Waning Moon Yoga Nidra To Release And Let Go | NSDR

Namaste.

Welcome.

My name is Kristen and thank you so much for choosing to be here,

Choosing to dedicate this time to yourself,

To show up for yourself first.

This is a yoga nidra practice to harness the wisdom of the waning moon,

This healing phase of the lunar cycle where the moon surrenders her light to the darkness of the night,

Inviting us to release and let go.

This is a potent time to turn inward,

To reflect upon ways in which you can honor self-care practices such as these and take tender care of yourself.

Relax into how good it feels to know that you are taking this time just for you,

That you deserve this time.

You deserve the medicine of deep rest.

In the coming of the night,

Just as the animals begin to retreat back home to their cozy dens,

Preparing for cool nights and deep rest,

Take a few moments here to build your little yoga nidra nest.

Coming down onto the back of the body,

Reaching for pillows,

Blankets,

An eye pillow.

You might even tuck yourself in.

Ensure that the body feels completely supported,

Comfortable,

Warm and held.

Making any final adjustments to the shoulder blades,

The pelvis or the hips,

Unfurling the fingers and softening into the toes.

Allow the head and neck to relax back and down where there's no need to carry it any longer.

Begin to welcome a sense of the darkness all around you now and the quietude of this moment as if the world were spinning and now slowly coming to a humble stop,

A momentary pause,

Letting go of the momentum of your day and your week.

Allow the body to become heavy,

Naturally conforming to the landscape of props beneath you now.

Settle into the darkness beyond the eyelids as the eyes relax back and down.

Could you even relax into the space behind the eyes,

The muscle of the mind?

Welcome a sense of the healing darkness into the muscle of the mind,

Letting go of thoughts the same way the moon lets go of her light.

Surrender to the healing darkness within and without.

The wisdom of deep rest is reflected in many of the natural cycles around us.

Just as the seasons change and the moon wanes,

It is a delicious time to crawl into your own little inner sanctuary,

A little cocoon of presence to extend love and care to you and your needs.

Imagine wrapping yourself into a restorative cocoon of healing awareness,

Turning inward and cozy up into the deep rest that the waning moon brings,

The slumber that she reminds us that we need.

As the moon wanes and carries us towards the new moon,

Imagine the deep quietude of this dark night,

The quietude of space with nothing but a backlit of stars,

This waning darkness revealing the brilliance of who you really are and the deep rest inviting you back into a place of balance,

Wholeness to reveal the essence of the spirit that dwells in you.

Beyond the layers of conditioning,

Responsibilities,

Thinking and planning,

Analyzing,

Doing,

There you are.

For the darkness only reveals the beauty of what's already present within you.

Breath by breath,

Moment by moment,

Allow the body to relax,

Sinking and softening,

The nervous system unraveling tension,

Welcoming in a sense of deep healing rest.

The nervous system longs for the breath,

The way the sun longs for the moon.

So drink in a long breath in and release a long,

Smooth,

Slow breath out,

Releasing deeply,

Melting softly down to the support of the earth beneath you,

The vast landscape supporting you and stretching outward in all directions beneath you and around you.

With each breath,

Allow the body to release tension.

Each breath,

Imagine the body sinking one inch deeper down into the ground beneath you,

Deeply resting,

Welcoming in the essence of relaxation,

Hibernation,

The body and the mind shifting gears into a state of just being,

Resting,

Healing.

As you rest,

Notice what brought you here today,

What drew you in,

A natural longing.

Turn your attention inward to your intention,

Your sankalpa.

You might already be working with a sankalpa or perhaps you introduce the phrase,

I am deeply resting to restore a sense of calm and peaceful presence back into my life and into my heart.

I am deeply resting to restore a sense of calm and peaceful presence back into my life and into my heart.

Call it in,

Affirm it as if it existed here already,

Like a mantra repeated three times alongside three breaths.

The whole body deeply resting.

Begin to draw all of your awareness,

Your attention to the tip of the tongue.

Notice sensations that are already present at the tip of the tongue.

