Yoga Nidra for Soul Tending

Hi. I'm Tamika, and this is Yoganidra for soul tending. When I say those words, I think about how much we really need to care for ourselves and offer deep care. And how often we are not doing things to really kindle our spirits. That's what this practice is all about. Deep self care and rest.

And usually it is taken in Shavasana. Now is the time for you to begin setting all of that up and getting prepared for yoga, Nidra. If that looks like giving yourself a little bit of movement, you can do that. Oftentimes, I'll just check-in with my low back, fill what's going on. All of these things right now are actually preparing you for yoga, Nidra. I really love taking the practice on the sofa and what I will do when I'm on my mat is to use a blanket and a bolster.

So for the blanket, I'll give just a couple of rolls which are going to go behind my neck for neck support. And then one bolster for knee support. That's really all you need. You don't want to go into a really restorative shape here. And bring the bolster or whatever you're using, it could be, a blanket, pillows, begin settling in and creating a nest for yourself. Give yourself anything else that feels really comfortable.

And then with the tail of this blanket, you can bring it over your eyes to create darkness. Now this is so effective for creating rest that I'm actually not going to keep this here so that I can drive this ship. And just begin to settle in and notice how you feel, what you sense, notice the physical body in every place where support is meeting it. Bring awareness to how you feel, if you like to extend your legs, or if you like to place them on the floor, really take time now to notice how your physical body is preparing to receive yoga nidra. You can't do this wrong.

You might notice yourself going in and out. You might feel like you fall into sleep. The effects of yoga manager will still be felt no matter what you cannot do this wrong. So however you want to be right now, just again, take time to really bring your awareness to that. And after your awareness has shifted from the physical body and everything that's supporting it, notice your breath. Notice the location of your breath.

Draw breath awareness now down towards your naval center. Perhaps you give your breath a color, notice breath coming in through your nostrils, traveling all the way down towards your naval center. As your breath travels out of the body, imagine your breath going all the way up backed in the direction in which it came and out of your nostrils. This time as you inhale, bring your breath awareness towards your navel. And then as you exhale, imagine your exhalation traveling up towards the crown of your head and out of your head like a tree.

Inhale, breath awareness comes back towards the trunk of the body. Perhaps even down towards your legs, and your toes. And exhale, the awareness travels up the body, up and out like a tree. Continue breathing in this way as you settle in to this nest that you've created. If your body wants to bring your awareness back to it, notice your physical body, and then bring your awareness back to your breath.

Journey your awareness now to your thoughts, feelings, And allow for your thoughts to go outside of you like little rain droplets falling alongside your body, forming a little tiny pool, a lazy river floating alongside you and under you. Be supported by your thoughts. Notice now all of the roles that you play Begin to name and notice all of the ways that you show up in the world with different titles or labels that you've given to yourself or that you've received. Begin to notice those labels and see yourself in those roles now. All of them coming just in front of your eyes, as though there's a screen appearing, and all of the versions of you are coming onto that screen.

Hello for all of these aspects of you to bear witness to your yoga manager experience. And now, bring your awareness to the space around you. The space that connects all of us that touches into the space around your neighbors. Friends, family, people you don't know, the space of higher consciousness, allow for yourself to be supported for all of who you are and all that you are remembering and becoming support within this space of higher consciousness and deep care. Now allow for your awareness to come to your heart center.

And from deep within the memory of your heart, recall a place of peace, common love, a place that might exist in real life or maybe it exists only in your mind. Imagine this place, this beautiful place of peace, calm, and support. This is your place of refuge, and you're welcome to come here at any time. And come back to the spaces around your heart, and the heart itself. And from deep within your heart, ask your heart, what is its message for you?

And listen. Now, your heart's answer might be in the form of an image or a string of words that don't make a lot of sense in this moment. If there is a clear message from your heart, restate that message in the present as those happening right now, perhaps beginning with I am or I have, This is your sankalpa or your intention, and state that to yourself silently. Now allow for your sun carpet to go right back into the fertile soil of your heart. Knowing that it is there for you, and there's no need to hold on to it at the top of your mind.

Awareness now comes back to the physical body. When I say parts of your body, attempt to fill those parts without needing to move them. Since your tongue, the roof of your mouth, your lips, the place where your lips come together, fill the place just above your lips, your nose, feel the bridge, and the tip. Since the space between your eyebrows, the eyebrows themselves, feel your eyes, sense your forehead, cheeks, ears, fill your chin, sense the entire face, bring your awareness to the top of your head, back of your head, neck, shoulders, cinch your collar bones, chest, torso, feel your waist, the top of your hip bones, abdomen. Fill the entire upper body, the front of the body, and awareness comes to the back of the body.

Shoulder blades. Fill the middle back. Low back. Since your waist. Where your hips meet the floor.

