My name is Brianna and welcome to this short and simple practice of Swami Satyananda Saraswati's
Yoga Nidra.
This is a great practice to do before bed or any time you need to dissolve stress and
anxiety in your body.
Begin by preparing your body for Yoga Nidra.
Lie on the floor in Shavasana with the whole body in one straight line.
Remove any glasses,
Wrist watches or heavy jewellery and place these next to you.
Have the legs slightly apart,
Feet falling loosely to the sides,
Arms close to but not
touching the body and preferably with the palms facing upwards.
Check the position of the head,
Neck and shoulders.
The head and neck should be in line with the spinal column with symmetry through the whole
body.
Lightly close the eyes and the mouth.
Now make any final adjustments or movements to ensure that your body is perfectly comfortable
on the floor or on your bed.
Make yourself as comfortable as possible with any props,
Maybe a blanket over the body,
A cushion under the head,
A bolster under the knees to take pressure off the lower back.
Set yourself in a position so that you can remain entirely motionless throughout the
whole practice.
This practice will begin by consciously releasing any last vestiges of physical tension in your
body.
Soften all 10 toes,
The arches of your feet and the ankles.
Let go of any tension in the calves,
Thighs or buttocks.
Soften your lower back and allow this softness to ascend the whole spine,
Extending out into
the shoulders.
Soften the shoulders and the chest.
Release any tension along the length of the arms so that the fingers can remain soft and
gently curling inwards.
Soothe out the skin on the forehead and around the eyes.
Soften the muscles of the mouth,
The cheeks,
The jaw.
Your whole face is soft,
Smooth and expressionless.
Now allow your whole body to melt into the floor.
Surrender completely to the able support of the floor,
Not holding on in any way.
Now take in one deep breath.
Expand the lungs to capacity.
And as you exhale,
Be aware of letting go.
With one deep breath in.
Let go on a physical level.
With a second deep breath in.
Let go on an emotional level.
With a third deep breath in.
Let go on a mental level.
Now become aware of all the sounds around you.
Put all of your attention into listening.
Keep your awareness active and alert.
I know I am listening to sounds.
As you rotate your awareness from one sound to another to another.
Listen for sounds that are close to you.
More distant sounds.
Sounds from all directions.
And finally draw your awareness in to the sound of your own natural breathing.
And the sound of the breath in.
And the sound of the breath out.
And begin to merge your awareness with the rhythm of your breath moving in and out of
your body effortlessly and of its own accord.
Now bring your awareness to your Sankalpa,
A personal resolve or resolution that you
like to settle into your subconscious mind.
Choose your Sankalpa carefully now.
Your Sankalpa should be stated in the present moment and in the positive.
You might choose I am balance if you want more balance.
I am calm if you want more calm.
Maybe even something like I will awaken my spiritual potential.
Choose your Sankalpa now and state it three times with faith and conviction.
Leave the awareness of your Sankalpa now as you move on to the rotation of bodily awareness.
As I name different parts of the body try to mentally feel that part visualising it
by focusing your awareness on that part without any physical movement.
Try not to strain your concentration.
Simply hear the instructions and visualise the body part.
Starting on the right side of the body.
The right hand.
Become aware of the right hand sound.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
The whole right hand.
Right wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Across to the left side of the body now.
The left hand.
Take awareness to the left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
The whole left hand.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Sole of the foot.
Top of the foot.
The left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Little toe.
Coming to the back of the body now.
Awareness to the right heel.
Left heel.
Right calves.
Left calves.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
The small of the back.
Spinal column.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
The crown of the head.
Awareness to the forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow centre.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
The tip of the nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both of the lips together.
Chin.
Jawline.
Throat pit.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
The centre of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Pelvic region.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Both of the legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both of the arms together.
The front of the trunk.
Back of the trunk.
The whole back and front together.
The whole of the head and neck.
The whole body.
Clear awareness of the whole body.
The whole body as one complete unit from head to toe.
Reconnect now with the natural flow of your breath.
Feel into your breath's effortless rhythm.
Experience how the navel gently shifts with each in-breath.
And then passively falls back down with the out-breath.
A natural spontaneous expansion and release of the abdomen with each incoming and outgoing breath.
Now count each rising and falling of the navel with each breath from 9 back down to 0.
If the count is lost or if 0 is reached,
Then return back to 9 and have another go at the backward count.
9 belly rises.
9 belly falls.
8 belly rises.
8 belly falls.
Release the count and release the awareness of your belly as you start to expand the breath.
Breathing in fully.
Exhaling completely.
Become aware of your whole body.
Feel your body in contact with the floor.
Invite in some gentle movement,
Perhaps wriggling your fingers and your toes.
Maybe take a big morning stretch with the hands over the head.
Reaching from toe tips to fingertips.
Curl up into a little ball and roll to one side.
Begin to develop an awareness of your surroundings once more.
And then in your own time you can come out of the practice.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
You can go along with the rest of your day or have a beautiful restful sleep.
