Clearing The Lens- Guided Yoga Nidra
In Yoga Nidra, one of the deeper, transformative aspects of the practice involves what could be called …clearing the lens. This concept refers to the process of releasing mental, emotional, and energetic blockages or distortions that cloud our perceptions of the world and ourselves.
Transcript
Welcome to this guided yoga nidra practice.
My name is Ashley.
Thank you so much for being here.
The practice of yoga nidra can be referred to as dynamic sleep,
Where you are in a state of relaxation with awareness,
Allowing the opening to the inner chambers of your mind.
During the practice,
Remain aware,
Listen to my voice,
Move the mind rapidly with the instructions given.
Keep your mind moving from point to point and be aware of every experience.
View any experiences that arise with awareness and detachment,
No concentration.
We will practice yoga nidra and shavasana lying on your back.
Some prefer to lie on their side or sitting and that's okay too.
Take a few moments to make yourself comfortable,
Adjusting your body position,
Your clothing or blanket,
Shrugging your shoulders away from your ears and allowing for a slight tuck to the chin.
Let your feet naturally fall apart,
Placing your hands beside you or letting them rest on your belly.
In yoga nidra,
One of the deeper transformative aspects of the practice involves what could be called clearing the lens.
This concept refers to the process of releasing mental,
Emotional and energetic blockages that cloud our perceptions of the world and ourselves.
Just as a camera lens gathers dust or smudges over time,
Our mind can accumulate emotional residue and mental clutter that affects how we see ourselves,
Our lives and our interactions with the world.
If you haven't already,
Begin to close your eyes,
Find stillness and bring some awareness to your breath.
Where your awareness goes,
The energy flows.
Feel your belly rise on the inhale and feel your belly soften back down on the exhale,
Rising on the inhale,
Softening down on the exhale.
Take a deep breath in,
Feel calmness spreading throughout your body,
And on the exhale,
With ease,
Allow for any worries or tensions to flow away.
With each breath,
Allow yourself to relax more deeply.
Become aware of the body and relax completely,
Feeling your shoulders and your hips getting heavy towards the earth,
Complete relaxation.
Take a moment to settle into your space.
As you surrender into this relaxation,
Notice the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you becoming smaller and smaller,
Your body relaxed,
Lying on the floor.
Visualize your body lying on the floor,
Total awareness of your body lying on the floor.
Witness the stillness.
Become aware of sounds in the distance,
The most distant sound you can hear.
Gradually bring your attention to the closer sounds,
Sounds within this room,
Sounds in Without too much thought,
Just notice.
Begin to guide your attention inward and allow for everything outside of my voice to disappear.
My voice will be a friendly guide along this journey,
But the journey itself is yours.
Let us journey into a full surrender to observe and witness what resides within.
The practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Set the intention to be awake and aware as you practice yoga nidra.
Say to yourself three times,
I will stay awake and aware through the practice of yoga nidra.
I will stay awake and aware through the practice of yoga nidra.
I will stay awake and aware through the practice of yoga nidra.
You will now create your sankalpa,
Your intention,
Resolve.
This is a short,
Positive,
Clear statement that is vital in sowing the seed of change.
Your sankalpa is the seed which you create and then sow in the bed of your mind.
If you're already working with a sankalpa,
Wonderful.
If not,
I invite you to use one that aligns with our theme of clearing the lens.
Perhaps one of these.
I am open to receiving new insight and perspective.
I am confident as I move forward.
I am clear and open to the wisdom of my heart.
Bring to your mind's eye your sankalpa.
Repeat it internally three times with deep heartfelt presence.
I am.
I am.
We will now begin our rotation of consciousness,
The rotation of awareness.
Follow my voice and as quickly as possible,
Allow your awareness to go from part to part.
In your mind,
Simultaneously repeat the name while bringing awareness to it.
Become aware of the right hand.
Right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Become aware of the palm.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right waist.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Kneecap.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
First toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Become aware of the left hand.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Become aware of the palm.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Left waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Kneecap.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Now move your awareness to the back body.
Back of the head.
Back of the neck.
Right shoulder.
Left shoulder.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
The spine.
The whole of the back together.
