Cultivating Peace Awareness, Yoga Nidra

Experience deep relaxation with yoga nidra body awareness.
Unblock energy for peace, aiding sleep or enhancing your day.
Visualize opening your heart, relaxing mind and body, inviting compassion and joy.
Practice seated or lying with a blanket and pillow for support.
Singing bowls accompany, maintaining wakefulness and deep rest.

Transcript

Find a comfortable position,

Lying down on your back,

Cover your eyes and place a blanket over your feet and legs.

Perhaps put a small pillow under the lower spine and your neck.

There's no tension in the neck.

Adjust with any movement that you like.

And when you're ready just come into tune to your natural breath.

And now starting this practice with some cleansing breaths,

Where you will breathe in deeply and then sharply in again to hold your breath and then you'll stretch all your limbs,

Tensing in any way that you want and then you will release,

Perhaps with an audible sigh.

So,

Starting with some cleansing breaths,

Breathing in deeply and sharply in again,

Holding your breath,

Stretching your limbs,

Tensing in any way that you want and release.

Again,

Breathing in deeply and in again,

Holding your breath,

Stretching or tensing your limbs and release.

Now,

Bringing awareness to your whole body on the surface that holds you.

Then releasing further tension with some movement.

Start by rubbing the heels on the ground,

Perhaps rocking the feet together,

Moving your awareness up and shaking the hips and tailbone.

Then moving or rotating the shoulder blades,

Shaking or clenching the hands,

Just freely creating space in all of your joints with no judgment.

Be gentle,

Be aggressive,

Be anywhere you feel right now.

Noticing any areas of discomfort,

Sensing without reaction.

Free movement without tension,

Not in the body nor in the mind.

Settling and slowing down,

Gently rocking the head side to side,

Finding your heartbeat,

Sensing your breath,

Your natural nasal breath,

Accepting change has happened.

Bring awareness back to your head,

Your eyebrows relax,

Your eyes sink into the depths,

Your lips soften,

Noticing without labelling the sensations.

Aware of your whole face,

Every pore of your skin,

Breathing in now,

Deeply breathing in,

Then out for longer.

Now stretch out your mouth as wide as possible,

Waiting for the yawn,

Release,

Stretching the mouth wider,

No fear.

Maybe laugh,

Maybe smile,

Any way you like.

Now relaxing the jaw,

The mouth,

The tongue,

Swallowing down into the belly,

Resting the tip of the tongue behind the top of the front teeth.

Gently bring an inner smile,

Expressing gratitude for giving yourself these moments of peace.

On your next deep inhale,

Pushing out the belly,

Holding the breath,

Exhaling and releasing any worries,

Any anger,

Past hurts or selfish ambition.

Sending it all to the ground beneath you in this safe space,

Remembering the room you are in,

The four corners,

Returning to the flow of your natural nasal breath,

Sensing without reaction,

Settling now,

Finding a new level of comfort in the body,

This space you create.

I will now guide you through a deeper state of relaxation,

Deeper than before.

Try to stay still throughout this yoga nidra practice,

With your palms facing up towards the vastness around you,

Your legs and arms are naturally open,

Feet are relaxed,

Creating a sense of space around your limbs,

Hips are balanced and level,

The wings of your shoulder blades supporting,

Holding your heart above the ground,

Your head gently rocks side to side,

To stillness.

The secret of this practice is to stay wakeful and still,

During this time of deep rest,

Becoming the observer of your body's sensations without reaction,

This enables your energy to flow freely and create balance throughout the mind and thus your body,

Your body on the ground in the room that you are in,

Safe and loved.

Shift your attention to your natural breath,

Let go of control over it,

Start to count down from 27,

Observing the natural inhale 27,

The natural exhale 27,

Inhale 26,

Counting down 26,

Continue at this pace with your natural breath,

If you lose track just come back to 27,

27,

This will keep your analytical mind active as I guide your subconscious into a deeper healthier state of mind,

Deeper than before.

