Namaste,
Luminous beings.
Welcome to your Yoga Nidra journey today.
My name is Kristen Rose and thank you so much for choosing to be here.
This practice is a to surrender and to rest deeply in the wisdom of your inner being.
Just like the waning moon,
You are gently drawn inward,
Releasing the weight of what no longer needs to be held.
Allow yourself to rest so deeply and trust this space of stillness as a quiet homecoming,
A return to the quiet essence of who you really are.
Yoga Nidra is a completely effortless,
Guided,
Systematic relaxation practice.
And the very first step begins with finding a comfortable place to rest on the earth.
I invite you to lie down in a supine position on the back of the body or in any position where the body feels held,
Comfortable,
At ease,
To allow the body to surrender to the activity of gravity,
A place where you can completely let go.
You may wish to bring in the support of pillows,
An eye pillow or covering,
And continue to make little final micro adjustments to the body until you feel completely comfortable,
Relaxed.
Know that there is nothing that you need to do.
This is a practice of resting deeply,
Listening intimately,
And allowing your awareness to follow the guidance of my voice.
Allow the whole body to become heavy,
Like stone,
Resting deeply,
Down and into the support of the earth,
Being held in the arms of Mother Earth.
Allow the head and neck to rest back and down.
Relax the shoulders,
The arms,
Relax the hands.
Welcome ease into the whole torso of the body,
The lower abdominal cavity,
And the feet.
Deeply resting into the vital organs and the legs,
So heavy.
Relax the feet,
The whole body now,
Surrendering into stillness,
As the ears remain open,
Receptive,
The mind becomes quiet,
As vast and as open as the night sky.
Letting go of thoughts,
The mind resting at ease.
We will begin with a gentle breathing technique to help calm and soothe the nervous system and the whole body from the inside out.
The buzzing bee breath,
Or brahmari pranayama.
Welcoming in a humming sound with the lips closed and the teeth gently parted.
Taking a gentle breath in through the nose.
Exhale the sound of a buzzing bee.
Three more breaths.
Breathing in,
Breathing in,
Letting that go.
The natural rhythm of your breath returns.
Notice the echo of the vibration in the throat,
The jaw,
The skull.
This wave of vibratory relaxation cascades down and through every fiber of your being.
Each exhale like a wave,
Like ocean spray,
Nourishing every cell from the crown of the head all the way down and through the whole body.
Each exhale,
Feel gravity drawing you deeper and deeper and deeper down into rest,
Like the nature of the night.
While the soft light of the sun or the gentle cadence of the moon invites you to let go.
Let go of any expectations.
Allow yourself to rest and to be open to the wisdom of your heart.
As you turn awareness now into the space of the heart,
Cocoon your awareness into the space of the heart.
Listen to the wisdom of the heart.
Call forth a sankalpa.
A sankalpa is an intention for your practice,
Or for your life,
Or for this lunar phase.
If you do not have a sankalpa yet,
You are welcome to borrow one of the following.
I am held in stillness and softness,
Or an open to ease.
Mentally repeat your sankalpa now three times or more,
Planting it like a little seed in the fertile soil of deep rest and relaxation.
This seed like a star emerging from a dark night sky.
Allow it to be your guide.
Allow all of the senses to become open so that you may quiet the senses.
Notice the gentle touch of air on the skin.
Allow the skin to just be letting go of sensations on the skin surface.
Notice the darkness behind closed eyes.
Allow the darkness to just be sinking deeper into the unknown.
Notice the sensations of the breath in the nose.
Any fragrance or aromas.
Letting it go.
Allow the nose to just be noticing any tastes inside of the mouth.
Allow them to just be.
Notice sounds.
Allowing sounds to dissolve back into silence.
The nature of the sounds arising and falling away.
Allow the sounds to just be.
The ears remain open as you begin to imagine a canopy of soft rain.
Each drop gently washing away tension.
Allow your awareness to be like cleansing rain as you move awareness throughout the body now.
You might imagine cool streams of water flowing down and through each region of the body as you bring your awareness to it.
Drawing awareness now to the center of the forehead.
