Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra systematically brings about a profound release of physical, mental and emotional tension - increasing receptivity and laying the groundwork for enabling lasting change. Yoga Nidra works principally with the first stage of meditation - pratyahara - the withdrawal of the awareness from the senses. This takes the awareness from the external to the internal environment - preparing it for meditation.

Transcript

Please prepare now for the practice of Yoga Nidra.

Ensure that the position you have chosen is comfortable and you are warm enough so that you can remain still throughout the practice.

Remove any jewellery or eyeglasses.

Loosen any tight clothing.

Traditionally this practice is done from the position of Shavasana.

Lying on your back on the floor.

Feet hip width apart,

Relaxed and falling outwards.

Arms beside the body,

Palms facing away from the floor and the fingers gently curled.

Shoulder blades tucked under the body so the back is sitting flat on the floor.

Gently rock the head from side to side and allow it to come to rest at centre.

Ensuring the spine,

Neck and head are in alignment.

Cushions may be placed under the knees if there is any discomfort in the lower back.

A cushion may be used underneath the head if the neck isn't comfortable in this position.

Once you feel you are comfortable and warm,

Allow the body to settle.

Feel the body begin to soften into the floor.

With every exhalation let the body become softer and softer.

Settle into the entire back plane of the body.

All the contact points between the body and the floor.

Heels.

Backs of the legs.

Back of the trunk.

Arms.

Head.

Feel the body begin to take the shape of the floor.

Now feel into the sensations on the skin.

Sustenance created by the clothing,

Coverings,

The movement of air against exposed skin.

Draw the awareness away from the physical sensations and tune into the sounds entering your ears.

Cast the awareness as far from the body as you can.

Use the awareness like a radar beam scanning in all directions.

Come from sound to sound.

Not getting stuck on any one sound but acknowledging each one as you find them and then moving on seeking others.

Draw the awareness closer to the body now,

Tuning into the sounds within this room.

Once you've heard the more obvious sounds,

Look behind these for the subtle sounds.

Come to rest with the sounds within the body,

Sounds of digestion,

Heartbeat,

Different sound created by the inhalation versus the exhalation.

Allow the sounds to go on by themselves,

Fading into the background.

As you bring to mind your sankalpa,

Your resolve for change.

Mentally repeat it three times,

Each time with a passionate belief that it will come true for you when the time is right.

If you don't have a sankalpa at this point,

Spend this time formulating one.

Let go of your sankalpa,

Preparing for the next stage of the practice,

The rotation of awareness through the body parts.

There are three things for you to do during this stage of the practice.

As I name each body part,

Mentally repeat that name,

Take your awareness to that part of the body and feel into it for any sensations you may find there.

As we begin,

Take the awareness to the right side of the body.

Focus on the right hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third,

Fourth,

Palm of the right hand,

The wrinkles on the palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth toe,

Five toes together.

Awareness to the left side of the body now.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

First finger,

Second finger,

Third,

Fourth,

Palm of the left hand,

The wrinkles on the palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the chest,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

Fifth toe,

Five toes together.

Moving up the back of the body now.

Awareness to the sole of the right foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Right heel,

Left heel,

Right car,

Left car,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The lower back,

The middle of the back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

The spine from bottom to top,

The spine from bottom to top,

Back of the head,

Crown of the head,

Top of the head.

Moving down the front of the body now.

Become aware of the forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Eyebrow center,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right eyelashes,

Left eyelashes,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Bridge of the nose,

The tip of the nose,

The top lip,

The bottom lip,

The space between the lips,

The teeth,

The tongue,

The jaw from ear to ear,

The throat,

The chest,

The top of the abdomen,

The navel,

The bottom of the abdomen and the pelvic area.

Working with whole body parts now.

Become aware of the whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

Both legs,

Both arms,

The front of the trunk,

The back of the trunk,

Whole trunk,

Both legs,

Both arms,

Whole trunk,

Whole neck,

The face,

The scalp,

Whole head,

The whole body,

The whole body,

Awareness to the whole body at once.

Become aware of the breath once more.

Watch the breath as it travels between the throat pit and the navel.

Imagine there is a thin tube of golden light connecting these two points in the body.

And as you inhale,

Watch the golden light travel from the navel to the throat pit.

And as you exhale,

Watch it travel back down from the throat pit to the navel.

Once you have the awareness firmly established on the breath as it travels between the throat pit and the navel and the thin tube of golden light that registers this journey,

Add a mantra to this visualization.

