Yoga Nidra/ Imagined Sleep Winter's Rest

So as we settle in for this practice,

Remembering that your comfort is absolutely key.

And so if your comfort changes,

Or if something in this moment doesn't feel quite even or right or just so,

Maybe it's the way the watch meets the wrist,

Or the way the fabric meets the soles of the feet,

There is time now to make any last little adjustments,

To wriggle,

To amend.

There is time.

And we take this practice together for about 25 minutes.

And as I mentioned just a moment ago,

You are really welcome to use my voice as your companion or you can let go of my voice at any time.

You can use the images that I offer or you can swap them for ones that you prefer.

But just let's start together in the knowledge that you are just very,

Very welcome here.

I am so glad that you have made the effort to come to this practice.

So all of the challenges that came before you stepping into this space to lay your precious bodies down,

That you made that effort to be here together in community as we gather for this practice of rest,

This practice of coming home to this breathing being,

This practice where there is nothing expected of you and no right way to do it.

Just to be here,

Breathing and being is all there is.

So I hope you can feel that sense of welcome radiating from me to you.

And also I believe from the earth herself as if she were welcoming you back with open arms.

Welcoming you back to do nothing more but to lay upon her,

To receive her nourishing energy,

Her support.

And today with all the blankets beneath us,

Her warmth.

Take a moment to feel that sense of welcome however it arises in you,

Imagined or felt in the body.

And you might like to take a moment to welcome yourself,

To acknowledge yourself in this picture of welcome.

And then through all the soundscape,

The light scape,

The smell or absence of smell,

We begin to softly draw that attention away from the world around us like a small lantern and carrying it into the body herself.

As if all else around us became as dark as the winter's night and our lantern of attention shines inside.

We might come to shed some light with this lantern around the spaces of the head,

To notice the forehead soft and smooth and the eyes resting,

Maybe even the eyelids heavy and closed.

A sense of the face expressionless,

Muscles resting,

No need to show up in a particular way.

A sense of the mouth and the tongue resting,

Sleeping broad and heavy in the back of the mouth.

No need to speak now,

Words can be quiet,

Jaw can be heavy,

Settling back toward the ground.

Carrying this lantern of attention down into the neck and the shoulders and noticing any tension here or a sense of restriction and seeing if that gentle light from the lantern can bring a sense of ease and spaciousness around the neck and the shoulders.

Carrying that lantern down the right arm and into the hand and noticing how the arm and the hand are being supported and resting.

That lantern light coming down through the left arm and into the hand to notice how the left arm and hand are being supported and resting.

This lantern of attention traveling right through the center of you,

Carry it where you will,

Into the front of you,

Into the side and into the back.

Beginning to notice any messages from the body as you lay her down to rest.

Carrying this lantern of attention through the pelvis,

All the spaces of the pelvis,

How it's supported by the earth,

Resting heavy on the ground.

And then the lantern being carried gently through the right leg,

It's light,

Shining and welcoming the right leg to rest all the way down into the right foot.

And then this light welcoming the left leg,

Home to rest,

All the way down the leg and into the left foot.

As if now with this glow from the lantern you have welcomed each part of the body into this place of practice and welcomed it home to rest.

Body resting,

Body welcome and body home.

You might imagine now that you carry this lantern of whatever size and shape right into the center of you,

The very center of you.

And in this morning's practice we call forth a peaceful place.

And we're going to journey towards this peaceful place by way of the light of the lantern.

Remembering that you choose what you imagine and you're welcome to swap my words for yours.

You could imagine yourself now carrying this beautiful winter's lantern and following a path somewhere you feel happy and comfortable to be.

And it's just as dark as you would like it to be.

And the lantern is just as bright as you need it to be.

And notice the temperature of this place.

Maybe it's a little cool and there's a freshness to the air meeting the skin.

Maybe the body is wrapped up warm and there's a feeling of coziness and comfort from the clothes that you wear.

And as you stroll through this place you become aware of something up ahead in front of you.

A place that has a source of fire if you would like.

And it's just the right size,

This fire,

With just the right amount of light guiding you towards it as if the light from the lantern and the light from the fire were talking to one another and calling you.

And imagine yourself if you would like coming closer and closer to this fire.

And maybe choose to sit next to it or to gaze at it from a distance.

Imagine how you're in relationship with it,

How you've positioned your body.

Maybe you're holding your hands out to receive the warmth from the flames.

Maybe you're watching the flames dance,

Noticing the different colors,

Dark at the base of the flame and warm and bright at the top.