Relax the center of the forehead.
Awareness like gentle drops of rain washing away tension from the center of the forehead.
To the center of the throat.
Softening the edges of the throat.
Relax the throat.
The heart center.
The right shoulder.
The palm of the hand.
Little finger.
All five fingers.
Resting and cleansing puddles of water.
Reflecting moonlight.
The light of your awareness.
From fingertips to the right side of the chest.
Waist.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Cool streams of awareness.
And relaxation.
Washing down and through the whole right side of the body.
Pools of water.
Reflecting moonlight.
Softening the edges of tension.
Relax the whole right side of the body.
Flowing awareness back into the heart center.
To the left shoulder.
Like little drops of rain.
The left elbow.
The wrist.
Palm of the hand.
First finger.
Second.
Little finger.
The tips of the fingers.
Deeply resting.
Dissolving.
Under the light of your awareness.
To the left side of the chest.
Waist.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Baby toe.
The whole left side of the body.
The whole left side.
Bathe in cleansing.
Drops of rain.
Warm puddles of water.
Deeply resting.
Reflecting moonlight of your awareness.
Mist.
Softening.
Any lingering edges.
Of tension.
Gripping.
Holding.
Completely let go.
Into the whole body now.
The whole body.
Deeply resting.
Into both feet.
The whole trunk of the body.
Back and front.
Both arms.
Hands.
The whole body.
And now,
Welcome your awareness.
To rest upon the natural flow of the breath.
Like a river,
It flows.
Seamlessly and effortlessly.
In and out of the body.
Breath flowing in.
Breath flowing out.
Pools of breath.
And life force energy or prana.
Swirling around different regions of the body.
Naturally,
That need it the most.
The waves of the breath.
Cleansing and washing away.
What's no longer serving.
What's holding you back.
So you can be free.
As the body breathes.
Bring awareness to rest in the palm of the left hand.
The breath flows like a river.
In through the left palm.
Up and into the cave of the heart.
The heart like a small bowl.
Filling with cleansing waters.
Overflowing.
And pouring down and out through the right hand.
Just imagine.
The breath like a river.
Swelling with rain.
Flowing in through the left hand.
Pooling into the heart.
Overflowing and emptying with ease.
Releasing.
Down and out through the right palm.
In through the left.
Flows the river of the moon.
Out through the right.
The natural cycle.
In through the left palm.
And pouring down and out through the right hand.
Letting that go.
As you come to rest now.
As awareness itself.
Abiding awareness.
Like the ocean.
Like the mother of the breath.
All around you.
The source of every inhale.
The return of every exhale.
Awareness that is everywhere.
Become awareness itself.
Your true nature.
Resting as the ocean of awareness.
And you are the ocean.
We ebb and we flow.
And yet our indwelling light remains.
This eternal light.
The wisdom of your true nature.
The wisdom of your heart.
Begin to recall your Senkalpa.
Mentally repeat it three times now.
I am happy.
I am held in stillness and softness.
Or I am rooted in trust.
And open to ease.
Slowly begin to bring awareness back to your breath.
Feeling the breath.
As it flows in and out of the body.
And together let's take a deep and generous breath in through the nose.
Out through the mouth.
Like ocean spray.
Notice how you feel.
As you bring awareness back into the physical body.
Sensing and feeling the body resting on the earth.
Slowly starting to return back to a waking state.
The wisdom of Senkalpa shines bright from within your heart.
Slowly start to move the fingers and the toes.
Maybe find a gentle stretch by reaching the arms up and overhead.
Taking your time to roll over onto one side of the body.
I invite you to rest here for some time.
To integrate.
To reflect.
To notice how you feel.
Physically,
Energetically,
Emotionally or mentally.
Notice how you are being.
And see how long this feeling tone lasts.
Honoring this time for yourself.
Under the waning moon.
A time to release.
To let go.
To create space for rest and renewal.
Again,
My name is Kristen Rose.
I feel so grateful for your presence here today.
I wish you a beautiful rest of your day.
May you all be happy,
Healthy,
Peaceful,
And free.
Namaste.