Bring awareness to the tops of your thighs, the thighs themselves, sense your needs, shens, ankles, fill your feet, sense all 10 toes, soles of your feet, heels. Fill the backs of your ankles, calves, the back of the knees, back of the thighs. Since your seat. Fill the whole lower body. The whole upper body.

Since the whole body as one symphony. Now remind yourself to remain awake and aware. Observe your breath now. Imagine the breath coming in like a light. Perhaps you give your breath a color coming in through your nostrils.

And as you inhale, that light or color fills the body, as you exhale, the light or the color exits the body. This time as you inhale, the breath awareness comes to the right side of the body. Filling the right side of the body as though the right side of the body could inhale and exhale. The right side of the body expands with your inhale, and the right side of the body softens with the exhale. The right side of the body inhales.

The right side of the body exhales. And now move over to the left side of the body. And so the left side of the body could inhale and exhale. The left side of the body fills with your inhalation. The left side of the body releases the breath.

The left side of the body inhales. The left side of the body exhales. The left side of the body fills with breath. Left side empties the breath. Breath awareness comes to the right side of the body again, and the right side of the body inhales.

The left side of the body exhales. The left side of the body inhales, the right side of the body exhales. Since now, both sides of the body filled with inhale and exhale. Now bring into your awareness. Images or scenes that might seem or feel familiar.

Bring those images into your mind's eye as though you can fill them and their existing in that moment. In this moment. Bring your awareness to a babbling brook, a mountain, a cloudy day brunch with friends, full body laughter, a cat scratching. Children laughing, your favorite book, a walk along the beach, a dew filled path, a horse scalloping, warm soft grass, and began noticing more of this warm soft grass as though the soft grass is underneath your feet and you're walking. Imagine yourself walking along this grassy, beautiful place.

That is a garden. The grass is warm and soft underneath your feet. It is exactly the right temperature. You nail down and place your hand on the grass. To bring some of that warmth into your hand.

As you get back up, you begin walking along this garden. And in this garden, it is filled with your favorite flowers, herbs, beautiful, big bushes. It is fragrant. Perhaps there's fruit. Notice all that is in your garden.

Trees cast shade, and places where you may rest. And the sun shines brightly on all of the beautiful vegetation in your garden. Notice the colors that are available here. Since any smells of sweet fragrances. As you've been down to notice and take in your garden a little closely, you notice that there are some weeds that have come up in this garden.

And with care, you begin to remove the weeds around all of your favorite flowers. Weeds around your vegetables. You take this time to remove the weeds that have grown up around the beauty of your garden and all that your garden does to nourish you. Take some time to remove these weeds from your garden. Notice if there are any additional weeds that are hiding behind any of the beauty.

If you see any of those, go ahead and pull those two. As you're looking around, you notice that there are some tools that have been left behind to make any other improvements to your garden. Maybe you want to cut some things back or shape some things. If you'd like to give more shape to your garden, go ahead and do that now. Now is also the time to bring some beauty for you to bring in some of your harvests. Enjoy this time harvesting and tending to your garden.

As you continue tending your garden, You say to yourself there will be no weeds in my garden. And you begin to notice there in fact are not any left. Your garden has taken shape. All that has left is the beauty, the fragrance, the fruits, and the harvest that you've chosen to bring in today. Repeat your sunk pulpa or your heart's intention that you earlier set now.

Speaking it out almost like a prayer over your garden. Give your garden one last look. Welcome in all of its beauty, knowing that you'll carry it with you. I'm gonna pick up your harvest and begin walking back along the warm and soft grass, bringing your harvest with you. And become more aware of yourself lying on your mat filled with the fruits of your garden, your harvest, and the experience of having tended to it.

The experience of holding fruit and flowers that have come from your efforts, from seeds that you have sown. Notice yourself as the cocreator of this moment in this experience. Yourself as observer. And awareness now comes to how you feel Any emotions left behind by this experience. Deep in your breath.

Take a full inhalation, and a full exhalation. As though your whole body could inhale, inhale, as though your whole body can exhale, exhale. Begin to welcome in more movement now, welcoming in movement anywhere that feels good or right. Maybe even bringing your head to the left or right, removing anything that was under you. Take your time making your way back.

To an upright position. Notice the residue of the practice on your body, your mind, in your heart. And now is a wonderful time to integrate this practice through writing or drawing or painting or even shaping anything with clay. Now it's the time to fully integrate your practice, and maybe even writing down what your sankalpa was for today or any messages or images that you may have sensed or noticed. Really take this time to integrate.

And also, this is a good opportunity for you to go outside and actually place your feet on the ground. Whatever you've chosen as your method of integration today know that rest is this essential part of what we need and what we owe ourselves for putting out so much love and compassion and work into the world. So I hope that you've found a little bit of that rest and respite for yourself today. And above all, it is my goal to leave you better than I found you. And I hope that happened for you today.

Shanty shanty. Peace. Peace. Peace. Peace.