Yoga Nidra For Inner Harmony

Yoga Nidra with Brenda in the comfort of your space creating inner harmony. Influenced by Uma Dinsmore Tuli, Richard Miller, and the Himalayan Institute, this gentle, soothing, guided relaxation practice helps the body and mind slow down and find deep rest. Requirements: blankets, pillows, cushions. Think comfort. This can even be practiced in bed. Suitable for all with a willingness to rest deeply.

Transcript

So welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

Settling yourself in,

Coming into the shavasana pose or lying on your back you may also choose a side lying position if you prefer.

If you're lying on your back and you fancy a pillow or a cushion underneath the knees,

The back of the knees,

Feel free to do that or a pillow or cushion under the head.

If you're lying on your side make sure you have enough support under the head,

Make sure the head and neck and spine are relatively even and perhaps even a pillow between the knees if you're lying in your side.

For some warmth maybe a blanket and if you prefer a little bit of darkness,

An eye pillow or scarf over your eyes,

You may choose to have your eyes open for this practice also.

Whatever feels comfortable for you so allow yourself to settle in maybe even check in if there's anything that you could do right now to make yourself five percent more comfortable.

And welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

Welcome home,

Welcome to your true nature.

Inhale now and welcome yourself into the space and as you exhale invite the body to settle in a little bit more.

Breathing in and welcoming yourself into the space and as you breathe out,

Settling down a little bit more into your nest,

Your comfort.

Inhale welcome,

Exhale settle.

Remind yourself now that you have nowhere to go,

Nothing to do for the next half hour but to be here now.

Welcome,

You have arrived,

You are home.

Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

Welcome home to yourself.

Everything you experience in your yoga nidra practice is a messenger so welcome every positive and negative sensation,

Feeling,

Thought and image.

Welcome them in with curiosity and openness and at the same time inquiring as to the wisdom they are offering you this evening.

For each sensation,

Feeling,

Thought and image is like a guide from beyond and from that place of peace and knowing deep deep within you.

Welcome you to that experience of greater understanding,

Peace,

Joy and harmony within yourself and the world around you.

Invite now an awareness to the body as it rests,

To the breath as it moves,

As it moves leisurely and effortlessly through the body.

Invite that awareness to the body as it rests,

Into the breath as it moves leisurely and effortlessly through the body.

Watching the body now breathe itself.

Whether that movement is in the chest or the belly or both or that movement or whisper there in and out through the nostrils.

Watching the body breathe itself.

An expansion and spaciousness on the inhale.

Now letting go moving down on the exhale.

Inhale space,

Exhale earthed and grounded.

And each time you breathe out now the body releasing any unnecessary holding or tension.

Each time you breathe out.

Invite ease and relaxation to spread throughout your entire body and mind.

And with that,

And with that the mind then to take the form of awareness which is I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is the form of awareness that holds us safely within the practice like a safe vessel or a comfortable nest.

Connecting now with your heartfelt purpose.

What is your heart's deepest longing?

What is it that you desire more than anything else in life?

It may be health,

Well-being,

Harmony,

Ease or peace.

What is your heart's deepest longing?

And whatever it is,

Sense,

Feel or imagine it now with your whole body as if it was already happening,

As if it's here and true in this moment.

What would that be like?

We invite now an intention or Samkalpa to be held.

Take a moment to reflect on your Samkalpa,

A positive present tense statement or an affirmation or even a prayer.

Maybe it's for this practice right now this evening or maybe for tomorrow or for the week ahead.

Whatever your Samkalpa is,

Repeat it mentally three times.

And if you like,

Taking a nice deep breath in and plant your intention or Samkalpa like a seed deep into the heart space at the centre of the chest and as you breathe out,

Let go.

Surrender that Samkalpa.

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is the form of awareness and we invite that awareness to our inner resource now,

That person,

Place or thing that evokes a felt sense of peace,

Calm,

Security,

Groundedness or well-being throughout the whole body.

A safe haven or sanctuary that we can connect with and continually interweave in our practice of Yoga Nidra and daily life.

That resource which we can return to again and again to give the felt sense experience of ease,

Calm and well-being.

Take a moment now to bring to mind or invite that awareness to your inner resource.

We now allow the awareness to travel around our physical body while the body takes very deep and healing rest.

The light of mental attention may take the form of a blue starlight.

This blue starlight shines on each part of the body in turn like blue stars of light shining in the dark nighttime sky,

Shining around the body like the ever-expanding cosmos.

Beginning at the crown of the head,

Allowing that blue starlight to shine at the crown of the head and move to the right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right cheekbone,

Left cheekbone,

Tip of the nose,

The top lip,

The bottom lip,

The tip of the chin.

Carry this blue starlight to the bottom of the throat,

The nape of the neck,

That hollow,

That space at the bottom of the neck and the blue starlight then travels from here to the right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

Back of the right hand,

Palm of the right hand.

Bringing that blue starlight to the right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

All the fingers of the hand sparkling with these blue starlights.

Carrying that starlight then back to the wrist,

The elbow,

The shoulder,

Across to the nape of the neck and let the blue starlight then move across to the left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

Back of the left hand,

Palm of the hand,

Thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Fourth finger,

Little finger,

All the fingers on the left hand.

Carrying the awareness of that blue starlight back to the wrist,

The elbow,

The shoulder,

The nape of the neck,

The bottom of the throat,

The hollow.

