Yoga Nidra For Deep Mental Rest

Hello and welcome to Yoga Nidra for Deep Mental Rest. In this session we will be carrying our energy out of the mind and into the body. Our minds are powerful tools that can solve problems and also, cause problems. In this session we will be giving the mind a well deserved rest. Take a moment before beginning to ensure you are as comfortable as possible. See you there! :)

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Yoga Nidra for Deep Mental Rest.

In this session,

We will be carrying our energy out of the mind and into the body.

Our minds are powerful tools that can solve problems and also cause problems.

So in this session,

We will be taking the energy out of the mind,

Allowing the mind to take a well-deserved rest.

Before we begin,

I encourage you to take a moment to pause the recording if you need and make any adjustments to your posture,

To your surroundings,

Anything to ensure you are as absolutely comfortable as possible and return whenever you are ready.

We will begin by closing the eyes,

If they are not closed already,

And bring your attention inward.

Take a deep breath in through the nose,

Open the mouth and let it go.

Good,

Again,

Deep breath in through the nose,

Open the mouth and let it go.

Allow your whole body to relax and let the mind grow quiet,

Slowly disengaging from thoughts,

Images or worries and just allow yourself to be fully immersed in the experience of this moment.

The following exercise is optional.

If you choose not to participate,

Simply allow your attention to permeate the areas mentioned,

Remaining completely relaxed.

Let the palms of your hands come together in front of the heart.

Rub them vigorously in a way that heat begins to build in the palms.

Keep rubbing and feel the heat increasing.

Continue rubbing and now bring the palms to the face,

Fingertips resting on your closed eyes and the entire surface of the palms resting on the skin of your face.

Feel the flesh of the face begin to respond to the warmth of the hands,

Softening,

Relaxing.

Let the warmth permeate and release every muscle,

Melting away any tension or expression from the face.

Now begin a gentle massage of the face.

Beginning at the forehead,

Make small circles with the fingertips and allow yourself to receive the sensation of this massage as if it were being provided by a loving friend.

Let the fingers work their way to the hairline and down to the temples,

Moving slowly,

Meticulously.

And now down to the jaw,

Around the ears,

And maybe even pulling on the outer architecture of the ears gently.

Following the jawline down to the chin,

Massaging around the mouth and lips.

Take your time and be fully present,

To the cheeks,

Under the eye sockets,

The bridge of the nose,

Moving to the back of the neck,

Squeezing slowly and purposefully.

Now once again,

Place the entire surface of the palms on the face,

Fingertips resting on the eyelids.

Feel the heat and energy from your hands soaking deeply into every muscle of the face.

Let go of any lingering tension.

Inhale deeply,

Exhale and let go even more.

Slowly float your arms down to your sides and sense a feeling of pervasive ease,

Washing all throughout your body.

Remain present to every sensation.

From this moment on,

Remain as still as possible and if you need to make any adjustments to your posture during the practice,

Do so mindfully and 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 judgment,

Effortlessly and automatically,

As if my voice was your voice.

Now move from thinking to feeling and from doing to non-doing,

Relax and allow attention to rest on the movement of breath.

Begin to take a few deeper breaths,

Allowing the inhalations to become a little longer and the exhalations a little more complete.

With every breath,

Let the whole torso awaken,

Feeling new energy permeating your belly,

Chest and back.

With your next inhalation,

Slightly contract the back of your throat to begin the ujjayi breath.

Keep the throat slightly contracted as you exhale fully.

Notice how every breath creates an ocean-like sound,

Like waves crashing onto a shore and returning to sea.

Continue to breathe in and out fully,

Without struggle.

Remain completely absorbed in the sound and sensations of the ujjayi breath.

Now release any control over the breath and relax the throat.

Let the breath become quiet and soft.

Be still and relax into the deepest stillness at the core of your being.

From this point forward,

Do absolutely nothing.

As you hear the name of each of the following body parts,

Allow your attention to move to that place and feel a sense of intense heaviness permeate the location,

Pulling that body part down into the floor or surface beneath you.

Both feet heavy like an anchor,

Calves and knees hefty and solid,

Thighs and hips dense like concrete weighing you down,

Abdomen,

Chest,

And back,

Gravity pulling you down,

Shoulders,

Arms,

And palms pinned to the floor by their weight,

Your entire head heavy like a giant stone.

Now experience your whole body overcome by heaviness,

Sinking deeper and deeper.

