Yoga Nidra Shakti Meditation

Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.

In this practice,

We will honor the divine feminine.

In the yoga teachings,

The divine feminine is known as Shakti.

And she is known by many names.

She is the energy that moves through the world.

She is the dynamism between consciousness and manifestation.

The nature of this Shakti energy is profound love.

The divine feminine is fierce,

Wild,

Sensual,

Protective,

Creative,

And has ultimate wisdom.

But above all,

She is love.

And this Shakti energy is within each of us,

Whether we are male or female.

It is within our nature.

According to the tantras,

The archetypal energies of masculine and feminine are not related to gender,

But they are two polarities of the absolute consciousness.

They make up the whole.

The two are always one in divine union.

And the Shakti energy is the pure love that is at the heart of everything in the physical world.

So you might say that Shakti is the creative outcome of Shiva of the absolute.

Shakti emerges as an urgency to become.

She is always awaiting the activity of our consciousness so she can give rise to our experience when we sense the world,

When we touch and feel the world around us,

We are experiencing Shakti in manifest form.

She manifests the universe and she lives amongst us.

So we do need these polarities to be whole.

We need Shiva as consciousness,

As stillness,

As the underlying energy of awareness.

And we need the action,

The activity,

The creative movement of Shakti.

So in this practice,

We will spend a little time in a meditation that brings forth both a yantra and the iconology of the divine feminine as Tri Pura Sundari.

And we'll allow this energy of love and creativity of manifestation to pour over and through our bodies and our minds.

The mystic Hildegard of Bingen said this about the divine feminine.

She is so bright and glorious that you cannot look at her face or her garments for the splendor with which she shines.

For she is terrible with the terror of avenging lightning and gentle with the goodness of the bright sun.

And both her terror and her gentleness are incomprehensible to humans.

But she is with everyone and in everyone.

And so beautiful is her secret,

That no person can know the sweetness with which she sustains people and spares them in inscrutable mercy.

Oh,

So it is in this awareness that we honor Shakti.

So if you are ready for your practice,

Begin to make your nest on the floor.

And just remember as you're making your nest,

You want it to be as comfortable as possible using bolsters or pillows,

A blanket,

So that you can be completely relaxed and completely still during your yoga nidra practice.

Reminding yourself that yoga nidra is a deep practice of relaxation where you are awake and aware throughout the practice.

I recommend that you don't use a bed to practice on as a bed preps us for deep sleep.

And so working on the floor with a mat,

A blanket and making yourself comfortable is ideal.

Try your nest on,

Make sure that you are able to lie comfortably and quietly and still within it during the duration of the practice.

And when you are settled in,

Gently close your eyes.

Begin to relax.

Allow the body to feel completely supported by the floor.

Feel the weight of the head against your mat.

Feel the softening of the jaw,

The cheeks,

The forehead.

Soft,

Relaxed,

Letting go.

Let the ears feel heavy.

Feel the scalp and all of the connecting muscles releasing now.

The face softening.

The head heavy.

The neck letting go.

Feel the back of the shoulders,

Back of the arms,

The back of the hands.

Feeling the heaviness against the floor.

Feel the imprint of the body.

Feel the ribs,

The spine,

The width of the pelvis,

Heavy,

Melting,

Letting go.

Let the legs feel heavy.

Feel the weight of the calves.

Feel the weight of the heels.

Allow the body to melt.

And now take your awareness to the senses,

To the sense of hearing.

And begin listening to the sounds in the room.

Just listening.

Perhaps you can hear movement outside of the room.

Just listen.

Opening the sense of hearing.

Listening.

Perhaps you feel the sound of your breath.

Or the hum of life itself around you.

And keeping your eyes closed.

Opening the sense of sight.

With the eyes closed,

Notice is it dark?

Is there any input into the sense of vision with your eyes closed?

Just notice.

Shapes,

Colors,

Residual light.

Just noticing.

And now move your tongue over your teeth.

Is there a sensation of taste in the mouth?

Just noticing.

And now open your eyes.

Is there a sensation of taste in the mouth?

Just noticing.

Observing.

And as you breathe,

Open the sense of smell.

Is there a fragrance in the room?

A fragrance you are noticing?

Just observe.

Just notice.

As the senses are wide open.

And now notice the sensation of touch.

Feel where your body is touching the earth.

Aware of any sensations against the bolsters or the pillows.

Just noticing the sensation of touch.

And begin to welcome all that arises.

Now it is time to set an intention or a sankalpa for your practice.

From this place of open and relaxed awareness.

This place of deep relaxation.

Ask your heart to reveal its desire.

Allow it to be revealed to you.

In the language of the heart.

You may have a felt sense of your desire.

Or see colors or shapes.

