Calm Your Mind, Break Old Habits

In this Yoga Nidra practice, we explore the often misunderstood nature of karma — the great law of cause and effect. You are not being punished or rewarded; you are creating your own destiny through your thoughts, actions, and choices.

As you settle into stillness, you’ll be guided to release old patterns, become aware of unconscious conditioning, and reconnect with your ability to respond rather than react. This is not about controlling life, but about working with it — allowing its natural flow while taking full responsibility for how you show up within it.

Through deep relaxation and quiet awareness, you’ll begin to understand your place in the greater whole — not as a passive observer, but as an active participant in shaping your experience.

A practice of insight, responsibility, and gentle transformation.

Transcript

All right, Okay, Time for yoga nidra. So as you all know, One of the compelling features of the way we look at yoga nidra is by getting comfortable. You've got to try and get as comfortable as you can. The discomfort and uneasiness will distract from the practice. So yes, It's our yoga mat, And you're a little bit compromised as far as comfort is concerned. Of course, This can be done by yourselves on a bed, Et cetera, Although I do find that on the bed will tend to reduce sleep. So the slight discomfort that you find on the floor or yoga mat is perhaps, Well, Good for you, Really, As far as the practice is concerned. Yoga nidra is designed to induce a hypogonic state, As you know, And we're not trying to do anything. We're just allowing the practice to unfold for us. So if we just get back to, Because this is going to be about karma and its influence on us, But the understanding is that karma is basically breaking unconscious habits, Releasing old patterns and choosing new ones. If you want to change your karma, That's what is necessary to do that. But karma, As I said before, It doesn't happen to you. You're not being punished for some misdeed, But the patterns repeat unconsciously. And through guided awareness and deep rest, You begin to recognize these habitual patterns. And then once you become aware, As I've said before so many times, Then you have the power to change. So, As I said, Karma is a pattern. What repeats becomes familiar, And what is familiar feels like you, Oh, That's just the way I am. That's just me. Well, I would question that. There are, Of course, Things in your life that you can't change, And I think inherently people are born with traits, Like they're born to be a certain height. So there's certainly that aspect to it too, But we're looking at karmic action and responsibility here. So, As you know, The first thing we do when we practice yoga nidra is we set an intention or a sankhapa. And if you're working with one, Then this is the time to set it. And if you're not, Or you want to change it, Just listen to your heart. If there's something that's come up as far as karmic actions are concerned or habits, Then maybe you can pick one of them and choose to change, Because that's all it's about. Choose to change. Let go of the sankhapa and bring your awareness of your body to your mouth, Simply being aware of the taste within your mouth. Perhaps the feeling of the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Perhaps you could let the tongue drop down. The feeling of the cheeks against the gums and that slippery wetness that has a certain taste to it, That taste. See if you can just be involved in that taste, That taste that's always present. And then bring your awareness to your hearing and listen, Just simply listen. Listen to any noises that might be occurring outside of the room, Or simply listen to the silence. Stretch the hearing out as far as it will go, Listening, Listening, Listening, And bring the awareness to your nose. And is there any fragrances, Any smells, Anything that you can discern? And if not, Feel the sensation within the nose, Feel the breath moving in and out of the nostril, That cooling sensation as it enters into the nose and a warm sensation as it exits the nose. Feel the belly rise and the belly fall, Belly rise and belly fall, Soft and easy, And bring the number 27 to mind. Breathe in 27, Breathe out 27, Breathe in 26, Breathe out 26, Breathe in 25, Breathe out 25. Now keep the pattern going just like that, Using your own cadence, Of course, As far as the breath is concerned, In your own time. And if you happen to drop, Lose the count, Drop it, That's just fine, You can either just leave it dropped, Or you can come back to 27 and start again. If you haven't already dropped the count, Now's the time to do it. Let go of the count and simply be aware of the body breathing, Just a simple awareness of the body breathing, Nothing to try to do here. Just allowing this present moment to unfold for you, Awareness of that unfolding, Watching the body breathing. And then simply imagine your body becoming heavy, Or feel the heaviness that's already there, That connection between the mat and you, Feel the connection there. And feel the material aspect of yourself, The heaviness. And now feel the lightness within you, The space within you, The space without you, The union between that, Spaciousness, Lightness, And ease. Take yourself back to a situation where something, Anything, Small or large, Has gone wrong, And it stopped you in your tracks, Just examine how you responded to that, Was it appropriate? Let go of that, And bring your awareness to your mind's eye, Follow my words, Allow them to anchor you, And play some of the images I suggest in your mind, Walking along the beach, Waves crashing, The color of the sand, A feeling of sand between your toes, The lapping of the waves against your feet, Seagulls overhead, Blue skies, Fluffy clouds, The smell of the sea. People laughing on a beach, A red beach ball, Children playing, Somebody swimming in the waves, Sitting down, Looking out, A feeling of bliss, A feeling of bliss, Letting go of everything, Being present and aware, And in that space, Reintroduce your sankalpa, Or your intention, Reintroduce it in your mind, Repeat it three times and simply let go, Just let go, And then come to the breath again, Feel the body breathing, Feel the body breathing, Take control of the breath, And slowly start to make your way back to this level, Wiggle the toes and the fingers, Move your body, Gently coming back, Gently coming back, Come back, And find your way into a seated posture, And we'll seal the practice with a three-yawn mantra, So bringing the hands into namaskar, And then taking a deep breath in, Keep the prayer with the heart center, And may we have love in our hearts, Bring the prayer to the lips, May we have truth in the speech, Prayer to the forehead, May we have gratitude in the mind, Prayer back down to the heart center and by the head, Namaste.