In this yoga nidra practice we use our senses to enter relaxation.
In this relaxation we engage our senses,
Our hearing,
Sense of touch and sense of smell.
We also consciously feel our emotions.
This enables us to perceive the inner space even better.
Our senses are so rich in perceptions and give us so much pleasure and joy.
In this practice we simply let them be and notice what they communicate to us.
This practice requires a little more concentration.
Just follow the instructions of the voice.
Welcome to your practice of yoga nidra.
Turn your phone on silent and make sure that you are not disturbed,
If possible,
For the next few minutes.
You are aware that these few moments are important enough that everything else can wait and be taken care of afterwards.
Get into a lying position.
While your body is relaxed,
Your mind remains in an alert,
Clear state.
Extend your body from your tailbone to the crown of your head.
Make sure you are comfortable and expanding your body.
Now close your eyes and move from the outer world to your inner world.
During yoga nidra you do not need to move.
Now close your eyes.
Forget your problems and worries during this hour and concentrate only on yoga nidra.
You just follow the voice.
You do not need your intellect at this moment.
Just focus all your awareness on the voice and follow the instructions.
Take a deep breath and let go of everything with the exhale.
Breathe in and with the exhale everything falls away from you.
Stay awake and present.
Now set your sankalpa.
Repeat your resolution three times silently in your mind,
With confidence and trust.
This resolution is like a seed that you place in well-prepared soil.
What you resolve to do in this way will come to pass in your life.
You are aware that you are doing yoga nidra now.
Stay awake throughout the practice and follow the instructions of the voice.
We will now begin a journey of sensory awareness through the body.
You will bring your awareness to different parts of your body as you hear them.
Please repeat the name of the body part silently in your head each time.
Feel that part of your body but do not move.
You can also imagine letting the breath flow through that part of your body.
We start on the right.
Right thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
The right pinky finger,
Palm,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Right forearm,
Elbow,
Your upper arm,
Shoulder and armpit,
Side of the chest,
Waist,
Your right hip and groin,
Thigh,
Right knee and knee pit,
Your lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel and sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Your right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the fifth pinky toe.
Feel the whole right side.
Feel your entire right side.
Then move to your left side.
Your left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger and the left pinky finger,
Your palm,
Back of the hand,
Your wrist and forearm,
Left elbow and upper arm,
Your shoulder and armpit,
The left side of the chest,
Your waist and hip,
The left groin,
Thigh,
Knee,
Knee pit and lower leg,
Your left ankle,
Your heel,
Sole of your foot,
Top of the foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the fifth pinky toe.
Feel the entire left side.
The whole left side.
Now move to the back of your body.
Your right heel,
Your left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right knee pit,
Left knee pit,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Your lower back,
The middle back and the upper back,
The entire spine.
Feel the entire spine.
The right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Neck,
Back of the head and top of your head,
The whole back of your body.
Feel the whole back of your body.
Now come to your front,
Your forehead and right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow and left eyebrow,
The center point between the eyebrows,
The center point between the eyebrows,
Right eyelid and left eyelid,
Your right eye and left eye,
Right ear and left ear,
Right nostril and left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Your nose,
Tip of the nose and upper lip,
Your lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin and jaw,
Your neck,
The right clavicle,
The left clavicle,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Your upper abdomen and navel,
Your lower abdomen,
The right groin,
Your left groin,
Pelvic floor.
Feel the whole right leg,
The whole left leg and both legs together.
Feel the whole right arm,
The whole left arm and both arms together,
The whole back,
Your belly and chest,
The whole upper body,
The whole face and the whole head,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
Both arms together,
The whole back,
Belly,
Chest and your whole upper body,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg.
Both legs together.
Both arms together.
The whole back,
The belly and chest,
Your whole upper body,
The whole face and the whole head,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Please stay awake and alert.
Let's practice.
And start feeling your breath,
Feel the flow of air through your nostrils,
Cool fresh air as you breathe in and the warm,
Moist air as you breathe out.
Let your breathing become smoother,
Then more even.
Inhale slowly,
Expand and open and exhale slowly and release.
To go deeper,
Let your breath naturally pause after each exhale.
Immerse yourself in this stillness for as long as you like,
Then begin a new cycle with the next inhale.
Your breathing is always with you and can give you stability in any situation.
You can place a hand on your chest or belly to increase the feeling of expansion and gentle relaxation.
This increases your sensory awareness.
