So,
I would say we begin.
You can start to lie down,
Make yourself comfortable,
Relax into your bed or sofa or wherever you're lying on your yoga mat,
Maybe,
And adjust your position so that you can extend your arms and legs,
Let the legs fall outwards,
Let your arms fall outwards.
The purpose of letting the legs stretch out and fall outwards is so they don't touch each other.
Also,
Make sure that your hands do not touch the body.
If you do feel like you need a little bit of a self-care,
You can have one hand,
Left hand on your heart,
Right hand on your belly,
And you can do that for a little while and then when you feel comfortable and safe again,
Then you can release the arms back down.
So,
Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra.
You can cover yourself with a light cloth or blanket if it's cold to stay warm during this entire practice.
Adjust your head position so that your head is in line with your spine.
Make sure your neck is relaxed and extended.
Close your eyes now if they're not already closed,
And if you have something to cover your eyes,
It can be a scarf or a little towel or meditation mask,
You can cover your eyes to remind your eyes to sink in and to relax.
Feel your whole body and notice your natural breathing.
If possible,
Breathe in and out through the nose,
Allowing you to breathe in and out slower.
Notice your belly lifting on the in-breath and lowering off the navel on the out-breath.
Feel your navel traveling up with the inhale and then down with the exhale.
Deepen your breathing further to your belly.
Let your belly expand with the inhale and lower on the exhale.
Notice your whole body calming down.
Notice the whole body from the crown of the head to the tip of the nose.
Notice the tips of the toes.
Feel your whole body supported by the floor.
Feel how your body is being held by the floor.
Feel your body being safe on the floor.
Take a deep inhale and on the exhale,
Silently repeat the mantra Aum.
You can either do that out loud or silently in your head,
Feeling the vibration in your whole body.
Then take another deep breath in and on the exhale,
Repeat the mantra Aum.
Let it swing through the whole body.
Then take another deep inhale and repeat the mantra a third time on the exhale.
The whole body relaxes.
Continue to breathe deeply and watch your natural breath flow.
Let go of your thoughts.
Simply observe them.
Observe them from a calm distance.
Let them drift further away and let them go.
Just focus on your breathing.
Continue to breathe in and out through your nose,
Both of your nostrils.
Now set your sankalpa.
Form a short sentence in the present tense that represents a positive statement or resolution.
If you already have a sankalpa,
Be persistent.
Keep the seed in one place without changing it.
With the sankalpa you will change your personality or the direction of your life in a positive way.
Repeat your resolution three times,
Full of trust and with confidence.
This resolution is like a seed that you plant in well-prepared soil.
What you set out to do in this way will realize itself in your life.
We are now beginning a journey of sensory awareness through the body.
You will shift your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them.
Please repeat the name of the part of your body silently in your head.
Feel this part of your body,
But don't move.
You can also imagine to let your breath flow through this part of your body or sending warmth into this part of your body.
This way you are directing your prana,
Your life energy,
Through the entire body.
We start on the right,
With the right hand,
Right thumb,
Index finger,
Ring,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Back of hand,
Left hand,
Right hand wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of your chest,
Waist,
Lower leg,
Right ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Your right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Feel your entire right side,
Feel your whole right side,
Your whole right side,
Then move over to the left,
Start with the left hand,
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger,
Back of the hand,
Left hand wrist,
Left forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Left hip,
Lower leg,
Left ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Your left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Feel your whole left side,
The entire left side,
Feel your left side,
Then go to the back of your body,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left back of thigh,
Right buttocks,
Left buttocks,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Feel your entire spine,
From your tailbone up towards the crown of the head,
Feel the entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
The whole back of your body,
Feel the entire back side of your body,
The whole back of your body,
Now come to the front,
Feel your forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The centre point between the eyebrows,
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Nose,
Tip of the nose,
Your upper lip,
Your lower lip,
Feel both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Front of the neck,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
Feel your pelvic floor,
Feel your whole right leg,
Your whole left leg,
Both legs together,
Feel your right arm,
The entire left arm,
Both arms together,
Feel your entire back,
Your belly,
The chest,
The whole upper body,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole body,
Feel your whole body,
Feel your whole body,
Please stay awake and remain present,
Imagine a deep,
Endless sea,
A giant ocean is appearing on your inner screen,
The sea is calm and quiet,
The sun is reflecting on the ocean surface,
Sending warm sparkles your way,
You smell the fresh,
Salty taste of the sea,
The light wind touches your face,
You can see the big,
Infinite ocean,
You can see a coast covered by a wild,
Dark forest,
In this jungle are snakes,
Lions and goats,
All living peacefully with each other,
Colourful butterflies are hopping around in the damp,
Warm forest air,
Birds are chirping peacefully,
You hear a sound,
A sound you would like to follow,
There's a trail leading through the forest,
You follow the trail to a solitary hut,
The hut is filled with bamboo and covered with straw,
A yogi is sitting peacefully in front of the bamboo hut,
Legs in lotus position,
Eyes closed,
Arms relaxed,
A fire is burning and you smell the scent of flowers and incense sticks,
You are surrounded by deep peace,
You hear the mantra OM,
Filling the air above the jungle and the deep,
Endless sea,
You feel the connection with all beings,
You feel completely with yourself,
Now remember your resolution,
Your sankalpa and repeat your resolution now,
Three times,
Silently,
Again,
Full of trust and with confidence,
Now feel your breath,
Feel your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils,
Maintain awareness of your breath while developing your awareness of your physical body,
Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor,
Sofa or bed or mat or sitting,
Your eyes stay closed,
Feel your skin enclose,
Feel whatever touches your body,
Maybe a pillow or blanket,
Enjoy the heaviness of your body resting on the floor and direct your awareness to all points of your body that touch something,
Your feet,
The back of the heels,
The back of your thighs,
Your buttocks,
Your back and shoulder blades,
The back of your arms,
Hands,
Maybe even fingers,
The back of your head resting,
Feel whether something has risen into your consciousness during this practice that you would like to write down or think about a little longer,
Maybe something has dissolved or cleared up,
Maybe an idea has risen or a new point of view has come up,
Keep your eyes closed for a while longer and remain with the experience,
Then visualize the space around you,
Imagine where you are in the room,
Or space and what other objects are around you and where,
Take some deep breath in and out,
Just to connect yourself back with reality,
Stay calm until you feel ready to move,
And if you don't feel ready to move yet,
That's totally fine too,
And if you need to sleep,
Then just keep sleeping,
It's totally fine to drift away during yoga nidra,
So if you can't stay awake,
Then probably your body needed the recovery,
If you want to then begin by slowly moving your hands and feet,
Reaching and stretching and open your eyes,
Looking around you,
Taking a few deep breath in,
Stretching out,
Maybe yawning,
Getting the whole prana back into your limbs,
Enjoy your refreshed and awake state,
And then slowly sit up,
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
