Unfurl: A Seasonal Yoga Nidra For Early Spring

Welcome to this seasonal springtime practice of yoga nidra.

Yoga nidra is a form of guided meditation.

It's very simple,

Very simple.

All you need to do is find a comfortable position to lie in and then listen to my voice.

You don't even really need to listen to the words that I say,

Just allow my voice to wash over you.

So begin by finding a comfortable position to lie in.

Using all the cushions and blankets and pillows that you might need to find a really comfortable position.

And if during this practice the way in which you're lying starts to feel uncomfortable,

Know that you can move,

It's okay to move if you need to,

To find a place of greater rest.

And if during this practice you begin to feel sleepy,

Know that it is okay to fall asleep if you need to.

That's fine,

Just listen to your body and allow it to respond as it naturally wishes to.

But if you don't feel sleepy and find it difficult to lie here,

Know that that is okay as well.

It's okay to stay awake and observe your discomfort if you are experiencing some.

Everything is okay,

It's just as it should be as you lie here for the practice of yoga nidra in a very comfortable position.

We often begin the practice of yoga nidra by noticing the breath.

Close your eyes or soften your gaze and notice your breath.

Notice the feel of your breath.

Notice whether your breath comes into your nose or your mouth.

Notice whether your breath causes your chest to rise and fall or your belly to rise and fall or both or neither.

Notice the sound of your breath.

Notice your breath without any need to control it.

Notice that your breath just happens.

If anything during this practice feels difficult or not restful or not right for you in some way,

Know that your breath is here.

And you can always come back to notice your breath.

You are practicing yoga nidra and as you lie here practicing yoga nidra,

Bring your conscious awareness to your heart centre or some other place in your body that feels like your core,

Your centre.

Bring your awareness here and notice if any intention arises,

Any words,

Any affirmation or sankalpa that you work with and if it doesn't,

See if you can notice any gratitude,

Any thankfulness here for the time and space to practice this conscious rest.

Yoga nidra and resting and pausing are practices of coming back home to yourself.

And one of the things that we do in a yoga nidra practice is a rotation of consciousness around the body.

This is really simple.

All you need to do is listen to the words that I say and bring your awareness to the part of the body that is named and then move your attention on when my voice moves on.

So don't worry about this,

Just do what comes naturally and requires the least possible effort and know that if your mind becomes distracted that is okay.

Everything is just as it should be.

The minds are full of thoughts,

Just acknowledge them and then see if you can consciously bring your attention back to my voice.

When you need to concentrate,

Just allow your awareness to move like a light moving around your body,

Shining its glow on the parts that are named.

Begin with your right thumb.

Bring your attention to your right thumb.

Your right index finger,

Your right middle finger,

The right ring finger,

The little finger.

The top of the right hand.

The palm of the right hand.

The wrist on the right arm.

The lower arm.

The elbow.

The right upper arm.

The right armpit and the right shoulder.

Bring your attention to the whole of the right arm.

Move your attention to the left thumb.

Bring your attention to your left thumb.

Your left index finger.

Your left middle finger.

Your left ring finger.

Your little finger.

The top of your left hand.

The palm of your left hand.

The wrist of your left arm.

The lower left arm.

Your elbow.

Your left upper arm.

Your left armpit and your left shoulder.

The whole of your left arm.

Allow the light of your awareness to rest for a moment in the hollow of your throat.

Place between the collarbones and then to move down towards your heart.

To the right side of the chest,

Back to the heart and the left side of the chest.

Back to the heart,

Down to the navel,

The hip bones,

The pubic bone,

The whole front of your body.

And then allow the light of your awareness to shine at the nape of your neck,

The top of your spine.

The right shoulder blade,

Your left shoulder blade.

The top of your back,

The mid back,

The lower back,

The whole back of your body.

And bring your awareness now to your right hip bone.

Allow it to flow down your right thigh,

Your right knee,

Front and back,

Your right lower leg,

The right ankle.

The top of the right foot,

Your right heel,

The sole of your right foot,

The big toe,

The second toe,

The third toe,

The fourth toe and the baby toe.

The whole of your right leg.

Bring your awareness back to your left hip bone.

Allow it to flow down your left thigh,

Your left knee,

Your left lower leg,

The left ankle.

The top of your left foot,

Your left heel and the sole of the left foot up to the big toe,

The second toe,

The third toe,

The fourth toe,

The baby toe,

The whole of the left leg.

And now allow the light of your attention to shine back in that hollow at the base of your throat.

And this time invite it to rise up and bring your awareness to the inside of your mouth,

Your tongue,

Your teeth,

Your lips,

Your right cheek,

Your left cheek,

Your right eyebrow,

Your left eyebrow,

The space between your eyebrows,

Your forehead,

The crown of your head,

The whole of your head.

Now experience the whole of the front of your body from your crown all the way down to your toes as one.

The whole front of your body.

And now,

Allowing your attention to flow from your crown down to your heels,

The whole back of your body,

The whole back of your body.

The whole front and back together,

The whole of your body,

The whole of your body,

Soft,

Still,

Unfurled gently in the support of the earth.

The whole of your body,

The whole of your body.

And notice that you are breathing,

Your body has continued to be breathed.

Notice the breath and begin to count the breaths in your head.

Beginning at 28 and counting down with each breath.

Inhale 28.

