Short Yoga Nidra Practice

Tired and wanting to relax at the end of the day? You've picked the right track. Enjoy this short Yoga Nidra practice with a rotation of consciousness, body/floor contact visualization, awareness of sensations, rapid visualization of a variety of peaceful images, and lastly a powerful chakra visualization. Close your eyes and let go of the day calmly and quietly.

Transcript

Hello,

And thank you for being here.

My name is Kate and I'm going to be guiding you through this short yoga nidra practice.

Yoga nidra is a form of Tantra.

It is not sleeping.

It is not concentration.

It is the opening of the chambers of your mind.

In yoga nidra,

You step down into the internal dimension of your consciousness.

Even if you do not understand anything in yoga nidra,

It does not matter.

The sound of my voice acts as a rope,

Just as you take a rope in and go down into the depths of a cave.

So with the help of sound,

You will venture in and out of the mind.

Now it's time to get ready for yoga nidra.

Eyes are closed and the body is still.

The mind is in a mood to relax.

You are not trying to concentrate.

Make no effort to control the mind.

You are practicing yoga nidra.

Become of your whole body as you lie laying down on the floor.

You are lying in a beautiful room with other people on the same mental level.

Almost everybody is emitting the same frequency of vibration.

The whole atmosphere is charged with one type of powerful vibration.

In this atmosphere,

You are lying on your mat.

Your body is still.

The sound of your breath is very rhythmic and slow.

Your body is in a state of relaxation.

Now think mentally,

I am going to practice yoga nidra.

I am listening to the instructions.

A constant communication is taking place between the instructor and myself.

I can hear the sound of her voice and we are connected.

One transmitter and many receivers.

At this point,

Remember a sankalpa has to be made.

The sankalpa is a resolution.

You don't have to make it now.

But if you have one in mind,

Please repeat it silently to yourself.

If you don't have one,

It can wait.

The greatest of all sankalpas is the resolve to awaken Kundalini who dwells in the Mulahadra chakra.

If you already have a sankalpa,

Please repeat it again.

But if you need one,

You can use this sankalpa.

I am awakening Kundalini who dwells in Mooladhara chakra and makes its headway through Shishumna up to Sahasrara.

This is the sankalpa.

I am awakening my Kundalini.

I am awakening my Kundalini.

Continue to listen to my voice and go on doing the practices I indicate.

No concentration please.

Do not try to analyze things.

Become aware of your right hand thumb and mentally say,

Right hand thumb,

No movement.

Let's begin with the right side body.

Right hand thumb,

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,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to the left side.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Top of the foot,

Sole of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

Next go to the back of the body,

Back of the head,

Back of the neck,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Right heel,

Left heel.

Now the front of the body,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Whole nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Chin,

Neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Middle of the chest,

Navel,

Upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

Right leg,

Left leg,

Right arm,

Left arm,

The whole of the head,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now become aware of the body lying on the floor.

There is a point where the body is in contact with the floor.

Bring your awareness to that particular point of contact.

The heels and the floor.

Both the heels are on the floor and there is a point where they touch the floor.

Now from the top of the body,

The head and the floor,

The back and the floor,

The right hand and the floor,

The left hand and the floor,

The right elbow and the floor,

The left elbow and the floor.

The buttocks and the floor,

The hamstrings and the floor,

The heels and the floor.

Imagine the meeting points of the body and the floor.

The whole body and the floor.

The body is on the floor.

Become aware of the whole body.

Do not contract and do not expand.

Heaviness.

Just imagine in your mind that the body is becoming very heavy.

Awaken the idea of heaviness in the body.

Gradually feel that the body is becoming heavier and heavier.

The head is becoming heavy.

The right palm is heavy.

The left palm is heavy.

Both arms and the shoulders are heavy.

The back is heavy.

The buttocks and the groin are heavy.

The right thigh is heavy.

The left thigh is heavy.

Both the kneecaps are heavy.

Both legs are heavy.

Both arms are heavy.

The head is heavy.

The eyes are heavy.

The lips are heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

Keep on thinking that the whole body is heavy.

Intensify the feeling of heaviness.

Then gradually relax part by part.

Now feel the whole body becoming lighter and lighter.

The head is light.

So light that it can even rise from the floor.

The right and left palms are becoming lighter.

Both arms and both shoulders are light.

The back is light.

The buttocks and groin are light.

The right thigh is light.

The left thigh is light.

The right heel and the left heel are light.

The whole body is light and weightless.

When your body becomes weightless,

You feel as if it is rising from the floor.

As if your whole body is a mass of cotton.

Cotton represents lightness and steel represents heaviness.

Now practice these two experiences alternately.

The whole body is steel.

The whole body is steel.

There are no bones,

Marrow or blood.

Just a steel frame.

Change the idea.

The whole body is cotton.

The whole body is as light as cotton.

There are no bones,

Marrow or blood.

Everything is composed of cotton.

The whole body is as light as cotton.

Again,

Change the idea.

The whole body is like steel.

Heavy steel.

No bone,

Marrow or blood.

The whole body is as heavy as steel.

Change the idea.

The whole body is as light as cotton.

Feel as if the body was composed of cotton.