Feel the powerful pull of gravity drawing you down everywhere.

Now relax into the deepest places of silence and stillness.

Now as you hear the name of each of the following body parts,

Allow your attention to move to that place and watch the feeling of heaviness fall away and feel a sense of buoyancy and lightness permeate the location.

Let your body be light,

Weightless and free,

Hollow like a reed.

Both feet floating weightless,

Calves and knees hollow and empty,

Thighs and hips porous,

Abdomen,

Chest,

And back buoyant,

Shoulders,

Arms,

And palms feathery hovering,

Head spacious and light.

Now feel your whole body as weightless and free.

Sense the feeling of lightness.

Notice the silence in the mind.

Now imagine you are a seed and that you have just been planted in the soil.

You feel the soil all around you.

You smell its earthiness.

You're surrounded in darkness.

Rain begins to fall from the sky and the soil above you is getting wet.

You feel the moistness.

You feel the coolness.

As the sun comes out,

It shines on the earth and the soil starts to dry.

You can feel the warm energy of the sun.

You feel a pull to see the sun and its light directly.

It is the pressure of the soil atop of you that tells you which way you must grow.

You reach out through the surface of the earth with a tiny green shoot.

You reach downward further into the earth with roots.

It is the roots that fuel your journey upward with nourishment and support.

Your roots reach deeper and this allows you to grow taller up and up through the soil and into the light of the sun.

In a short time,

You find yourself blossoming into your fullness as a tree,

A sturdy trunk,

Strong limbs,

And full of bright green leaves.

Feel yourself fully expressed as a majestic tree,

Completely unique,

Confident,

Important,

And vibrant.

You feel yourself as a mighty contributor in a larger picture.

As you absorb water through your roots and receive the sunlight through your leaves,

You give off life-sustaining oxygen for those around you to breathe.

The more nourishment you receive,

The more you give to the living planet around you.

Your fruit is now growing from your limbs and people and animals are coming to enjoy your gifts.

Your presence and your gifts make them very happy.

After some time,

Your fruit is falling to the earth beneath and is rotting in the soil.

You find yourself once again a seed hidden in the fruit and the entire process of transformation begins anew.

You are a part of the whole.

Your contribution is needed.

Relax and trust.

Feel yourself open,

Empty,

Free from all effort.

Allow yourself to dissolve into the silent background of experience.

Thoughts rising and falling.

Sounds coming and going.

Sensations arising and passing.

Relax as the ever-still and silent space of awareness in which all is happening.

As you receive the following intentions,

Allow every cell in your being to remain open,

Relaxed,

And receptive.

I am the spacious awareness in which my entire life arises.

I am the spacious awareness in which my entire life arises.

I am peaceful in the midst of commotion and I am changeless in the midst of change.

I am peaceful in the midst of commotion and I am changeless in the midst of change.

I am the witness observing thoughts,

Images,

And sounds like clouds moving through a clear blue sky.

I am the witness observing thoughts,

Images,

And sounds like clouds moving through a clear blue sky.

Relax and trust here and now.

Trust that whatever releases,

Shifts,

And changes that need to happen for your highest good are happening without your 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 also in your daily life.

It is in this way that you create your experience of life.

Now gently begin to bring your attention back to your breath.

Without any effort to control or change the breath,

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,

The temperature of air against the skin,

And the movement of breath in the belly.

Stay relaxed.

And as you feel ready,

Begin to bring a bit of movement into fingers and toes.

Be mindful and move slowly.

And maybe allowing some gentle stretching of arms or legs.

And of course if the impulse is to remain still,

Simply relax.

And if you'd like to continue lying here for a few more minutes,

You are more than welcome to do so.

Otherwise,

When you feel ready,

Bend the knees and gently roll over onto your right side.

Rest here in fetal position with the eyes closed.

And now slowly use the strength of your arms to press your way up to a comfortable seat.

Be mindful and keep the eyes closed if possible.

And whether you are sitting or lying down,

Bring your attention to the heart center.

Notice the calm of the breath,

The stillness of the mind,

And the overall spaciousness of your being.

And make an intention to carry this level of peace and ease into the rest of your day,

Perhaps even into the next few days.

Take a moment to appreciate yourself for nourishing yourself and your life with this practice today.

And I thank you for tuning in today.

The music will play for a few more moments,

So feel free to rest here if you'd like.

And I'll see you next time.