Yoga Nidra - A Journey Through The Koshas

Yoga nidra is an effortless guided meditation that takes you on a journey through the 5 layers of consciousness -also referred to as the pancha maya koshas. These different layers all have unique attributes, moving from the most physical, layer 1 to the most subtle, layer 5. The ultimate idea of yoga nidra is arriving at the 5th layer and experiencing your true nature. Here you align with Source energy and profound shifts occur at every level. No experience necessary, just lie back & get comfy!

Transcript

Hi,

This is Kumari and welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.

In Yoga Nidra,

You'll want to get as comfortable as possible.

Traditionally it's practiced lying on the back with the head supported and comfortable and maybe even a rolled up blanket or a yoga bolster under the knees.

But Yoga Nidra can be practiced lying on the side or even seated.

It's important for you to choose which position is most beneficial to you where you can just really relax deeply.

So while you get settled,

I would like to just tell you a little bit about Yoga Nidra.

First and foremost,

It's a guided,

Effortless meditation and it takes you on a journey of deep rest.

In Yoga Nidra,

The body is asleep but the mind is awake with trace awareness,

Even if you do fall asleep.

In Sanskrit,

The word Nidra means sleep and this practice is sometimes referred to as the yogic sleep.

Yogic sleep is also a journey through our five subtle bodies called the koshas.

You could think of the koshas as sheaths and each sheath has its own attributes,

Going from the densest and the only tangible physical kosha and it's called the anamaya kosha.

So it's our gross physicality,

Our flesh and bones.

The second kosha is called the pranamaya kosha.

It's the energy body.

It's our breath.

It's our life force as prana.

The third sheath and even more subtle is the manamaya kosha and this is the body of emotion and thought.

The fourth kosha,

Getting even more subtle,

Is the vignanamaya kosha and this is the wisdom body.

This is where witness consciousness abides and the most subtle is the anandamaya kosha or the bliss body.

This is where we most closely connect with oneness or all that is.

So yoga nidra provides a framework to experience these layers individually and allows you to rest in conscious awareness,

Ultimately aligning us with the experience of our own true nature,

Which is divine peace.

So let's begin this journey.

Now that you've been lying in your little nidra nest for a few minutes,

Is there any adjustment you could make to help you feel a teeny bit more comfortable?

To help you really settle in,

We'll do a breathing practice called samavritti.

So we'll inhale to a count and then exhale to the same count.

And because everyone's breath capacity is different,

I'm not going to be guiding this.

You'll discover which count number works best for you so you can keep your breath peaceful.

No strain in the breath.

So bring your attention to your breath now and inhale and count.

And now exhale out all your breath to the same count.

It's fine to increase or decrease the count as you go.

So take a few moments now to connect with your breath and count.

Now with your next exhale,

Let go of the focus on the breath and shift your attention to your body.

Feel where your body makes contact with the surface beneath it,

The whole body relaxed,

Supported at ease and still.

As if your limbs,

Your backside and head are softening or melting into the surface.

And in this place of feeling so at ease,

So peaceful,

It's now time to invite a sankalpa into your practice.

And if you're not familiar with sankalpa,

The sankalpa is a Sanskrit word that could be defined as an intention or determination.

It's like an affirmation of a few words.

And it's always spoken in the positive present tense as if it's already manifested.

An example is my body is strong and balanced.

And you can feel free to use that sankalpa if you like.

My body is strong and balanced.

Take a moment to let your sankalpa come to you.

And when it has,

Or if you're going to use my example,

Repeat it three times in your mind.

Sankalpa is like planting a seed in your subconscious.

And so it is.

The next phase of yoga nidra is a rotation of consciousness.

So simply bring your awareness to the areas of your body I mentioned.

We'll begin with the tip of the tongue and the base of the tongue and the gums and teeth,

The inside of the cheeks.

Really feeling into the sensation in the inside of your mouth.

To the tip of the nose.

Feeling the air move in and out of the nostrils.

The right eye.

The left eye.

And both eyes at the same time.

Both eyes alive with sensation.

The center of the forehead.

The crown of the head.

Feeling the whole scalp now.

Could you sense this subtle sensation in your whole head?

Bringing your awareness now to the base of the neck or the hollow of the throat.

To the right shoulder.

Elbow.

Wrist.

Palm of the hand.

The thumb.

The first finger.

Second.

Third.

The right pinky finger.

The entire right hand is sensational.

Now the whole right arm.

Awareness of your entire right arm.

Allowing your awareness to land in the center of the chest.

And to the left shoulder.

Elbow.

Wrist.

The palm of the left hand.

The thumb.

First finger.

Second.

Third.

The left pinky finger.

Feeling into the entire left hand.

A subtle tingling sensation.

Left hand.

Now the whole left arm.

And the whole left arm.

Returning your awareness to the center of the chest.

The navel.

The right hip.

Knee.

Ankle.

And the sole of the right foot.

And all five toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

The whole right foot and all five toes.

And now the entire right leg.

To the pelvic bowl.

The left hip.

Knee.

Ankle.

And the sole of the left foot.

And all five toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

The entire left foot and all five toes.

Alive with sensation.

Now feeling into the left foot and leg as one.

Now an awareness of the whole body as one.

Could you sense a subtle current of vibration in your whole body?

The whole body subtly vibrating.

Now begin to tune into the gentle rise and fall of your breath.

Just noticing the already happening flow of your breath.

Noticing with each inhale how the diaphragm gently expands in the ribs and the chest.

And ever so subtly expanding.

And with the exhale notice the body returning to the place of the inhale.

Inhale and exhale.

Just experiencing your automatic breath.

And from here could you imagine that your inhale would go all the way to the crown of your head.

