Welcome to this yoga nidra,
Inspired by being in nature.
Let's begin by lying down comfortably.
You might be comfortable on your back,
Or maybe you might prefer another position.
Just choose what works for you right now.
You can close your eyes if you want to,
Or allow a soft gaze.
Now feeling your body supported by the surface underneath you,
And starting to go inside.
Allowing the body to soften and start to relax.
Relaxing the tongue.
Letting go of tension in the jaw.
Part the lips and open your mouth ever so slightly.
Notice how the jaw begins to relax.
Relaxing the arms.
Softening the hips.
Relaxing the legs.
Relaxing the whole body.
Listen to the sounds around you.
There's no need to judge or analyse what they are.
Just hold your awareness with the sounds.
Now feel the air on your skin.
Notice the texture and temperature.
Take a few long exhalations,
And with each exhalation,
Letting go.
Now a short phase of connecting to your sankalpa.
This is a resolve,
Or something you want to manifest in your life.
An affirmation,
If you prefer to call it.
If you have a sankalpa,
Or affirmation that you are working with already today,
Then repeat it three times now.
If you don't have one,
You can use this time to breathe and relax.
Or you can repeat the phrase,
I am exactly where I need to be.
Now we come to a phase of rotating the awareness around the body.
When I name a part of the body,
Just hold your awareness there.
Starting with the top of the head.
The left ear.
The right ear.
Both ears together.
The left eye.
The right eye.
Both eyes together.
The throat.
The lips.
The nose.
The forehead.
The back of the head.
Your left shoulder.
Left elbow.
Left wrist.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Little finger.
Fourth finger.
Middle finger.
Index finger.
Thumb.
The whole left hand.
The whole left arm.
Then your right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Right wrist.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Little finger.
Fourth finger.
Middle finger.
Index finger.
The thumb.
The whole right hand.
The whole right arm.
The throat.
Your heart space.
Upper abdomen.
The navel.
The lower abdomen.
The left hip.
Left knee.
Left ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
The toes.
The whole left foot.
The whole left leg.
Right hip.
Right knee.
Right ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
The toes.
The whole right foot.
The whole right leg.
Base of the spine.
Moving up to the sacrum.
Lower spine.
Mid spine.
Upper spine.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
The whole head.
The whole left arm.
The whole right arm.
The whole left leg.
The whole right leg.
Feeling the whole body.
Whole body.
The whole body resting.
Now we come to a phase of awareness of the breath.
Watching the natural rhythm of the breath and the way the body gently moves with each breath.
As you continue to watch the natural rhythm of the breath,
Notice the four phases of each breath.
The inhale.
The slight pause.
The exhale.
And the slightly longer pause.
Now shifting your awareness to the exhale,
Allow yourself to let go and soften with each exhale.
Now shifting your awareness to the pause after the exhale.
Resting deeply in that pause.
Allow yourself to explore,
Resting in that space.
The moment between the exhale and inhale.
Then letting go of the awareness of the breath.
I now invite you to see yourself laying exactly where you are,
In the room that you are in.
See the colours,
The light,
The textures of the room,
And see yourself resting peacefully on your mat,
Bed,
Wherever you are.
You see a door across the room,
And you walk barefooted to the door.
You open it.
Beyond the door is a stony pathway,
Lined with fallen leaves.
All around you,
There are birds singing to one another from the trees,
And crickets in the grasses.
You look up,
And see all the way to the tops of the pine trees around you,
The sun casting dappled light on the ground.
As you walk forward,
The fresh and calming sense of the earth mingled with the pine trees fills your lungs and relaxes you.
Try to observe without judging anything as good or bad,
Like or dislike.
Allowing yourself to experience the flow,
Whatever is there for you.
Allowing any images to spontaneously arise in the space as we journey.
A little way along the path,
You notice that the ground starts to incline slightly,
As you walk onwards and upwards.
The stony path drifts away,
So that now you are walking on rich golden sand.
It feels cool under the shade of the trees beneath your feet.
It filters between your toes as you walk.
You can see the top of the dune,
And once your eyeline reaches it,
A wide and wild beach unfolds before you.
The ocean further away in the distance,
The tide is low.
You breathe in that fresh,
Salty scent of the ocean,
And close your eyes,
Placing your hands on your heart.
The sun is hanging low in the sky,
Just starting to cast that golden hour glow,
And you feel it glaze your skin with its touch.
Let us stay here,
In this moment,
For just a little while longer.
Try to observe without judging anything as good or bad,
Like or dislike.
Simply allow yourself to experience whatever is there for you,
And allow any images to spontaneously arise in this space.
Notice what you can hear,
What you can smell.
Really take in the sights around you,
The sensations.
Letting experiences arise.
Letting everything wash over you.
Then,
Letting any images dissolve.
Allow yourself to be back in the space where you are.
I now invite you to come back to your sankalpa,
Your affirmation.
If you have one already for today,
You may repeat it now three times to yourself.
If you don't have one,
You can use this time to breathe and relax,
Or you can repeat the phrase,
I am exactly where I need to be.
Now beginning your slow and gentle return.
Slowly start to make your way back,
Feeling your body,
Listening to the sounds around you.
Gently begin to move your hands and feet,
Making some deep inhalations.
Maybe stretching your arms over your head,
Draw your knees up to your chest,
Rocking from side to side.
And in your own time,
Roll over onto your side.
And finally,
When you're ready,
Come up to a seated position.
Place your hands together in prayer at heart center.
Rub the palms of your hands together to create heat,
Tapas,
Warmth between your hands.
Keep rubbing your palms together,
And now place them over your closed eyes,
Bowing your head ever so slightly.
Open your eyes with your hands still over them,
And gently remove your hands away,
Blinking gently,
Readjusting to the light.
And here,
We close our practice.
