[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: And welcome back to the Breathe and Release podcast.
My name is Jillian Rhodes, and I'm so glad that you're here with me today.
Before we begin our practice, I just wanted to share something I'm really excited about.
In June of 2026, I am leading a retreat in Ladakh, India, the land of beautiful mountain passes and ancient Buddhist monasteries.
We'll be together practicing in the Himalayas, surrounded by beautiful, vast landscapes.
And it's really a chance to go deeper into these practices in person, to sit in meditation halls that have held centuries of pract, get to talk to Buddhist monks.
We'll do some different embodiment practices and Thai massage.
And also you'll experience the kind of stillness that's really hard to find anywhere else.
Now, if you're interested, you can find all the
[email protected] now, for our practice today, I'd like to share something a little bit different.
We are going to be practicing yoga nidra, which means yogic sleep.
And it's a practice of conscious rest.
You'll lie down while I guide you through different states of awareness.
Your body gets to be completely still while your mind stays gently awake. Though if you drift off, that's really okay as well.
Now, what happens in yoga nidra is that we bypass the part of our mind that's also always planning and judging and problem solving, and we drop beneath that surface activity into a deeper layer of consciousness where real restoration happens.
Many people find that 30 minutes here can feel as replenishing as many hours of sleep.
So today we're going to be working with a concept from Tibetan Buddhism called bodhicitta, or the awakened heart.
We'll visualize compassion as a warm light that begins at the center of your chest and then gradually expands outwards.
Now, this isn't just a pretty image. The Tibetan masters understood something really important here.
The heart's natural state is open and warm.
[00:02:52] Speaker A: And when we connect with that, everything shifts.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: Most of us walk around with our hearts slightly closed, protected, defended, and armored.
Now, this practice invites us to soften that and to remember that compassion isn't something we have to manufacture or perform. It's really already right there.
We're just learning to recognize it and let it move through us.
So settle in.
This is time. Set aside from everything else.
Nothing to accomplish here.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: Just rest.
Find your way into a comfortable position.
[00:03:54] Speaker B: Lying on your back, you might want.
[00:03:58] Speaker A: To find a pillow for your head, maybe something under your knees or a blanket over your body.
[00:04:10] Speaker B: Make this as comfortable as possible.
Let your arms rest Slightly away from.
[00:04:23] Speaker A: Your body, palms open and facing up as if you're receiving something.
Allow your legs to fall naturally apart, feet rolling open and release all effort in your body.
If it feels comfortable for you, gently close your eyes.
If not, just soften your gaze.
Begin by taking a slow deep breath in through your nose.
And let it all go with a sigh.
And again. Breathe in. Receiving.
Breathe out.
Releasing.
One more time. Fill yourself up with fresh air and empty completely.
Feel the support beneath you.
Ground floor, the earth.
It's all holding you completely.
Don't have to hold yourself up.
Just let yourself be held.
In Yoga Nidra, we plant a seed at the beginning and again at the end.
This is called Sankalpa or intention.
It's a short, simple statement in the present tense.
Something like.
I am at peace or I trust myself or I am enough.
Whatever resonates for you right now.
Whatever you would like to resonate with.
Take a moment here and let your Sankalpa arise.
Don't overthink it.
Just notice whatever comes.
Now, repeat it silently to yourself three times.
Let it really sink in.
Like a stone dropping into water.
Good.
Now release it.
Trust that it's working beneath the surface.
Imagine that right now your breath is like a soft breeze moving through a quiet mountain valley.
Each inhale is cool morning air.
Each exhale is warm afternoon sunlight.
Let yourself settle into this inner landscape.
A place where ancient mountains rise around you in vast stillness.
Above you.
Imagine a wide open sky.
Limitless, clear, boundless.
Let your awareness rest in that spaciousness.
Nothing to do here.
Just resting.
Just being.
Now I'll guide your awareness through your body.
You don't need to move or change anything.
Simply notice each part as I name it.
Very softly, very kindly begin to bring your awareness to the left thumb.
The index finger.
The middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky.
The whole left hand.
[00:11:19] Speaker B: Palm.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: In the back of the hand.
The wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder.
The entire left arm dissolving into warmth.
