Welcome to this Yoga Nidra.
My name is Lucy McCarthy and this practice is here to reclaim your right to creatively express and celebrate all that you are.
To prepare for the practice,
Lay down on your back with as many props as you need to nourish and support your body fully.
A couple of cushions at the backs of the knees,
A thin pillow for beneath the head,
A light covering and a cozy blanket can all enhance your experience.
Let the tender way in which you set up your cozy Yoga Nidra nest be a reverent and radical act of self-care and appreciation.
Allow yourself to be sumptuously comfortable so you can then melt your body into complete stillness for the duration of the practice.
If you haven't already,
Gently close the eyes and allow your attention to be drawn inwards into the sacred inner sanctuary.
Notice how you feel,
What emotions or mood may be present at the opening stage of this practice.
Do your best to welcome and open yourself to whatever is currently living within you.
Yoga Nidra is a sacred,
Ancient practice of deep self-observation and profound healing.
As the body will be guided into deep states of relaxation,
A part of our consciousness will stay awake and aware.
Take this moment to make a sweet vow to yourself that you will remain aware for the entire practice so that we can plunge deep into the core of our most sacred self.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Bring your awareness into the mouth and then into your inner cheeks and taste buds.
Notice any tastes that you sense,
Even feeling the watery saliva within.
Now,
Flow your awareness deep down into the lower belly.
Watch it gently rise and fall in response to your natural breath.
Allow any tension here to be washed away by the cleansing waves of breath.
The sacred seat of sensuous creativity,
The place of pure expression and our right to be and live just as we are.
Trust in the deep-rooted wisdom of the gut,
Our internal compass and guidance system.
As if you had ears here,
Begin to listen deeply into the space of the lower belly.
Ask it to reveal to you your Sankalpa,
Your deepest,
Most sincere longing,
That which you truly wish to creatively express this lifetime.
We state the Sankalpa in the present tense and in positive language,
Starting with the words,
I am,
Followed by the word or words that truly state what you most sincerely desire to manifest.
Examples could be,
I am free,
Or I am celebrated.
It could be anything,
As long as it's personal,
Fills you with excitement and lights you up from the inside out.
Once you have it,
State it three times silently inside with passion,
Conviction and a sense of sweetness.
We will now move through a rotation of consciousness of the body.
Each body part named,
Simply bring your full awareness to that area.
Sense and observe what you can feel.
And then place the sacred sound Vam in each place named.
We will move through 61 sacred points in the body,
Charging up and creating a potent circuitry between each point with the sacred Bija mantra,
Vam.
Begin by taking your awareness to the brow center.
The spot between the two eyebrows and sense and observe what you can feel there.
Then chant silently the sound Vam at the brow center.
Now flow your awareness into the center of the throat.
Vam.
Right shoulder joint.
Vam.
Right elbow joint.
Vam.
Right wrist joint.
Vam.
Each point named,
Place the sacred sound of Vam.
Tip of the right thumb.
Tip of the right index finger.
Tip of the middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the right baby finger.
Center of the right wrist.
Center of the right elbow.
Center of the right shoulder.
Center of the throat.
Left shoulder joint.
Vam.
Left elbow joint.
Left wrist joint.
Tip of the left thumb.
Tip of the left index finger.
Tip of the left middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the left baby finger.
Center of your left wrist.
Center of the left elbow.
Center of the left shoulder.
Center of the throat.
Vam.
Center of the chest.
Right nipple.
Center of the chest.
Left nipple.
Heart center.
Solar plexus.
Navel center two inches below the belly button.
Right hip joint.
Right knee joint.
Right ankle joint.
Right big toe.
Tip of the second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Tip of the fifth toe.
Center of the right ankle.
Center of the right knee.
Center of the right hip.
Navel center two inches below the belly button.
Left hip joint.
Left knee joint.
Left ankle joint.
Left big toe.
Tip of the second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Tip of the baby left toe.
Center of the left ankle.
Center of the left knee.
Center of the left hip.
Navel center two inches below the belly button.
Solar plexus.
Heart center.
Center of the throat.
Back to the brow center.
Now feel the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body lit up with your awareness and the sacred vibration of Vam.
Feel the sacred circuitry flowing through these 61 points.
Now pour your awareness onto the natural ebb and flow of your breath.
Without interfering with it in any way,
Simply observe yourself being breathed.
The spontaneous,
Natural,
Effortless breath ebbing and flowing across the shores of your inner body.
Notice the inhalation flowing in,
Expanding the inner realm,
And the exhalation seamlessly tumbling out,
A softening.
Be in presence with the breath.
Now begin to follow the breath up and down the mystical,
Psychic central channel.
As the natural inhale comes in,
Flow from the crown of your head down the central channel towards the base of the pelvis.
As you exhale,
Following the breath from the base back up through the central channel to the crown of the head.
As if this sacred inner channel were a riverbed within which the breath was flowing up and down.
Inhale,
Flowing from crown to root.
Exhale from root to crown.
Now begin to sense the energy beneath the breath.
