To this calm and safe haven,
Away from all the hustle and the bustle.
To prepare for the practice known as Yoga Nidra,
I invite you to find a comfortable position.
Laying down on your back,
Allowing your arms to come out from the body,
Palms to be turned upwards towards the sky,
Legs separated and toes flopping out to the side.
This pose is known as Shavasana and translates to the dead man's pose.
Feel the earth beneath you supporting you.
Before we go any further,
I invite you to set an intention for today's practice.
Take your intention in the present tense and state it three times clearly within your mind.
If you did struggle to set an intention,
I'll share one with you now.
I AM ABUNDANCE I AM ABUNDANCE I AM ABUNDANCE Know that intentions set in Yoga Nidra are bound to come true.
Now allow yourself to visualize within your mind's eye an object without beginning or end.
In the ancient Zen tradition,
It was common to be asked a question with the sole purpose of tease you out of your mind.
Here are three of those questions.
Who are you?
Who are you really?
Deep,
Deep down,
Far,
Far in.
How will it be to go to sleep and never wake up?
How will it be to go to sleep and never wake up?
And how was it to wake up after never have gone to sleep?
This brings us all the way back to the objects without a beginning nor an end,
A circle.
What has been will be,
What will be has been,
Round and around.
Now bring your awareness to your belly,
Observe how it rises and falls.
Follow your breath without controlling it.
Simply observe.
Listen to the sound of your breath as it comes and goes.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Listen to the sounds within you.
Bring all of your awareness to the palm of the right hand.
Feel this warm tingling sensation,
Growing and expanding.
Now see if you can feel it in the left palm.
See if you can feel it in the space between your eyebrows.
Feel the aliveness of your energetical body awakening.
Feel the flow of prana or chi circulating within you.
Feel this healing and rejuvenating force spreading throughout the body.
Allow your conscious awareness to direct it to areas within your body that needs extra love and attention today.
We will together count from 27 to 1 like this.
Inhale 27,
Belly rises.
Exhale 27,
Belly falls.
Inhale 26,
Belly rises.
Exhale 26,
Belly falls.
Inhale 25,
Belly rises.
Exhale 25,
Belly falls.
Inhale 24,
Belly rises.
Exhale 24,
Belly falls.
Inhale 23,
Belly rises.
Exhale 23,
Belly falls.
Inhale 22,
Belly rises.
Exhale 22,
Belly falls.
Inhale 21,
Belly rises.
Exhale 21,
Belly falls.
Inhale 20,
Belly rises.
Exhale 20,
Belly falls.
Inhale 19,
Belly rises.
Exhale 19,
Belly falls.
Inhale 18,
Belly rises.
Exhale 18,
Belly falls.
Continue this count until you reach 1.
Then visualize yourself lying in green summer grass,
The earth beneath you is warmed up by the sun,
The warm summer rays is filling your body up with energy and warmth,
The sky above you is blue,
Gentle clouds are sailing past,
You walk bare feet across the field,
Around this beautiful green field grows a mighty vast forest,
The trees are waving at you in the wind,
In the middle of the field stands an ancient weathered well made of stone,
A heavy wooden lid lies on top of it,
You walk up to the well and push away the lid and as you gaze down into the well an enormous amount of light is shining up from it and with familiarity you gaze down and recognize that deep deep down,
Far far in that light is you,
The source of pure light was never born and could never die,
Now that even in the darkest of moments this light burns within you,
Permeates you,
Whatever has happened or will happen cannot taint it,
Cannot change it,
Know that this safe haven is always there for you,
Always there for you,
May you go forth from here in abundance and bliss and as always stay blessed by the breath.
