Imbolc Yoga Nidra

Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice in celebration of the Celtic festival of Imbolg.

Imbolg is the festival that marks the beginning of the early springtime,

And in the Northern Hemisphere it's celebrated at the beginning of February,

When the days start to lengthen and the first signs of new life begin to appear after the wintertime.

Our practice today includes themes of new beginnings and setting intentions for the year to come.

So make sure that you're comfortable and ready to begin your practice.

Do anything that you need to do to ensure that your body will be warm and comfortable as you rest.

If it feels good for you to rest in the traditional posture of Shavasana,

Then lie down on your back in Shavasana,

Taking your legs out to a little wider than hip distance apart,

And bringing your arms slightly out from your sides.

But if you know that you're not going to be able to rest comfortably here for the whole of the practice,

Then choose another position that feels better for you.

You can take your feet to the sides of the mat and drop the knees in together,

Or bring the soles of the feet together and open the knees.

And if it feels better for you,

You can also do this practice sitting.

If you can,

Come into a position where you feel completely comfortable and at ease,

A position that might even allow you to forget that your body's there at all as you practice.

And as you become more settled,

Begin to feel into the feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

Feel the support of the surface beneath you holding your body,

And knowing that you are held and supported,

Feel your body very naturally beginning to relax.

As you rest into the surface beneath you,

Gently become aware of the presence of Mother Earth in that surface beneath you,

And in the room around you,

And give your body permission to surrender into the safety of Mother Earth as you enter into your relaxation.

Now gently move your awareness to the breath,

Observe the breath as it flows in and out of your body.

Notice the breath flowing into your chest,

Or perhaps into your abdomen,

And watch the breath flowing back out again.

Feel how every breath eases your body a little more deeply into relaxation.

Notice the small movements that happen in the muscles as they relax with every exhalation.

Notice how with every breath,

Tensions gently float away from your body.

Notice how your mind slows down.

And just observe yourself becoming more peaceful and more relaxed with every exhalation.

And now gently send your awareness outwards to the sounds that you can hear around you.

Allow the awareness to jump from sound to sound,

Without getting too involved in any one sound.

Just acknowledge that those sounds are there,

And know that none of the sounds are going to disturb you as you practice,

But that they can only assist you with your relaxation.

And just take this moment to acknowledge that this is your time for your rest,

And there is no way to get this practice wrong.

You are free to follow my voice for as long as that's useful for you,

And you are also free to drift away at any time.

And if you fall asleep,

It just means that your body needs to sleep,

And is taking advantage of this time of rest.

There is no way to get this practice wrong,

And the practice will bring you whatever it is that you most need today.

So you might like to make the quiet intention to yourself now,

To welcome whatever comes,

Knowing that this is the perfect experience for you today.

And now imagine yourself in a beautiful,

Peaceful garden in the early springtime.

All around you,

The first shoots of new life are beginning to emerge.

Take some time to allow an impression of this garden to form all around you.

Notice the different plants.

Any animals.

Notice the earth beneath you,

And the sky above you.

Notice all of the colours around you.

And as you rest in this beautiful garden,

Know that the place is 100% safe.

That you are free to completely surrender and let go here.

If there is anything else that you would like to bring into the garden to make it feel even more safe and peaceful for you,

Bring in any objects,

Any plants,

Anything at all to make this garden into a safe,

Peaceful,

Nourishing space that you can effortlessly relax and feel at peace in.

At one side of the garden,

There is a small pot of seed.

You go over to the pot and take the seeds into your hands and look around you to find the place to plant them.

Before you put the seeds into the soil,

Hold them in your hands and create a vision of something that you wish to bring into your life over the coming seasons.

Perhaps for the fruition of a project you are starting.

Or something you wish to create.

Or for the growth of a relationship or a friendship.

Or perhaps health improvements,

Or inner growth and expansion.

See whatever it is that you wish to bring into your life this year as vividly as possible.

And then place the seeds into the earth,

Covering them with soil and know that the earth will take care of them.

It's time to begin our journey around the body.

Bring the awareness to each part as I name it and allow the awareness to gently rest at that place.

Beginning with the thumb of the right hand,

Rest the awareness at the right hand thumb.

The right index finger.

The right middle finger.

The right ring finger.

The right little finger.

The palm of the right hand.

The back of the right hand.

The right wrist.

The right forearm.

The right elbow.

The right upper arm.

The right shoulder.

The right side of the chest.

The right side of the abdomen.

The right waist.

The right hip.

The right thigh.

The right knee.

The right shin.

The right ankle.

The right ear.

The sole of the right foot.

The top of the right foot.

Each of the right toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

The whole of the right foot.

Bring the awareness to the whole of the right foot.

The whole of the right leg.

The whole of the right arm.

The whole of the right side of the body.

And moving to the left side,

Bring the awareness to the left hand thumb.

The left index finger.

The left middle finger.

The left ring finger.

The left little finger.

The palm of the left hand.

The back of the left hand.

The left wrist.

The left forearm.

The left elbow.

The upper arm.

The left shoulder.

The left side of the chest.

The left side of the abdomen.

The left waist.

The left hip.

The left thigh.

The knee.

The shin.

The left ankle.

The left heel.

The right heel.

The sole of the left foot.

The top of the left foot.

The left toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Nine.

Eleven.

Nineteen.

Twelve.

Thirteen.

Fourteen.

Eighteen.

Twenty-four.

The back of the left knee.

The right buttock.

The left buttock.

The whole of the spine.

Send the awareness up every vertebrae of the spine.

The right shoulder blade.

The left shoulder blade.

The back of the neck.

The back of the head.

