Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.
This is a particular practice for the time around the summer solstice.
We celebrate the abundance of light and energy and the union of earth,
Sun and moon.
Lie down comfortably on a mat,
Sofa or your bed.
To stay warm,
Wear warm clothes,
An extra pair of socks or cover yourself with a blanket.
Stretch out your legs and let them rest without touching each other.
Adjust your position so that your spine is completely straight.
Keep your head in line with your spine.
Place your arms alongside your body without touching your body,
With your fingertips facing up.
Close your eyes now.
To relax your eyes,
Place a small pillow or meditation mask over your eyes.
Take a deep breath in.
Tense your body a little.
Then exhale and let go.
Again,
Deep inhale,
Little tension in your body.
Then exhale and release all tension.
Sink deeper with your whole body.
You don't need to move anymore.
Let your eyeballs get heavy,
Eyeballs getting heavier.
Relax your eyelid,
The whole area around your eyes.
Rest the whole face,
Your forehead,
Your nose,
Lips,
Ears and neck.
Feel your body.
Feel your heels heavily on the mat or bed.
Let your heels sink in deeply with the exhale.
Feel your sacrum lying heavily on the mat.
Let your sacrum sink deeper into the surface as you exhale.
Feel the back of your head become heavy on the mat.
Exhale deeply and let the back of your head sink deep into the mat.
Your body and mind are completely relaxed now.
Now set your sankalpa.
Form a short sentence in the present tense that represents a personal resolution or decision.
With this sankalpa you will change your personality or the direction of your life in a positive way.
This seat that penetrates the conscious mind from the subconscious makes everything in life possible.
Now repeat your resolution three times silently in your head,
Full of trust and with firm confidence.
Feel your body.
Let your breath flow in and out of your whole body.
Stay awake and present.
Now direct your attention to individual parts of the body.
Let your breath,
Your prana,
The life energy,
Flow through this part of the body.
The circling of perception creates a band of energy through the whole body.
It refreshes and relaxes the body at the same time.
We start on the right.
Feel your body but don't move.
Right thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Armpit.
Side of the chest.
Waist.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Back of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
The fifth toe.
Feel the whole right side.
Then come to the left.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Waist.
Thigh.
Left knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The whole left side.
Now go to the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Right back of the knee.
Left back of the knee.
Right back of the thigh.
Left back of the thigh.
Right buttocks.
Left buttocks.
Lower back.
Middle back.
Feel the entire spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Feel the whole back of the body.
Now come to the front.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The point between the eyebrows.
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.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
Neck.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Right groin.
Left groin.
The pelvic floor.
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.
The belly.
The chest.
The whole upper body.
The whole face.
The whole head.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Stay awake and present.
Visualize yourself standing on a sandy beach.
You look down and see your naked feet covered in warm sand.
You can hear seagulls screeching over the ocean.
And you hear the waves crashing onto the beach.
You can feel the ocean behind a small sand dune.
You start walking over the sand dune towards the white and dark blue ocean.
The sun is just about to set.
You see a glowing dark red fireball almost touching the ocean surface.
You feel the power of the sun as you approach the water.
The sky is lit in orange,
Gold and red colors.
In the orange,
Gold and red sky you can see the moon reflecting the light of the sun back to earth.
Bathing in these powerful golden,
Orange and red lights.
You walk along the beach.
A bonfire is lit.
People dancing freely around the bonfire.
You're getting closer to the celebration of the apex of light.
Summer solstice.
Someone grabs your hand and pulls you into the circle.
You immediately feel part of a wonderful,
Powerful union of fire,
Moon and sun.
The dancing fire guides your own inner light and you start to dance freely in the circle with the others.
You are full of energy,
Boosted by the sun and the fire,
Cooled by the moon.
You feel great vitality and abundance of light.
Abundance of fertility of the earth.
Celebrating all the fruits of the earth and all our ancestors who gave us life.
The dance continues.
You feel one with everyone dancing around the fire.
One with the ocean.
One with the beach.
One with the earth.
Stay awake and present.
Remember your resolution.
Your sankalpa.
Repeat your resolution from the beginning of your practice now.
Three times,
Full of trust and with firm confidence.
Now listen to your breathing again.
Breathe in and out through your nose.
Reconnect with your outside world through your breath.
Feel your body lying relaxed and refreshed on the mat.
Feel your feet.
Move your feet gently.
Feel your pelvis.
Move your hips back and forth slightly.
Feel the back of your head on the surface.
Move your head gently.
Then feel your arms and hands.
Move your arms,
Hands and fingers.
Take three deep breaths in and out,
Waking up your entire body.
As soon as you're ready,
Roll over onto your side and lift yourself up into sitting.
The practice of Yoganidra is now complete.
