.

The left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Pinky toe.

All of the toes,

As many as you can feel.

The toes and the foot.

The foot,

The lower leg.

And now the entire left leg and foot.

Breathing into the left leg and foot.

Feeling as much as you can feel,

Even an awareness of non-sensation.

All your attention directed here.

Breathing in.

And on your exhale,

Let it go.

Bring your attention back to the center of your chest.

Let it rest at the center of the chest,

Feeling any sensation or lack of sensation.

Temperature.

Hot.

Cool.

Warm.

Or rhythm.

Ask yourself now,

Is there anything in my life that feels elusive?

Something that I've been longing for?

This could be a quality,

A way of being in life,

At peace,

Satisfied,

Relaxed.

This longing,

This elusiveness,

It could come from something different.

Ask yourself this question,

Noticing if any answer arises.

Perhaps there is no answer.

Perhaps there's seven answers.

Just continue to ask the question,

Is there anything that feels elusive?

Something that you can learn to know,

To feel,

To experience.

I truck you now,

Allow yourself to know that this longing has already come to pass.

See your life,

Knowing that this longing has come true.

You dream what it looks like.

What it feels like in your body to live life like this.

What it smells,

Sounds.

Notice any sensations in your body.

Now,

Even letting images and questions and words fade,

Coming back into your body.

Feel what you feel.

And as you take the last moments in this practice,

And my voice goes away,

Know that there's nothing that you can do wrong here.

What's left in the practice is merely an inner journey that you're taking.

As if you were taking a walk,

Noticing whatever arises as you do a landscape in a beautiful place.

There's nothing to fix about the landscape.

There's nothing to analyze,

Nothing to understand or figure out.

There's just a curiosity,

An interest,

A noticing,

A witnessing,

And perhaps a gratitude for being here,

Having time to just see what arises,

Thoughts,

Emotions,

Sensations,

All of it in sight.

So,

I think that's all I have for you today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now slowly bring your awareness back to the sounds that are happening around you.

Feel the weight of your body and how it's resting.

Take a few deeper breaths in.

Perhaps opening your mouth to yawn.

Just enjoying simple breaths in and out through your nose.

And allow yourself to move in whatever way feels natural,

Beginning to reawaken your body at a pace that's comfortable for you,

Or staying here longer if you wish.

May you be well,

And may you feel peace.

Namaste.