As you settle in for meditation today.
Take time now to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
If an adjustment or a prop or a stretch would help you to feel even 5% better.
It's worth it to take the time.
It may feel nice to drape a towel over your eyes.
Or remove your hair tie.
This is the time for you to close the door on the rest of the world.
To withdraw from the gaze of external eyes.
And shift your focus back to you.
Slowly lower the lids of your eyes,
Shifting your awareness to your internal landscape.
Take the time now to scan your body from head to toe.
If you notice of any places of tension,
Inhale into that place.
Envision the breath expanding just below the tension.
And as you exhale,
Feel the tension begin to dissipate.
Dissolve and to drain away.
Inhaling a sense of expansion.
Exhaling relaxation.
Inhaling stretch and expansion.
Exhaling,
Softening and letting go.
Tune in fully to your body.
To your mind.
And even to your mood.
Become aware of the sensations of touch on your skin.
The surface on which you lie.
The temperature,
Or the movement of air.
And the way that your clothing grazes or wraps the skin.
Become aware of the smells of the room.
Your body,
The touch of air in the nostrils.
Become aware now of the sounds in the distance.
The farthest sounds that you can hear.
Observe the sounds of this room.
The sounds from your body lying in deepest relaxation in this room.
Turn the attention now from the outside world.
To the inner landscape.
Attuned to the sound of breath in the body.
Perhaps you can even sense the rhythm of your heart.
In this calm and grounded place.
Allow an intention for practice today to emerge.
It may be something in your life that you desire to change.
And unfulfilled needs.
Or a way that you want to feel more often.
Allow the most pressing desire to center itself.
And form it into a present moment statement as if it were already happening.
This statement is called Asankalpa in Yoga Nidra.
And it usually starts with the words I am or I have.
If you find a particularly useful sankalpa,
You can repeat it in your practice every time.
Until it becomes manifest in your life.
Or if you have a special intention just for today.
You can use that one.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
Once you've found a good enough statement for today,
Repeat it to yourself mentally three times.
And then release the statement.
And shift your awareness to your physical body.
We'll now move to our rotation of consciousness.
A sensory journey through the body.
I will name the parts of your body rapidly.
Repeat the word in your mind.
And bring all of your attention to the sensations there.
There's no need to move or to do anything at all.
Simply become aware of all of the sensations already existing in your body.
One part at a time.
There's no need to worry if you lose track of my words.
There's no need to catch up.
Simply join back in whenever your awareness returns and attune to the next body part that you hear.
Start by bringing your attention to your right hand thumb.
And notice all of the sensations there.
And then simply glide that awareness to your right index finger and then the middle.
Ring finger and the pinky.
Become aware of the palm of the hand,
The back of the hand,
The center of the right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Ribcage,
The right side of the waist,
Hip,
Buttocks,
Thigh,
Hamstring,
Knee,
Shin.
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
The sole of the foot,
The arch of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
All five toes together.
The whole right foot.
The whole right leg.
The whole right side of the body,
Soft,
Relaxed,
Heavy,
And supported.
Next,
Shift your awareness to your left hand thumb,
Left index,
Middle,
Ring.
Pinky,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Center of the left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Ribcage,
The left side waist,
Hip,
Buttocks,
Hamstring,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
The sole of the foot,
The arch of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
All five toes together.
The whole left foot.
The whole left leg.
The whole left side of the body relaxed,
Heavy,
Supported.
And over years.
Next,
Shift your awareness to the backside of the body.
The sole of the right foot.
The sole of the left foot.
The soles of both feet together.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Both heels together.
The back of the right knee.
Back of the left knee.
Back of the right hip.
Back of the left hip.
Sacrum.
Lower back.
Middle spine.
Upper back.
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the right arm,
Back of the left arm,
Back of the neck,
The back of the skull,
The whole backside of the body.
The backside of the body together.
The whole backside relaxing back,
Soft,
Supported,
Heavy,
And relaxed.
Next,
Bring your awareness to the whole scalp,
The crown of the head,
Center of the forehead,
The space between the eyebrows,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyeball,
Left eyeball.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Inside right cheek.
Inside left cheek,
The roof of the mouth,
The floor of the mouth,
The teeth and the gums,
The tongue.
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Chin.
Right side jaw,
Left side jaw,
Right side neck,
Left side neck,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
The pit of the throat,
Sternum,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Solar plexus,
Abdomen,
Navel,
Pubic bone,
Right groin,
Left groin,
Right kneecap,
Left kneecap.
The tips of all ten toes.
The whole front side of the body.
The front side of the body together.
The whole front side relaxing back into the back side of the body.
The front and back sides together.
The whole right side.
The whole left side.
The right and left sides together.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body together.
Relaxed and heavy on the floor.
Release the awareness of the physical body and shift your focus to the breath as it enters through the nose.
Bring your awareness to the breath as it passes through the right nostril only.
Feel the sensation in the right nostril on your inhale.
And the right nostril on your exhale.
Notice all of the sensations as you breathe through the right nostril.
On the next breath,
Observe the inhale through the right nostril.
And become aware of the exhale breath in the left nostril.
Inhale now through the left nostril.
And exhale through the right.
Continue with this pattern of breathing,
Inhaling right and exhaling left.
Inhaling left and exhaling right,
Switching sides each time you exhale.
Observe the inhale now through both nostrils.
On the next breath in.
Allow a sensation of coolness to begin to fill your body.
Inhaling a sense of becoming cold.
