As you settle in for your Yoga Ninja practice today,
Take care to make your physical body as comfortable as possible.
Shift,
Add a pillow for support,
Or cover yourself with a cozy blanket and allow the weight of your body to soften back into the surface on which you lie.
If it's comfortable for you,
Let the lids drop over your eyes as you shift your awareness to an internal focus.
Reach your awareness out to become conscious of the sounds of the room that you are in.
Allow your attention to float from sound to sound,
Without needing to label the source.
Slowly bring your awareness to closer sounds.
Sounds near to your body.
The sounds of your body.
The rhythm of your calm,
Natural breath.
Perhaps even an awareness of the beating of your heart.
As you find calm in your body,
Bring your awareness to the thoughts in your mind.
Do not push them away.
Do not try to make them disappear.
Observe each thought.
Every thought.
Become aware of each thought you are experiencing at this time.
Allow your mind to move from thought to thought like a radar.
See the thoughts flit across your mind like bugs on the surface of a slow-moving stream at dusk.
Feel them flit and touch against the skin of your awareness like the soft,
Smooth surface of the water.
Allow your awareness now to sink below the surface of the water,
Sinking deeper into your physical body.
Observe the thoughts in the air above the water,
Moving,
Circling,
Flitting,
Touching down for a moment on the surface of the water,
Leaving an imprint,
Making a ripple,
Before rising again in a flash.
Slowly sink deeper into relaxation,
Deeper into the pool of calm,
Cool water.
Watch the thoughts get slowly more and more distant.
As you move farther away,
You can no longer feel their impact against the surface.
Their volume and intensity getting slowly quieter and quieter in the calm,
Soft peace of the deep,
Clear water.
Continue to sink deeper and deeper as the flitting insects above get smaller and smaller until they blend into the small circle of light still visible above you.
Sink into the calm darkness of your inner landscape.
As you look inside,
What is your body trying to tell you right now?
Have you been listening to the messages of your mind and body?
What do they need most right now?
Use this need or desire to help form your sankalpa or intention for practice today.
If you're currently working with a sankalpa,
Feel free to use that one or create a short,
Clear and positive I am declaration that states how you would like to feel or to be.
It might be something as simple as I am deeply relaxed or I am at peace.
When you found just the right phase that suits where you're at today,
Repeat it to yourself mentally three times in the exact same words.
And then let it go.
We'll next move on to a rotation of consciousness,
Bringing awareness rapidly through the body part by part.
As I state the body parts aloud,
Repeat them in your mind and bring your awareness to that body part,
Allowing your mind to move to one part and then move on one after another.
As always,
We'll begin with the right hand thumb.
Bring your consciousness to notice all of the feelings in your right hand thumb.
And then the index finger,
Middle,
Ring finger and pinky.
The palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Center of the right wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Ribcage,
Right side waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
The sole 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 together,
Soft and relaxing back into the surface on which you lie.
Next,
Shift your awareness to your left hand thumb,
Left index,
Middle,
Ring finger,
Pinky,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Center of the left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Ribcage,
Left side waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Calf muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
The sole 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 and heavy on the surface on which you lie.
Next,
Bring your awareness to the center of the forehead,
The spot just between the eyebrows,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyeball,
Left eyeball,
Both eyeballs together,
Both eyeballs relaxing back deeper into the skull.
The muscles of the face,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right jaw,
Left jaw,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Inside right ear,
Inside left ear,
The roof of the mouth,
The floor of the mouth,
Inside right cheek,
Inside left cheek,
The teeth,
Gums,
Tongue,
Throat,
The pit of the throat,
The base of the neck,
The back of the neck,
The skull,
The whole of the scalp,
The crown of the head,
The whole of the head and neck together,
The upper back,
Middle back,
Lower back,
Tailbone,
The whole spine and the head,
The whole of the spinal column and the head together,
The whole right side,
The whole left side,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole right side of the body,
The whole left side of the body,
The right and left sides together,
The right and left sides together with the spine and the head,
The whole body together,
The whole body,
The whole body deeply relaxed and at ease.
Observe the whole body in one glance.
Observe the breath in the body.
Feel the rhythm of the breath breathing the body,
Breathing the chest,
Breathing the belly,
The constant breath in and out of the body through the passage of the nose.
Feel the breath in the nostrils.
