Manomaya Kosha - Sensing Opposites

This yoga Nidra for sensing opposites is for connecting to manomayakosha and creating resilience in the mental body, emotional body, feeling body through systematic desensitization, reciprocal inhibition, constructive interference or pratipaksa bhavana (feeling polar sensations).

Yoga nidra can be supportive to psychology in this way along with developing awareness of the self. This meditation also included an experience of your inner resource through somatic experiencing. I hope you enjoy!

Transcript

Namaste.

Welcome to this yoga nidra experience.

This yoga nidra is traditional in the sense that you are meant to stay alert and awake while the body experiences a deep state of rest.

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This yoga nidra is designed to bring you into a light altered state of consciousness where you will experience a deep relaxation and rejuvenation.

Having a meditative state to holistically unwind the whole nervous system.

Laying down in a shavasana or savasana on the back of the body on a comfortable surface.

You might like a pillow behind the head for support,

A blanket over the body for warmth,

Legs extended with the feet hip distance apart,

Maybe even a pillow or bolster behind the knees.

Arms extended alongside the body,

Palms facing up,

Fingers relaxed.

What's most important is that you're completely comfortable and at ease.

So taking a moment to do whatever you need to and adjust your body into any position that supports you to become comfortable and at ease.

And then closing down the eyes,

Relaxing the jaw,

Sensing the room around you.

Again,

Just sensing the walls and visualizing the ceiling and the floor and your body laying here on the support beneath you.

And adjusting the body until you're completely at ease.

Making sure that you're able to remain in stillness.

So is there anything you could do to get the body even 1% more comfortable so that the body can remain still?

And taking a moment now to affirm,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

Focusing on the act of listening and feeling.

Knowing that there's no wrong way to practice yoga nidra and you can trust your body and mind to know exactly what's needed.

Would you begin to invite the mind to relax from the world of thinking,

Analyzing,

And begin to attune to the world of sensing,

Feeling,

Listening?

It's receptive,

Listening as the body rests upon the earth,

Whole body resting,

Emptying of tension,

As if tension could drain out of the body with the force of gravity.

And simultaneously filling with awareness and sensation.

Like and aware,

Listening to the sound of my voice.

In yoga nidra we practice sankalpa,

Which is like an intention or a heart's vow.

You could think of intention like a seed that you're planting in the subconscious mind to grow and blossom effortlessly into your life.

A simple,

Clear,

Positive statement that resonates deeply within you.

Would you welcome your sankalpa in the present tense,

Such as I respond to each circumstance in my life with trust.

Releasing your sankalpa with feeling and awareness three times.

Unwelcoming and affirming your sankalpa with your entire body and mind.

Welcoming your sankalpa to come alive in your entire body.

And now welcoming sound and hearing.

Now you can pick up on all of the layers of sound.

Sounds in the distance.

Sounds of this recording.

And could you imagine that you're listening in a global way?

Moving attention from sound to sound without trying to identify the source.

The whole body becoming receptive and listening.

And feeling the whole skin of the body sensitive.

And could you imagine now that you could breathe into the skin,

Inviting the surface of the skin to become more porous.

And the touch of air on the skin.

And places of warmth,

Places of coolness,

Places where the body comes in contact with the earth.

Whole body resting.

I'm bringing awareness now to the mind's eye center.

The mouth.

Relaxing the jaw.

The tongue.

The tip of the nose.

Inside of the right nostril.

Inside the left nostril.

The flow of air inside your nose.

Both ears listening.

Sounds cascading down into the inner ears.

The pit of the throat.

The sternum.

The right shoulder.

The elbow.

Wrist.

Palm.

Thumb.

Second finger.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth finger.

The waist.

The hip.

The knee.

The ankle.

Feel your foot.

The big toe.

The hip.

The hip.

The big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth toe.

The center of the heart.

The sternum.

The left shoulder.

Elbow.

Wrist.

Palm.

The left thumb.

Second finger.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth finger.

The left waist.

Hip.

Knee.

Ankle.

Feel your left foot.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth toe.

The whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body simultaneously.

Now witnessing the natural breath within the body.

Without altering the breath in any way.

Simply noticing the gentle expansion.

And emptying out.

Sensing the whole ocean of air around your body.

And the ebb and flow of your breath.

Waves of respiration flowing in.

Waves of respiration flowing out.

There's nothing for you to do.

Resting deeply here.

The whole body resting.

As you welcome the inward and outward flow of the breath.

Begin to sense the whole right hemisphere of the body.

Bringing attention to the whole right side of the body.

Giving time for attention to distribute throughout the whole right side.

This entire right hemisphere of the body.

Becoming saturated with sensation.

Aliveness.

The flow of the breath.

The whole right side body.

And then giving time or awareness to transition to the whole left hemisphere of the body.

Bring attention to the whole left side of the body.

The whole left side saturated with sensation.

Aliveness.

And giving time for attention to distribute evenly throughout the whole left side of the body.

And now bringing attention back to the right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body.

