Welcome,
Everybody,
To your yoga nidra practice.
Today we are going to explore asana within our series of yoga nidra or meditation through the eight limbs of yoga.
And this one is perhaps a little bit difficult or a little bit unusual to use in yoga nidra because asana means posture.
But we can think of it as the seat of awareness as we are in this posture of shivasana.
So we're just thinking of being at ease within the body and allowing that to take place.
So according to Patanjali,
All asana or all shape or all posture has an element of sukham,
Ease,
And satira,
Which is not really force but awareness.
So somewhere between those two is where we find that equilibrium in a posture or in a seat.
And of course,
Yoga asana doesn't necessarily need to be just done on a yoga mat.
It could be done at your desk.
It can be done now in shivasana.
Shivasana is considered to be one of the most important postures within yoga practice.
So I'd like you to find shivasana,
Which is corpse pose lying on your back,
Palms facing up.
You can do it on a yoga mat or on your bed.
Close the eyes down.
And then the first thing we do in the practice of yoga nidra is set a sankalpa.
And a sankalpa is a positive affirmation of something that you want to manifest within your life.
And if you're working on a sankalpa,
Then by all means,
Just follow through with that.
And that,
In fact,
Is what we'd advise to do until that particular sankalpa has come to pass or has manifest within your life.
But if you'd like to use a sankalpa for this particular practice and moving forward,
Then something along the lines,
I'm at ease within my body.
I feel comfortable within my skin.
I walk with a good posture.
I sit with a good posture.
I sleep well.
These are the types of sankalpas that you could use within this practice that would fit well.
Get yourself comfortable.
And then listen to your heart.
As I say,
Use your existing sankalpa or something else,
If you wish.
Listen.
And once you find the answer,
Bring it to mind.
Repeat three times and simply let go.
And the first thing that we do is a rotation of consciousness throughout the body.
And we're going to do this in a traditional manner,
Although we're not going to use the 61 points.
But we are going to start with the right hand thumb.
The index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
And the pinky finger.
The back of the hand,
The palm of the hand,
The wrist,
The forearm,
The elbow,
The upper arm,
The shoulder,
Armpit,
Rib cage,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle.
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Be aware of your right side of your body.
And now coming over to the left side.
Left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Rib cage,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle.
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Be aware of the left side of your body.
Take the awareness to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right buttocks,
Left buttocks,
Base of the spine,
Middle of the spine,
The whole spine together.
The shoulder blades,
The back of the head,
The forehead,
The eyes,
The nose,
The mouth,
The chin.
The front of the shoulders,
The chest,
The torso,
The hips,
Both feet together,
Both legs together,
Both hands together,
Both arms together.
The whole of the body.
Be aware of your body lying in the posture of shivasana.
Feel at ease within your body.
Allow yourself to become accustomed with the sensations within your body.
A sense of ease throughout your physical form.
And now,
Coming to the breath.
Once again,
Allow the body to feel easy.
And let the breath be soft and shallow.
Soft and shallow.
Belly rise and belly fall.
Belly rise and belly fall.
Soft and easy.
Soft and easy.
Bring the number 27 to might.
Breathe in 27.
Breathe out 27.
Breathe in 26.
Breathe out 26.
Breathe in 25.
Breathe out 25.
Keep the count going in that manner,
Down to zero.
Just allowing yourself to come deeper with the count and the breath.
And if you happen to lose the breath or the count,
Simply come back to 27 and start again.
Just a moment of silence here while you allow yourself to drift downward.
And drop the count,
Just the breath.
Be aware of your breath.
Becoming pure awareness.
Pure awareness.
Feel the mat against your body.
Feel the weight of your body.
Feel your body heavy.
And now,
Feel it light.
Very light.
Lightness in the body.
Feeling cold within the body.
Cold within the body.
And now,
A beautiful warmth.
Nothing but warmth.
Take the physical eyes and gently gaze at your third eye.
Gently gaze at your third eye.
And I'm going to suggest some images and I'd like you to visualize them to the best of your ability.
A yogi sitting in a lotus posture.
You sitting in the lotus posture.
A dancer on the stage with beautiful movement.
A dancer on the stage with beautiful movement.
A gymnast on the rings.
A gymnast on the rings.
Swimming through the ocean.
Swimming through the ocean.
Seeing the depth within the ocean.
Diving deeper and deeper.
Completely connected with your body.
Your body and mind in total symmetry.
Your body and mind in total symmetry.
Staring into the eyes of someone you love.
Staring into the eyes of somebody you love.
A feeling of connection.
A feeling of ease.
Sitting within the seat of your soul.
Connected.
In bliss.
In bliss.
Allowing yourself to stay here for a moment.
Silence for a few seconds.
Silence for a few seconds.
Come back to the breath.
Breathe the body.
Take control of your body and start to breathe.
Control the breathing.
And gently start to wiggle your toes and your fingers.
Gently coming back to this place.
Coming back now.
Coming back now.
Roll over onto one side if that suits in the posture of fetal posture.
And then when you're ready,
Sit up into a cross-legged pose.
Sukhasana.
Sitting up,
Cross-legged,
Keep the eyes closed.
Bring the hands into prayer pose.
We'll seal the practice with a three-ohm chant.
You can do it internally or externally,
Just as you please.
Taking a deep breath in.
Keep the prayer with the heart center.
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.
Thank you for joining me today in your yoga nidra practice for asana.
Look forward to being with you shortly.
All the best.
Much love.
Yogi Phoenix.