Cotton is so light it can rise up from the floor.

Now change the idea to heat.

Imagine you are near a burning furnace and you feel the intense heat.

Now the whole body should experience the heat of a blazing furnace,

Of the hot tropical sun.

Awaken the experience of heat as vividly as possible.

Now change the experience.

The whole body is experiencing the cold winds that blow from the snowy mountains.

The same cold one feels in a deep freezer.

Experience the cold.

Awaken the experience of cold.

Now bring your mind to the eyebrow center.

Do not leave that point until I tell you to.

I will enumerate a few objects and as I name each one,

Try to visualize it very quickly.

If you cannot,

Don't worry.

Keep on following my instructions.

Sometimes I will go very slowly and sometimes fast.

I will also come back to the image a number of times.

Some of the images may be known to you,

But do not think too much.

The image should shine by itself.

Bring your awareness to the eyebrow center.

Darkness,

Pink rose,

Waves on the ocean,

Blue sky in the evening,

Dark night,

Tiny shining stars studded in the heavens.

High mountain range with snow-capped peaks,

A ship sailing on the high seas,

A white sandy beach.

Virgin forest with tall and dense trees,

A dove,

A galloping horse,

A small hut in the woods,

Burning fire in the bush,

Stormy night,

Full moon,

Mountain stream,

A lonely man.

Lonely rock in the mountains,

Big garden of blooming flowers,

Rising sun.

Keep your awareness focused at the eyebrow center.

Visualize a large lake with lotus flowers,

A sailing boat,

People swimming,

A lonely wooden hut in the mountains,

A desolate valley,

A high mountain with snow-capped peaks.

A quiet evening,

Beautiful sunset,

Chirping birds,

Tiger in the forest,

Elephant,

Cobra,

Symbol of Aum,

Sound of a bell ringing,

Waves on the ocean.

Ship at sail,

Full moon,

Calm and quiet evening in a moonlit valley,

Mountain stream,

Refreshing cold bath in the mountain stream,

Experience of exhilaration.

Now become aware of the breath.

Inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right.

Start to practice mental alternate nostril breathing.

Exhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right.

Now take a few moments by yourself.

Come back to the middle of the eyebrows again.

Visualize the rising sun,

Red like a tomato,

Clouds gathering in the sky,

Drizzling rain,

Fog all around,

Pink rose,

Sunflower,

Apple,

Lettuce leaf,

Hot water spring.

Tall pine tree,

Cluster of grapes,

Symbol of Aum,

Lonely wooden hut in the valley,

Snow-capped peaks,

Mountain stream,

Cold bath.

Ship at sail on the sea,

Lotus on a lake,

People swimming.

Now it is time to develop awareness of the chakras and their positions in the spine.

Muladhara or root chakra is located at the perineum in between the urinary and excretory organs.

In women it is at the base of the uterus.

Draw your awareness,

Focus your attention at the muladhara.

Don't contract the point but try to feel spontaneous contractions there.

Imagine contractions but don't contract.

Contractions at muladhara.

Next at the base of the spine is svadhisthana or sacral chakra.

In the vertebral column behind the navel is manipura or solar plexus chakra.

Behind the heart is anahata or heart chakra.

Visualize at the throat area.

Vishuddhi chakra is located at the throat center.

At the top of the vertebral column is ajna or third eye chakra.

At the top back of the head is bindu.

At the crown of the head is sahasrara,

Crown chakra.

Try to remember the location of the chakras.

Repeat the names mentally after me and mentally touch your spine very rapidly at the correct point.

Even if you cannot feel it,

It does not matter.

Mentally focus.

Repeat the name mentally after I say it.

Muladhara,

Svadhisthana,

Manipura,

Anahata,

Visuddhi,

Ajna,

Bindu,

Sahasrara,

Bindu,

Ajna,

Visuddhi,

Anahata,

Manipura,

Svadhisthana.

Muladhara,

Svadhisthana,

Manipura,

Anahata,

Visuddhi,

Ajna,

Bindu,

Sahasrara,

Bindu,

Ajna,

Visuddhi,

Anahata,

Manipura,

Svadhisthana,

Muladhara.

Now to complete the practice,

Become aware of the whole body.

Think that I am practicing yoga nidra.

Visualize your whole body.

And everybody in this room.

Become aware of the external environment.

Become aware of yourself.

Say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

Everybody around me is practicing yoga nidra.

I am visualizing my body and everybody here.

Next,

Repeat your sankalpa,

The one that you said at the beginning of the practice three times over.

If you don't have one,

Try to find one for yourself.

If you want,

I will suggest one.

I am awakening my kundalini who dwells in muladhara.

Who moves through shushumna and makes its headway to sahasrara.

Become aware of your external environment.

Come out of the spirit of yoga nidra and return to normal awareness.

Come back to your physical body by wiggling your fingers,

Wiggling your toes.

Gentle movements to let the body know the practice is over.

Gently open your eyes.

Turn on to your left side for a moment.

Slowly begin to set up,

Regaining consciousness,

Coming back to the here and now.

Thank you so much for allowing me to guide you during this practice of yoga nidra.

Hari Om Tat Sat.