So as you inhale,

Mentally repeat the mantra,

Soul,

And as you exhale,

Mentally repeat the mantra,

Hum.

Inhale,

Soul.

Exhale,

Hum.

Check that you are awake and aware and following the breath as it travels between the throat pit and the navel and chanting the mantra soul,

Hum.

If you find your mind is wandering,

Gently bring it back to the practice.

Allow the breath to go on by itself as you create the following sensations in the body.

Bring about a feeling of heaviness in the body,

So heavy.

With every exhalation,

The body feels heavier and heavier.

Now change this feeling to a feeling of lightness in the body.

This time with each inhalation,

Allow the body to feel lighter and lighter,

Almost like vapor hovering just above the floor.

Now allow the body to feel a normal weight,

Neither heavy nor light,

Just a normal comfortable weight.

Now create a feeling of coolness in the body,

Cooler and cooler with every inhalation.

Now changing this feeling to a feeling of warmth throughout the body,

So warm.

Now bring about a comfortable temperature within the body,

Neither cool nor warm,

Just a comfortable temperature.

Release these sensations now.

Bring to mind the following visualizations.

The smell of a freshly ploughed field.

The smell of a freshly ploughed field.

The feel of an ancient tree trunk.

The feel of an ancient tree trunk.

The roar of a fast flowing river.

The roar of a fast flowing river.

A mountain path winding upwards.

A mountain path winding upwards.

The smell of freshly ground coffee.

The smell of freshly ground coffee.

Wind chimes.

Wind chimes.

The feel of an earthworm in the palm of your hand.

The feel of an earthworm in the palm of your hand.

Misty mountain rain.

Misty mountain rain.

A cliff face at sunset.

A cliff face at sunset.

Release these images now.

And bring to mind your sankalpa once again,

Your resolve for change.

We repeat it three times.

Once again each time with a passionate belief that it will come true for you when the time is right.

A sankalpa repeated at the beginning of the practice is like planting a seed for change.

And repeating it at the end is like watering that seed,

Encouraging it to grow and to flourish.

Allow the vibration of your sankalpa to fade within the body.

Feeling as though you have just kick started the process of change.

And focus on the breath once more.

Tune into the sensations the breath is creating in the body.

The movement of air on the upper lip and at the nose tip.

The small patch of coolness at the back of the throat that appears on the inhalation and disappears on the exhalation.

How the trunk changes shape with every breath.

Allow the breath to deepen a little and see how these sensations change.

Become aware of the entire back plane of the body.

All those contact points between the body and the floor,

The back of the head,

Backs of the arms,

The trunk,

The legs and the feet.

Feel how the floor is cradling the body,

Gently supporting it with no effort from you.

Recall the position of the body within the room and the features of the room that you're in.

The location of the doors and windows.

Expand the awareness further.

Picturing the building that you're in and the location of the building.

Recall the time of day.

And tune into the sounds that make up this time of day.

Sounds within the body,

Within the room and beyond the walls of the room.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Introducing movement into the body,

Wriggling fingers and toes,

Shrug the shoulders,

Gently move the head,

Rocking it from side to side.

And then feel into what your body needs to get it moving,

Just gently.

You may feel you need to stretch or bend or massage the body.

When you're ready,

Gently come to a comfortable seated position as you prepare to continue with your day.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Reviews

Really loved this nidra : the pace, The clarity, , the music and soothing voice! Thank you!😊

Exactly what I was needing—a traditional yoga nidra with a calm, yet confident, voice and which included subtle music in the background. I really appreciated the time allowed for the San culpa and the full rotation of the body. Also, I connected with the imagery because of the focus on nature and included the senses.

Very enjoyable practice with soothing voice and relaxing music!

My go-to for yoga nidra. So calm and clear. It’s everything yoga nidra should be in a concise 30 minute practice. Thank you!!

A lovely Yoga Nidra, creating a peaceful awareness in body and mind. The natural tone and cadence of the voice was easy to follow, with the softness of the background music maintaining a calm relaxation throughout. Highly recommend.

Everything about this yoga nidra is lovely: your voice, the gentle wat you speak, the music. Thanks so much. 👌🏻🤗🎶

Jacqui with much thanks and gratitude for sharing your beautiful meditation.

Had some doubts because of the (a bit loud) music at the beginning but it was a really nice and relaxing practice. Thank you.