Shining the awareness now with this blue starlight to the centre of the chest,

To the navel,

To the right hip,

Knee,

Ankle,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

The big toe on the right foot,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Little toe,

All the toes on the right foot.

Carrying this awareness of the blue starlight up through the ankle,

Right knee,

The right hip,

Across to the left hip,

Left knee,

Left ankle,

Left sole of the foot,

Top of the left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Little toe,

All the toes on the left foot.

Bringing the awareness of the blue starlight up through the ankle,

The knee and the left hip,

To the navel,

To the centre of the chest.

The whole body now,

The whole body sparkling with these blue bright starlights.

Sense,

Feel or imagine now the whole body as a cosmic field of vibrant sensation.

The whole body shining like a beautiful starry night sky.

The mental awareness shining brightly,

Shimmering and expansively radiant into all directions within and around you.

Bringing the awareness back to the breath.

Noticing the body breathing itself.

Welcoming in the inhale,

Letting go of the exhale.

When you feel ready,

Counting back from ten.

Breathing in ten,

Breathing out ten.

Breathing in nine,

Breathing out nine,

All the way until you get to one.

Each time you breathe out,

Releasing tension throughout your entire body.

Relaxing even more deeply during each inhale.

And now without judging or trying to change anything.

Welcoming in opposing perceptions.

Bringing to mind the sensation of warm,

Of warmth.

What does that feel like,

That sensation of warmth?

Bring to mind even a time where you may have felt quite warm or hot.

Sensing that in the whole body.

And then notice or bring in an awareness of the sensation of cold,

Coldness.

If it helps even remembering a time when you may have felt quite cold and what that's like.

And then how would it be to bring in the sensation of hot,

Feeling hot and feeling cold at the same time.

Experiencing hot and cold in the body at the same time.

Welcoming in all these feelings,

Any emotions,

Any other sensations that may arise here.

Moving to look and sense,

Feel or imagine heavy,

Heaviness.

Welcoming in heaviness.

Then welcoming in a sensation of lightness or spaciousness.

Feeling light as a feather,

Floating.

And then welcoming in heaviness again,

That grounded earthiness.

And here how would it be to experience both of these at the same time,

Heaviness and lightness.

Take a moment to notice maybe what is happening in your body right now for you.

If there is a sensation or feeling of worry,

Invite into your body feelings of serenity and calm.

Maybe there is a little bit of tension.

Invite in ease,

Freedom.

Maybe even looking at the opposites and then experiencing both at the same time.

Welcome them in just as they are,

However they are.

Without judging or trying to change anything,

Remind yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

Yoga nidra is a form of awareness and with that awareness we welcome in thoughts,

Memories and images that may be spontaneously unfolding.

Welcome in particular beliefs that you take to be true about yourself.

And again,

As you experience a belief,

Thought,

Memory or image also bring to mind and experience its opposite.

Contemplating each opposite in turn.

Again welcoming your awareness to experience whatever it is just as it is.

Welcome now sensations of joy,

Of bliss,

Of well-being.

Joy,

Bliss or well-being.

Sense,

Feel or imagine joy,

Bliss,

Well-being spreading throughout your entire body and into the space around you.

Welcome in that awareness with every breath experiencing sensations of warmth,

Of joy,

Of ease and well-being radiating throughout your entire body.

Be aware of the sense of I-ness,

The capital I,

A personality that you take yourself to be.

Notice how this felt sense of I-ness resonates in your body when you say your name or when you affirm I'm hungry,

I'm happy or I'm upset.

Bringing that awareness to yourself as the observing witness that is consciously aware of all the movements that are present in your body and mind.

Feel yourself as conscious awareness,

Aware of itself.

Set thinking aside and dissolve now into this form of awareness.

Spacious and open.

A weak and aware of itself.

Welcome in with warmth and love and respect the natural arising intuitive guidance of the inner teacher or the San Calpa.

Whatever is appropriate for you right now,

Right here.

Listen to what it says.

The space for it to be heard.

And know that the space for that guidance or the sound of that guidance or the feel of that intuitive wisdom is nourished deeply by the intention to make inner harmony our first priority.

Allow this inner harmony to nourish every dimension of your being.

Bring to mind if you like your San Calpa if you did have one at the start of the practice and repeat that mentally three times.

Carry this intention or San Calpa now out with you as we move towards the end of our practice of Yoga Nidra.

Be aware we have been practicing Yoga Nidra.

We have been practicing Yoga Nidra.

This has been the form of awareness and now we invite the benefits of that state of consciousness that is Yoga Nidra to carry that out now into the rest of the evening or the night.

With the sense of being nourished,

Nourished by the practice,

Safe and held by the practice as we move into a more everyday wakeful sense of awareness.

Welcoming yourself back.

And if you are choosing to stay for the rest of the evening in this state of nourishment or relaxation of rest,

I invite you to stay exactly where you are no need to move.

Know that this practice of Yoga Nidra is complete.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is over.

If you are welcoming yourself back,

Invite some movement into fingers and toes,

Sense of smell the next time that you breathe in,

Sense of taste the next time you swallow.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is complete.

This practice of Yoga Nidra is over.

And I close this practice of our Yoga Nidra by sending a blessing to ourselves.

May I be well.

May I be happy.

May I be free from suffering.

And a blessing to the collective globally.

May all be well.

May all be happy.

May all be free from suffering.

Reviews

Wonderfully relaxing and nourishing, thank you so much 💖