Feel the breath in the chest.
Feel the smooth pattern of the breath in the chest.
Do not change it.
Do not try to modify the breath.
Just notice.
On the inhale,
Breath,
Count one.
On the exhale,
Breath,
Count one.
On the inhale,
Breath,
Count two.
On the exhale,
Breath,
Count two.
Continue counting the breath until I direct you to stop.
Let go of the counting.
Next,
We will shift states in the mind and body,
Practicing awareness of dualities.
Observe the body now.
It is warm.
Feel how very warm your body is.
Fiery hot.
Sweaty,
Oppressive heat.
The whole body steaming hot from head to toe.
The core hot.
The skin hot.
Even the scalp hot.
Hairs raising on the skin.
Now let that go and feel the body instead becoming cold.
Uncomfortably cold.
Chilled to the bone.
The skin tensing.
Hairs raising.
Shivering.
So very cold inside and out.
And let that go.
Recall to your mind a time when you felt shame.
Embarrassed by something that you did or said.
Feel that shame permeate your entire being as if you are the shame.
Every cell feels shameful.
Everything about you shameful and embarrassing.
And now let that go.
Recall to your mind a time when you felt proud.
Proud of something you did or accomplished.
Pride beaming out of your whole being.
Glowing with pride as if you are the wonderful things that you do.
Everything about you shining.
Rejoicing.
Elated.
Hold on to the feeling of pride and bring back in the shame.
Hold both pride and shame at the same time.
Now just the pride.
Now just the shame.
Feel pride.
Shame.
Feel hot.
Feel cold.
Now let them go.
Bring your awareness to the space inside your skull just in front of your eyes.
This space is known as chidakasha or a place of inner reflection.
As I list the following objects,
Visualize them in your chidakasha as clearly and as vibrantly as possible.
A quiet street.
A quiet abandoned street.
Three dried leaves.
Three dried leaves on a quiet street.
Three dried leaves in a gust of wind.
A lantern.
A gas lantern.
The reflection of a gas lantern in a small pond.
Lily pads.
Green lily pads on a small pond.
A lotus bud.
A lotus in bloom.
A white lotus flower.
A dragonfly.
A dragonfly's iridescent wings.
A dragonfly nestled on a long reed.
Ripples on water.
Ripples on the surface of calm water.
Clouds reflected.
Clouds reflected on the surface of the water.
White clouds on the surface of a pond.
White clouds peeking between lily pads in the reflection on a small pond.
The blowing reeds.
The bending reeds.
A dragonfly on the bending reeds.
The dry reeds along the edge of the pond.
A small pond.
A small pond in a large meadow.
A rolling meadow.
Green grass in the rolling meadow.
The green grass.
A blade of grass.
A ladybug on a single blade of green grass.
Allow the image of the grass to disappear.
Let it drift away from your mind's eye.
What do you notice when it goes?
You may see more images.
You may see colors or patterns or flashes of light.
You may see nothing at all.
Do not get involved.
Just notice.
Observe this quiet space inside your mind.
You are in a deeply meditative state.
A slow wave delta healing brain state.
Observe your own mind from the inside.
Do not sleep.
Continue to watch the peace and quiet of your mind.
Rest in safety in the peace and quiet of your mind.
The silent observer.
The silent and nonjudgmental observer of your own mind.
In this quiet space,
Recall your sankalpa from the beginning of practice.
Repeat it to yourself again three times in the exact same words to reinforce your intention.
Now release it and let it drift away in your mind like a leaf on the surface of a slow moving river.
Begin to bring your consciousness back to the surface.
Feel your body lying in deepest relaxation.
Visualize the shape and the position of your body.
Picture the clothes on your body.
The place you are within this room.
The room you are in.
The spaciousness of the room.
The air in this space.
Become aware of the touch of air on your skin.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Start to slowly introduce some small movements and deeper breaths into the body.
Roll your head to the right.
Roll your head to the left.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Take a deep breath now and roll over onto one side.
Allow your head to rest heavy on the surface beneath you or on the pillow of your arm.
Pause here for a moment.
Heavy and soft and still deeply at peace.
But more and more alert now.
Bring the peace with you and come back into the body.
Back into the room.
And when you feel ready,
Blink your eyes open.
Gently press yourself back to a seated position.
And have a wonderful day.