Hear sounds or have a feeling of your sankalpa.

Allow this desire to be revealed.

Let it come fully into your awareness.

And feel as though this desire is fully present within you.

And expressing in your life now.

From this felt sense of your desire.

Formulate your sankalpa into a short,

Repeatable affirmation.

Formulate your sankalpa into a short,

Repeatable affirmation.

That is in the present tense.

So from this felt sense of your heart's desire.

Formulate a short,

Repeatable affirmation.

That is in the present tense.

This affirmation embodies your sankalpa.

And when you have that formulated.

That affirmation that embodies your sankalpa.

Repeat it to yourself in the voice of your mind.

Three times.

And now simply rest.

Welcome every experience of the practice as it arises.

Let the sound of my voice be your guide.

And support the sensing and awareness of your body.

Knowing that you are not alone.

And that you are not alone.

And support the sensing and awareness of your body.

Knowing that you are safe.

And whatever arises is just perfect in this moment.

Gently remind yourself now to stay awake for your yoga nidra practice.

Take your awareness to the crown of your head.

The space between the brows.

The center of the throat.

Noticing.

Awareness.

The center of the right shoulder.

Relaxed.

Letting go.

The center of the right elbow.

The center of the right wrist.

Noticing.

Letting go.

The tip of the right index finger.

The tip of the right middle finger.

The tip of the right ring finger.

The tip of the right smallest finger.

The center of the right wrist.

Noticing.

Letting go.

The center of the right elbow.

The center of the right shoulder.

The center of the throat.

Relaxed.

Awareness.

The center of the left shoulder.

The center of the left wrist.

Relaxed.

Aware.

The tip of the left thumb.

The tip of the left index finger.

Noticing.

Awareness.

The tip of the left ring finger.

The tip of the left smallest finger.

The center of the left wrist.

The center of the left elbow.

The center of the left shoulder.

Relaxed.

Letting go.

The center of the throat.

Noticing.

Awareness.

The solar plexus.

The base of the spine.

The center of the right hip.

The center of the right knee.

The center of the right ankle.

The tip of the right big toe.

The tip of the right second toe.

The tip of the right third toe.

The tip of the right fourth toe.

The tip of the right smallest toe.

Relaxed.

Letting go.

The center of the right ankle.

The center of the right knee.

Awareness.

The center of the right hip.

The base of the spine.

Relaxed.

The center of the left hip.

The center of the left knee.

Noticing.

Awareness.

The center of the left ankle.

The tip of the left biggest toe.

The tip of the left second toe.

The tip of the left third toe.

Relaxed.

Awareness.

The tip of the left fourth toe.

The tip of the left smallest toe.

The center of the left ankle.

Letting go.

The center of the left knee.

The center of the left hip.

Relaxed.

Letting go.

The base of the spine.

The solar plexus.

The center of the heart.

The center of the throat.

The space between the brows.

The back of the eyes.

The roof of the mouth.

The front of the chest.

The center of the heart.

The sides of the ribcage.

The area around the navel.

The low back.

The whole front body.

Sense the entire body.

Inside and outside.

As a field of radiant sensation.

Be aware of all that you are sensing.

As a field of loving awareness.

Take your awareness now to your breath.

Notice the rise and fall of the breath.

Noticing expansion on the inhale.

And a softening,

A surrender on the exhale.

Expansion and surrender.

Notice the center of the heart.

As you notice the breath.

Feel as though the breath is moving in and out of the heart center.

As if the heart were breathing you.

Feel the suppleness of the heart.

Inhaling expansion.

Exhaling soft surrender.

Breathing in and out of the heart center.

Imagine at the center of your heart.

A warm glowing light.

As you inhale this light increases in luminosity.

As you exhale it travels throughout the body.

Inhaling into the heart.

Exhaling into the heart.

As you exhale allow this infusion of light and love to expand.

As you inhale allow this infusion of light and love to expand.

As you exhale allow this infusion of light and love to expand.

As you inhale allow this infusion of light and love to expand.

As you inhale allow this infusion of light and love to expand.

Through the heart center.

As you exhale move this infusion of light and love throughout the body and beyond.

Recognize this light as love,

Generosity,

Creativity and beauty.

Allow this light to fill every cell and fiber of your being.

Allow this light to fill the entire body.

Allow this light to spill through the periphery of the body.

Allow this light to fill you and move through you.

As it increases in magnitude.

Ever expanding with each breath the effulgence of the divine feminine.

Shakti as love and light saturating your mind and body.

Now bring your awareness to the space between your brows.

Chittakasha.

Allow this space to be a wide open screen.

A wide open screen of awareness.

It is vast and open and ending and infinite.