Feel the rest of your body,
Feel your body weight on the floor.
Enjoy this constant reminder of the earth gravity as a constant force keeping you company and reminding you of your physical being in this world.
Gravity keeps us on the ground.
Now go to your sense of touch and feel how the surrounding air moves on your skin,
Your temperature or your clothes against your skin.
Gentle touch that keeps you warm.
If you are wearing jewelry,
Bracelets or rings,
Feel where they touch your skin.
These sensations also remind you of the here and now.
You can always return to your sense of touch.
You can also use your senses to touch objects or a loved one with care and attention.
Now let's use your hearing to listen carefully.
Practice the art of listening to focus your hearing on one sound at a time.
Maybe you can hear soft sounds,
The music in the background or sounds inside your room or outside.
In this way you can practice filtering sounds just as we need to filter our thoughts.
Smell the air around you.
A scent can also be an anchor in the present moment,
Especially when we open our senses curiously,
As if we are smelling this fragrance or this flower or this perfume for the first time.
Simply notice what you can smell at this moment.
Listen to the sense of your smell.
When you use scent,
Touch or your awareness of breath,
You can quickly return to your body at any time.
It's about coming back to your senses when you are unfocused and caught up in thought patterns.
This is an open invitation to return here at any time.
Now let's come back to your breath.
Again,
Feel your breath moving in and out.
Notice the gentle swelling and relaxation.
We will now begin to count our breathing.
We will count from 1 to 10.
On the inhale,
Silently count 1,
Inhale in your mind and on the exhale,
Quietly in your head,
Count 2,
Exhale.
Inhaling,
Count 3,
Inhale,
Exhale.
Count 4,
Exhale.
Continue until you reach 10,
Then start again with 1,
Inhale.
Now start with a deep inhale and an even longer and deeper exhale.
Then start counting silently in your head.
1,
Inhale.
If you got distracted,
Just start again.
Breathe in slowly and evenly,
Relax as you exhale and then begin the next inhale on 1,
Inhale,
Exhale quietly.
2,
Exhale.
Continue to 10 and then begin again with 1,
Inhale.
If you get drawn into your thoughts,
Just notice them,
Observe them and then gently bring your mind back to breathing.
Then begin counting again,
Starting with 1,
Inhale,
While breathing in slowly and evenly.
Exhale and count 2,
Exhale.
Synchronize your mind and breathing in this way.
If you can't fall asleep now,
Stay with your steady breathing.
Become still,
Feel yourself breathing deeper and deeper.
You can again place one hand on your chest,
The other hand on your belly.
Feel your hands rise with the inhale and lower with the exhale.
This will help you bring your body and mind into harmony.
Continue to count each breath in your mind,
Let go of thoughts and keep returning to the breath.
Be aware of how you feel now,
Just connect with what you are feeling.
In this moment,
You do not need to name your feelings,
Just be aware of them.
What are you grateful for today?
What happened today or this week that you are grateful for?
Maybe you can name things,
People,
Animals,
Experiences that have made you happy and grateful.
Right now,
In your mind.
How do you feel right now?
Relax your face and smile.
Keep your eyes closed and smile out of the corners of your eyes.
Smile joyfully through the corners of your mouth.
Maintain this gentle smile.
What makes you happy?
What made you happy today or this week?
Can you name 5 events that have made you happy?
For example dancing,
Music,
Friends,
Loved ones or family.
How do you feel now?
Relax your chest,
Open and widen it as you inhale.
Gently relax as you exhale.
Feel love.
Think of someone in your life you love,
A loved one,
An animal,
Your baby or a special person.
Feel the love spreading and growing in your heart.
Feel the warm flow and joy.
Feel energy flowing into you through your love.
Repeat your sankalpa from the beginning of the practice.
Mentally in your head,
Repeat the same statement 3 times with trust and confidence.
How do you feel now?
Lie still for a moment with your eyes closed.
Let your mind be open to the thoughts that come to you now.
You may want to write them down later.
Feel your presence in your pure state.
Feel your whole body lying relaxed and refreshed on your support.
Then feel into your feet.
Move your feet gently,
Feel into your pelvis and gently move your hips back and forth.
Feel the back of your head and gently move your head side to side.
And feel your arms and hands.
Move your arms,
Hands and wiggle your fingers.
Then open your eyes.
Enjoy your refreshed and awake state.
And as soon as you're ready,
Slowly sit up.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
