You and the earth are one.
A Yoga Nidra practice for deep relaxation,
Support,
And connecting to Mother Earth's nurturing and grounding energies.
To begin the practice,
Make sure your body is completely supported and held so that you can feel at rest and cocooned in comfort.
Be aware of your breath and begin to deepen your breath,
Filling both lungs.
Feel each round of breath like a wave of relaxation that sweeps through the body.
And as you begin to exhale,
Allow yourself to release any sounds or sighs,
Emphasizing any sounds as a way to deepen the release,
The letting go of tension or stress right at the surface and as a way of softening into being held and supported.
Continue for a few more rounds,
Breathing in and sighing out.
Ah.
Last round.
Ah.
And invite stillness into your body.
Be aware of the space your body is occupying and feel your body lying on the earth,
Completely held and supported.
And draw a circle of protection around your body with anything that you wish.
You can make this circle with flowers,
Trees,
Divine light,
Fire or stardust,
Whatever feels aligned with you today.
And as you create this wall of protection around you,
See yourself held and supported in the center and invite the body to become more still.
Become aware of sound.
Notice the diversity of sound without judgment or storytelling.
Let all the sounds be there.
The sounds are there outside your circle of protection.
You are resting inside the circle.
Lying on the earth within your circle of protection,
Feel as if you are in a sanctuary,
Your own unique sanctuary for you to rest,
Be held and deeply nourished.
Your body is heavy and dense like the solid foundation of Mother Earth.
Slowly scan through the body.
Be aware of how you are holding the body.
Notice the parts that hold tension,
Tightness or resistance and have the intention to give them over as an offering to the earth,
Releasing them with each exhale.
Each exhale is a releasing of another layer of constriction,
Tightness or resistance.
Notice the parts of the body in contact with the earth.
Each point is rooted into the soil of the earth.
Feel your heels resting on the earth,
Heavy and rooted.
And sense the mantra of the earth,
LAM,
Vibrating in your roots,
The roots of your heels.
LAM,
LAM,
LAM.
Each repetition,
Feel your heels become one with the earth.
LAM.
Your body and the body of the earth,
One.
LAM.
Feel the calves rooted into the earth.
Feel the vibration of the earth mantra,
LAM.
LAM.
Calves soften into the soils of the earth.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The back of the thighs,
Deep roots,
Deep connection,
The vibration of LAM.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The buttocks,
LAM.
Feel the buttocks and the hips soften with each repetition as your body,
Her body,
Unite.
The portions of the spine connected to the earth,
LAM.
LAM.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The back of the shoulders,
Soften and relax into the body of Mother Earth.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
LAM.
The upper arms,
LAM.
LAM.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The lower arms,
LAM.
LAM.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The wrist,
LAM.
LAM.
LAM.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
The back of the head,
Feeling the weight of the head root down into the soils of the earth.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
LAM.
LAM.
LAM.
Sense your mind,
Her mind,
One.
LAM.
Sense your heart,
Her heart,
Merging as one.
LAM.
Feel your pulse and her pulse as one.
One pulse,
LAM.
Feel her wisdom becoming your wisdom.
One wisdom,
LAM.
Feel all of these body parts at once becoming heavier and more deeply rooted as you repeat the mantra LAM,
Deeply held.
Notice your body breathing.
As your body breathes in,
Sense the earth rising up to hold and cradle you.
As your body exhales,
Sense your body surrendering into the body of Mother Earth.
Every breath in invites the earth to support you even more.
Every breath out is a trusting acceptance that you deserve to be held,
Supported,
And nourished.
The breath is effortless.
Sense the whole body as the body of Mother Earth,
Merging your breath with the breath of Mother Earth.
Each inhale,
She holds you.
Each exhale,
You soften into that hold.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
Feel the bones of your body,
The bone marrow,
Nutrient-dense like the soils of the earth.
Sense the blood vessels and veins in your body,
Intricate,
Nourishing,
Life-giving rivers flowing through the landscape of your body.
Sense a gentle pulse within the cells.
Each cell,
A watery ocean teeming with life.
Notice a warmth in your body,
Like a hearth,
Perhaps deep in the belly,
An inner fire gently warming you,
Dancing and moving within you.
Feel the breath in your lungs.
Each inhale,
A gentle breeze that enters the lungs and dissolves within the space of your body.
Each exhale,
It leaves the body,
Dissolving into the space outside the body.
You are not controlling the breath.
You are merely watching the gentle breeze of breath flowing in and out of the landscape of the body.
Feel your body and the earth breathing as one.
Your body,
Her body,
One.
Your breath,
Her breath,
One.
Your mind,
Her mind,
One.
Your heart,
Her heart,
One.
Your pulse,
Her pulse,
One.
Your wisdom,
Your wisdom,
One.
Notice the breath.
Feel the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.
Taking a deeper inhale and a more complete exhale.
Notice your body.
Notice the earth underneath you.
Notice all of it as divine.
You and the earth,
A divine connection.
When you're ready,
Not rushing,
Begin to transition out of the practice,
Noticing everything during this transition.
The way you move,
The way that you breathe.
When you are ready to transition to your side and then to your seat,
Take a few moments to journal about your experience in this practice and your divine connection to the Mother Earth.
