I'm so happy that you can join me for this Yoga Nidra experience.
It's been raining most of the day,
So I thought it might be fun to use the beautiful sound of rain as the backdrop.
And as we move through this session,
Be aware of the sounds,
But don't allow any of the sounds to startle you.
Just be aware,
Be aware of the way the wind is blowing,
The sound of the rain,
And all of the other sounds that may arrive.
If you haven't already,
I invite you to lie down.
If you'd like,
Feel free to use a pillow,
And maybe cover yourself in a blanket.
And once you feel you're comfortable,
Close your eyes.
And we'll keep the eyes closed throughout the rest of the practice.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.
These are the only important factors.
In Yoga Nidra,
You function on the level of awareness.
Plus,
The level of listening.
In dreams,
You have no control.
In Yoga Nidra,
You are the creator of the dream.
And now say to yourself,
I will not sleep.
I shall only listen to the voice.
Give yourself some time to become calm and steady.
Take a deep breath in.
Feel calmness spread throughout the body.
As you breathe out,
Mentally say,
Relax.
Become aware of the sounds.
Become aware of the rain.
Let your sense of hearing operate like a radar beam,
Searching out distant sounds,
And then following those sounds.
Allow yourself to move your attention from sound to sound,
Without attempting to identify with the source.
And now develop awareness to your space,
To the room that you're in.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls,
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the floor.
See your body lying on the floor.
Become aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Total awareness of the body in perfect stillness.
Become aware of the natural breath.
Become aware of the deep,
Natural,
Spontaneous breath.
Do not concentrate,
For this will interfere with the natural process.
Keep on listening,
And know that you are breathing.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Say mentally to yourself,
I'm going to practice Yoga Nidra.
I will not sleep.
I'm going to practice Yoga Nidra.
I now invite you to create a simple resolve,
An affirmation,
Or an intention for your Yoga Nidra practice.
It could be as simple as,
I am loving awareness,
Or as complex as an answer to a problem that you may have.
And you can create an affirmation for yourself.
And again,
It can be as simple as,
I am loving awareness.
To repeat that affirmation,
Or intention,
Or resolve,
Three times mentally in your mind.
And allow yourself to connect to a feeling,
Of what it will be like,
When that resolve comes to pass.
Move your consciousness through different centers of the body.
You are going to move as quickly as possible.
The awareness has to jump from point to point.
Please repeat mentally the meaning of each part after me.
And simultaneously become aware of that part.
The practice always begins with the right hand.
Now please bring all of your awareness to the right thumb.
The second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
Hip.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Middle of the chest.
Knee.
The whole of the left leg.
Become aware of the space occupied by the body.
Bring your awareness to the full meeting points between the body and the floor.
The sensations of all the points simultaneously.
Evenly.
Continue feeling these points clearly and distinctly.
Now bring your attention to the eyelids.
Feel the narrow line of the meeting between the upper and the lower eyelids.
Feel the sharp points where they meet.
Intensify your awareness between the eyelids.
And then move to the lips.
Center your attention on the line between the lips and the space between the lips.
From the lips,
We move to the breath.
Draw your attention to the natural ingoing and outgoing breath.
Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the throat.
On inhalation,
It rises from the navel to the throat.
On exhalation,
It descends from the throat to the navel.
Be completely aware of the breath,
Of the navel,
Of the throat.
Do not try to force the breath.
Just awareness.
Awareness.
And at the same time,
Start counting your breaths backwards.
I am breathing in.
27 I am breathing out.
27 I am breathing in.
26 I am breathing out.
26 I am breathing in.
25 I am breathing out.
25 Continue counting to yourself mentally as you follow the rise and fall of your breath from navel to throat and back again.
Total awareness of breathing and counting.
The breathing is slow and relaxed.
Listen to the sounds of the rain and the birds as you are breathing and counting.
You will finish wherever you are.
Just bring your awareness back to the sounds of the rain and the birds.
Visualize yourself on a beautiful,
Warm,
Sunny day.
And now visualize yourself on a warm,
Summer day,
Standing underneath a tree,
Feeling refreshed by the rain.
As you notice the sounds,
Bring your awareness to your sense of feeling.
What does it feel like to be underneath this tree?
Is it a sense of coolness that you feel as the breeze blows?
Do you feel a sense of calm,
Peace,
And protection underneath the canopy of the tree?
I now invite you to bring your awareness back to your intention and resolve,
Back to that affirmation.
And at this moment,
Allow any guides,
Ancestors,
Spirit team to meet with you underneath the tree to share with you any type of knowledge or wisdom.
That you need,
That you can always come back to this space,
And you are always with you.
All you have to do is invite them in.
Invite them to sit with you underneath this tree during this summer storm.
Allowing yourself to integrate any messages that they have for you.
And allow these messages,
The time they need,
To integrate and process and to come into realization.
It's now time to say farewell and goodbye to your spirit team.
But know that this is not a sad goodbye,
Because they are always with you.
They are all bringing our awareness back to the sounds of the rain and the wind.
Feeling that sensation of the cool breeze.
Bringing our awareness back to this time and space.
To be grateful for this session.
To be grateful for the information received.
Total relaxation and relief.
More and more into the awareness of this present moment.
Taking any stretches that your body feels it needs.
And then bring the right leg into the chest.
Followed by the left.
Wrapping yourself up as tightly as you can.
Giving yourself a hug.
And then slowly allow your whole body to drop over to the right side.
And just take a moment here to reconnect with your resolve.
To reconnect with your intention.
Come into a comfortable seat.
With our eyes closed.
Hands in prayer mudra.
We will close this yoga nidra session with water.
