So welcome,
My name is Nola Bloom,
And I'm so happy to share this Yoga Nidra journey with you today.
So today's practice is going to be a little bit different than my usual Yoga Nidras,
As this is going to include a short Dharma talk offering a simple understanding of the journey that we're about to experience before we drop in.
And the method that I follow is a very specific method that I use in all of my Yoga Nidras,
Only I don't name the journey as I'm going to today,
Just to kind of give you a philosophical understanding.
So Yoga Nidra is a very ancient practice,
It's even older than what we often think of as modern yoga.
And its roots can be traced back to the Upanishads,
Where there is an exploration of different states of consciousness,
Including a liminal space between waking and sleeping,
A place where the body rests deeply and the mind becomes quiet,
And awareness remains gently present.
In this state,
We can enter profound rest,
Often so deeply relaxing that many people drift towards sleep.
And if you do fall asleep in the practice,
You will still receive the benefits of Yoga Nidra.
And at the same time,
The invitation is to remain gently aware and follow the guidance as best you can.
And this is where Yoga Nidra becomes powerful.
The body resting and the mind quietly awake,
Allowing deeper layers of awareness to reveal themselves.
So within these ancient teachings,
We also find the Koshas,
The five layers of being.
And I often describe Yoga Nidra as a journey through these layers.
Everything that we experience,
The body,
The breath,
The thoughts,
Even the way that we see ourselves,
It all lives within these layers.
And at the very core,
There is a natural state of ease,
A quiet bliss.
Not something we create,
But something that has always been there.
So this practice becomes a gentle inward movement,
Layer by layer,
Returning to what is already there.
And as part of the Yoga Nidra journey,
We set a Sankalpa,
A heartfelt intention.
And this isn't about forcing change.
It's more like placing a quiet seed somewhere deeper within yourself and letting the practice do the rest.
So before we begin the journey,
I'm going to briefly describe and guide you through each Kosha so that you can recognize the journey as it unfolds.
So rather than just talking about these layers,
We're going to feel them in today's practice.
So the first is Anamaya Kosha,
And this is the physical body.
This is everything that you can see,
Feel,
And touch.
Your bones,
Your muscles,
Your organs,
And skin.
And we explore this through a body scan as we sense the body from within.
The second layer is Pranamaya Kosha,
The energy body.
And this is the movement of breath and the subtle life force that flows through you and within you.
The third layer is Manamaya Kosha,
And this is the mental and emotional body.
Here we observe our thoughts and emotions as they arise and pass.
The fourth layer is Vijnanamaya Kosha,
And this is the wisdom body.
A deeper layer of knowing where intuition begins to emerge.
The fifth layer is Anandamaya Kosha,
The bliss body.
A quiet state of wholeness where awareness rests in ease.
So the journey we're moving through today is this,
From the body into the breath,
Into the mind,
Into inner knowing,
And finally into a blissful space of deep rest.
So allow yourself to listen and gently follow the experience as it unfolds.
So go ahead now and find yourself a comfortable position.
You can be lying down with cushions underneath your knees and your head for comfort.
And take a moment just to adjust the body,
To soften,
And to arrive.
And gently close down your eyes and allow the outside world to fade into the background as your awareness turns gently inward.
And just begin to notice the natural rhythm of breath.
Watching the gentle rise and fall of the chest and belly.
With every exhale,
Feel the body releasing a little more.
Let the jaw soften,
And the shoulders drop,
And the body to relax.
Feel yourself being held,
Supported,
And safe to rest here.
Take a slow,
Nourishing breath in.
And exhale all the air out,
Releasing any worries or tension.
Feel the earth beneath you taking the entire weight of your body.
And as the body settles,
The mind begins to quiet.
Here we plant a seed.
A sankalpa,
A heartfelt intention to guide your journey tonight.
A quiet truth that lives already within you,
Waiting to be felt and remembered.
And rather than forcing or striving,
We simply offer it to the deeper layers of awareness.
Like a seed placed gently into fertile soil.
It may arise as a word,
A feeling,
A sensation.
Or you may simply repeat inwardly,
I gently return to my true self.
And let these words land softly in the heart.
And feel them as a gentle opening,
A willingness,
A quiet receptivity.
And let this intention rest within you.
And so we begin our journey in Anamaya Kosha,
The physical body.
Bring awareness to the crown of your head,
A soft point of awareness.
And gently move your attention down the right side of the face.
Temple,
Cheek,
Jaw,
Softening.
