I offer my obeisance to the divine in you and the oneness which binds us all.
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra meditation practice.
The ancient wisdom speaks of five states of consciousness,
Each a layer of understanding and experience.
As the scriptures reveal,
These states provide a map to the inner self.
To elaborate,
Envision these states not as boxes but as rivers flowing into the ocean of awareness.
In today's practice,
You will tap into one of the states of consciousness.
Unconscious state is like discovering hidden gems within your own being,
Waiting to be polished and revealed.
Embrace yourself to uncover these treasures and embark on the journey of self-discovery.
You may do this practice sitting in a chair or sitting cross-legged on the floor if that is your preference.
Or you can do it lying down comfortably on your back in Shavasana with your legs slightly apart and your arms at your sides,
Palms facing upwards.
You can use a cushion or full-length blanket under your head and knees if you need that extra support.
Ensuring that your head,
Neck and spine are aligned,
You may now close your eyes and take a few deep breaths,
Allowing your body to relax with each exhale.
Adjust your position until you feel completely at ease.
You may also place an eye pillow over your eyes to block out light and enhance relaxation.
Aim of Yoga Nidra is to stay relaxed yet attentive and awake.
Make adjustments you need so that you can do this practice comfortably.
Allow yourself to arrive in this moment to be present fully.
As you are slowing down and withdrawing from your routine,
Allow yourself to feel the divinity all around you.
Feel the points where your body touches the surface,
Sensing the weight of your body or the lightness you feel in the contact with the surface beneath you.
Allow yourself to become present in this moment,
Letting go of any distractions or thoughts.
Feel the stability and support from the surface beneath you to be balanced and centered.
Notice any darkness on your eyelids or any patterns or images emerging on your closed eyes,
Noticing any sounds in your immediate or far-off environment,
The rhythm of your breath,
Your heartbeat or the hum of silence.
Just notice.
Allow each sound to come and go without judgment,
Simply observing them as part of your environment.
You can now set your intention or sankalpa for this practice.
Choose a short,
Positive affirmation or resolve that resonates deeply with you,
Such as,
What lies within my unconscious comes forward with clarity and compassion.
I receive the wisdom of my unconscious with ease,
Healing and understanding,
Or it could be my inner depths reveal their truth and I am healed.
Repeat it silently a few times,
Feeling it within you.
Let this intention guide your practice and infuse your being.
As you're repeating your sankalpa at least three times,
Visualize it manifesting in your life,
Allow the energy of your sankalpa to radiate throughout your entire being.
Let go of the sankalpa as now we are moving in to rotation of consciousness,
Allowing yourself to be pure awareness,
Witnessing the spectrum of consciousness as you navigate through Upanishads,
The ancient literature tells us that we enter all the stages,
All the states of consciousness periodically.
We might be aware of it and maybe not,
But every night we touch all the states of consciousness.
It's like someone unknowingly walking back and forth over buried treasure so near and yet so far.
Begin the rotation of consciousness by bringing your awareness to your waking state,
Your everyday reality.
Notice how your physical body,
Your mental state,
Your thoughts,
Your emotions experience so many sensations in accordance with the transient nature of life,
Ever-changing,
Ever-flowing.
As you're navigating your waking state consciousness,
Notice any prominent physical,
Mental or emotional sensations with loving-kindness,
Let go of any thought or emotion not serving you anymore.
Now allow yourself to shift your awareness to the indescribable state of consciousness which the Vedic text calls Duryodhana,
The supreme experience.
In this state the sense of I is temporarily suspended.
Allow yourself to be open to the oneness you feel with the universe,
Sensing singularity.
Allow yourself to lift the veil of duality.
Simply feel anything arising in this moment without any judgment or forcing an outcome.
Now shifting your attention to the dreaming sleep state,
Witnessing your dreams.
Notice how you feel when you're dreaming.
Are you able to recall dreams and do they carry any meaning or significance or if there is a message for you from your subconscious without any judgment?
Just notice the dream world,
How vivid or frail they might feel from instance to instance.
Moving your awareness to dreamless sleep in which the automatic nervous system rests,
Finding stillness in sleep,
The deep sleep.
Allow yourself to become aware of how you felt when in deep sleep.
Is it a feeling of an absolute rest,
A deep rest undisturbed by any movement?
Now let your awareness move gently through your body,
Your thoughts,
Emotions,
Your three-dimensional reality to the inner layers of your being as you're going deep within.
Become aware of your natural breath without trying to change it.
Use your breath to anchor your awareness maintaining a gentle and steady rhythm.
If any time you sense that your mind begins to wander,
Gently bring your focus back to your breath,
The simple act of breathing,
The life force energy flowing in your being.
Now recall a feeling when vividly dreaming of circumstances and events that aren't of this world or time period.
How was the feeling in that vivid dream?
Allow yourself to fully experience this emotion understanding that it is a natural part of your human experience.
Now recall the experience when you met someone for the first time but felt like the two of you have known each other before.
Notice how you felt in that moment.
Now recall a memory of you having a talent or passion that is very different from what might interest people in your family of origin.
Just recall this memory and how you felt.
Now recall a time having certain painful repetitive events that kept happening to you.
Notice the pattern,
Notice if it's a matter of habit or your emotional reaction,
Recalling how it felt.
Now alternate between these feelings,
Experiencing each one fully before moving to the other.
Now notice how your body and mind respond to these emotions and learn to balance and harmonize them.
Acknowledge that all familiar and unfamiliar feelings are part of your being and embrace them without judgment.
Now let's dive deeper into the unconscious state,
Moving on to visualizing vast symbols of the universe as I begin to mention them.
You may be able to see them in your mind's eye or notice emotion reactions to them.
Try to swiftly move on from one symbol to another,
Allowing these images to manifest in your mind's eye,
Embracing their energy yet not holding onto them.
Still waters of a lake,
Seed containing the blueprint for a tree,
A big leap taken by yourself from one mountain to another,
The new moon,
The shadow,
The serpent,
The key,
The cave,
The mirror,
Pitch black night,
The third eye,
Lotus,
Mandala,
The sun,
The moon,
A wise old woman and lastly the guardian of the unconscious.
Now let go of all thoughts and images,
Surrender to the silence and the stillness within.
Allow yourself to merge with the infinite stillness,
A profound sense of unity and oneness for the next few minutes.
Now starting to reaffirm your sankalpa that you had said,
Repeat it silently in words one more time,
Allow the energy of your intention to infuse every aspect of your life,
Guiding your actions and thoughts towards a desired outcome,
Gradually bring your awareness back to your body.
Notice what your body wants to do and let your body move the way it likes.
You can wiggle your toes and fingers,
Stretch your arms and legs,
When you feel ready,
Slowly open your eyes,
Taking your time to return to the external world,
Move and roll to your side and gently coming all the way back up,
Take your time to really arrive,
Noticing your feelings right now,
Even if you slept then that is also fine as subconsciously you will be still listening.
Acknowledge this inward journey is like climbing a mountain,
Each step reveals a new vista,
So allow yourself to ascend with courage and devotion and the summit shall be yours.
Hope this meditation practice brought healing energy for you,
Thank you.
