Let's begin this yoga nidra.
Lay down on your back with your knees slightly bent and supported.
I recommend placing a couple of yoga blocks underneath your knees or resting your knees on a pillow and covering yourself in your favorite blanket.
You want to make sure that you are warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable for the entirety of the practice.
Set the intention to remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and your brain have a chance to completely relax.
Of course,
If you become uncomfortable,
Please feel free to change position.
Soften your gaze or close your eyes now and keep them that way until the practice has ended.
The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that will guide you to a hypnagogic state,
A state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.
Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.
I will ask you to move your awareness to various bodily sensations,
Emotions,
And images.
Try not to concentrate too intensely as this may prevent you from relaxing.
During this meditation,
Please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.
If your mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,
Just come back to the sound of my voice.
Become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment,
Nothing else but what you can hear without straining.
Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.
Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,
To sounds outside the building,
To sounds inside the room you're in.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls of this room,
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the floor.
Visualize your body lying on the floor,
The position of your body,
Your clothes,
Your hair,
Your face.
Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Become aware of your natural breath.
Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.
Your natural breath flows in through both nostrils.
Notice the feeling of your breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.
There is a sense of coolness as you inhale.
Follow this feeling into your nose,
Your sinuses,
The back of your throat,
Into your lungs.
There is a sense of warmth as you exhale.
Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.
Your natural breath flows through both nostrils during your inhale and your exhale.
Allow your breath to become longer and slower.
Take a long,
Slow inhalation followed by an even longer,
Slower exhalation.
Make your exhale even slower.
Notice the slight pause after your exhale.
Slow inhale,
Even slower exhale,
And pause.
Feel the urge to breathe in,
Bubble up inside of you.
When you need to inhale,
Please do so.
Long,
Slow inhale,
Longer,
Slower exhale,
And then pause where your body is neither breathing in nor out.
Please continue breathing in this way.
Now go back to the natural,
Easy breath,
Releasing any control over your inhale or exhale.
The practice of yoga nidra begins now.
At this moment,
You should make your sankalpa or mantra.
The sankalpa should be a short,
Positive statement in simple language.
Try to discover one naturally.
Please state your sankalpa or mantra clearly and with awareness three times.
The sankalpa you make during yoga nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.
Also,
Say to yourself,
I am practicing yoga nidra.
I am awake and relaxed.
We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
You'll move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.
Please say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body,
But do not move any part.
The practice begins on the right side.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of your hand,
Back of your hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your foot,
Top of your foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of your hand,
Back of your hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of your foot,
Top of your foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of your body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Your entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of your neck,
Back of your head,
Top of your head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of your eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of your chest,
Left side of your chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
Your whole right leg,
Whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
Your whole face,
Your whole head,
Your whole torso,
Your whole body,
Your whole body,
Your whole body,
Now imagine your whole body becoming light as though your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling,
Your head is light and weightless,
Your limbs are light and weightless,
Your torso is light and weightless,
Your whole body is light and weightless,
You are rising higher and higher away from the floor,
Imagine your body becoming heavy,
Feel the heaviness in all parts of your body,
Each part is becoming heavier and heavier and heavier,
Your head is heavy,
Your limbs are heavy,
Your torso heavy,
Your whole body heavy,
So heavy that you're sinking down into the floor,
Awaken the experience of cold in your body,
The experience of chilly cold,
Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing,
You feel this chill permeating your entire body,
Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout your entire body,
Remember the feeling of heat in summer when you are out in the sun with no shade,
You feel heat radiating onto your skin,
Heat all around your body,
Recollect the experience of anxiety,
Intense anxiety and worry,
Feel this stress in your mind and body but do not concentrate on its source,
Create the experience of anxiety as clearly as possible,
Now allow the feeling of complete calm to envelop you,
Manifest the experience of calm in your entire mind,
Body and emotions,
You are relaxed and aware,
You are completely calm,
Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids,
Imagine before you a transparent screen as though you're at the movie theater,
The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see,
Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it,
Colors,
Patterns and light,
Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind,
Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved,
Practice detached awareness only,
If any subtle images make themselves known,
Simply notice them without directing the images,
If thoughts occur,
Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space,
Continue this with detached awareness,
Now a number of different things will be named and you should envision them on the level of emotion,
Memory and imagination as best as you can,
Jump from image to image as soon as you hear it,
Red desert,
Peacock feather,
Buddha meditating,
A good night's rest,
Full moon,
Your reflection in a mirror,
Foggy morning,
Waiting for results,
Sun shining overhead,
Bouquet of flowers,
Tall tree,
Receiving help from others,
Cool clear water,
A relaxing afternoon,
Laughing with friends,
A warm embrace,
Burning candle,
Temple on a mountain,
Path in the woods,
Vibrant sunset,
Taking a deep breath,
Cat stretching,
A beautiful garden path,
Your favorite song,
The sound of my voice,
Your body lying on the floor,
It is time to repeat your sankalpa or mantra,
Please repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times mentally now,
Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils,
Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body,
Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor,
Feel the container of your skin and the clothes and the props that are touching you,
Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the floor and take your awareness into all the points that are touching the floor,
The back of your heels,
Thighs,
Buttocks,
Shoulder blades,
Arms,
Hands,
And head,
Do not open your eyes yet but visualize the surrounding room,
Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you,
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move,
Start by slowly moving your hands and feet,
Take your time,
There is no hurry,
When you are sure that you are fully awake,
Flicker your eyes to open,
Roll over onto your right side,
Stay on your right side for a few more moments,
Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last,
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
