Ep 61: Guided Meditation - What is Guided Imagery?

In this guided meditation, I want to take you on a journey… a different journey than the guided meditation in Episode 56, in which I guided you through an awareness of your body and breath. 

In this meditation, I’m going to take you on a visual experience and  also help you to calm and regulate your nervous system. Guided meditation, also called Yoga Nidra, and is a powerful tool for rest and rejuvenation. It allows you to connect with your body, calm your mind, and support the natural healing processes of your nervous system. 

I am excited to share this experience with you and help you feel the benefits of meditation in the safety of your own space & on your own time. 

Transcript

Monica: 0:00

Have I mentioned how much I love guided meditation? If you've been here for a while, I think your answer will be yes. But if you're new here, I love guided meditation. The benefits are widespread and the effects it has on your nervous system can be life changing. In this guided meditation today, I want to take you on a journey, a little bit different than the guided meditation in episode 56, which is one that will guide you through an awareness of your body and breath. In this meditation, I'm going to take you on a visual experience and as you listen to it, it will also help to calm and regulate your nervous system. Guided meditation, also called yoga nidra, is a powerful tool for rest and rejuvenation. It allows you to connect with your body. calm your mind and support the natural healing processes of your nervous system. I am excited to share this experience with you and help you feel the benefits of meditation in the safety of your own space and on your own time.

1:09

Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright, and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you're a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you. My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, strategies, and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you want to dive deep and set yourself up for success. I'm so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now, let's do this. Together.

