Yoga Nidra: Mind Awake Body Asleep

Yoga Nidra Mind Awake Body Asleep. Today’s 40-minute Yoga Nidra invites you to remain awake and aware whilst your body deeply rests. You aren’t practicing Yoga Nidra in the wrong way if you fall asleep, sometimes your body needs that rest but there is a fountain of experience and insight to glean when you try to remain awake and aware throughout the entire duration of the Yoga Nidra. Often during a Yoga Nidra, you move between various states of consciousness hence that feeling of waking up that can happen. Yoga Nidra actually leads you to the hypnagogic state, the state between waking and sleeping and extends the time there to beyond the 2 to 5 minutes that we experience when we fall asleep at night. And so, today’s Yoga Nidra invites you to try to remain awake and aware and see what you feel and experience and if you fall asleep, that is absolutely okay too, wherever you land is absolutely perfect.

Transcript

Lying down on your back in shavasana,

Either on a yoga mat,

Or on your bed,

Or any comfortable surface where you are safe to enter a deep state of rest.

You might place a rolled up blanket,

Cushion or yoga bolster underneath your knees.

This is especially beneficial if you have a sensitive lower back.

Bring your legs together so they are touching,

And let the feet fall open.

Let your legs relax.

Let go of any holding in the legs.

You might lift your shoulder blades off the earth,

And then place them back down to allow them to lie flat.

Soften the whole body.

Allow yourself to sink back into the earth.

Release any expression from your face.

Let your eyes become heavy.

Feel the eyes resting back into your skull.

Relax the jaw,

The tongue and the throat.

With each exhalation feel yourself sinking in a little deeper,

Letting go a little more.

Feel your whole body become completely relaxed.

Feel the points of contact of the body on the surface beneath you,

And imagine deep roots growing into the earth from those points of contact.

Make a strong resolve to stay awake and conscious during the practice.

Saying to yourself,

I remain awake and aware throughout my yoga nidra practice.

I remain awake and aware throughout my yoga nidra practice.

Now invite in your intention,

Your sankalpa,

A positive change that you would like to see in your life.

It may have to do with your spiritual practice,

Your yoga practice,

Or a behavior you would like to change.

Or you might simply work with the sankalpa I offer you.

I remain awake and aware of my actions,

My thoughts,

And my words.

I remain awake and aware of my actions,

My thoughts,

And my words.

Repeating your sankalpa three times,

Silently in your mind.

Repeating it slowly and clearly to yourself,

And noticing where the body makes contact with the earth underneath you.

Feel the earth rising up to support the entire body,

Allowing the body to let go of any tension it might be holding onto.

Bring attention to your inner resource,

Your safe haven of peace and serenity.

Welcoming a place from your memory or from your imagination,

A place that nurtures feelings of being secure,

Peaceful,

And at ease.

Letting go,

Diving into this place that arises in your mind,

Without judgment or the need for perfection.

There is no right or wrong answer.

Invite in people or images,

A person,

An animal,

Object or place in nature.

A place or images that creates feelings of being secure,

Serene,

And at ease.

Spacious,

Open,

Timeless,

Perfect,

Familiar.

Unchanging,

Yet fresh and always present.

Rest back into your inner resource,

The felt sense of well-being throughout your body.

Know that you can return to this inner resource at any time,

Day or night,

And throughout your practice of yoga and nidra.

Whenever you feel the need to be totally secure and at ease.

Begin to listen to sounds around you.

First beginning to notice far away sounds.

Do not try to figure out what is causing the sound.

Simply listen.

No need to label it.

Focus on beginning to hear very far away sounds.

Focusing intently.

Now put your awareness on sounds that are very near.

Perhaps within the room or just outside of it.

Again without interpretation.

Just listening.

Now as I name each part of your body.

Allow your awareness to jump lightly and quickly from one part of the body to another.

As you hear me name each part of your body,

Put all of your attention there and follow my voice intently.

Put all of your attention there lightly and follow my voice intently.

Right side of the body.

The palm of your right hand.

Now to the thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

The whole right arm.

Right foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe.

Ankle.

Shin.

Knee.

Thigh.

Hip.

The whole right leg.

Left side of the body.

The palm of your left hand.

Now to the thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

The whole left arm.

Left foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe.

Ankle.

Shin.

Knee.

Thigh.

Hip.

The whole left leg.

Front of the torso.

The pelvis.

Waist.

Lower belly.

Upper abdomen.

Chest.

Neck.

Throat.

Chin.

Mouth.

Lower lip.

The nose.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Forehead.

The point between the eyebrows.

The top of the head.

The whole torso and head together.

Back body,

Right side.

The back of the hand on the surface beneath you.

The thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Upper arm.

Shoulder blades.

The whole arm.

The back of the hand on the surface beneath you.

The thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Upper arm.

Shoulder blades.

The whole arm.

Right leg.

The heel.

The calf muscle.

The back of the thigh.

Right buttock.

The whole right leg.

Left leg.

The heel.