Invite a feeling of deep rest as if the tongue could relax and soften to sleep,

Sensing the root of the tongue inside of the right cheek,

Inside of the left cheek.

Feel the upper teeth and gums,

The lower teeth and gums,

Sensing the void space within the workings of the mouth,

The lower lip,

The upper lip,

The space between the lips,

The creases of the mouth,

The lower jaw,

The chin,

The hinge points of the jaw,

The right ear,

The outer folds of the ear and the earlobe,

The inner ear.

Notice the right ear listening,

Welcoming sounds,

All of the layers of sounds present here and now.

Notice a sense of wakeful listening in the right ear,

The left ear,

Outer ear and the folds of the ear,

The earlobe,

The inner ear,

The left ear listening deeply,

Welcoming sounds and the quiet spaces in between the sounds.

Notice the ear listening,

Both ears listening and now awareness resting in the space between the ears.

Hear a sense of wakeful awareness,

Listening to sounds,

Just listening.

The back of the head,

Crown of the head,

Center of the forehead,

The clearing between the eyebrows,

The right eye,

Eyelid,

The intricate muscles around and behind the eye,

The eye itself,

Warm,

Radiant,

The eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone,

The left eye,

Eyelid,

Intricate muscles around and behind the eye,

The eye itself,

Warm and radiant,

The eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone,

Center of the forehead,

Mind's eye center,

Bridge of the nose,

Tip of the nose,

The flow of air in the nostrils,

The right nostril,

The left nostril,

Both nostrils,

The gateway to the external world,

Our connection to vital life energy,

Sensing the breath inside of the nostrils,

The chin,

Center of the throat,

Base of the throat,

Center of the chest,

Sternum,

Right side of the chest,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

All five fingers,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

Tips of the fingers and the space between the fingers,

The darkness or the quiet space between the fingers,

Around the hand,

Around the arm,

Sensing within the volume of the fingers,

Hand,

Arm,

And the quiet space all around,

Sensing within and without,

Back to the palm,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Armpit,

Shoulder,

Right side of the chest,

Heart center,

The drum of the heartbeat,

Left side of the chest,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Palm of the hand,

And back of the hand,

All five fingers,

Thumb,

First finger,

Second,

Third,

Little finger,

Tips of the fingers,

And the space between the fingers,

The quietude of space or darkness between the fingers,

Around the hand,

The arm,

Sensing the space all around,

And the volume of space in the fingers,

The hand,

The arm,

And the quiet space all around,

Sensing within and without,

Back to the palm,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Armpit,

Shoulder,

Left side of the chest,

Heart center,

The heart center,

The center of your universe,

Present,

Radiant,

Ancient and wise,

Energetic,

Expansive,

The side ribs expanding and contracting,

The lungs inflating and deflating,

The right side,

The rise and fall of the diaphragm,

Solar plexus,

Navel center,

The navel center,

The low belly,

The pelvic bowl,

The whole region of the pelvic bowl,

The right hip,

The whole glute,

The whole upper leg,

Knee,

Back of the knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

The archway,

Top of the foot,

All five toes,

All five toes,

Big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

Baby toe,

The tips of the toes,

And the space between the toes,

The quiet space around the foot,

The leg,

Awareness filling the volume of the whole foot and leg,

And the space outside sensing within and without,

Back to the center of the sole of the foot,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

Hip,

Pelvic bowl,

Navel center,

The navel center,

Rising and falling with each breath,

The left hip,

Glute,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Back of the knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

The archway,

Top of the foot,

All five toes,

Big toe,

Second,

Third,

Fourth,

Baby toe,

The tips of the toes,

And the space between the toes,

The quiet space around the foot,

Around the leg,

Awareness filling the volume of the whole foot and leg,

And sensing the space outside and around,

Sensing within and without,

Back to the center of the sole of the foot,

Ankle,

Lower leg,

Knee,

Upper leg,

Hip,

Pelvic bowl,

Navel center,

The navel center,

Center of gravity,

The whole spine,

Awareness streaming along the whole spinal column,

From root to crown,

The whole spine,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body deeply resting,

