Turning Inward: A November Gratitude Meditation and Yoga Nidra Practice

Dearest November,
A time for turning in and slowing down. The harvest is complete, the frenetic energy of summer a mere sun-dappled memory. Trick or treaters came and went, along with the winds signaling the change of the season. The wheel is turning, away from the light for now as the days become dramatically shorter. 
These days, I am more tired. I want to turn in earlier and stay warm under the blankets into the morning. I crave the mystical taste of dreams. 
I look at my life right now and it is so very full. In the heart of raising kids, in the core of my career. For now, there is always too much. Too much to do. Too much to attend to. Too much mess, too many calls to return, too many tasks to complete. I am often overwhelmed. If I stopped sleeping, I still wouldn’t have the time to get through the to-do list. And…here come the holidays!
I want to remember now in November that my life won’t always be this full. And when passes, I will most likely feel bereft.
In the absence of long bright days, I also find myself face to face with darkness much more. Confronted with loss, aware of mortality. The reality that we lose all that we have in this life, eventually. I don’t want to turn away from this. I want this knowing to live at the center of my life.
I remember when I have had health scares, or the terrifying moment when I lost sight of my 5 year old son in the Chicago airport. Those moments we’ve all had,  when everything gets stripped down to reveal that which is most essential. 
Fleeting moments we have with our loved ones that we are hypnotized into thinking last forever. 
The health of our bodies that will someday, sooner than we believe, fail us. 
This is when I fall to my knees in gratitude. This is when I want to remember that, as Rumi said, “There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”
Out of gratitude for all of you, I want to offer this Non Sleep Deep Rest meditation, also known as yoga nidra. This is a special recording, as it contains within it a gratitude practice, and is backed by bilateral nature sounds. 
I invite you to claim some quiet time, plug in your headphones, find a space where you won’t be interrupted, and tune in here. 
And as always, if you love this practice and want to explore working with me more, find me here. 

Bowing in gratitude.
Leilani