Now,
Prepare for the practice of Yoga Nintra.
To maximise the likelihood of remaining still throughout the practice,
Ensure that the body is comfortable.
Retrieve any pillows or blankets that you may need and assume a comfortable position.
Traditionally this practice is done from the position of Shavasana.
Feet hip width apart,
Feet gently falling outwards,
Arms beside the body,
Palms upwards,
Fingers softly curling.
The blades tucked underneath the body to flatten the back against the floor.
Check that the spine,
Neck and head are in alignment.
Once you feel your body is comfortable,
Allow it to become still.
With every exhalation,
Allow the body to soften into the floor,
Becoming softer and softer with every breath.
Now feel into all the contact points between the body and the floor.
Allow the body to take the shape of the floor.
Feel into the sensations on the skin.
Feel the movements created by clothing,
Any coverings,
The movement of air against exposed skin.
Draw the awareness away from the physical sensations and scan the environment for sound.
Use the awareness like a radar beam,
Scanning in all directions.
Continue from sound to sound,
Not getting stuck on any one sound,
But as you find each sound,
Acknowledge it and move on seeking others.
Once you've heard the more obvious sounds,
Listen more closely to reveal the more subtle sounds.
Only coming to rest at the sounds within the body,
Heartbeat,
Digestion,
The sound of the breath in the nostrils.
Hear the different sound created by the in-breath versus the out-breath.
Allow the sounds to fade into the background.
As you turn your awareness to the next stage of the practice,
The rotation of awareness through the body parts.
And remember no physical movement is required,
Only the movement of the awareness in response to the instructions.
As I name each body part,
Mentally repeat that name.
Lightly touch the awareness to that part of the body,
Feeling into it for any sensations you might find there.
As we begin with the right side of the body,
Focus on the right hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third,
Fourth,
Palm of the right hand,
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.
Take the awareness to the left side of the body.
Lightly touch the awareness to the left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third,
Fourth,
Palm of the left hand,
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,
Become aware of the soul of the right foot,
Soul of the left foot,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle of the back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The 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,
Focus on the forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyebrow centre,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
The bridge of the nose,
The tip of the nose,
The top lip,
The bottom lip,
The space between the lips,
The chin,
The throat,
The chest,
Top of the abdomen,
The navel,
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,
The whole head,
The whole body,
The whole body,
Awareness to the whole body at once.
Taking the awareness now to the breath moving within the nostrils.
Imagine the nostrils are two sides of a triangle meeting at the eyebrow centre.
Visualise the breath travelling alternately within each of these nostrils.
So as you inhale,
Imagine the breath travelling into the left nostril to the eyebrow centre and as you exhale,
Travelling from the eyebrow centre and out the right nostril,
Then in through the right nostril and out through the left and continue in this way.
Check that you are awake and aware and following the breath,
Alternately within each of the nostrils.
If you find your mind is wandering,
Just bring it back to the practice,
Visualising the breath as it travels alternately within each of the nostrils.
Visualise the visualisation and expand the awareness of the breath.
Feel into all the sensations the breath is creating in the body.
The movement of air at the nose tip.
The small patch of coolness created by the inhalation that disappears with each exhalation.
The expansion and contraction of the torso.
Become aware once again of the entire back plane of the body.
All those points in the body in contact with the floor.
Head,
Arms,
Torso,
Legs and feet.
Feel how the body has softened into the floor.
Recall the position of the body within the room and the features of the room that you are in.
Colours,
Objects,
Position of the windows and doors.
Visualise the building that you are in and the location of the building.
Starting now to end the practice of Yoga Nidra,
Recall the time of day and tune into the sounds making up this time of day.
Sounds within the body,
Within the room and beyond.
Acknowledge and name each sound as you find it.
Scanning in all directions.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Introducing movement into the body.
Fingers,
Toes,
Shoulders,
The head.
Be gentle with the body.
Feel into what the body needs to get it activated again.
Bending,
Stretching,
Massaging.
And when you are ready to change position first come to lie on the right side and then when you are ready come to a comfortable seated position.
Getting ready to continue with your day.
Carry on.