Now rest the awareness in the front body.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Right eyebrow.
Eyebrow center.
Right eyelid.
Left eyelid.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose.
Tip of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right chest.
Left chest.
Middle of the chest.
Navel.
Abdomen.
Lower abdomen.
Whole of the right leg.
Whole of the left leg.
Both legs together.
Whole of the right arm.
Whole of the left arm.
Both arms together.
Whole of the left arm.
Whole of the back.
Whole of the front.
Whole of the head.
Together.
Legs.
Head.
Together.
The whole of the body together.
The whole of the body together.
Refrain from sleep.
Say to yourself,
I am awake and aware.
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
Now bring your awareness to your breath.
Don't try to change it.
Just observe it.
Notice the natural rhythm of your breathing.
How it enters and leaves your body.
Feel the coolness of the air as it enters your nostrils.
Observe how it moves down into your lungs.
Expanding your chest and abdomen as you inhale.
Notice the warmth of the air as you exhale.
How your body softens with each breath out.
Take a moment to simply observe your breath.
Is it shallow or deep?
Fast or slow?
There is no need to judge.
Just observe.
Now bring your awareness to the gentle rise and fall of your belly.
With each breath.
Feel the expansion on the inhale.
The softening on the exhale.
Inhale.
And exhale.
Slowly.
Gently.
Without effort.
Let the rhythm of your breath become smooth and effortless.
Begin to count your breath in the following manner from 9 to 1.
Inhale.
Expansion.
9.
Exhale.
Softening.
9.
Inhale.
Rising.
8.
Exhale.
Softening.
8.
Continue this practice following your natural flow of breath.
If you lose count,
That's okay.
Simply begin again at 9.
Now let go of the counting.
And simply focus on the natural rhythm of your breath.
If you didn't complete your counting,
That's alright.
Give yourself permission to release any disappointment.
Observe the subtle pauses between in and exhale.
Notice how the breath moves through the body without any effort or force.
If thoughts arise,
Simply notice them.
And gently return your awareness to the breath.
The breath is always here.
Always present.
Always guiding you back to this moment.
We will now begin exploring physical and mental visualizations.
Allow any of these sensations,
Feelings,
Or images that arise to flow through you like water.
No attachment.
No concentration.
Awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body.
The feeling of heaviness.
Become aware of heaviness in every part of the body.
Legs.
Arms.
Torso.
Softening into the ground beneath you.
Heavy.
The whole body heavy.
The whole body heavy.
Awaken the feeling of lightness in the body.
The feeling of lightness.
Bring this sensation of lightness.
Weightlessness.
Into every part of the body.
Beginning at the head.
All the way to the toes.
The body feeling so light.
It seems to be floating away from the floor.
A feeling of levitating.
Awareness of lightness.
The whole body weightless.
The whole body weightless.
Now bring the sensation of both heaviness and lightness into your awareness.
Feeling equally heavy and equally light.
Awareness to both sensations at the same time.
Imagine them merging into a balanced state.
Visualize a color or image that represents this integration.
The sensation of cold.
Awaken the experience of bitter cold in the body.
Shivering cold.
As if you were standing outside in the icy wind.
The cold seems to clutch at you.
The sharp wind cuts through the air like little daggers.
Feel the sensation of chilling cold penetrate the whole body.
Awareness of bitter cold.
The whole body cold.
The whole body cold.
Awaken to the sensation of heat.
Awaken the experience of heat.
Feel the body becoming very hot.
Heat throughout the whole body.
Recall the feeling of being hot.
From the summer sun,
The air thick with heat pressing against your skin like a heavy blanket.
Heat all over the body.
Heat all around the body.
Awareness of heat.
The whole body hot.
The whole body hot.
Now bring the sensation of both cold and heat into your awareness.
Feeling equally cold and equally hot.
Awareness to both sensations at the same time.
Imagine them merging into a balanced state.
Visualize a color or image that represents this integration.
Awaken the feeling of loud,
Noisy,
Booming,
Busy.
Experience this loudness in your body.
Feel the thundering.
Feel the busyness.
Loud.
Experience this riddling noise throughout the whole body.
The whole body loud.
The whole body loud.
Release the sensation of loud and welcome in a feeling of quiet.