Awareness moves to your right shoulder,
Down through the upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Into the palm of the right hand.
Spreading through each and every finger.
And now feel the entire right arm as one luminous field of sensation.
Now return your awareness to the crown of your head.
Now move down the left side of the face.
Temple,
Cheek,
Jaw,
Softening.
Awareness flows into the left shoulder,
Down through the upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm.
Forearm,
Wrist,
Into the palm of the left hand and into each and every finger.
Now feel the entire left arm as one unified field of awareness.
And bring your awareness to the throat,
Chest,
The heart space,
Gently expanding.
Awareness moves to the belly,
Soft and receptive.
Moving with the breath.
Awareness moves to the right leg,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Foot,
And toes.
Now feel the whole right leg as one steady field of sensation.
Awareness now moves to the left leg,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Foot,
And into the toes.
Feel the whole left leg as one balanced field of awareness.
Now sense the entire body at once.
From the crown of the head to the tips of the toes.
From the fingertips to the heart.
Unified in one luminous field of awareness.
Now feel the whole body growing heavy.
Sinking into the earth.
Bones weighted.
Muscles soft.
The back body spreading and supported.
Now feel the body light.
As if awareness is spacious.
Lifting through the crown.
The skin airy.
The breath buoyant.
Now notice both qualities together.
Heavy and light.
Grounded and open.
Balanced and steady.
And now rest here in Anamaya Kosha,
The physical body.
And next we move to Pranamaya Kosha,
The energy body.
Bring awareness now to the breath.
The subtle movement of life force flowing through you.
Inhale,
Feel the body gently expand.
Exhale,
Feel the body softening and releasing.
Imagine the breath as a current of light moving through the body.
Flowing.
Connecting.
Enlivening every cell.
With each inhale,
Energy rises.
With each exhale,
Energy settles and spreads.
Just observing the natural rhythm.
You begin to sense the body not just as form.
But as vibration.
As movement.
As life itself.
Inhale.
And exhale.
And rest here in Pranamaya Kosha,
The energy body.
We now enter Manamaya Kosha,
The mental and emotional body.
Begin to observe the mind.
Thoughts arising.
And thoughts dissolving.
Like waves of the ocean lapping on the shore.
And let the experience move naturally as you rest as the observer.
The witnesser of the thoughts arising and falling.
Emotions may move through as sensations.
Emotions.
Feelings.
Passing through the space of awareness.
Emotions arise.
Emotions dissolve.
You are the awareness that witnesses them.
The stillness behind the movement.
And rest here in Manamaya Kosha,
The mental and emotional body.
We now move into Vijnanamaya Kosha.
The wisdom body.
A deeper layer of knowing begins to reveal itself.
Here,
You remember who you are.
You are not your fears.
Not your doubts.
Not your stories.
You are the awareness that holds it all.
You are the light that shines through every layer of your being.
A quiet inner truth.
This is the space of intuition.
Of deeper knowing.
Rest here in Vijnanamaya Kosha.
The wisdom body.
We now arrive at Anandamaya Kosha.
The bliss body.
You feel a soft expanse of stillness beginning to open.
A sense of ease spreading through your awareness.
This layer reveals a natural state of peace.
A quiet contentment that feels whole and complete.
Resting here,
Awareness feels spacious.
Gentle.
Held within something vast and deeply kind.
Allow yourself to settle into this space.
Receiving the softness.
The openness.
The quiet joy.
Rest here in Anandamaya Kosha.
The bliss body.
Gently return now to your sankalpa.
Your heartfelt intention that guided your journey tonight.
If no words arise,
Simply repeat,
I gently return to my true self.
And let it be felt.
Quietly landing a little deeper now.
And now begin to sense all the layers together.
The body.
The breath.
The mind.
The wisdom.
And this quiet bliss.
All woven together into one luminous field of awareness.
Bring awareness back to the physical body.
Feeling the points of contact with the earth beneath you.
A subtle return.
While still carrying the softness of this experience.
Take a slow,
Easy breath in.
And a long,
Nourishing breath out.
When you're ready,
Gently begin to move the body.
Wiggling the fingers and toes.
Draw your arms up overhead in a nice,
Big,
Awakening stretch.
And draw your knees up,
Rolling over to one side.
In your own time,
Allowing the eyes to flicker open.
Taking a moment before you fully reorient.
Notice how you feel.
What has shifted.
And what has softened.
Thank you for sharing this journey through the five layers of being,
The Koshas,
With me today.
Namaste.