Like the healing darkness of the night,

Washing over the light of the moon,

Awareness washing over the whole body,

Inviting the body into deep healing slumber,

Drifting into deep regenerative rest,

The whole body resting,

Letting go,

Letting go,

The breath calm and effortless,

The inhale softly rolling in,

And rolling back out,

Without any effort at all,

Notice the already present rhythm of the natural breath,

The body's natural intelligence,

For it already knows how to breathe,

Notice what it feels like for the body to be breathed and for the breath to breathe the body,

The breath calm and peaceful,

As if the body were already sleeping,

And yet the mind resting,

Awake and aware,

Sensing the breath in the nostrils,

The cool touch of the inhale and the gentle warmth or the humidity of the exhale,

Observing the transformation of the breath as it enters and exits the body,

Notice the breath in the left nostril and begin to follow the breath in through the left nostril and out through the right,

Imagine the breath flowing in through the left nostril and out through the right,

Inhale left,

Exhale right,

Single nostril breathing,

Following the breath in the left and out the right,

You might visualize the breath as a soft hue of healing light,

Flowing in the left and out the right,

Just imagine,

Connecting to the soothing essence of the moon within,

Chandra vedana in the left and out the right.

Letting that go,

Resting here in your cozy nest of spacious,

Expensive,

Aware,

And quiet awareness,

As vast as the night sky,

As humble and as patient as the waning moon,

Letting go into the healing darkness that abides here now,

As we lean towards the complete darkness of the new moon,

Let go into the essence of the divine spirit that dwells within you.

Filled with rewards and Begin to recall your sankalpa.

I am deeply resting to restore a sense of calm and peaceful presence back into my life and into my heart.

Under the wisdom of the waning moon,

Follow her guidance as you surrender to the healing essence of the darkness and the deep rest that comes in these moments of calm and peaceful presence.

For she reminds us that it is okay to rest,

It is okay to slow down,

To pause,

Steeping here a little while longer in the deepest states of relaxation.

Slowly begin to draw awareness back into the physical body.

Feel the whole body resting here on the earth,

The earth beneath you,

Holding you in this warm cocoon or inner sanctuary that you have created for yourself here,

Knowing that this is a place you can always come back home to.

Take a nice deep breath in through the nose and a long relaxed exhale through the mouth.

Welcome in the physiological sigh,

Taking two sips in and one long breath out.

One two sips in,

One breath out.

One more.

Returning back to your natural flow of breath,

Take a moment here just to notice how you feel and how it feels to connect to the wisdom of La Luna,

The Mother Moon.

She reminds us that in a world that strives to stay busy,

That it's important to find balance,

To dedicate time to deep rest and self-care,

For you deserve it and you are worthy of it.

Enjoy this moment,

Bask in it,

This inner afterglow.

As you slowly begin to stir and emerge out of your den of deep rest,

Emerging back out into a waking state,

Feeling renewed,

Rested,

Transformed,

Allowing the effects of this practice to go with you wherever you go,

Like a warm blanket on a rainy day.

There's no rush,

Only when you feel ready,

You might begin to wiggle the fingers and the toes,

Gently tapping the thumbs to each one of the fingers,

Nodding the head from side to side,

Welcoming back in the light beyond the eyelids.

You might enjoy a nice long stretch,

Letting out any moans or groans,

As if you just woke up for the first time today.

Take as much time as you need.

With love and gratitude,

Thank you so much for joining me today.

If you enjoyed this practice,

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If you are one of our students in the Transformational Sleep Yoga Nidra Teacher Training here at the School of Living Yoga,

I'd really love to hear from you in the comments.

And if you're interested in learning more about our online Yoga Nidra training,

I will leave a link below and at the end of this video and in the comments.

We have live trainings in Canada and Costa Rica and online trainings with amazing people from around the world who come together and truly it is just such a beautiful experience and I feel so honored to be a part of it all.

Thank you again for without you I would not be where I am.

You might give the gift of relaxation and share this video with a beloved in your life,

Someone who you think might benefit a little bit more from deep rest.

May you all be happy.

May you all be healthy.

May you all be peaceful.

May you all be free.

Namaste.