Yoga nidra: Gallbladder meridian

Session text to read

Close your eyes.

Allow your body to settle. Feel the weight of your limbs. Feel the surface beneath you holding you completely. You do not need to hold yourself up. Let go.

Adjust your position if you need to. Then be still.

Bring your awareness inward. Set a gentle intention. Silently or softly say to yourself:

I trust my inner direction.

Let that settle. Let it become quiet again.

Now we begin a slow journey through the body. Simply notice each place as it is named. No effort. Only awareness.

The right thumb. The right index finger. The right middle finger. The right ring finger. The right little finger. The right palm. The back of the right hand. The right wrist. The right forearm. The right elbow. The right upper arm. The right shoulder. The right side of the neck. The right side of the face. The right ear. The right temple. The right eye. The right nostril. The right side of the mouth. The right jaw.

The left thumb. The left index finger. The left middle finger. The left ring finger. The left little finger. The left palm. The back of the left hand. The left wrist. The left forearm. The left elbow. The left upper arm. The left shoulder. The left side of the neck. The left side of the face. The left ear. The left temple. The left eye. The left nostril. The left side of the mouth. The left jaw.

The crown of the head. The back of the skull. The throat. The chest. The right shoulder blade. The left shoulder blade. The upper back. The middle back. The lower back. The right hip. The left hip. The abdomen. The navel.

Now move your awareness to the outer corner of the right eye. Follow the path of the gallbladder meridian. It traces across the temple. It loops behind the ear. It crosses the forehead and returns to the back of the skull. It travels down the side of the neck. Along the shoulder. Down through the side of the ribcage. Past the waist. Along the outer hip. Down the outer thigh. The outer knee. The outer shin. The outer ankle. Along the top of the foot. To the fourth toe.

Feel the entire right side of the body. The outer edge. The flank. The hinge of the hip.

Now trace the same path on the left side. From the outer corner of the left eye. Across the temple. Behind the ear. Down the neck. The shoulder. The side of the ribs. The waist. The outer hip. Down the outer thigh. The knee. The shin. The ankle. The fourth toe.

Feel both sides at once. The body like two rivers running parallel.

Bring your attention now to the breath. Do not change it. Simply watch.

The air arrives. The body expands sideways. The ribs open like the first leaves of spring.

The air leaves. The body settles. There is a pause. A moment of stillness before the next breath comes.

In spring, the sap rises. The seed knows which direction to grow before the first shoot appears above the ground. It does not hesitate. It does not wait for permission.

Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a young forest. The trees are pale green, almost gold. The light comes through in long, clean lines. The ground is soft. The air smells of earth and rain and something new beginning.

You are facing a path. It moves forward between the trees. You do not know every turn. But you can feel the direction. Something in your chest knows.

You do not need to see the whole way. Only the next step. And the next step. And the one after that.

The gallbladder gives us this. The capacity to decide. Not from fear. Not from stubbornness. But from clarity. A quiet knowing of what is right for you.

Rest here for a moment. In this forest. In this light. In this gentle certainty.

Now return to your intention. Let it arrive in your mind once more.

I trust my inner direction.

Let it land in the body. Not in the mind alone. In the belly. In the hips. In the length of the spine.

Now gently begin to return. Feel the ground beneath you. Feel the weight of your body. The temperature of the air. The sounds around you.

Begin to deepen the breath. Slowly.

Move the fingers. The toes. Roll the wrists, the ankles, gently.

If you wish, draw the knees toward the chest. Roll slowly to one side. Take your time.

When you are ready, come to sitting. Let the eyes open slowly. Let the light return gradually.

Carry your direction with you.