Faint.
Silent.
Mute.
Awaken to the sensation of suspending time.
The world slowing.
The air still.
Where in your body do you feel quiet?
Calm.
A peaceful moment.
Pure,
Unbroken quiet.
Quiet in the whole body.
The whole body quiet.
Now bring your attention to the inner space between your eyebrows.
Your third eye.
Feel the infinite darkness.
Become aware of the darkness that resides here.
The space of nothingness and everything.
I'm going to name a number of different things and you should try to visualize them on all levels.
Feeling,
Awareness,
Imagination,
As best you can.
We will move quickly through these.
Hold no attachment to what arises.
Keep your mind moving,
Point to point.
Calm water.
Soot covered lantern.
Open window.
Reflection.
Ocean.
Rocky shoreline.
Turtle shell.
Candle flame.
Owl.
Sunrise.
Sunrise.
Sunrise.
Sunrise.
Visualize yourself standing on the edge of a tranquil lake.
The surface so still it mirrors the sky above like a perfect glass pane.
The water,
A deep sapphire blue,
Gently laps at the shore.
Its whispers soft and calming.
A delicate mist clings to the water's surface,
Rising as the first light of dawn spills over the horizon,
Casting golden hues across the landscape.
Tall,
Graceful trees frame the lake,
Their leaves rustling softly in the breeze.
A soothing melody in the quiet stillness.
The air is crisp,
Tinged with the scent of pine and earth,
Cool yet inviting.
The water's scent,
Though hard to capture,
Is more of a sensation,
Cool and earthly.
Light yet grounding,
Drawing you closer like an invitation to breathe deeply,
To drink in the freshness of the world.
The occasional ripple disturbs the water as a fish breaks the surface,
But it quickly settles back into this peaceful state,
As if the lake itself is holding its breath.
Everything is hushed,
As though nature itself is in a moment of deep contemplation.
The silence is hypnotic.
You begin stepping your bare feet into the lake.
It feels like an awakening.
The cool water sending tiny shivers up your spine,
Your toes sinking gently into the earth's surface,
Your hands beneath you,
Feeling the rhythm of the water as it pulses around your ankles.
Feel how the water's energy is deeply nourishing.
With each inhale,
Imagine the water's energy filling your being,
Purifying and replenishing you.
With each exhale,
Let go of anything that no longer serves you,
Releasing it into the water.
Feel the water flowing effortlessly,
Without resistance,
Just as your breath moves through your body with ease.
As you gaze down,
You notice the reflection of your face,
But for a moment,
It is not your own.
The reflection flickered,
Showing another life,
Another version of yourself.
With deep clarity,
You see yourself perfectly aligned with your sankalpa,
A glimpse of you embraced by this true heartfelt yearning.
You feel a warm sense of familiarity,
As if you are already living this life you so desire.
You are able to see clearly,
Experiencing with a fresh perspective,
Reconnecting with your inner wisdom,
Aligning with your true self.
You feel profound peace in every breath.
Time seems to stretch in this serene place,
Each moment an invitation to simply be.
Bring your awareness back to your sankalpa,
The intention you made at the beginning of practice,
Your heart's vow.
Repeat it three times with confidence and trust that it is already true.
You are already living it.
I am.
I am.
I am.
I am.
Relax all efforts.
Draw your mind outside and become aware of your breathing to the natural state of your breath.
Develop awareness of your physical existence,
Become aware of the meeting points between your body and the earth beneath you,
Your heels,
Calves,
Hips,
Shoulder blades,
Back of the head.
Open awareness of your surroundings and the noises within the space you are in.
Lie quietly for a few moments and keep your eyes closed.
Begin to make small movements to the body,
Moving your fingers and your toes,
Stretching yourself.
Take your time.
There is no rush.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Heri om tatsat.
Heri om tatsat.
Heri om tatsat.
When you are sure that you are wide awake,
Sit up slowly and open your eyes.
Take a moment of gratitude for this time of release and renewal.
Trust that the energy you have cultivated today will continue to support you as you move forward.
Keep the sense of peace and clarity with you as you re-enter your day.
Take a final deep breath in,
Exhaling completely.
Namaste.
