Tree Yoga Nidra

Settle into your position.

Settle into stillness.

Settle into being.

Settle into right here and right now.

Become aware of any sounds in the far distance,

Then closer,

And then listening for sounds closest to you,

Even coming from you.

Sensing and feeling into an awareness of sounds passing through.

Notice any aromas or smells,

Any tastes inside the mouth,

What you see on the insides of your eyelids,

Or perhaps looking with a softened gaze,

Whatever is in your field of vision,

Allowing it to gently come in.

Then feel all that the skin is in contact with,

The clothes,

The air,

Any places of warmth or coolness.

Now ask yourself what your deepest desire or longing is in this moment.

And as it bubbles up,

Let it become a short sentence in the present tense,

As if it were true right now.

And repeat it silently to yourself three times.

Now become aware of the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the torso,

Right pelvis,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole right side of your body.

Now become aware of the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the torso,

Left pelvis,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

The whole left side of your body.

The back of the head,

Back of the neck,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Right heel,

Left heel,

The whole back side of your body,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Right eyeball,

Right eye socket,

Whole right eye,

Left eyelid,

Left eyeball,

Left eye socket,

Whole left eye,

Both eyes together,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Both nostrils together,

Bridge of the nose,

Tip of the nose,

Whole nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right outer ear,

Right inner ear,

Left outer ear,

Left inner ear,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

The tongue,

The upper teeth,

The upper gums,

The roof of the mouth,

The lower teeth,

The lower gums,

The floor of the mouth,

The whole inside of the mouth,

The jaw,

The hinges of the jaw,

Chin,

Neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

The whole front side of your body,

The whole spine,

The pelvic floor,

The heart,

And the space around the heart,

The whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

Both arms together,

Both arms and both legs together,

The whole right side of the body,

The whole left side of the body,

All of the front side of the body,

All of the back side of the body,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The body is a whole,

Whole and complete as you are.

And now let your awareness rest on the feel of the breath flowing in and out.

And as you feel the breath flowing in and out,

Notice the movements of breath in the belly.

Let your awareness rest on the feel of the movements of breath in the belly as you breathe in and out.

And now let your awareness rest on the area of the ribcage.

Notice any movements in the ribcage as you continue to comfortably breathe in and out.

Now feel for breath in the nostrils,

Warmer air flowing out,

Cooler air flowing in,

Just letting the awareness rest at the nostrils.

As you let your awareness rest on breath moving in and out of the body.

And now let your awareness rest on the whole thread of breath,

The feel of movements of breath in the belly,

The ribcage,

The nostrils,

The nostrils,

The ribcage,

The ribcage,

The belly,

As you feel breath moving in and out of the body.

And now notice any places in the body where you feel warmth,

Sensing and feeling any places in the body where you notice warmth.

And allow the sensation of warmth to spread until you're imagining or sensing warmth throughout the whole body,

Whole body warm.

Now feel for any places of coolness,

Anywhere you notice coolness in the body,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Anywhere you notice coolness and letting that coolness spread throughout the body until you're imagining or sensing coolness throughout the whole body,

Whole body cool.

And then returning to warmth,

Feeling for warmth,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining warmth throughout the whole body,

Whole body warm.

And then returning to coolness,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining coolness throughout the whole body,

Whole body cool.

And now feeling for any places where you notice heaviness in the body,

Sensing and feeling heaviness,

Inviting that sense of heaviness to spread throughout the whole body until you're sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining heaviness throughout the whole body,

Whole body heavy.

Now feeling for sensations of lightness in the body,

Noticing where in the body feels light,

Feels light,

Inviting that sensation to spread,

Inviting the sense and feel of lightness throughout the whole body,

Whole body light.

And then coming back to the sensation of heaviness,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining heaviness throughout the whole body,

Whole body heavy,

Heaviness throughout the whole body.

And then coming back to lightness,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining lightness throughout the whole body,

Whole body light.

Now feeling for sensations of what it feels like in the body to hold on.

What does holding on feel like in the body?

In the body,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining,

Holding on in your body.

Now feel what is it like in the body?

What do you sense when you let go?

What is the felt sense in the body of letting go,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining,

Letting go throughout the whole body?

And then coming back to what holding on feels like in the body.

Once again,

Sensing,

Feeling,

Imagining,

Holding on throughout the whole body.

And then coming back to what it feels like in the body to let go,

Feeling what letting go feels like throughout the whole body.

Sensing,

Feeling,

And imagining,

Letting go.

And now feeling what it's like in the body to feel non-peace,

A lack of peace.

What does non-peace feel like?

How do you experience non-peace in the body?

Take a moment to sense,

Feel,

Imagine non-peace as you experience it in the body.

And then sensing and feeling how you experience peace in the body.

What does peace feel like in the body?

Sense,

Feel,

Imagine peace throughout the body.

Sense,

Feel,

Imagine peace throughout the body.

And then coming back to what non-peace feels like in the body at whatever level is comfortable to work with.

Sensing and feeling what non-peace feels like and returning to sensations of peace.

What peace feels like in the body.

Sensing,

Feeling,

And imagining peace throughout your whole body.

I invite you to imagine each of these images as I name them.

Morning twilight,

Morning twilight,

Morning twilight.

The sound of birds,

The sound of birds,

The sound of birds.

A large valley surrounded by tall mountains.

A large valley surrounded by tall mountains.

A large valley surrounded by tall mountains.

A sacred space,

A sacred space,

A sacred space.

Midday sun,

Midday sun,

Midday sun.

An expansive canopy of treetops in a forest.

An expansive canopy of treetops in a forest.

An expansive canopy of treetops in a forest.

The sound of a raven calling,

The sound of a raven calling.

