Welcome to this winter forest nap.
This journey into the peaceful embrace of a winter's forest.
This is Sarah Eyler,
And in this meditation,
I'll be guiding you in through a space of deep rest,
A place of quiet serenity where your true self resides.
There's nothing to do,
But follow my voice and allow yourself to be just as you are.
If you drift off or lose track of my voice,
Trust that your subconscious is still listening and you will still receive all the benefits from this practice.
As we begin our time together,
Make sure that you feel warm,
Comfortable,
And fully supported as if you've just come inside on a cold winter's day and you've settled down in front of a warm cozy fire.
Start to gently close down both eyes,
Letting them soften into rest,
Parting the teeth and allowing both sides of your jaw to completely relax,
Smoothing out and letting go of any tension in your forehead,
Allowing all the micro-muscles in your face and your jaw to soften,
Release,
And let go.
Bringing all your awareness to your shoulders now,
Just allow them to drop down and soften and then let this softness blow down into your upper arms,
Your elbows,
Lower arms,
And all 10 fingers,
Softening any tightness in your lower belly or the base of your spine,
Softening your thighs,
Your knees,
Ankles,
And all 10 toes,
Both legs soft,
Heavy,
And sinking.
Tuning in to the rhythm of your breath now,
Just noticing the gentle rise of the belly and chest as you inhale,
And the soft,
Effortless fall of your chest and belly as you exhale.
With each inhale,
Inviting calm and ease into the body,
And with each exhale,
Releasing any effort or resistance,
Each breath allowing you to flow down even more into a state of deep,
Restorative rest.
Start to bring in an intention or sankalpa into your heart now,
A word or phrase that captures the essence of who you long to become,
Or what you wish to bring into this world.
Perhaps your sankalpa is rising as a single word,
Such as peace,
Love,
Or creativity,
Or maybe it's arising as a phrase,
Such as I in calm and centered,
Or I love and accept myself just as I am,
Or I radiate peace.
Planting your intention now into your heart by silently repeating it to yourself three times.
I'll now be gently guiding your attention to different areas of your body.
Simply follow my voice and allow your awareness to settle on each body part as I call it out by name,
Noticing any and all sensations that are arising.
Start by bringing your awareness to your mouth,
Noticing all sensations in your entire mouth.
Inside the right cheek,
Inside the left cheek,
Attention flowing through your teeth and gums,
The entire mouth alive with sensation.
Now bring your awareness to the very tip of your tongue,
The very tip of your nose,
Inside your right nostril,
Inside your left nostril,
The bridge of your nose,
And then the entire nose all at once.
Awareness flowing to the space between your eyebrows and then moving over to your right eyebrow,
Right temple,
Right cheekbone,
Right eyelid,
Right eye and all the muscles behind the right eye.
The entire right eye filled with warmth and then shifting your attention over to your left eyebrow,
Left temple,
Left cheekbone,
Left eye and all the muscles behind the left eye,
And then the whole left eye all at once.
Warm and filling with sensation.
Flowing your attention over to your right ear,
The outer ear and earlobe,
Folds of the right ear and deep inside the right ear canal and then over to your left ear.
To the outer ear and earlobe,
The folds of the left ear and deep inside the left ear canal.
Both ears open and receptive to sound.
Noticing if you're holding on to any tension in both sides of your jaw.
And flowing your awareness past the tip of your chin,
Down through your throat and to the center of your chest.
Awareness over to the right side of the chest,
The right shoulder,
The back of the right hand and all five fingers.
Starting with the right hand thumb,
The second finger,
Hand and fingers deeply resting.
Flowing your attention back to the center of your chest,
And then over to the left side of your chest,
Your left shoulder and all five fingers on the left hand.
Starting with the left thumb,
Second finger,
The whole left arm,
Hands and fingers relaxed and deeply resting.
Awareness now back to the center of your chest and then moving down through your navel center,
Through your low belly,
Into the pelvic bowl and then over to the right hip,
The right calf and chin,
The right heel,
The right sole of the foot and all five toes on the right foot.
Feeling into each toe,
First toe,
Second toe,
The entire right leg,
Foot and toes.
Blowing your attention over to the left side,
First to the left hip,
First toe,
Heel,
Second toe,
All deeply resting.
Noticing all sensations flowing through your entire body,
Whole body alive with sensation and deeply resting.
Bringing your attention now back to your breath,
Simply observing your breath like you're watching snowflakes fall from a winter sky without changing your mind.
Breathing your breath in any way,
Notice it flowing in and out in an effortless cycle.
And as you continue to listen to my voice,
I invite you to start to imagine,
Sense or visualize that you're walking in a peaceful winter's forest,
A winter forest of your own imagination.
And picture yourself walking along a quiet path,
Winding through a snowy winter's landscape,
Surrounded on all sides by tall trees,
Their branches heavy with freshly fallen snow,
A soft glistening expanse of snow covering the ground as far as the eye can see.
Notice how the air feels on your skin as you take in the beauty all around you.
Noticing the delicate icicles hanging from the branches,
The tiny snowflakes drifting and swirling all around you,
Snowflakes glinting in the soft winter's light,
Walking slowly and peacefully,
Allowing the stillness of the winter forest to wrap you in its embrace,
To fill you with a deep sense of calm and peace,
Letting this sense of peace and gratitude to settle down deep within you,
And tapping into that place of pure presence that is already inside you,
Gently bringing back your sankalpa or personal intention into the center of your awareness,
And silently repeat it to yourself three times.
Trust that your sankalpa will grow and transform over time,
Weaving its influence into the deepest layers of your being.
The practice of yoga nidra is now coming to a close.
As we prepare to leave your winter's forest,
Remember that this place is always within you.
Begin to gently bring your awareness back to your body and back to the rhythm of your breath.
You can continue to rest here for as long as you need,
Or when you feel ready,
You can start to bring in some movement into your fingers and toes,
Maybe stretching out your whole body,
Allowing it to fully expand.
I hope that you can carry this sense of peace that we've cultivated together with you as you move throughout the rest of your day.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
Go in peace.