The calf muscle.

The back of the thigh.

The left buttock.

The whole left leg.

Torso.

The right buttock.

The left buttock.

The lower back.

The upper back.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

The whole torso and head together.

Whole back body together.

The whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body together.

And welcoming all the various sensations that are present throughout the body.

Sensing and welcoming without thinking.

Body at rest and at ease.

Welcoming every experience that is now present.

And if helpful,

Interweave your inner resource.

Your safe haven of peace and tranquility.

Feeling secure and at ease.

And noting sensations that are present without thinking or judging.

Sensations.

Thoughts.

Emotions.

Images coming and going.

All movements unfolding within awareness.

Feeling back into being awareness.

Spacious,

Unchanging awareness.

In which all of the changing perceptions are arising and unfolding.

And passing away.

Changing perceptions revealing unchanging awareness.

Begin to notice the belly as it rises and falls with the breath.

Notice the circular pattern of the breath with your full awareness.

And as you inhale,

Begin to notice the subtle sensation in the nostrils as you breathe.

Notice which nostril is more dominant right now.

Let your body breathe itself.

The natural ebb and flow of the breath.

The waves of the breath.

Like the rhythm of the waves returning again and again to shore.

After your inhalation,

Notice the space before you exhale.

And dive into that space after each inhalation.

Without forcing or changing the breath.

Simply the body breathing itself.

After your exhalation,

Notice the space before you inhale.

And dive into that space after each exhalation.

Without forcing or changing the breath.

The body breathing itself.

Watch all four parts of the breath with equal attention and interest.

Paying full attention.

Staying awake.

Be very conscious not to sleep.

Now allow the attention to the four parts of the breath to fall away.

The body rests and it eases.

Become aware of the space between your eyebrows.

Putting all of your attention there.

Begin to focus on the dark empty space behind the forehead.

And peer into it.

Notice any shapes or colors that form.

Completely relax and watch this internal screen for anything that arises.

Letting go of thinking.

And simply watching with interest and curiosity as forms and colors come and go.

Stay awake.

Be very conscious not to fall asleep.

Welcome every experience that is now present.

Perhaps returning to your inner resource.

Feeling secure and at ease.

Note how all of these sensations as well as passing thoughts,

Emotions and images are constantly changing,

Coming and going.

The entire body a constantly changing field of radiant sensation.

Sense all that you are now aware of.

Sensing yourself as spacious,

Unchanging awareness.

In which all of the changing sensations are arising and unfolding.

Changing sensation revealing unchanging awareness.

Now imagine your body is growing heavy.

With each exhalation grow heavier.

Feel yourself sinking more and more deeply into the earth.

Imagine your body is made of stone.

Feel the density and weight as you keep growing heavier and heavier.

Imagine you're becoming more and more light and weightless with each exhale.

Feel yourself becoming empty,

Full of air and light.

Experience the sensation of lifting away from the earth.

Feel yourself floating a few inches off the ground.

Imagine that you are growing very warm from the inside.

More and more internal heat.

Feel your temperature rising higher and higher.

Sweat beginning to slide off the body.

Now visualize that you are growing cool.

Beginning to feel coolness rising within.

Perhaps starting to shiver as you grow colder and colder.

And remember to stay awake.

Please do not allow yourself to fall asleep.

And if helpful returning to your inner resorts.

Feel a great sense of joy filling you.

Feel deep bliss rising from within you.

Now ask yourself who is experiencing this joy?

Penetrate with your awareness to the source of your feelings.

Ask yourself who am I?

Spend a few moments contemplating this question.

Begin to let go of any sense of separateness.

Witness your experience.

Allow all boundaries between yourself and what you have mistakenly perceived to be outside of yourself to dissolve.

Everything to be just as it is.

Without trying to change anything.

Simply being just as you are.

And everything just as it is.

Being spacious.

Unchanging awareness.

As changing experiences come and go.

Take a moment and reflect back on the journey you have just taken.

Sensing the qualities that have been present or that are present.

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Sensations and awareness.

In which everything is arising,

Unfolding and passing away.

Become aware of yourself lying down on the surface supporting you in shavasana.

As if you were looking down on yourself from the ceiling.

Notice what you are wearing and what you are lying on.

Notice the peaceful and relaxed expression of your body and your face.

Look around in your mind's eye at the room.

Visualizing the space.

Now consciously slip back into your physical body.

Begin to become aware of your gentle breath as the breath rises and falls.

Repeat your sankalpa again three times.

With feeling and intention.

Perhaps returning to your inner resource.

Feeling secure and at ease.

Become aware of the boundaries of your body.

Bring your awareness back to the physical.

Begin to move your fingers and toes.

Perhaps reaching out behind you to take a full body stretch.

Roll over to your side,

Pausing for a moment.

Then gradually sit up.

Take a moment to be intentional about transitioning from this part of your day and into the rest of your day.

Perhaps quietly saying to yourself,

This is the close of my yoga nidra practice and this end is the beginning of the rest of my day.