Inhale,
Feel the coolness fill the entire body.
All over cold,
Goose bumps forming on the skin.
Chilly like an exposed body in a winter wind.
And just as quickly.
Feel the body hot now.
Sweaty,
Overheating,
Like you're wrapped in a down comforter on a hot summer day.
Stuffy,
Oppressively hot,
Sweltering.
Now cold again.
Chilly.
Shivering.
Than hot like a summer day.
Allow yourself to let go of any commitment to hot or cold,
But rather to move easily between perceived states without attachment.
Hot.
Now happy.
Joyful.
Exuberant.
Now grief-stricken,
Sad.
Despondent.
In a flash,
Again happy,
Now sad.
Happy.
Sad,
Stressed,
Relaxed,
Afraid,
Excited.
Heart.
Cold.
Heavy.
Light.
Now let that go.
Next,
We'll practice rapid visualization.
As I list the following objects.
Picture them clearly in your mind.
As clearly and as detailed as possible.
A kitchen sink,
A garden hose,
A wooden bucket,
A pair of bunk beds,
An old blanket,
A new pair of shoes,
A knight's sword,
A hammer and anvil,
A red rose,
A pink rose,
A white rose,
A chestnut horse,
A hot bath,
A ripe banana,
A cold drink,
Drink,
A loaf of fresh bread,
A bowl of fruit on a long wooden table,
A long wooden table in a cozy room,
A cottage,
A deep shady porch on the front of a cottage,
A cottage in the woods,
Thick woods,
A wood full of trees,
Oak trees,
Pine trees,
Beech trees,
Fallen trees,
Trees covered with moss,
A vast glacier,
A sandy beach,
A covered wagon,
A single star in the night sky.
Next,
Bring to your mind the image of your body.
Your body as a clear glass vessel.
No contents inside,
Just your exact shape and size,
The curves and hollows made of pure,
Clear glass,
An empty vessel.
And starting at your left big toe,
Begin to visualize your body filling with a beautiful saffron fluid,
Golden and glowing.
Notice how it fills both heels,
Your feet filling to the tips of the toes,
And begins to travel up to your ankles,
Filling your calves and shins,
Your knees,
Thighs.
Feel the brilliant orange fluid swirl in your hips and pelvis,
Filling up your belly,
Your ribcage.
Notice how it swells under your collarbones and pours over your shoulders to your arms,
Elbows,
And wrists,
Hands to the tips of each finger.
This golden glowing fluid fills your neck,
Skull,
The contours of the face,
Until your clear glass vessel is replete and full with this healing liquid.
And everywhere it flows,
It heals and cleanses,
Bringing exactly what you need to any places that feel tender or need support,
Physically,
Mentally,
Emotionally,
The golden fluid purifying your body,
Healing your wounds and soothing your raw spots,
Picking up anything you no longer wish to hold on to and holding it in suspension.
And as it is picked up,
It disappears into the golden yellow fluid,
Neutralized and whisked away.
Now imagine turning the right heel like it was a valve.
Turn it open and feel the fluid drain from the crown of your head out through the heel.
Slowly and easily exiting the body and taking with it anything that no longer serves you,
Taking away pain and suffering,
Removing illness and injury,
Soothing the ache of loss and disappointment,
Betrayal and hurt.
Leaving your body clean.
Once again,
The vessel of your glass body.
Clear.
Clean.
Both empty and full of possibility.
Washed clean and healed.
Allow the visual of the glass body to slowly fade into the darkness of your mind.
Focus your internal gaze on the space just behind your forehead,
Just in front of your eyes.
In Yoga Nidra,
We call this space Chidakasha.
You may see colors or shapes here.
You may see patterns or flashes,
Or you may see nothing at all.
Watch the darkness.
Train your focus to the warm and friendly darkness of your mind.
You are in a deeply meditative state.
There's nothing to do or stop doing.
But simply to observe the quiet peace of your mind.
The friendly quiet of your mind.
You are a silent observer.
A non-judgmental observer.
Basking in the peace and quiet of your mind.
Do not sleep.
Continue to watch the warm and friendly darkness of your own mind.
In this dark,
Quiet space.
Recall to mind your sankalpa from the beginning of practice.
Repeat your intention to yourself mentally.
In the exact same words three times.
And then let it go.
At peace.
At ease.
Float here in the quiet darkness.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Slowly begin to externalize your mind.
Without opening your eyes yet.
Visualize the four walls of the room in which you lie.
The ceiling and the floor.
Your position in the room.
The position of your body on the surface on which you lie.
Begin to deepen your breathing.
Taking deeper breaths that slowly begin to stretch your ribcage.
Observe your body heavy and relaxed.
And start to return small movements to your hands and feet.
Bringing gentle movement and awareness back into the body.
Perhaps rocking the head to the right.
And then the left.
If you have an eye pillow,
Remove it from your eyes without opening your eyes.
On the next inhale,
Stretch your arms out and take a long body stretch.
As you exhale,
Draw your knees toward the chest and allow yourself to roll over or lean to one side.
The head rest heavily on the surface of your arm or a pillow.
And take a moment of pause here.
A moment to breathe.
Coming back into your body.
Fully alert and fully aware.
And also deeply relaxed.
Rounded.
And calm.
Carrying forward the sense of deep relaxation and at the same time alertness and focus.
When you're ready,
Blink your eyes open,
Coming back into the room,
And slowly press yourself to a seated position.
Take your time adjusting.
And have a wonderful day.