The sound of a raven calling.

Snow-covered mountains,

Snow-covered mountains.

Beautiful snow-covered mountains.

The laughter of children,

The laughter of children.

The delightful laughter of children.

The tilt of afternoon sunlight,

The tilt of afternoon sunlight.

The tilt of afternoon sunlight.

Burning candle,

Burning candle,

Burning candle.

A beautiful sunset,

A beautiful sunset,

A beautifully colored sunset.

A quilt,

A quilt,

A multicolored quilt.

The fading light of day,

The fading light of day,

The fading light of day.

Stars at night,

Stars at night,

Expansive glowing stars at night.

A complete rainbow filling the sky,

A complete rainbow filling the sky.

A complete rainbow vibrantly filling the sky.

The sound of coyotes,

The sound of coyotes.

The group sound of howling coyotes.

The darkness of night,

The darkness of night,

The darkness of night.

Burning candle,

Burning candle,

Burning candle.

You see yourself walking on a path.

You're walking on a path that moves through meadows and thin forest.

You feel yourself walking along the path in the forest.

You feel your legs moving.

Your arms gently swing forward and back with the movement of your walking,

Even at the comfortable gate you've chosen.

You feel yourself breathing in the forest air.

And with all the smells of being outdoors in the forest,

You enjoy the feel of the earth and the slightly uneven terrain of the path beneath your feet.

You hear a woodpecker pecking somewhere off in the distance.

You hear a different bird calling in its unique rhythm and pattern closer to you.

As you continue to walk comfortably down the path,

You feel the air is cool and warm,

And you enjoy the mixed sensations that are pleasant.

You continue to hear the same bird calling with its intermittent calls and feel as if it might be moving through the forest at a similar pace as you.

The forest starts to become denser as you walk,

And the light becomes more filtered.

You see a particularly large tree up and off the path just ahead.

Its trunk is huge,

Too big to put your arms around,

So you know it has been around for a very long time.

You go up to the tree and stand next to it just by being in its presence.

You feel the wisdom of its having lived and grown through so many seasons over the many years it has lived.

You can almost palpably feel the spirit of the tree that has watched so many seasons.

Trees around it have come and gone.

You see a fallen tree nearby.

You imagine the tree as a very young sapling,

Just beginning its life with just a few sprouts of foliage.

You look around the tree at its surroundings,

And then you lean up against it.

You slowly allow yourself to smoothly lower yourself to the ground.

You feel the base of the tree on your back as your muscles lower you to the earth at the base of the tree.

You settle in to the roots of the tree and look up to gaze at the branches above you.

You feel the support of the tree and the support of the earth where you've sat down.

Feel the tree supporting you.

Feel yourself rooting down into the sit bones where they rest at the base of the tree.

Send roots down into the earth energetically,

Intermingling and connecting with the tree's roots.

Connecting your roots with its roots,

You invite in its strength.

You invite in its knowledge of the many seasons it has weathered and all it has witnessed in the forest where it lives,

Rooted.

Feel your arms like the branches.

Imagine your arms lifted and outstretched,

Taking in the sun,

All the energy of oneness and the peace of being in this natural setting.

Feel the breeze on your cheeks,

First cool and then warm,

Intermixed but pleasant.

You hear a gust of wind coming towards you.

You see the branches swaying farther away and then right above you.

You can now feel the touch of the wind on your face as you hear its effect in the branches of the trees around you and in the branches and leaves of the tree you are leaning against.

You feel the gust pass by while you feel rooted,

Firm and strong.

You are rooted,

Safe,

Grounded and strong.

Feel the touch of still air on your cheeks.

Feel the presence of other trees around you,

The plants,

The earth and the sky.

Feel yourself connected to the earth and tree you are still leaning against.

Notice a sense of integrated wholeness within you,

An inner sacredness within you that may speak to you,

Telling you of your sacredness with or without words.

Listen quietly to feel,

Hear and sense this message.

Take a moment to connect with it,

To listen with your whole body.

Tune in to your felt sense of integrated wholeness.

This aspect of the mystery that is being revealed to you now.

You begin to feel complete and ready to walk the path from which you came,

Ready to make the sacred journey back.

You feel into your legs,

Compress into the muscles to slowly use their strength to bring your body back up to standing.

You take a moment of closure with the tree and then,

As you feel ready and the timing just right,

You make your way back to the path and begin your journey back to the path from which you came.

You feel yourself walking on the path,

Returning.

You feel your legs moving,

One foot touching the earth at a time,

One after the other,

One step at a time.

Sense and see the landscape,

The trees and bushes,

The hawks hunting in them,

The feel of the air on your skin.

Feel the integrated wholeness,

Your sacredness within you as you walk.

Feel your meaning and purpose,

Yourself walking on your truest path,

Fully immersed in your truest life.

Remember most deeply who you uniquely are,

Your truest self,

The gift of you emanating and shining out into the world.

Feel yourself connected to that truest self as you walk,

Feet firmly touching and rooted on the earth,

Fully on your life path,

Grounded,

Safe,

Loved,

Held,

Protected and strong.

You feel the touch of air on your skin.

You feel yourself integrated and whole,

Walking on your path.

Now it is time to return to the phrase,

The short sentence,

The intention you set at the beginning of the practice,

And once again repeat it to yourself,

Silently repeating it to yourself three times.

Bring your awareness back to the space you're in and your surroundings as you're ready.

You can imagine the walls,

Ceiling or the sky and what's around you.

Bring your awareness to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out.

You may wish to deepen the flow of your breath and then notice the feel of where your body rests.

Feel from the top of your head down to your fingers,

All the way down to your toes.

Take your time to move gently and comfortably.

And when you feel ready,

Open your eyes.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is complete.