Monica: 2:18

Welcome back to the podcast. I am so pleased to have you here for another guided meditation. Remember I told you about my friend who still listens to the guided meditation that I sent her almost seven years ago. She's still listening to it. And through this podcast episode, I wanted to share another one for her library and for yours too. Today. I'm in Mexico leading another yoga retreat. I had taken a few years off because of the travel and health related issues that we've experienced over the last few years. But last year I was itching to get back to international retreats and so I decided to jump back in. This retreat is really dear to my heart. It sold out in just a couple of months so I've had lots of time to make it extra special. Of course, I am teaching guided meditation this week. Actually, nervous system awareness and regulation practices are weaved in throughout the week. The reason why I love week long retreats is because retreaters actually have time to downregulate. For some people that process takes one, two, maybe three days, but for others, they don't experience it until day five. But when that happens, It's magical. And I love to witness it every time. All right. In this meditation, we'll explore a visual experience and realize how it can calm and regulate your nervous system. Guided meditation, also referred to as yoga nidra, is a powerful practice to help relieve stress and dysregulated nervous systems. It can also help to bring you clarity in your life. which is one of the reasons why I love it so much. Meditation helps you connect with your body, learn to relax your mind and help support the natural healing processes of your nervous system. So let's begin. First, find a comfortable position. For some, that means lying down, and for others, that means seated in a chair. Neither is wrong. Just find what works for you. Make sure to situate yourself so that you feel comfortable and that you're not efforting anywhere in your body. Close your eyes and take a deep breath in, and slowly exhale. Allow your body to settle into the surface beneath you. Feel the weight of your body sinking into relaxation. let go of any tension you might be holding. This is your time to rest, to explore, and to simply be. Today, we'll embark on a journey of visualization. You'll witness your body, leave it behind for a while and know that you are safe and supported throughout this experience. Take another deep breath and exhale. Bring your attention to your physical body. Start with the crown of your head. Notice any sensations there. Warmth, tingling, or perhaps nothing at all. That's okay. Simply observe. Now move your awareness down to your forehead, your cheeks, and your jaw. If you notice any tension, invite it to soften. Let your jaw relax. Your shoulders drop and your arms feel heavy. Observe your chest rising and falling with each breath. Notice your heartbeat. Steady and calm. Bring your attention to your stomach, your hips, and your legs. Feel the connection of your feet or your heels to the ground. Now imagine that you can step outside of your body. Picture yourself floating just above, looking down at your physical form. See yourself resting peacefully. You are safe. You are whole. Take a deep breath in and exhale. From this place above your body, begin to drift upward. Like a feather carried by a gentle breeze, you feel light, free, and unburdened. As you float, you notice a lush green forest below you. The trees are tall and vibrant, their leaves shimmering in the sunlight. You feel yourself slowly descending. Landing softly on a narrow path at the edge of the forest. Take a moment to ground yourself here. Feel the earth beneath your feet. Notice the cool, fresh air brushing against your skin. The scent of pine and earth fills your lungs as you breathe deeply. Begin to walk along the path. With each step, feel yourself becoming more present in this space. The forest is alive around you. Birds sing in the distance. And the leaves rustle in the breeze. Sunlight filters through the canopy, creating patterns of light and shadow on the ground. As you walk, feel a sense of calm and wonder wash over you. You are safe here. This forest is welcoming you, guiding you forward. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. Up ahead you notice the trees begin to thin. The path widens and the light grows brighter. You can hear a new sound now, the gentle crash of waves. Step out of the forest and into a wide open space. Before you stretches a vast golden beach. The sand is warm beneath your feet. And the ocean sparkles under the light of the setting sun. Take a moment to absorb the beauty around you. The sky is painted in hues of orange, pink, and purple. The sun hangs low, casting a golden glow over the water. The waves roll in and out, their rhythm steady and soothing. Walk closer to the water's edge. Feel the cool, wet sand beneath your feet. The ocean breeze carries the scent of salt and freedom. Find a comfortable spot to sit on the sand. Gaze out at the horizon where the ocean meets the sky. Watch as the sun slowly dips lower, painting the world in its warm golden light. Feel the vastness of the ocean before you. It stretches endlessly, a reminder of the infinite possibilities within you. The waves are constant, yet ever changing, just like life. Take a deep breath in. And imagine breathing in the energy of this place, the calm, the beauty, the freedom. As you exhale, release anything that no longer serves you. Fear, doubt, or worry. Let it dissolve into the ocean, carried away by the waves. Sit here for a few moments. Simply being. You are part of this vast, beautiful universe. You are connected to everything around you. As the sun dips below the horizon, know that it's time to return. Stand up and take one last look at the ocean. Feel gratitude for this moment, for this place, and for yourself. Turn and walk back to the forest. The path is familiar now and you move through it with ease. The forest feels peaceful, guiding you back to where you began. As you reach the edge of the forest you feel yourself beginning to rise, floating upward once more. The forest grows smaller below you and you drift back towards your physical body. Gently settle back into your body. Feel the weight of your arms and legs, the rise and fall of your chest, wiggle your fingers and toes, and bring small movements back into your body. Take a deep breath in and exhale. Begin to bring your awareness back to the present moment. Notice the sounds around you and the surface beneath you. and the air on your skin. When you're ready, gently open your eyes. Take a moment to either lie or sit quietly, carrying the peace and the beauty of your journey with you. You are here. You are now. And you are exactly where you need to be. I love to teach guided meditation and I enjoy listening to people's experiences of it. Whether you're a teacher or a student, you can benefit from meditation practices. They're so helpful for you as you traverse the ups and downs of life. We all know that life can be stressful at times, and I assure you that meditation is one way that you can regulate your nervous system, especially when you feel as though you're stuck in fight, flight, or freeze. Whether this exposes you or reunites you with your meditation practice, I This is my gift to you, and if it feels challenging, that's okay. At times it feels challenging to free my mind chatter during meditation as well. If you're not already teaching meditation, consider it. It's such a beautiful and much needed practice. When you have a layered approach to your teaching and include various formats such as yin, restorative, and meditation, you help introduce students to various practices of yoga and help them realize that it's not a workout, but it's a work in. These types of classes help students find their way to the practices that will serve them best. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that there are so many opportunities for you in the teaching world. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life and allow it to be fulfilling and rewarding. And as always, it takes some work to get there. I would love to create more guided meditations for you. I've added a link in the show notes for you to send me a quick text message about your thoughts on this episode. I won't know your phone number. It's just an addition to the platform I use that allows for this new and super easy way for you to communicate with me. Once you click on it, it will take you to your messages, but don't delete the code. That's how your message will get to me and I would love to know your thoughts. Subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. Thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. And if you've been taking notes in your journal, as you listen to these episodes, I'm so glad you are. And I'd love to hear about it. Don't forget to download the ebook sequencing for different injuries. The link is in the show notes and I promise you it will help you form a foundation for teaching students with injuries and it'll be a great resource for you to return to again and again. Meditation is one tool for you to use with injured students as they're often in a dysregulated state because they're experiencing pain with their injury. When you download the ebook, you'll be joining my newsletter that's just for yoga teachers, but I've got more exciting teachings coming soon. So I want to tell you all about them. The link is in the show notes below, and I would love for you to join it so we can always stay connected. All right. I hope you enjoyed this meditation. That's it for now. Bye.

16:19

Mhm.