The whole right side of the body alive and radiant with sensation.

Sensing the aliveness,

The tingling,

The life force,

The warmth.

The natural buzzing of aliveness throughout the whole right side of the body.

And bringing attention back to the left side of the body.

Giving time for attention to transpose through the midline.

Saturating the whole left side of the body alive with radiant sensation.

Buzzing with aliveness.

Trillions of cells the left side of the body.

Sensing any warmth,

Tingling,

Life force pulsating through the left hemisphere of the body.

And now can you bring your attention to both hemispheres of the body simultaneously.

Taking time to welcome attention to both sides of the body.

Can you evenly distribute attention to both the right side and the left side simultaneously.

Giving time for attention to equally saturate both sides of the body.

Both hemispheres alive and radiant with sensation.

Warmth.

Presence.

The whole body.

Sensing the whole body.

The whole body resting.

Now could you imagine the whole body basking in the warmth of the sun.

The whole body becoming warm.

Just basking in the light of the sun.

And feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin.

The whole body warm.

And sensing the warmth of the body now.

How does the warmth of the sun feel on your body?

And now welcoming or imagining a cold breeze over the whole body.

And how does this enact on your body a cold,

Cold breeze,

Frigid.

A whole body cold.

How does it feel to become cold in the entire body?

Welcoming the whole experience somatically within your body.

The feeling of coldness.

And then welcoming back the warmth of the sun.

Warm,

Radiant presence of the sun.

The whole body warming up.

And you're just basking in the sunlight and the light of the sun.

The warmth and heat.

Welcoming that sensation somatically into the body.

The warmth of the sun basking in those golden rays of light.

And then once again welcoming the cold breeze over your whole body.

A breeze and cold breeze.

Frigid.

Enacting on the entire body.

What does it feel like to be cold?

The whole body somatically experiencing the sensation of a cold breeze.

And without going into thinking,

Could you welcome both opposites simultaneously as a felt sense in the body?

Without trying to merge the two feelings,

But welcoming both opposites to be present simultaneously.

A cold breeze,

Frigid air.

And the golden warm sun basking in the heat of the sun.

Simultaneously this cold breeze.

Welcoming both opposing sensations simultaneously.

Without going into thinking,

Trying or efforting,

Just welcoming.

And whatever you experience is perfect,

Just as it is.

And now could you imagine the whole body heavy as if you were sinking down into the earth or perhaps sand around your body.

The whole body becoming heavy,

Just sinking down into the force of gravity.

Welcoming heaviness into the whole body.

The whole body becoming heavy like you're filling up with sand.

Sandbags,

Heavy weight.

Drawing you down and down,

Sinking.

Heaviness.

Sinking down into the earth.

And now imagine lightness.

Awakening lightness within the body.

Could you imagine the sensation of floating?

So light,

There's a sense of floating.

Floating into the air around you.

The whole body becoming light as a feather.

Floating on the breath.

And now awakening the sensation of heaviness.

Sinking down and down.

Each exhale becoming heavier and heavier.

Sinking.

Releasing into the magnetic pull of the earth.

Sinking down and down.

Rotating back to the feeling of lightness.

Evaporation.

Floating.

Completely spacious.

Feeling an expanse of opening spaciousness.

Floating into the air.

And how does it feel to be light as a feather?

And now feel both opposing sensations together.

Without going into thinking,

Just sensing and feeling heaviness.

Sinking.

Lightness.

And floating.

Two polar sensations simultaneously.

Without efforting,

You're just welcoming a somatic experience of floating and sinking.

There's no right or wrong way to be.

Wherever you experience is perfect,

Just as it is.

And now releasing that experience in the body,

Could you welcome the sensation of being slightly irritated?

Just a slight irritation.

Nothing supercharged.

Just a little irritation.

You're just welcoming that into your experience.

What does it feel like to be just ever so slightly irritated?

How does it enact on the body just feeling into the experience of irritation?

And now could you welcome a somatic experience of feeling completely accepting?

What does complete acceptance feel like in the body?

Just completely accepting and peaceful.

Welcome that experience fully.

The full body sensation.

And now rotating back to feeling slightly irritated.

Just a hint of irritation.

How does this enact in the body welcoming it fully into the whole body?

The feeling of irritation as a somatic bodily experience.

And now rotating back to feeling of complete acceptance.

Just totally accepting.

Complete acceptance.

Just peaceful openness.

Whatever sensations arise with the experience of being accepting.

How does this enact in the body?

How does it live in the body?

And now could you experience both opposing feelings simultaneously without going into thinking or just sensing and welcoming irritation and acceptance to be here simultaneously?

Without trying to do anything or merge the two sensations and just welcoming both opposing sensations simultaneously.

And whatever your experience of this is perfect just as it is.

To opposing feelings simultaneously.

And now taking a moment to welcome into your awareness your safe haven.

Your inner sanctuary.

Allowing your imagination to flow freely now.

Inviting a scene or situation where you feel completely at ease.