This vital life force energy that flows both within and beyond the physical boundaries of the body.
Sensing your entire being softly pulsating with this animating force of all things,
Surrounded by this egg-shaped sphere,
Humming with vital life force energy.
Pulsing,
Flowing,
Effortlessly giving us life.
Now flow your awareness to the point between the two brows and ever so slightly in towards the midbrain,
The seat of the pineal gland.
This is known in this practice as Chidakash,
A sacred seat of infinite possibility and unlimited potentiality.
We will use this point as an anchor to return to,
As we play with pairs of opposites.
As each set of opposing sensations or emotions are named,
Awaken as fully as you can each sensation,
Whilst remaining fully relaxed and at ease.
Awaken the sensation of heat.
Feel the entire body wrapped in sweltering heat,
As if you were in the middle of a desert under the eye of the hot,
Baking midday sun.
Sweat pouring,
Heat waves pulsing in and all around you,
Whole body immersed in heat.
Now let that melt away,
And now awaken the feeling of cold.
Bring forth the sensation of cold through your entire being,
As if you were stood at the top of a snow-capped mountain in the midst of a blizzard.
Chilling wind sweeping through you,
Cold to the bone.
Let your whole body shrink under this cold.
Now fully surrender this,
And glide your awareness back to Chidakash,
The point between the brows and back into the midbrain.
Now what does it feel like to be blocked?
To feel stagnant and stuck,
Unable to create?
Allow a feeling of stagnation to fill you.
How does this land in your body?
Notice any thought forms,
Sensations or images that rise up along with this feeling of stagnation.
Now completely let that go.
And what does it feel like to be creatively on fire?
To be buzzing with new,
Fresh ideas?
To be filled with your unique expression in the world?
What does creative inspiration feel like?
Let it fill you here and now,
Whole being creatively inspired.
Now let that fall away,
And anchor your awareness back to the point in the midbrain.
Now bring forth the feeling of shame.
What does shame feel like?
Others shaming you,
Or you self-shaming?
Where does shame seat itself inside your body?
Notice any old storylines or memories that rise up alongside this feeling of shame.
Let go of the narrative,
But stay with the pure feeling.
Now fully release that.
And awaken the sensation of celebration.
What does celebration feel like?
To be celebrated.
To be in a state of self-celebration.
Allow your whole being to be filled with this pure sensation of celebration.
Joy,
Wonder,
Awe at the unique,
Majestic expression of divinity that you are.
Celebration pulsing in and through you.
Now even let that melt away.
And fold your awareness back to Chidakash.
The space between the brows.
This place of oneness beyond all duality.
Ultimate unified reality as it truly is.
We will now work with our inner vision,
Our ability to create from nothing.
Various images will be named in quick succession.
Simply see,
Visualize,
Or imagine as clearly as you can in your mind's eye.
Before moving on to the next one.
Rich red earth.
An army of ants.
A gushing waterfall.
An ancient temple at dusk.
Children playing together.
Pouring rain on a tin roof.
An old couple in love.
An artist's canvas.
Mother nature.
A mountain path.
See yourself walking up this mountain path at dawn.
The earth beneath you a deep,
Rich red.
Wisps of sunlight creeping across the sky.
In the distance you hear the sound of trickling water.
You feel drawn to follow the sound.
You begin to follow the path.
The sound of water building as you get closer and closer.
As you turn a corner,
Suddenly in front of you,
You see a hot mountain spring flowing down into a pristine pool.
Steam gently rising up.
Nature at its most beautiful and serene.
You feel called to immerse your body in this warm water.
As you step in,
The soothing heat of the water penetrates you deeply,
Calling you to soften.
You find a perfectly shaped rock to sit upon.
Up to your waist you sit bathing in this water.
It filling you with the most sweet,
Soothing sensation.
Your whole body and being softens and opens up.
You stare out at the rising sun.
Feeling the vast open sky calling you into the most profound state of freedom and celebration.
A celebration of all that you are.
A freedom to creatively express.
A joy at simply being as you are.
From deep within you,
Once more your sankalpa rises up.
Your I am statement.
Let it fill you up and pervade every part of your being.
Then repeat it three times,
Silently,
In the fertile soil of the mind.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Very gently begin to float your awareness and presence back into your body.
Feeling the weight of it connected to the earth beneath you.
Sensing any sounds meeting your ears.
Noticing any tastes within the inner mouth.
The subtle flow of your breath coming in and out.
Begin to softly bring movement into the fingers and toes.
Sweetly reawakening.
Then slowly,
One by one,
Hug your knees up into your chest and roll onto one side.
Pause.
Notice how you feel now.
What mood or emotions are now present within?
Observe the quality of your mind.
Then when you're ready,
Keeping the eyes closed,
Awareness inwards,
Gently press yourself up into a comfortable tall seat.
Gently bring the hands together in prayer in front of the heart center.
May we all allow ourselves to feel,
To create,
And to express.
And may we always remember that we have the right to be just as we are.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
As above,
So below.
All is one.
Many blessings.