The top of the head.

The top of the head.

And moving down the front of the body,

Bring the awareness to the forehead.

The right eyebrow.

The left eyebrow.

The eyebrow centre.

The eyebrow centre.

The right eye.

The left eye.

The right ear.

The left ear.

The right cheek.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

The nose.

The tip of the nose.

The upper lip.

The lower lip.

The chin.

The jaw.

The right collarbone.

The left collarbone.

The space between the collarbones.

The right side of the chest.

The left side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The right hip.

The left hip.

The right knee.

The left knee.

The right ankle.

The left ankle.

The right toes.

The left toes.

And the whole of the body together.

Rest the awareness on the whole of the body together.

The whole of the body together.

Bring the awareness into the nostrils.

Follow the flow of the air as it enters and leaves the nostrils.

Bring your awareness to the very entrance of the nostrils,

Where the new air enters into your body.

Keep the awareness at this gateway,

At the entrance to the nostrils.

And watch the new air entering into the body with every inhalation.

Remain at this gateway.

Once the air comes in,

The body will take care of the rest of it.

Observe the new air flowing in.

And observe the old air leaving through this gateway and flowing back out into the world.

Continue to observe this point at the entrance to the nostrils.

Watch the new air flowing in and the old air flowing out.

Feel into the whole of your body and notice how still your body has become.

Your body has become completely still,

As if it is fast asleep.

Rest the awareness on the stillness throughout the body.

Feel deeply into that stillness.

But although the body is sleeping and still,

There is still so much movement happening.

The heart continues to beat.

Blood circulates around the whole of the body.

The lungs expand and contract with the breath.

Cellular metabolism continues.

Tiny movements happen throughout every single part of the body.

Move the awareness to the movement that is always happening within the body,

Even as you rest.

Maintain this awareness of the movement within the body.

And are you able to feel both of those happening at the same time?

Can you feel the body completely still and alive with movement at the same time?

Can you rest your awareness on the stillness and the movement within the body together?

And as you deepen the awareness of stillness and movement together,

Can you find the point where stillness ends and movement begins?

Bring the awareness to the eyebrow centre.

Observe the eyebrow centre.

Notice what's happening there.

Observe any shapes,

Colours,

Images,

Patterns or darkness that arise at the eyebrow centre.

Without getting involved or analysing,

Just watch what is there.

Maintain the awareness at the eyebrow centre.

I'm going to name some different things.

Allow an impression of each one to arise as it's named.

Without forcing anything to happen,

Simply allow each one to come however it comes.

Beginning with a snowdrop.

A frosty morning.

A lamb skipping through a field.

A single flickering candle in the darkness.

The first daffodils of the year shooting up from the ground.

The sun rising on a clear morning.

A sprouting seed.

The astrological age of Aquarius.

A baby.

Dew drops on a leaf.

The melting snow.

Taking the first breath of a new morning.

See yourself walking through the countryside in the late winter time.

It is the early morning and the sun has not yet risen.

All around you the plants and trees are still and quiet as they sleep for the winter.

And the morning air is cold against your skin as you walk.

You find yourself approaching a small stone building.

You enter into the building and find yourself inside a small room which is completely empty apart from a stone altar with three candles placed upon it which have not yet been lit.

You kneel before the altar and rest your awareness upon the first candle.

As you gaze at the candle you become aware of an intention that you hold for yourself for the coming year.

And as that intention arises into your awareness you light the candle and watch the golden flame gently flicker.

You move your awareness to the second candle and as you gaze at the second candle you become aware of an intention that you hold for your immediate community.

For your family or for the community that you live in or any community that you are a part of.

As this intention arises you light the candle and watch the flame gently ignite.

You move your awareness to the third candle and as you gaze at the third candle you become aware of an intention that you hold for the wider world.

And as this intention arises in your awareness you light the third candle.

You sit in stillness.

Watching the three candles gently burning.

One for you.

One for your community.

And one for the world.

And the light of the candles floats you into a state of deep meditation.

As you rest peacefully before the altar and the three burning candles a ray of light beams through the entrance of the building brightly illuminating the altar and the candles.

And you realise that the sun has risen and the morning has arrived.

You step out of the building into the sunlight.

Back out into the countryside.

And looking around you in the full daylight you see that the landscape is not as quiet as you first thought.

All around you are tiny signs of new life beginning to emerge.

Tiny shoots of green leaves peep their way out of the winter landscape and you peacefully walk along welcoming these first signs of spring.

You feel a touch of warmth upon your skin as you welcome the morning sunlight onto your body.

Come back to your garden from the beginning of the practice.

Find yourself back in your quiet,

Say,

Peaceful garden.

And come back to the place where you planted the seeds.

Look closely at the soil and see the tiny green shoots that have just begun to sprout up.

And allow your intention from the beginning of the practice for whatever it is that you wish to bring into the year to arise into your awareness again.

And now very slowly begin to turn the awareness back outwards.

Turn the awareness out to any sounds that are present in your environment and just let the awareness jump from sound to sound without getting too involved in any one sound.

Just notice that those sounds are there.

Acknowledge them.

Become aware of the feeling of the air against your skin and the feeling of your body resting into the surface beneath you.

And can you picture your body resting?

Can you remember the colours of the clothes that you're wearing?

The colour of the blanket or any support around you?

And now take a long deep breath as you prepare to end the practice.

Begin to make some movements with your fingers and your toes.

With your hands and your feet.

And give yourself a stretch in any way that feels good for you.

Take your time.

There isn't any rush.

When you're sure that you're feeling wide awake again,

Slowly open your eyes.

Your practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you for listening.