Himalayan Nidra With Singing Bowls

So taking these extra moments just now to tune in and notice how you're feeling,

How the body feels.

And if there's any adjustment that you can make whereby you'll feel 5% more comfortable then just going ahead and making those adjustments as you need.

So just inviting in a sense of arriving.

Just inviting the weight,

The weight of the body to soften and settle down into the mat.

As if all of the practice leading up to now is for this very moment of arrival.

And as we invite that delicious letting go into the whole body,

All of the cushions and the blankets.

Just helping provide that sense of real support so we feel utterly taken care of.

And so taking the awareness from the lovely delicious relaxation,

Relaxing relaxation of the body into the soft and subtle flow of the breath.

Becoming aware of the ebb and flow of the breath as it easily comes in and goes.

There's no effort or holding.

Just that ease and familiarity with each and every breath.

And in these short moments,

Noticing the stillness.

And so in winter time the sense associated with the element of water is listening.

Just inviting your hearing to become curious.

Almost using your hearing,

A little bit like tuning in,

Finding different signals,

Different radio stations.

Taking the awareness as far out,

Seeing if you can hear the further sound away out of this room.

And then bringing and drawing the hearing further.

And then back in towards this building.

Back into this room.

Noticing small and tiny sounds,

Maybe the sound even of your own breath.

And as the afternoon starts its journey towards night and the flickering candles around us just starting to cast their glow a little bit more keenly.

We can let our imagination take the form of a tiny star,

A tiny candle flame,

Something small.

And then taking awareness to the center of the eyebrows and just placing a little star there.

In between the eyebrows,

Back in the center of the head and lined with the eyebrow central and star.

And just choosing a color for your star.

Golden,

Silver,

Sapphire blue.

And taking the awareness down to in between the two collarbones and placing another star just there.

And from the collarbones coming out to the left shoulder,

Placing a little star down that arm at the left shoulder.

And then a star at the elbow,

A star in the wrist.

And placing five little stars in turn at the tip of the left thumb,

The index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger and the little finger.

Becoming aware of all of the stars on that left arm and side.

And then bringing the awareness back up to the star at the wrist,

Elbow,

Shoulder,

Coming back over to the star in between the two collarbones.

And then over to the right shoulder,

A little star.

Placing stars in turn at the right elbow and wrist,

At the tip of the right thumb,

The index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Bring the awareness back up to the star at the wrist,

The elbow,

The shoulder and the armpit.

Coming back over to the star in between the two collarbones.

And then down to the centre of the chest,

To the heart.

Placing a tiny star shining in the heart.

Taking the awareness to the left side of the chest,

A little star there at the tip of the left breast,

Back to the star in the heart.

And then taking the awareness over to the right side of the chest,

A little star at the tip of the right breast.

Coming back to the star in the heart.

Following the awareness down to the navel.

And then coming down into the pelvis and in the very centre of the pelvis behind the pubic bone,

Placing a star to shine just there.

Coming over to the left hip now.

Placing tiny little stars in the left hip,

At the knee,

At the ankle,

In the tip of the left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Whole of the left leg mapped out in stars.

Bring the awareness back up to the ankle,

Knee and hip,

To the centre of the pelvis and then over to the right side.

Little stars in the right hip,

Knee,

Ankle,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Becoming aware of the whole of the right leg mapped in tiny shining stars.

Taking the awareness back up to the ankle,

The knee and hip,

The centre of the pelvis.

Coming up the body to the navel.

From the navel coming up into the heart.

Coming up into the centre of the collarbones.

And back to the first star placed in line with the eyebrow centre in the centre of the head.

The whole body mapped in stars as if the sounds of the singing bowls are just like the frequency of light shining from each of those stars.

Just as when we look at the stars in the night sky we see them flicker and sparkle.

The ebb and flow of the sound of each of the singing bowls ebbing and flowing like the sparkling light of each of the stars.

So we're now going to take the awareness to flow down the body with the breath.

We're taking the awareness to the eyebrow centre.

It's almost like the eyebrow centre in the top of the nostrils,

That space there.

And on the exhale forming a little triangle of breath as you breathe all the way down and out through the toes.

And on the inhale it flows all the way back up to the nostrils.

And the next exhale all the way from the nostrils down to the toes.

All the way back up.

So we're going to take 10 breaths from the nostrils all the way down to the toes and back.

Just following this slow and steady breath,

The natural breath.

Taking the awareness between the eyebrow centre and nostrils and all the way down into the toes.

Steady flow of the awareness and the breath as one.

A lovely deep listening of winter flowing with the breath.

And if in counting you lose your way,

Just start again.

But coming now to the end of your 10 breaths and taking the awareness back to the eyebrow centre,

Top of the nostrils.

And then taking the awareness all the way down to the ankles.

From the ankles all the way back up to the eyebrow centre,

Top of the nostrils.

All the way back down.

All the way back up.

Just following the steady fluid flow of the breath all the way down.

All the way back up.

Seven more breaths.

10 breaths in total.

We're not speeding the breath at all or speeding the count,

But just following that easy flow all the way down and all the way back up.