Now we will bring awareness to different parts of your body,

As I guide you let your subconscious naturally follow my voice,

Letting go of control,

Begin by directing your awareness to your right thumb,

Your right thumb,

Your right index finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger and little finger,

Sensing every fingertip,

Observe the palm of your right hand,

The area outside your right hand,

Expand your awareness to encompass your entire right hand,

Noticing any tingling sensations,

A warmth from the stimulation,

Continue by bringing your awareness to your right wrist bone,

Shift your attention to your right forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Right shoulder,

Sense your entire right arm,

Allowing it to rest without effort in the space on the ground beneath you,

Now bring your awareness to the back of your right shoulder blade,

The right side of your ribs and your right side body,

Your right hip,

Your right hip,

Travel down to your right upper leg bone,

The knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Bring your attention to your right big toe,

The second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and little toe,

Feel the sensation in the sole of your foot,

The space outside of your foot,

Now encompass your entire right foot with your awareness,

Experiencing the tingling sensation and the warmth caused by stimulation,

Let go of any reactions that may arise,

Take a moment to acknowledge the entirety of the right side of your body,

Notice how you have entered a deeper,

Healthier state of mind,

Deeper than before,

Become aware of the left side of the head connecting to the right side of the body,

The right side of the body,

Deeply relaxed,

We will now continue and balance the left side,

Bring your awareness to your left thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger and the little finger,

Become aware of all of your fingertips on the left hand,

Observe the palm of your left hand,

The area outside your left hand,

Expand your awareness to encompass your entire left hand,

Noticing any tingling sensations sensations or warmth caused by the stimulation,

Continue by bringing your awareness to your wrist bone,

Shift your attention to your left forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm and shoulder,

Sensing your entire left arm,

Allowing it to rest in the space on the ground beneath you,

Now bringing your awareness to the back of your left shoulder blade,

The left side of your ribs,

Walking down to the left side of your body,

Left hip,

Travel down to the left upper leg bone,

The knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Bring your attention to your left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and the little toe,

Feel the sensations in the sole of your left foot,

The space outside of your foot,

Now encompass your entire left foot with your awareness,

Experiencing the tingling sensation and the warmth caused by stimulation,

Let go of any reactions that may arise,

Take a moment to acknowledge the entire left side of your body,

Notice how you have entered a deeper healthier state of mind,

Deeper than before,

Now bring your awareness to the soles of both feet,

Both ankles,

Back of knees,

Your pelvis,

Imagine your tailbone,

The base of your spine,

Now count up the ladder of your 26 vertebrae,

Starting at the base of your spine,

One,

Into the space,

Two,

Up the spine,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Five,

Walking up the back of your spine slowly,

Entering the middle of the spine,

The upper spine,

Coming up to the last vertebrae,

Top of your neck at 26,

Top of your head,

With your mind and body relaxed,

You have become an open vessel for growth,

Now trace down from the top of your head,

Relaxing your eyebrows,

Your eyes,

Nose,

Lips,

Jaw,

Soften the jaw,

Swallow down the chest,

Into the lower abdomen,

Your energy centre,

Notice the connection you have to yourself,

And the vessel you are in,

Feel the warm and safe space you have created,

Now,

With an open heart,

Bring your awareness to someone or something you love and value,

Unconditionally,

It could be a place in nature,

A pet,

A person or even yourself,

Visualise this as a beaming white or coloured light that symbolises your unconditional love,

Breathe in the energy you have for yourself,

Into your heart space,

Let go,

Now visualise the place that you are in,

The whole space around you,

Filled with this loving light,

Now go further,

Visualising the whole town or city that you are in,

All the people in your town or city,

The whole country now,

Expanding your awareness to the whole country,

Then visualising the whole world,

Visualise your loving light to the whole world,

And now returning back to your heart,

A connection that strengthens every time you practice,

Repeating in your mind's eye,

May my life move with ease,

And may I be free of suffering,

May all people's lives move with ease,

And may they be free of suffering,

Coming home now,

Back to your body,

Back to the space you are in,

Seeking joy and peace in everything that you do,

And when you are ready,

Bringing your attention back to your lower abdomen,

Your energy centre,

Balanced,

Then rolling to your side,

Placing your hand on the floor,

And rising to a comfortable seated position,

When you are ready,

Take a moment to adjust to the space that you are in,

And continue to move freely throughout the rest of your day.