My name is Yogi Phoenix,
And I'm going to take you through a yoga nidra class today that's the first of the niyamas,
Or santosha.
And santosha in English basically means contentment.
And so yoga nidra is ideal for that because it allows us to feel into contentment.
There's nothing to do here,
All you have to do is listen to my words and allow them to anchor you into the present moment.
So firstly I'd like you to find a comfortable position,
Generally speaking this is shavasana,
And that can be done on a yoga mat.
If you do it on a bed you may have a tendency to fall asleep and maybe that's what you need,
So there's no have-tos here.
You do what you think is best for you.
So I'd invite you now to find as much comfort as you possibly can based on where you've decided to place your body.
And once you've found that I want you to foster a sense of contentment within your own physical form.
The ability to get down onto a mat for instance,
And the ability to feel content about who you are.
Initially what we do when we start a yoga nidra practice is we set what's called a sankalpa.
And the sankalpa is a positive affirmation said in the present tense.
So a sankalpa for this particular practice may be something like,
I'm content with my life exactly as it is,
Or I feel contentment each time I'm with my family,
Or perhaps I'm content with my body.
So it's something that's poignant and something that's going to help you move forward with your life.
Positive affirmation said in the present tense because that's what the subconscious mind knows.
And what I like to initially do is to just drop into your heart and feel grateful.
So we all know what gratitude means,
But this is what I'm asking you to do is actually feel the essence of gratitude within the self.
Feel grateful for what you have.
Because sure as anything,
If we don't feel grateful for what we've got,
We're not going to get more.
Once you've got that feeling of gratitude,
Ask your heart what is it that it needs.
And as I say,
The theme for today is santosha,
So perhaps something to do with contentment.
Once you've got that feeling,
Once you've got the answer to your question,
Then bring it to mind.
Simply repeat it three times and let go.
Now if nothing came to mind for you,
I feel content with my life will do perfectly well.
Set your sankalpa,
And then just release it.
Set it free.
Let it go.
And the first area that we explore is the physical.
And we do this by going through a rotation of consciousness throughout the body.
I'm going to suggest some body parts to you,
And simply I'd like you simply to take your awareness to the body part that I suggest.
There's nothing you can do wrongly here,
So don't ever think that,
Oh did I do it right or did I do it right?
It doesn't matter.
Just listen and allow yourself to become deep with my words.
So traditionally with this practice,
We start with the right thumb.
So take your awareness to the right thumb.
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Ribcage,
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.
Take your awareness to the left side of your body.
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,
Ribcage,
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.
Take your awareness to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right buttocks,
Left buttocks,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
The forehead,
The eyes,
The nose,
The mouth,
The chin,
The throat,
The heart center,
The pelvis,
The feet together,
The legs together,
The arms and hands together,
The torso,
The head,
The whole of the body.
Simply be aware of your body lying in yoga nidra.
A feeling of contentment throughout your body.
Be content with your body and feel into your body lying in yoga nidra.
And next we come to the breath.
So I'd like you to just be aware of the breath.
Nothing to do here,
Just watch the body breathing.
Feel the air moving in and out of the nostrils.
Cool on the way in,
Warm on the way out.
Feel the belly rise and the belly fall.
Just feel the body breathing.
From here bring the number 27 to mind.
Breathe in 27,
Breathe out 27.
Breathe in 26,
Breathe out 26.
Breathe in 25,
Breathe out 25.
And keep the count going in that manner all the way down to zero.
Getting deeper with the count.
Counting downwards.
Deeper and deeper with the count.
Let the pause be as it wants to be at the end of the exhalation.
Counting downward now.
If you lose the count,
Just come back to 27 and start again.
Wherever you are,
Drop the count,
Just the breath.
Just the breath.
Watch the body breathing.
Pure awareness.
Watching the body breathing.
March deeper now.
March deeper now.
Imagine the body feeling very light.
So light that it feels as if it's drifting towards the ceiling.
Drifting upward.
Very light.
And take the opposite.
A feeling of heaviness.
A feeling of heaviness.
Take your mind to a place where you are uneasy,
Unsettled,
Discontented,
On edge.
Feel the feeling of discontentment.
Just the feeling.
And now take the opposite.
Nothing but contentment.
A feeling of pure content.
Everything is exactly as it should be.
Everything is exactly as it's meant to be.
And you are meant to be here with the content.
Be contented.
Take your physical eyes and gently gaze at your third eye.
That space in your brow,
In between your eyebrows,
Somewhere in the middle of your brow,
Thereabouts.
Gently gaze there.
And notice the comings and goings there.
The inky darkness,
The colors,
The patterns.
Allow yourself to be involved.
Nothing to do.
Be involved.
I'm going to suggest some images.
I'd like you to play them out to the best of your ability.
A cold,
Windy day.
A cold,
Windy day.
Freezing cold.
Sitting in front of a warm fire.
Sitting in front of a warm fire.
Feel the glow of the fire.
Watching the flames.
Red and orange.
A beautiful warmth.
Walking along a beach.
A sunny day.
Blue skies.
Birds singing.
People laughing.
Sitting down by the water's edge.
Staring into the horizon.
Holding hands with your best friend.
A feeling of pure bliss.
A feeling of pure bliss and contentment.
Santosha.
Santosha.
Stay in that space.
We'll be silent for a few minutes.
In that space,
In that deep,
Beautiful space,
Bring to mind your sankalpa.
Exactly the same as you said at the beginning of the practice.
Bring it to mind.
Repeat it three times.
And let go.
So important for us to let go.
Have faith.
Believe.
And this will manifest in your life.
Start to feel the breath again.
Start to breathe the body.
Recognize the space you're in,
The room you're in.
Gently start to move the body,
The fingers and the toes,
And bring some energy back.
Bringing more energy back to the body.
A little bit more movement now.
A little bit more movement now.
When you're ready,
Sit up nice and tall.
Bring some energy into the body.
The practice of yoga nidra is finished.
Thank you very much.
Hopefully we will see you again soon.