Exhale 27.

Inhale 26.

Exhale 25.

Keep counting until you reach zero or until you lose count and either is fine.

And whether you lose count or you reach zero,

Begin again at 28.

And 27.

The intention here is to keep the attention focused on the breath.

And I will leave you in silence for a minute or two to focus on this counting.

Thank you.

And now let go of the counting.

Let go of control and allow your breath to continue to arise just as it does,

Knowing it will happen without any need for control on your part.

And as you lie here,

Bring to mind a clear cold,

Crisp winter morning.

Invite the sharp sensation of cold pricking at your fingers and toes,

The smell of frost,

The light,

Bright,

Maybe even tight feeling of breathing in that frozen air.

You are cold.

Really cold.

And now let go of that picture and bring to mind instead a warm,

Sunny spring afternoon.

Invite the gentle heat of spring sunshine to wash over you.

The softness of the springy fresh grass,

The refreshing warmth and reassurance of the light returns.

You are warm,

Lovely and warm.

And now release that image too and invite a sensation of lightness.

You are so light,

Lighter than a feather,

As light as a bubble or a cloud.

What would it feel like to be so light that you simply float up in the air?

And then with your next exhale,

Feel yourself sinking down.

Experience a sensation of getting heavier gradually until you settle softly back onto the earth.

And continue to feel this heaviness.

You are deeply weighted down,

Resting on the earth,

Grounded and solid and safe.

The earth beneath is holding and nourishing you here.

And now allow yourself to let go of all of that and just to be held in this space of yoga nidra.

And picture if you like that you are here in an ancient woodland.

It's light and bright and you can hear the sounds of birds in the trees.

Most of the broadleaf trees are bare and the sun shines through the branches.

The forest floor is covered with leaf litter.

You amble along between the trees looking around you and begin to notice the first signs of spring arriving.

There are green shoots at the base of some of the trees,

White snowdrops hanging on to their last moments of glory.

And what are probably going to be bluebells just making themselves known.

You see the dark green heart-shaped leaves of celindine creeping across your path.

Tiny yellow flowers are starting to bloom and green buds on the tree branches and maybe the odd new leaf begin to unfold.

You might notice some insects,

Maybe an early butterfly or bee,

Or spots and birds beginning to gather twigs to build their nests.

Everything is quiet but there's a sense of new life stirring all around you.

You find a comfortable mossy spot to sit.

Perhaps you lean against an ancient oak or rest on a rounded boulder.

Somewhere really comfortable where you can spend a few moments.

And in your mind's eye look around you,

Noticing the sights,

The sounds,

The smells,

The feel of this support beneath you.

A gentle breeze blows through the wood.

The breeze is soft and warm and stirs the leaf litter.

You watch last year's leaves drift away with the breeze,

Clearing the decks.

And as the remnants of the last year disappear,

The delicate tightly wound fiddleheads of ferns are revealed close to the ground.

Still coiled,

The fronds spiral inwards,

Brownish on the outside but hints of green in the delicate centre.

And then,

As if you're watching a time lapse,

You see the ferns unfurling.

The smallest,

Most fragile growth at the centre remains protected as the outer growth spiral outwards and upwards.

The fern unfurls and eventually,

It could be seconds or it could be days,

Opens out to receive the possibilities of this new season.

As you picture this unravelling,

Bring to mind any seeds of intention that you have planted for yourself.

And picture those seeds beginning to unfurl alongside the ferns as we enter a new season with longer days and brighter possibilities.

And now,

Stand up from the place where you've rested in this ancient woodland of your mind and begin to walk back,

Back towards your body here in this room now,

Knowing you can return to this woodland space in your mind's eye whenever you need to.

And invite a nourishing breath back into your body.

Notice the rise of your belly or your chest as it makes space for energy to return.

And maybe part your lips and allow a soft and slow sigh to escape.

You have been practising yoga nidra and the practice of yoga nidra is now complete,

But there is no rush to come back into the moment.

Allow yourself the grace of time.

Protect your own inner world as the ferns protect their delicate new growth.

And as you become aware that the practice is coming to a close,

Know that the protection and the nourishment that you've gained from this practice will continue to support you long after it ends.

You have been practising yoga nidra.

You have been practising yoga nidra.

Allow your breath to become more present.

Listen to the sound as you inhale and exhale.

And notice where in your body you might want to invite some gentle movement.

There's no right and no wrong.

Maybe you gently touch each of your fingers to your thumbs and turn or maybe you take a big stretch and yawn.

Like a cat before they rise from a sunny spot.

Or maybe you hug your knees in and allow yourself another moment or two of being curled and protected and centred.

And now it's time to return slowly to the room.

If you've been lying on your back,

Roll to one side and rest for a moment.

Keeping your eyes closed,

Begin to picture where you are in the room where you are practising.

Recall the doors,

The windows,

Any furniture.

And then,

When you're ready,

If you want you can come to sit.

But if you would prefer to stay lying here,

You are so welcome to do so.

If you choose to sit,

Take your time.

Unfurl gently and slowly.

Blink your eyes open and,

Although the need to move can sometimes feel urgent and overwhelming,

Know that there is no rush.

Just like the unfurling of the fern,

You can take it slowly.

You do not have to do everything all at once.

In your own time and in your own way,

Allow yourself to bring this practice to a close and return to the present moment.