It could be a memory or completely imagined.

Just any scene where you feel completely peaceful and at ease will do.

It could be surrounded by nature.

Beautifully serene landscapes and foliage.

Or perhaps your inside of a space that feels particularly safe.

And tranquil to you.

Warm.

Cozy.

Just whatever allows you to feel completely at ease within your body.

And begin to notice any sunlight or shadows that are present.

And perhaps there are sounds or sensations that start to arise.

Perhaps there are other beings or loved ones to help you feel connected or easeful.

Or maybe there are animals,

Wildlife that are present.

Just generating that imagery that helps to bring a great sense of peace or joy or gratitude.

The only thing for certain is that you experience yourself in a state of complete ease in this safe haven.

And seeing yourself in this imagined scene as if it's currently happening.

So just slowly taking a moment to look around.

Just taking in the wholeness and the beauty of this moment that you're creating.

Inviting all of the shapes and colors,

The sights.

Your whole visual cortex softening peripheral vision open wide.

Eyes relaxed and receptive taking in each detail.

Inviting in the beauty of your inner resource.

Orienting to the different layers of sounds that might be arriving in this scene of your peaceful sanctuary.

And without straining or striving just gently inviting the experience as it comes.

Welcoming any fragrances.

Letting those aromas come in to soothe your whole nervous system.

Now fully immersed in your sanctuary.

The feeling of complete ease in your whole body.

And finding the felt sense somatically.

That felt sense of an inner refuge.

What does it feel like in the body?

And then placing your attention on that.

Begin to drop the imagery if you can.

Letting go of the image and the sound.

Taking out the conceptual imagery and just keeping that whole body feeling.

Resting back.

Allow yourself to become absorbed into an ocean of vast unbounded awareness.

Relaxing back into what you already are.

Attention as vast as the sky.

Willing to dissolve.

Dissolving into the quiet world inside of you.

I do invite your sankalpa here and now with a deep sense of feeling and purpose.

Establishing it at the altar of your heart.

And from this deep place of stillness begin to welcome the undercurrent of subtle sensations.

Welcoming back the ebb and flow of the breath.

That constant current flowing in and out.

And let the experience of yoga nidra continue to saturate your experience.

Could you welcome the aroma of your practice to continue to be here as you start to awaken the body?

Wiggling fingers,

Wiggling toes.

Notting the head.

Starting to welcome back your surroundings.

The earth beneath your body.

Giving time to slowly flutter the eyes open.

Thank you so much for practicing with me here on Insight Timer.

I'd love to hear how you feel after your practice today.

You might take a moment to leave me a little message and I'd love to practice with you again soon.

You can check my profile for all of my recordings and all of my upcoming live meditations on the platform.

Have a beautiful day.

Namaste.

Reviews

I found that to be very refreshing and calming. I love to listen to Aly's voice. It may be just me, but I think the tone and cadence of the voice is every bit as important as the message in a guided meditation. I just can't get the complete experience if I don't like the voice of the one guiding a meditation.

My first time listening to this Module 5 recording, and I say the first time because I will need to listen multiple times. I found it difficult to navigate the parts where I had to bring up negative emotions and I may need to set this aside for a couple of days. But your voice as always is so soothing and lovely.

Namaste🙏🏼✨💫😘

Wonderful, completely relaxed and reinvigorated.

Namaste

A really lovely yoga nidra experience! Left me with a deep feeling of calm, as if I’d been cleansed inside. Very peaceful. Many thanks, Ally!

Peaceful voice and gentle movement back and forth from side to side, warm to cold and my noisy little Yorkie had a barking fit which I was able to welcome, especially nice was the reference to a "slight irritation" although for me it was a bit more than slight. Thank you and Namaste! 💕

Lovely ❤️

Namaste 🙏🏻

Your Yoga Nidra is the best, Ally! Thank you for answering “The Call” to this type of teaching. You do it so very well!

Wow very deep experience for me today. Moving into module 5 of the teacher training. Deeper and deeper! Thank you ally

Loved it. It was so calming and so needed. Also allowed me to become more aware of somatic opposites. Thank you.

Beautiful! Thank you!

A beautiful practice Ally, loved it, a perfect afternoon pick me up 🙏

Thanks Ally beautiful as always

This Yoga Nidra supported me to explore my inner world deeply so that I know myself and my inner resources to better navigate my outer world. Namaste Ally Boothroyd

Discerning between bodily and mental sensations 🙏🏻

So beautiful path, soft presenting, delightful voice... I only wish it had a bit longer time to sensing being All before returning :)

Ahh the vastness...🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
The other day I did your Inner Resource yoga nidra and I was so blown away by the beauty of your description, I could not really get into my own. Now, I noticed, I created an inside Inner Resource, and it was good and wonderful, and I was still creating away from your description. It’s all good though. My creation is always different, depending on what’s going on in my life.🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Where did we go ... we wonder ... where did she take us ... the eyes flutter open, yet the practice continues ... May the Spirit be Victorious ✨💫✨