Women who Rest with the Wolves
I am about to embark on my next teaching of Limitless Self: Yoga Nidra, which I have taught many times before. Fall/Winter is an especially wonderful time to do it as the days grow shorter and the nights, longer. Our bodies natural rhythms are in tune with the diminishing daylight and our nervous system lets us know we may need more rest.
It’s a bit counterintuitive to the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but it is important to remember that this is our time to rest, refuel, and regenerate. The shift in seasons lends to a shift in movement and pace. A slowing down or contemplative peace, seems a bit easier to achieve for me at this time of year. When my body surrenders to the bliss phase of Yoga Nidra, I know I am well-rested, healthy, and balanced.
The Bliss body of Yoga Nidra is when we are most closely connected to the divine, the universe, whatever you want to name it. It is a deep knowing that all is well in you and in the world. When we achieve this deep rest, it awakens our full possibility and potential…our wild. In her seminal work, Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes says, “a healthy woman is much like a wolf — robust, inventive, loyal, fierce. Yet separation from her wildish nature causes a woman to become meagre, ghostly, anxious about leaping, fearful to create new life.”
I have led countless women through a variety of programs and coaching work. The Yoga Nidra Bliss phase is one of the most gratifying experiences for everyone. It’s a glimpse into who we always were and who we are becoming. It’s a meeting of our unbridled self. This can sound scary to some as it means we will be stepping out of the shadows and into our own light, but it’s a quiet awakening; an opening into our deep inner self and by the time we get to this phase, we are ready.
Finding sustained bliss is real and possible to achieve. Deep rest will open your heart to your wild self and your true nature. Does it get any better than that?
