Yoga Nidra The Breath Of Life – Prāṇāyāma & Inner Stillness

Journey through deep relaxation with a focus on Prāṇāyāma—the fourth limb of yoga. This guided Yoga Nidra combines conscious breathing, subtle awareness, and deep rest to harmonise body, mind, and spirit. A practice for clarity, vitality, and inner balance. A part of the series "A meditative journey through the 8 Limbs of Yoga."

Transcript

Hello and welcome to our yoga nidra session. Today's session is going to be themed on pranayama, Which is the fourth limb of Patanjali's eight limbs of yoga. Pranayama, It basically means life force observation. Prana is the life force that we believe pervades everything, From the tiniest insect, A blade of grass to the universe. And the main way that we receive prana or life force energy is through the breath. There are other ways, Of course, Through your food and through the sunshine, Etc. But the main way is through the breath. We can't live very long without breathing, As I'm sure you're aware. So I'd like you to now simply just get prepared. Come into the position or asana of shivasana. And then just settle down and focus on your breathing. Just feeling the breath moving in and out of the body. So pranayama relates to the second of our sheaths or koshas, The pranamaya kosha or the energy body. So right now, I just want you to think of yourself as pure energy, Being fed by a universal force called prana. Feeling the aliveness of yourselves. And asana, As we did the last time, Is connected with the first of the koshas, The anamaya kosha. So I'd like you, As you know, To start to identify with your body. Get out of your mind and identify with your body. If you are using a sankalpa or an intention, This is a good time to introduce it to your mind. Repeat it three times and simply let go. The sankalpa is a positive affirmation of something that we want to manifest within our lives, Said in the present tense. Feel your body on the ground. Feel the sensations of the body on the ground. Bring your awareness to the back of your body and feel the sensations between the back of your heels and your mat or bed if you're on a bed. Simply be aware of that sensation and gently flow or move the awareness up into the calf muscles. Feel the aliveness of your body, Moving up into the back of the legs, The top of the legs, The hamstrings and the glutes, The base of your spine and the middle of the spine, The top of the spine and the whole spine together, The shoulder blades, The back of your arms, The back of your hands, The back of your head, The top of your head, Your whole face together. Feel your face. Taste the taste within your mouth. Listen to the sound. Feel your throat and the chest area, The midriff and the pelvis, The front of your legs, Your kneecaps, Your shins and your feet. Feel the legs together, The hands and the arms together, The body, The head. And the whole of your body lying in yoga nidra. Allow yourself to be awareness of sensation, Just how the body responds to sensation. Feeling into that. And next, Just simply come to the breath. Come to the breath. And as I mentioned, This is the second sheath or the pranamirakosha, Your energy body. Feel the breath moving in and out of the nostrils. Feel the belly rise and the belly fall. Belly rise and belly fall. And as I said, Yama can be translated into observation. So, Observe the prana. Feel the aliveness, Pure energy. Feel the energy in your body become aware, Abundant, Non-transferable, Pure, Eternal energy. Deeper and deeper with the breath. Much, Much deeper now. And from here, Just imagine your body feeling very light. So light that it's drifting toward the ceiling, Lightness in the body. And now, Imagine it feeling very heavy, Heavy in the body. Use your imagination and your recall to imagine being upset, Ill at, Maybe somebody upset you. Just take yourself there. And now, Forget the situation. Just the feeling. Just the feeling. And let's take the opposite. Peace, Harmony, And love. Well-being. Harmony and love. Feel that energy of that emotion. Feel it throughout your entire existence. Relate with it. Relate with it. Very deep now. Very deep now. Take your physical eyes and gently gaze at your third eye. I'm going to say, Suggest a little journey with some images. I'd like you to visualize the best you can. Just listen to my words. Swimming in the ocean. Swimming in the ocean. Caught in a wave. Can't breathe. Nowhere. And now, Full breath of air. Feeling your lungs. Feel your lung. Swimming along beside the beach. A beautiful day. Sun on your back. Waves lapping at your feet. Staring into the distant. Staring into the distant. A sunset. A sunrise. In love. A blissful feeling. A blissful feeling. Remain in bliss. I'm going to be quiet for a little while. Just allow yourself this moment of silence. Be in bliss. In this space, Reintroduce your sankalpa. Repeat it three times and simply let go. Just let go. And then, Return to the breath. Breathe the body. Gently breathing the body. Life force energy. Feel the energy returning into your body. Wiggle the toes and fingers. Taking some deeper movement. Maybe start to flutter the eyes open. Gently coming back to this level of consciousness. Breathing into the body. Feeling alive. Ready for the rest of your day or bed if it's before bed. The practice of yoga nidra is finished. Thank you for joining me. Bring your hands into prayer. In front of the heart. May we have love in our heart. Bring the hands to the lips. May we have truth in the speech. Hands to the forehead. May we have gratitude in the mind. Until we meet again, Much love. Yogi Phoenix.