And as you come into relationship with this fire you make yourself deeply comfortable next to it.

As if you could sink into the space next to it,

This safe space from which to watch the fire and to feel its warmth.

And imagine that you are receiving this warmth,

That it's gifted just for you.

That this warmth is a gift radiating towards you and through you,

Around you,

Beneath you,

In front of you and above you.

Receiving this warmth.

And as you watch the fire there's a deep sense of tranquility in the simplicity of the flames.

Watching them dance.

And a feeling of calm comes into the mind.

Feeling of peace and stillness and warmth.

And it's as if this stillness and peace and calm is transmuted through the warmth of the fire into your body.

And we could imagine now as we journey our attention around the body that we might feel that warmth especially richly,

Bringing us that sense of calm.

And you may do this through that lantern of attention or imagine it in another way if you prefer.

As if you could shine that lantern of attention and invite that warmth and peace into the crown of the head,

The eyebrow center,

The base of the throat,

Inside the right shoulder,

Elbow,

Wrist,

The palm of the hand,

And the back of the hand,

And the very tip of the right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

And little finger.

Whole of the right hand welcomed into this warm peace.

Light of attention shining back into the right wrist,

Elbow,

And shoulder.

Back to the base of the throat and then over and inside the left shoulder now.

Shining down to the left elbow,

To the left wrist,

To the palm of the hand,

And the back of the hand,

And the very tip of the left hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third finger,

And little finger,

Whole of the left hand welcomed by the warmth into a feeling of peace.

Carrying this light of attention back to the left wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

The base of the throat,

And then down into the very center of the chest.

This lantern of attention in the right side of the chest,

In the left side of the chest,

And the very center of the chest,

Dropping down now into the center of the belly,

Into the right waist,

Left waist,

And the very center of the belly.

This lantern of warmth and calm shining down now into the center of the pelvis,

Into the right side of the pelvis,

And the left side of the pelvis.

And then into the right hip now as it moves down through the right leg to the knee,

And down to the ankle,

And through the whole of the sole of the foot,

And the top of the foot,

Into the tip of the right big toe,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

And little toe,

Whole of the right foot.

Moving this lantern of attention back to the left ankle,

Knee,

Hip,

The very center of the pelvis before journeying inside the left hip now,

Down to the left knee,

Ankle,

Spreading through the sole of the foot,

And the top of the foot,

Then to the very tip of the left big toe,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

And little toe,

The whole of the left foot now.

This lantern of attention carrying this warmth and calm back to the left ankle,

Knee,

Hip,

The very center of the pelvis,

Peaceful,

The very center of the belly,

Peaceful and calm,

The very center of the chest,

Peaceful and calm,

The base of the throat,

The eyebrow center,

And the crown of the head,

The whole body now,

The whole body now,

Receiving this warmth and feeling of peace and calm and stillness as it rests by the fire.

Whole body.

And in this resting body,

Becoming aware of the breath.

And you could,

If you would like,

Imagine breathing out this cooler or warmer air rather,

Breathing out this warmer air towards the fire as if you could stoke the fire with your breath by breathing upon it.

Breathing in maybe the cooler air from the space around you,

Noticing maybe the tips of the flames.

And then as you breathe out this warmer air towards the fire,

Maybe towards the base,

Stoking the fire so that as you breathe in that cooler air,

The flames have grown.

Breathing in the cooler air,

Breathing out the warmer air as if gifting the space around you warmth from the body,

Just in the way that you are receiving the warmth from the fire.

And then when you're ready,

You realize it's time,

It's time now to return,

To pick up the lantern,

Knowing that the fire will safely continue eternally in this space for you to return to whenever you would like.

That you feel willing and ready now to pick up the lantern and to slowly gather yourself up from the earth and to walk back the way you came,

Right back into the very center of you.

And imagining now that this winter's lantern is growing brighter in its light and it's bringing a more daytime wakeful kind of light that you can shine through the body as if to welcome the body back slowly and gradually into a more everyday state of being,

Shining this light of warmth now,

Growing brighter and brighter around the toes and the feet and up through the legs and up through the pelvis,

This warm,

Bright,

Reawakening light,

Welcoming the body back up through the spine,

Through the hands and through the arms,

Through the neck and the head,

Into the whole body,

That lantern of attention spreads back out to welcome in all of the space around you,

The sandscape,

The light scape,

The smells or the absence of smell returning into the space,

Fully present and awake,

This practice has come to a close.

Thank you.