And then when you've finished your 10 cycles of breath from the top of the nostrils and eyebrow centre down to the ankles,

Just coming once more to rest the awareness in the eyebrow centre.

And from there coming all the way down to the knees.

Triangle down to the knees,

Following the awareness down to the knees on the exhale and on the inhale from the knees back up.

Eyebrow centre.

And in the very simplicity of following the breath,

Enjoying that reassurance of the familiarity of it all.

Just following the steady flow of each breath all the way down,

All the way back up.

10 breaths in total.

And then when you've finished your 10 breaths,

Down to the knees,

Just bringing the awareness back up to the eyebrow centre.

And then taking the awareness in a nice straight line all the way down to the centre of the pelvis and all the way back up to the eyebrow centre,

Top of the nostrils.

Just five breaths all the way down,

All the way back up,

All the way down to the pelvis and all the way back up.

And when you've finished your five breaths between the centre of the pelvis and the eyebrow centre,

Just coming back up to the eyebrow centre,

Top of the nostrils.

And then following the awareness all the way down to the navel and all the way back up to the eyebrow centre.

Five breaths between the eyebrow centre,

Down to the navel,

All the way back up to the eyebrow centre.

Just enjoying the steadiness of each and every breath.

Coming to rest the awareness back up at the eyebrow centre.

And from there,

Taking the journey down to the centre of the chest to the heart.

From the centre of the heart back up to the eyebrow centre,

All the way down to the heart and all the way back up.

Five breaths between the heart and the eyebrow centre.

The steady flow down,

The steady flow back.

And then taking the awareness to rest once more in the eyebrow centre.

And now flowing down to the centre of the collar bones,

The pit of the throat.

And from the pit of the throat back up to the eyebrow centre.

Down to the pit of the throat on the exhale.

And from the centre of the collar bones back up to the eyebrow centre.

Just a total of five breaths.

There and then bring the awareness to rest once again in the eyebrow centre and taking the awareness now back into the centre of the head in line with the eyebrow centre to the first star placed there at the beginning of the practice.

And as you exhale,

Flowing between that place and the top of the nostrils,

The eyebrow centre at the front of the head.

So ten breaths in total between the centre of the head,

Little star first placed and the front,

The eyebrow centre itself,

The top of the nostrils.

Steadily flowing between these two points.

And then just coming towards the end of those ten breaths.

And letting go of the breathing from the eyebrow centre.

And just now,

Without disturbing yourself too much,

Turning to rest on the left side of the body,

Feels open.

Just without disturbing yourself too much.

If it feels too much,

You can just imagine doing that.

Just turning now to rest on the left side so that the right side of the body feels open.

And then just breathing into the whole of that right side.

So as you breathe in,

It's as if the whole of the right side of the body feels breathed with every breath.

Ten breaths lying so you're breathing into the right side of the body.

And when you have breathed your ten breaths into the right side,

Changing sides.

So again,

Without disturbing yourself too much,

Now coming to rest on the other side.

You're breathing now into the left side of the body.

So the whole of the left side of the body feels lovely and open with each and every breath.

And then when you've breathed your ten breaths into the left side of the body,

Just coming to rest gently on your back.

Ten breaths into the whole body.

The whole body being breathed.

The soft and steady ebb and flow.

In and out.

And when you've finished your ten breaths,

Just letting go of all directed breathing.

Just allowing yourself to rest just as you are.

Taking your awareness to the eyebrows centre.

The little star shining there.

Taking the awareness down to the centre of the collarbones.

In that space,

Imagining a full moon.

From there coming down into the heart.

And then the image.

Just inviting in yourself.

And in this space of the heart,

There's the invitation to feel invited.

There's the invitation to tune in and listen.

And the space of the heart,

There's almost this sense of a vast expanse.

And yet just as we are,

It's very welcome.

So inviting yourself into the space of the heart to tune in and listen.

And then the image.

And then the image.

And then the image.

And then the image.

And then the image.

And then the image.

And then the image.

So we're starting now to make the breath a little louder.

Noticing that fluid flow of the breath in and where in the body do you feel the breath?

Inviting in a little bit of movement perhaps.

Maybe starting to run the tongue around the teeth.

Maybe moving fingers and toes,

Fingers and toes,

Toes and fingers.

If it feels like a nice thing to do,

You might want to touch the tip of your thumb with all of the fingers in turn.

Starting to bring small movements into fingers and toes.

Maybe even rubbing the hands together and gently taking off the eye mask.

Just negotiating,

Letting light back in.

Do is you can either have the palms of the hands over the eyes or start to rub into the ears.

Shape of kidneys associated with kidney energy in the body.

So welcoming yourself back.

Stretching the whole body out if that feels like a lovely way to bring movement back in.

Hugging the knees,

Rocking from side to side.

If you're on your side already,

You might just want to hug yourself,

Wiggle through the fingers in a delicious and lovely way.

And then eventually coming to lie on the side that feels comfy.

This practice of your Vinodara,

This Himalayan Vinodara is very nearly at its end.

Just allowing yourself to come to lie on your side and do absolutely hee-haw and welcoming the importance of that.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Thank you very much for listening.