Welcome to Yoga Nidra for a Calm Mind.
In this session we will begin to smooth out the ripples of the mind and sink down deep into a space where the mind is fully relaxed and still.
Begin by finding a comfortable place to lie down.
Cover up if you tend to get chilly.
Ensure that you are as comfortable as possible.
And whenever you're ready,
We'll begin by closing the eyes and bringing the attention inward.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through the mouth.
Again,
Inhale deeply and let go completely.
Let your whole body relax and let your mind be quiet,
Slowly disengaging from thoughts,
Images or worries.
Immerse yourself fully in the experience of this moment.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Feel the rise and fall of every inhalation and exhalation.
We will now combine the breath with the sounds of a humming bumblebee.
As we do,
Let your awareness be filled completely with the vibration of the humming and vary the pitch to maximize impact.
Close your ears by gently pressing your thumbs to the ear flap at the front of the opening of your ear.
Let the rest of your fingers rest on your forehead.
Make sure you can still hear the instructions.
And if you have headphones in,
Wait to hear the instructions and then pause the video and do this exercise.
Take a deep breath in,
Keep your lips closed and follow me as we begin to hum.
You can do this a few more times if you would like to.
Now,
Breathe normally.
Once again,
Relax your arms down to your sides and do absolutely nothing.
Bring your full awareness to the remnants of the vibration of the bumblebee breath in your head,
In your chest,
Your arms and your legs and your whole body.
Be silent,
Be still.
And from this moment on,
Remain still as possible.
And if you need to make any adjustments to your posture during the practice,
Do so mindfully,
Slowly and return to stillness as soon as you are able.
Stay connected to the sound of my voice and resolve to remain awake.
Let your whole body respond to what I say without any commentary or judgement effortlessly and automatically as if my voice was your voice.
Now,
Move from thinking to feeling and from doing to non-doing.
Relax.
Bring your attention once again to the breath and slowly deepen each inhalation and exhalation.
Notice the flow of each breath,
Slow and steady.
Remain connected to the unbroken stream of every breath in and out.
Bring your full attention to the belly rising and falling with every breath.
Now,
Begin to count your breaths backwards from 27 to 0.
Counting in this way,
Inhaling 27,
Exhaling 27,
Inhaling 26,
Exhaling 26.
Continue until you reach 0.
And if you lose count or drift off,
Simply start again without judgement.
Stay present to the count,
Keep the breaths flowing steadily in and out.
Remain connected to the sensations of the belly rising and falling with every breath.
Become more and more relaxed with each count,
Completely absorbed in the breath.
Now,
Wherever you are,
Release the counting and simply be aware of the breath.
Let the breath move freely throughout the body,
Relax fully.
And from this point forward,
Do absolutely nothing.
Remain relaxed and rest back into the depths of your being.
Let the breath move freely into the depths of your being.
Sense the body with a loosely held feel of energy.
Every cell of the body vibrating,
Tingling,
Pulsing,
Spacious,
Relaxed.
Without any effort,
Bring your attention to the sounds coming from your right.
Notice the sounds that are most obvious.
Notice the sounds that are more subtle,
Barely perceptible.
Become immersed in the details of all the sounds heard to your right.
Now bring your attention to the sounds coming from your left.
Notice the sounds that are most obvious.
Notice the sounds that are more subtle.
Become immersed in the details of all the sounds heard from your left.
Now bring attention to the sounds on both the left and right simultaneously.
Attend to every detail.
Hold your attention widely,
Hearing all the sounds on both sides at the same time.
Remain open,
Vast,
Unfocused.
And if you find yourself focusing on one side or the other,
Relax again into receiving both sides,
All sounds evenly.
Stay relaxed,
Be receptive.
Gently return to your normal,
Relaxed state.
Imagine you are strolling along on a gorgeous tropical beach.
It is early in the morning and you're completely alone.
As you walk,
You take in the soothing smell of salt air.
Feel the cold sand in your toes.
And you enjoy the caress of the soft ocean breeze on your skin.
You stop and turn to watch the waves rolling in from the expanse of water before you.
Listen.
You hear a crash of the waves on the shore,
A call of seagulls circling overhead.
And suddenly a thunderclap.
You look up and the sky has become dark with clouds and it rains.
You continue your walk down the beach.
The falling rain darkens the color of the sand and begins to soak through your clothing.
But it is warm,
Refreshing,
And pleasant.
You smile.
As you walk,
The storm subsides and the sun begins to peek through the clouds and its warm rays feel good on your skin.
Your clothes are drying and you look up and squint as the warmth of the sun penetrates your face.
And for no reason you break into a run,
A joyous childlike gallop along the seashore.
You are filled with the warmth and happiness and joy you haven't known for years.
You stop,
Look around,
And take in all the wonder of nature,
The sights,
The sounds,
The sensations,
And the smells.
You breathe in deeply.
Grateful for this breath.
Grateful for this moment.
Grateful for life.
Feel yourself open,
Empty,
Free from all effort.
Allow yourself to drop into the deepest state of relaxation right now.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax deeply,
Open yourself completely,
And allow any unhelpful tendencies,
Patterns,
Or habits come to mind.
And with each exhalation,
Feel yourself progressively set more free from these unhelpful tendencies.
Relax more deeply.
Feel more free.
Let your intention be to continue to feel joyously free from that which once limited you.
Relax and trust here and now.
Trust that whatever releases,
Shifts,
And changes that need to happen for your highest good are happening without you needing to do anything about it.
Be spacious,
Calm,
And at ease.
Notice now that you have uncovered a new and more harmonious way of seeing and being.
This new perspective will allow you to relate to your thoughts,
Your emotions,
And the world around you in a new and more accepting way.
Remember that this perspective can be cultivated and expanded,
And all you need to do is resolve to nurture it,
Both in your formal practice and your daily life.
It is in this way that you create your experience of life.
Slowly begin to bring your attention back to your breath.
Without any effort to control or manipulate,
Simply become aware of the rising and falling of the abdomen.
Just observe the spontaneous flow of breath moving in and breath moving out.
Now begin to become more aware of your physical experience.
Feel the weight of the body on the floor,
The temperature of air on the skin,
The movement of breath in the belly,
And stay relaxed.
And as you feel ready,
Begin to bring a bit of movement into fingers and toes.
Be mindful,
Move slowly,
Maybe allowing some gentle stretching of arms and legs.
Of course,
If the impulse is to remain still,
Simply relax.
Whenever you feel ready,
Bend the knees,
Bringing the feet to whatever surface you're lying on,
And gently roll over onto your right side.
Rest here in fetal position with the eyes closed.
You can stay here for a while,
Or if you feel ready,
Slowly use the strength of the arms to press yourself up to a comfortable seat.
Be mindful and keep the eyes closed if possible.
Sit tall and allow the heart to be buoyant.
Relax.
Notice the calm of the breath,
And the stillness of the mind,
And the spaciousness of your being.
Appreciate yourself or nourishing yourself and your life with this practice today.
Let me choose to sit here as long as you'd like.
I thank you for allowing me to share this practice with you today.
Thank you for being with me today.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
