Yoga Nidra for Elevation

This “Elevation” Yoga Nidra track gently takes you through a body scan and guided visuals to evoke the rise of energy within. The track get s slower and softer as it goes along.

Sound effects include: grass in the breeze

Instructions & an Introduction are from 0:00-1:30 so you may want to skip the introduction and start at 1:30.

Transcript

Make yourself comfortable because we are going to be practicing Yoga Nidra.

Choose a comfortable place to lie down.

This could be on the floor on a mat,

Or on a sleeping bag if you prefer,

Or even on a couch or a bed.

However,

A couch or a bed could be a little bit too comfortable and might encourage you to fall asleep.

Protect any props which may include blankets to cover and or support you,

Or an eye pillow or bolster.

Your body temperature will drop during the practice,

So I do encourage a little cover up or wearing a little bit more than you typically would during the day.

Once you have set yourself up,

Lie down on your back in the position called Shavasana.

Your body should be straight from head to toe,

And your legs separated a short distance from one another.

Arms resting by your sides,

With the palms facing towards the sky,

And your fingertips should not be touching anything.

Adjust your body,

Your clothing,

And your position now because you will be lying still for the duration of the practice.

Please close your eyes and keep them closed until you hear my voice tell you otherwise.

I'm going to take you through a series of body checks and visuals.

You may find yourself drifting off to sleep,

And this is completely normal.

However,

Our intention is to stay awake.

So I'm going to ask you to suggest to yourself that you are going to stay awake during the practice.

So in your mind,

Say,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

I am fully awake.

You will be functioning on the level of hearing and awareness,

So all you have to do is allow yourself to let go.

Simply lie there and listen.

Next I'm going to ask you to think of a sankalpa,

Which is a resolution or an affirmation.

If you're already working with one,

Then you can go ahead and use that one.

But a sankalpa is a simple sentence stated in the present positive,

Like,

I am relaxed,

Rather than I want to be relaxed.

So just take a minute and find one that comes naturally to you.

Relaxation.

Mentally draw a circle around you the size of the room.

Become aware of the sounds in the circle.

Just move from sound to sound as they come and go.

Let it all go.

No need to identify the source at all.

Now widen your circle to around the building.

Become aware of the sounds in this circle and move from sound to sound as they get louder and softer.

Let it all go.

Widen your circle bigger and hear more distant sounds.

And let those sounds come and go.

Then widen your circle one more time and hear as far into the distance as possible.

Now just hear your natural breath.

See your body lying down,

Breathing that breath.

No need to change your breathing.

Keep breathing naturally.

Become aware of your body lying down.

Your body is lying perfectly still.

Become aware of your body lying down.

Your body is lying perfectly still.

Awareness of your body lying down and the surface beneath it.

Your body is lying down.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

Say mentally to yourself,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

I am awake.

In this moment,

Let your Sankalpa,

Your resolution,

Your affirmation,

Come back into your mind.

Say it mentally to yourself with strong feeling.

As if it's right there.

Rotation of consciousness.

We now move from one point in the body to the next.

Follow my voice and mentally say each point in the body as you go there.

Move from point to point and word to word as I say them.

No need to linger on any one.

And we'll start with the right side.

Right side.

Right hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Inner elbow.

Outer elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder cap.

Arm pit.

Side of the torso.

Waist.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Front of the right knee.

Back of the right knee.

Shin.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the right foot.

Top of the foot.

Right toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Left side.

Left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Inner elbow.

Outer elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder cap.

Arm pit.

Side of the torso.

Waist.

Hip.

Left thigh.

Front of the left knee.

Back of the left knee.

Shin.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the left foot.

Top of the foot.

Left toes.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Back.

Now notice your back side.

Become aware of the back of the head where it touches the surface beneath you.

Neck.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Middle of the back.

Lower back.

Spine.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

The whole back together.

Front.

Moving to the top of the head.

The forehead.

The nose.

The right eye.

The left eye.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

The points where your lips touch.

Chin.

Throat.

Upper chest.

Middle chest.

The navel.

Abdomen.

Groin.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

Both legs together.

Buttocks.

Groin.

Lower torso.

Middle torso.

Upper torso.

Shoulders.

Whole of the right arm.

Whole of the left arm.

Both arms together.

The whole of the head.

Torso.

Legs.

Arms.

Front and back.

Together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

See your body lying down in the middle of your wide circle.

You are aware of everything.

You feel everything.

You pick and choose what to focus on effortlessly.

Now move to your breathing.

Notice the perimeter of your breath,

Right where it meets your skin.

When you inhale,

Notice where the edges of the breath and the beginning of your body meet.

Allow the sensation of these two meeting areas to start at the bottom of your torso.

Breathe into the bottom of your torso and imagine your torso is being filled with cool water.

The sensation of cool water is being poured into the deep bowl of your torso.

And as you inhale,

The water moves towards your head.

As you exhale,

The water rushes towards the feet.

As you inhale,

The water rocks to the head.

And as you exhale,

Towards the feet.

And so on.

The water rocks back and forth on your inhalation and exhalation.

And as you continue to rock,

The water is now warming.

The now heated water is a comfortably warm temperature.

As you inhale,

The water moves toward your legs.

As you exhale,

It moves toward your head.

Continue rocking the water through your body.

Repeat mentally to yourself,

I am awake.

And continue breathing.

Continue to breathe,

But leave the water behind and notice what is happening in your mind's eye.

This is the space you see when you close your eyes.

Now clear this space.

This space is now clear and clean.

Now imagine that you have just woken up from a long nap.

You can see the light peeking in from between the heavy curtains.

You walk over to the curtains and draw them back.

The sunshine illuminates the room.

The sun's rays meet your skin.

You open the windows and a breeze now meets your skin and brushes your hair back.

The birds are chirping and the smell of jasmine meets your nostrils as you lean out of the window.

You climb out of the window and put your feet on the golden path that leads from your window to a grove of trees in the distance.

You walk down this path.

You see saplings sprouting in between grass blades.

Grasshoppers hopping from red rose plant to lavender plant.

Bees humming their buzzes.

A red-headed iridescent hummingbird whizzes by and stops at a violet flower,

Then to an indigo flower,

To a blue flower,

To a green bud,

To a bright yellow flower,

Then to an orange flower,

And then to a bright red one.

You continue following the golden path.

You pass several large trees.

The trees get denser as you move into the woods.

You are now in a cathedral of trees.

You have walked right into a thick grove of trees,

And then through them,

And find yourself standing in the middle of a clearing with soft moss beneath your feet.

You sit down and rest and watch the sun and the shadows dance around you,

A sense of joy and peace well up inside of you.

You look down and next to your hand you see a golden bug sitting next to you.

It sits there quietly and then crawls towards you and over your hand and then disappears into a hole in the ground next to you.

Now bring your attention back to your mind's eye and bring forward your sankalpa,

Your intention,

Your affirmation,

Your resolve,

And say it mentally to yourself three times with feeling.

Now become aware of your breath.

Become aware of your natural breath and just listen and watch your breathing for a moment.

Be aware that your breath is moving in and out of your body,

Your whole body,

Every part of your body.

Feel your shoulders,

Elbows,

Fingertips,

Nose,

Knees,

Ankles,

Tippy toes.

See your body lying down.

See the room with closed eyes,

Ceiling,

Walls,

Floor.

Now open your eyes and see the room around you.

When you are ready,

You can stretch.

Take your time,

There's no hurry.

When you're ready,

Feel free to come up to a seated position.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.