And on this screen of your awareness visualize a triangle.

Visualize the point of this triangle pointing upward.

Seeing this triangle in the space between your brows.

Now add additional upward facing triangles.

Count four upward facing triangles in the screen of your awareness.

Counting the triangles inhaling one.

Exhaling one.

Inhaling two.

Exhaling two.

Inhaling three.

Inhaling four.

Exhaling four.

And now visualize a triangle with the point facing downward.

A downward facing triangle in the screen of your awareness.

And add four additional triangles.

For a total of five triangles.

Downward facing.

Counting the triangles in the screen of your awareness.

Inhaling one.

Exhaling one.

Inhaling two.

Exhaling two.

Inhaling four.

Exhaling four.

Inhaling five.

Exhaling five.

In any part of the screen of your awareness.

Five triangles facing downward.

Four triangles facing upward.

And allow all nine triangles to fill your consciousness.

Allow them to organize themselves.

In any way that they arrive.

And just welcome their pattern of organization.

Five downward facing triangles.

Four upward facing triangles.

Resting in the space between the brows.

And at the center point of these triangles.

There is a bindu.

A dot at the center of the triangles.

On the screen of your awareness.

Gaze through the bindu.

And as if it is a portal.

Gaze through the space between the brows.

And as you move through this portal.

There is a soft ruby red glow around you.

Like the reflection of a sunset against the mountain and sky.

Here as you move through this portal.

Immerse yourself in this soft ruby luminescence.

And invite the goddess to arise in your inner gaze.

See her clothed in a beautiful red sari.

The hymn of her sari 24 karat gold.

And her eyes are turned toward you.

Wide open.

Luminous.

Reflective.

Captivating.

Her skin is that of a young blush.

And a pink halo of light surrounds her.

She wears a crown of gold.

Inlaid with faceted gems.

Shining,

Sparkling.

She is radiating light from the crown of her head.

And she sits on a throne of supreme power.

A crescent moon floats above her left ear.

She is Maha Shakti.

The great divine feminine energy.

Allow the Shakti of Tripura Sundarian to fill the space between your brows.

Look deep into her reflective eyes.

As you gaze into their depth.

The power.

The wisdom of her eyes.

See yourself in their reflection.

Looking into the eyes of Shakti.

Maha Devi.

See yourself looking back at you.

And breathe into this reflection.

Welcoming the information.

As it moves through the sky of your consciousness.

Aware now of the reflected truth of your being.

You as love.

Beauty.

Creativity.

And divine wisdom.

Thank Tripura Sundari for this wisdom.

As she slowly fades from the portal of your mind.

And gently return to your breath.

To its inflow and outflow.

You as loving witnessing awareness.

Aware and awake.

As radiant well-being.

You as pure witness.

To all that is arising.

Allowing memories,

Sensations,

Activities.

To move through your consciousness.

Untethered in this open vast infinite space.

And observe all images,

Colors,

Sensations.

And sounds as they move across the sky of your awareness.

You as a radiant field of pure love.

You as unchanging spacious awareness.

In which everything is created.

Sustained and transformed.

Experience yourself as timeless and openness.

Pure spacious love.

That is perfect just as it is.

Continue allowing these images and colors,

Sensations,

Emotions and feelings.

To move across the sky of your awareness.

Experiencing your wholeness.

Your health and perfection.

Just as you are.

As pure undiluted awareness.

In which everything is unfolding.

Everything just as it is.

And yourself just as you are.

Bring your awareness back to your breath.

Back to the center of the heart.

Noticing and welcoming.

All that is now present.

Sensations,

Emotions,

Feelings.

Yourself just as you are.

Whole and complete.

And from this deep sense of wholeness.

Bring to mind your sankalpa.

Your heartfelt desire.

And now bring it into your body.

As a resonant sensation.

Recalling your body.

Recalling your heartfelt desire.

Your sankalpa.

Having a felt sense of your sankalpa.

And now recalling your affirmative statement.

That embodies your sankalpa.

Bringing your affirmative statement.

That embodies your sankalpa.

Into your awareness now.

And when you have that.

Repeat it to yourself.

In the voice of your mind.

Three times.

Three times.

Three times.

And now gently bring your hands over your heart.

In gratitude for your practice.

And slowly begin to enliven your body.

Bringing a little bit of movement back to the body.

And you can remain lying down.

Or gently roll to the right side.

And push yourself into a seated position.

So thank you so much for joining me.

For this yoga nidra practice.

This honoring of Shakti Tripura Sundari.

The divine feminine.

May this yoga nidra practice.

Serve you in wonderful ways.

And as it serves you,

It serves all others.

So as always,

Thank you for your practice.

Om and blessings.

And until next time.

Namaste.