And then the exhale flowing through the body all the way to the soles of the feet.

Inhaling again through the body to the crown of the head.

And then releasing down and out through the soles of the feet.

Breathing with the whole body.

The soles of the feet through the body to the crown of the head.

And from the crown of the head through the body out the soles of the feet.

Be here breathing with your whole body until you hear my voice again.

Allow the breathing pattern to fade and shift your awareness to the entire backside of your body.

And you feel into the subtle awareness of the entire backside of your body.

The whole backside of your body.

Begin to let the awareness of the backside dissolve and guide your awareness to the entire front side of your body.

Give time for your attention to distribute into the whole front side of your body.

Feeling into the front side of the body.

Feeling that subtle sensation in the front side of the body.

Now could you begin to feel the front and backside of your body at the same time?

Feeling the front and backside of your body at the same time.

Now could you begin to dissolve all that awareness into the right hemisphere of your body?

The right side of the body.

The entire right side of the body.

Now smoothing all that attention into the whole left hemisphere of the body.

The whole left side of the body in your awareness now.

Now back to the right hemisphere.

To the left hemisphere.

Now can you come back to soaking your attention into both hemispheres equally?

Sensing both sides equally as one.

Feeling into the whole body as one.

The whole body alive with radiant sensation.

Next a visualization journey.

Could you imagine a sunrise?

The first light of the sun coming over the horizon.

Golden.

Vibrant.

Fresh.

The easy warmth of first light.

The easy warmth of first light softly caressing the skin of your face like the sweetest kiss.

You stand here with your eyes closed,

Savoring the moment.

The morning sun like a symbol of rebirth.

As you stand with the sun on your face,

You start to hear the chirp of birds singing so happily and playfully and celebrating the new light of day.

You begin to scan your vision to their joyful sound.

There they are,

Birds sitting in a leafy short tree.

A happy little creatures sharing in the joy of the new day.

Beyond the birds is a large green field.

Spacious grassy field.

This green field teeming with energy as the rays of the sun shine directly down on this expansive field.

The grass and the sun at midday.

Midday on a grassy field.

Now you can see a small pond.

This pond is completely still and surrounded by trees.

The still pond.

Even the life under the water does not disturb the stillness.

Here you dwell until dusk.

The image of dusk unfolds in this experience.

The deep hues of the fading daylight,

Grays,

Blues,

Lavenders,

Create a masterpiece of color for you to bask in.

Here you notice tiny fruit bats darting in the deep hues of dusk.

Fruit bats in the dusk.

The light completely fades into darkness now.

Can you imagine the first stars in the sky?

Several stars,

All different shapes.

The first stars of evening as if they were poking through as teeny holes in a black curtain.

And now you spot the silver sliver of the crescent moon.

The moon set in the sky,

Seemingly just suspended there in nothingness.

In the vast dark sky.

And seeing into this pitch darkness of the eyelids now.

Allowing the images to fade away.

Abiding in the space and stillness of your true nature.

Eloding in your true nature.

Allow yourself to completely let go.

You are safe to let all the edges blur.

You are the witness to sensations,

Thoughts,

And feelings.

You are pure awareness itself.

Bliss.

And float here until you hear my voice again.

Your sankalpa is here in this place of peace.

Align with your sankalpa.

You might repeat your sankalpa again three times.

Watering the seeds of your truest desire.

Now bring your attention to the gentle rise and fall of your breath within.

Perhaps deepen your breath a few times now.

Deep inhale and now softly expel out the exhale.

Again,

One more time.

Deep inhale and letting go.

Beginning to sense the body here.

Feeling how relaxed and at ease the body is.

Can you sense any sensations in the body in this stillness is there movement?

Softly lulling yourself from this place of yogic sleep.

Moving your attention to your toes and feet.

Just making some gentle movements.

Now the fingers and hands.

Slow intuitive movements.

Allowing your awareness to drift out even more.

What can you hear?

And sensing the room you're in.

Can you visualize yourself in this room?

The four walls,

The floor,

The ceiling.

Bringing your awareness back to your space.

Now you might welcome some bigger movements within your body.

Now you might roll to your side and just rest here.

And then your own time coming back to seated.

Maybe taking some big stretches with the arms.

Roll the neck and head.

Taking a few more deep breaths.

It's been my honors to guide you through this practice of yoga nidra.

May you find benefit now and for the hours and days ahead.

My name is Kumari and I look forward to guiding you through yoga nidra in the future.

Namaste.

Reviews

This is a perfectly balanced yoga nidra session. After participating in Kumaris live Q&A session yesterday it was a great pleasure to experience the different Kosha states. I am very grateful for that healing experience. Thank you so much, Kumari! ❤️

I completely powered down to a state of calm and relaxation. I am currently taking a Yoga Nidra teacher training and the description of the Kosha’s was valuable and digestible while in a state of bliss. Thank you✨💫😘

A beautiful yoga Nidra with such wonderful guidance. Thank you for the experience. 🙏❤️

Incredibly trippy for the not so long, beautiful imagery

Thank you for a beautiful yoga nidra experience🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻I loved the very clear description of the five koshas, and I loved that you guided me into all 5 koshas🙏🏻🌟💫🌟✨🌟🙏🏻

I Love learning about the koshas,agree with other reviewers about your calm and clear explanations. The imagery is so soothing. I listened before bed so I fell asleep and slept so well. Thank you 🙏

Loved this practice. I think I say this is in most of my reviews of your offerings here: I just love your gentle guidance and your explanations of the practice at the beginnings before you start. I get such lasting benefits from your nidras. Especially liked the field visualization in this one. Thank you Kumari!

Liked the calm guidance and rotation of counciousness very much in this yoga nidra. Thank you 🙏