Now the right thumb, Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky.
The whole right hand.
The wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder.
Both arms now resting.
Heavy, soft.
Bring attention to your left foot.
The big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The sole of the left foot.
Top of the foot.
[00:15:08] Speaker B: Ankle.
[00:15:15] Speaker A: Calf, Shin.
[00:15:29] Speaker B: Knee.
[00:15:36] Speaker A: Thigh.
The whole left leg.
Releasing.
Now the right foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The sole of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
Ankle, Calf, Shin, Knee, Thigh.
Both legs completely at rest.
Now bring awareness to the back of your body.
The right heel, Left heel.
Both buttocks.
The sacrum.
Lower back, Middle back.
Upper back.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck, Back of the head.
The entire back. Body supported, held by the earth.
Now, the front of your body.
The top of your head.
Your forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The space between your eyebrows.
Right eyelid.
Left eyelid.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Your nose, Upper lip, Lower lip.
Chin, jaw.
Softening, Releasing throat.
Chest rising and falling with each breath.
The heart center.
Just notice it. A small space of warmth.
Your belly, soft and relaxed.
Lower abdomen, pelvis.
Your whole body now resting in stillness.
Bring your attention to your natural breath.
Don't change it, just observe it.
Notice the coolness of the inhale as it enters your nostril.
Notice the warmth of the exhale.
The breath is like a gentle tide, arriving, departing and arriving again.
Each breath is slightly different from the last.
Rest your awareness on this rhythm for a few moments.
Just breathing.
Just being.
Now imagine a small golden sphere of light glowing in the center of your chest.
Warm, soft.
Gentleman.
This is the natural warmth of Bodhichitta, your awakened heart.
With every breath, the golden sphere brightens slightly expanding, not forced, just naturally growing.
Like a flame responding to fresh air.
See the light widening, glowing through your chest, softening your ribs, warming your lungs, illuminating everything within you.
Allow it to grow until it fills your entire chest cavity with golden warmth.
This light has the same quality as compassion.
Gentle, unconditional friendliness.
Like the warmth you feel when you hold someone you love.
Or when someone sees you and accepts you exactly as you are.
Let this warmth spread through your whole body, down your arms to your fingertips, into your belly, your hips, your legs, all the way to your toes.
Every single cell held in this tender, golden light.
[00:26:39] Speaker B: Now imagine this compassionate light expanding beyond your body.
[00:26:48] Speaker A: A field of gold shining from your chest, filling the space around you.
As it expands, it becomes softer, more spacious.
More like sunlight diffusing through morning mist in the mountains.
See this radiant field lighting up the room around you, the building, the entire landscape.
Let it grow until the whole world is bathed in this warm glow.
This is your awakened heart.
Boundless, spacious, generous.
Feel the warmth reaching people you love, softening their stress, soothing their worry.
Feel it reaching people you struggle with, holding them in the same gentle light.
No effort, no pushing. Just kindness.
Feel it touching all beings.
Humans, animals, forests, oceans, mountains.
Everything held in this golden compassion.
Nothing left out, nothing excluded.
Now imagine that golden light dissolving into a vast open sky.
Bright and radiant.
Now just rest in that spaciousness.
Not doing anything, just resting as awareness itself.
Let everything be held in that space and stay here for a few moments in stillness.
Sa.
Now gently bring your son Kalpa back to mind that intention you set at the beginning.
Repeat it silently to yourself through three times.
Let it settle even deeper now into ground that's been softened and made receptive.
Feeling the truth of it not as something you're reaching for, but as something you're remembering.
Slowly, slowly begin to draw your awareness back into your body.
Feeling the weight of your body resting on the earth and the breath moving gently in and out, Maybe bringing some small movements to your fingers, your toes, rolling your wrists, rolling your ankles, And take a deep, nourishing breath in.
And a long releasing breath out.
Whenever you're ready, roll onto your right side and rest there for a few breaths, curled up like you're being held.
In your own time.
You can start to press yourself up to sitting.
As you bring your hands together at your heart center, bow your head slightly, a gesture of gratitude for this time, for your own heart, for the practice itself.
Thank you so much for being here.
May you carry this warmth with you until next time.
Breathe and release.
