I offer my obeisance to the divine in you and the oneness which binds us all.
You may do this practice sitting in a chair or sitting cross-legged,
Whichever is your preference.
If you have chosen to do this meditation practice lying down,
Lie down comfortably on your back with the legs slightly apart,
Your arms at your sides,
Palms facing upwards.
You may use cushion or folded blankets under your head or knees for that extra support.
Ensure that your head,
Neck and spine are aligned,
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.
If you like,
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 yourself from your routine.
Allow yourself to feel the divinity all around you,
Your body,
Your five senses are the magical vehicle,
The tool to experience life.
Feel the points where your body touches the surface,
Sense 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 feel balanced and stable.
Notice any darkness on your eyelids or any patterns or images emerging on your closed eyes.
Notice the distant and nearby sounds,
The rhythm of your breath,
Your heartbeat or the silence to come and go without any judgment,
Simply observing them as part of your environment.
Set your intention or sankalpa as it is said in Sanskrit for this practice,
Choose a short positive affirmation or resolve that resonates deeply with you,
It could be I'm receiving energy I need for my highest good or I'm connected to my higher self to receive guidance or I'm connected to infinite source of energy always.
Choose your intention and repeat it silently a few times,
Feeling it fully within you.
As you're repeating your sankalpa,
Visualize it manifesting in your life,
Allow the energy of your intention to radiate throughout your entire being.
Let go of the sankalpa for now as we're moving to rotation of consciousness.
Begin the rotation of consciousness by bringing your awareness to your center of scalp,
The crown chakra,
The energy center which connects to the universal energy.
The crown chakra is symbolized by a wheel of violet light,
Bring your focus to the center of your scalp,
Notice any sensations mild or strong arising in your scalp,
You may visualize the crown energy center as a glowing violet light,
Sense your crown chakra connected to the immenseness,
The infinite,
The light,
Moving your attention to the base of your spine,
The root chakra,
A wheel of red glowing light.
Notice how you're connected to mother earth for your survival needs,
Your survival instincts are the first connection to this world,
Sense this energy center being nurtured by mother earth and sense the red light glowing bright at the base of your spine,
Shifting your attention to the middle point between your eyebrows,
The third eye chakra,
The third eye energy center,
Your ability to see the world and beyond,
Sense a wheel of indigo light glowing there letting you see,
Hold a vision as you feel like,
Sense how the universe of infinite possibilities is energizing your ability to see,
Bringing your attention to your lower abdomen where the sacral chakra resides,
It is symbolized by an orange colored glowing wheel of light,
Your energy center to co-create with nature,
To experience the pleasures of life,
Your experience with duality,
Notice any sensations in your body arising without any judgment,
Shifting your attention to the base of your throat,
The throat chakra,
The energy center symbolized by the blue wheel of light,
Your throat chakra is your ability to see,
To speak,
Communicate,
Express yourself,
Your ability to speak is like a magic wand,
It starts creating your reality,
As you speak the seed is sown in the womb of your brain through your ears,
Sense how the infinite universal light is energizing your throat chakra,
Making this blue wheel of light brighter and glowing,
Now bringing your attention to solar plexus chakra,
The energy center around your belly button symbolized by bright yellow light,
It is your ability to do,
The ability to act,
To make things happen,
Bring them to life with your actions,
Sense how mother earth is supporting you to act based on your intentions and goals,
Now coming to the center of your chest,
The heart chakra,
A bright green glowing wheel of light,
Your ability to love,
This energy center connects your top three chakras with your root sacral and solar plexus chakra,
Notice your natural rhythm of heartbeat and the synchronicities it is creating within all energy centers,
Finally bring your awareness to all those seven energy centers,
Allow yourself to rest in this state of complete awareness and notice how you feel,
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 your mind begins to wander,
Gently bring your focus back to your breath,
Visualize each breath bringing in fresh energy you need and with each exhale releasing energy which doesn't serve you anymore,
Notice how your breath is the constant exchange with the universe,
Sensing how universe is always connected to you and has your back,
Even when you're not conscious of your breath,
It is flowing in you all the time,
Now recall a feeling when your survival needs were not met or you perceived that you're under threat,
Your survival instincts are food,
Shelter,
Sleep and community,
Notice how in modern age the survival needs are glamorized with luxury,
Making it difficult to distinguish the real survival needs and the survival needs as per the society,
Notice how you feel when you felt the survival needs were not met,
Allow yourself to fully experience this emotion,
Accepting that it is a natural part of your human experience,
Now recall the experience when you felt in control around your survival needs,
When you felt that your needs are being met and you felt safe and secure and now recall a memory when you felt that universe has your back and you're always supported,
Now recall a flip side,
A time when you felt that nothing seems to be going in your favor,
No matter what you did,
Now keep altering between these feelings,
Experiencing each one fully before moving to the other,
Feeling of in control,
Feeling of being vulnerable around your survival needs,
Feeling of being lost,
Nothing happening in your favor and feeling of that you're always supported by the universe,
Notice how your body and mind respond to these emotions and see if you can harmonize them as you move between joy and sadness,
Observe the subtle changes in your breathing,
Heart rate,
Muscle tension,
Acknowledge that both feelings are part of your human experience and embrace them without judgment,
Recognizing that emotions are transient and can change from moment to moment,
Moving on to the next step,
Visualizing vast symbols of the universe I'm going to mention,
You may be able to see them in your mind's eyes or notice emotional reaction 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 and essence,
Feel their presence connecting with the universal forces they represent,
A guru or teacher,
Divine source of energy,
Infinite universe,
Vastness,
Emptiness,
Mother earth,
An ancient gigantic tree of wisdom,
Beyond the clouds,
A cave,
A river flowing between two gigantic mountains,
A lantern in pitch black night,
Pink sky at dawn,
Your higher self,
An ancient civilization,
Skyscrapers,
A flying dragon,
Solar system,
Your spirit guide,
Fairy land,
A white glowing light above your head,
Now with loving kindness let go of all the thoughts and images,
Surrender to the silence and the stillness within,
Trust in the process of letting go and surrendering to the present moment,
Allow yourself to merge with the infinite stillness,
Experiencing a profound sense of unity and oneness for the next few minutes,
Now starting to reaffirm your intention set at the beginning of this meditation practice,
Repeat your sankalpa silently with conviction and trust,
Feel its power and presence within you,
Just how you water the seed you planted,
Gently nourishing,
As you repeat your sankalpa visualize it integrating into your being,
Creating a lasting impression,
Allow the energy of your intention to infuse every aspect of your life,
Guiding your actions and thoughts towards your desired outcome,
Gradually begin to bring your awareness back to your physical being,
Notice any sensations in your body and sense how your body wants to move,
Maybe gentle wiggle in your toes and fingers and let your body move the way it likes,
When ready you may 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 in this moment,
Noticing your feelings right now,
If you slept then that is also fine,
As subconsciously you will still be listening,
Allow yourself to sense any connection you might have felt with the infinite and mother earth,
Sensing the blanket around you all the time,
As you navigate the duality of your being,
As you proceed with your day,
May the space you have created stay with you,
Hope this meditation practice brought healing energy for you.
