Hi,
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.
My name is Kat.
Yoga Nidra is usually translated as the union with sleep.
It's a conscious way to experience the benefits of a deep withdrawal from senses and stimulation while we're in a conscious state.
There is so much written about this practice.
It's been around for centuries,
Perhaps millennia.
It's been practiced in other parts of the world for a long,
Long time where its benefits are more widely known and I'd like to share this practice with you today.
Now one part of Yoga Nidra to attend is to commit to staying awake.
Do your very,
Very best to stay awake.
The reason for this is that your brain,
When you go to sleep,
It goes through a cleansing process.
It's releasing toxins and waste that need to be removed from the brain regularly.
Our true sleep practice is part of the way the brain keeps itself healthy and helps us stave off some of the degenerative brain diseases.
So if we fall asleep during Yoga Nidra,
Sometimes we interrupt this cleansing process and we can come out of the practice feeling kind of groggy or dysregulated.
So do your best to stay awake.
That said,
Our practice begins by getting really,
Really comfortable.
Traditionally,
This practice is done in Shavasana,
Which means lying on your back on the floor.
So if you're able to do that,
Go ahead and get down on the floor and it might mean that you're going to cover the surface with a blanket to make it more comfortable.
Maybe you'll be tucking a blanket behind your head or a bolster behind your knees.
You might want to cover yourself up with a blanket.
It also means that being comfortable means not lying on the floor.
Maybe you want to sit up on the bolster and lean your back against the wall or sit in a chair or find any other comfortable position where you can sit well for,
Let's say,
At least 18 minutes.
So take some time to gather your props.
Get the things that you need.
If you're wearing glasses,
I'm going to suggest you try taking them off.
If your hair is up in a hair tie or a clip,
To take that out.
If you're wearing a belt that restricts your abdomen,
Maybe loosening or even taking the belt off.
Take this time now to really settle yourself.
We want to be as comfortable as possible so that we can unite with the same state that the body experiences in deep sleep.
The great challenge,
As I mentioned,
Is to stay awake during this very relaxing practice.
So we want the body to be in a healthy alignment.
We'd like the head to be above the spine.
If you're lying on the floor,
Check that your head has not gone to one side or the other.
Ideally,
The limbs are also an equal distance away from the center of the body.
So take some time to look but especially to feel your body and make any adjustments that you need to so that you can then settle your body into stillness.
You might close your eyes for this practice or keep them partially open.
I'm still really,
Really struggling with staying awake in the practice so I keep my eyes open and I keep my focus on something that helps my eyes stay relaxed but awake.
Say mentally to yourself,
I am practicing yoga nidra.
I will stay awake for the practice.
Feel now how your body is being supported.
Notice how the legs are supported,
How the arms are supported.
Notice how the trunk is supported.
Feel how the head is supported.
Feel the whole body supported.
Become aware of your breath.
Listen to the sounds around you.
Let your awareness move in a circle,
Picking out the sounds in all directions.
Listen for sounds outside this room.
Listen for sounds inside this room.
Listen for sounds close to or inside your body.
Now we begin the rotation of awareness through the body's parts.
As I name each part,
Focus on it by feeling sensations in it.
Mentally repeat its name or by picturing this part in your mind.
You might do more than one of these.
Starting on the right side,
Be aware of the right hand,
Thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side of the trunk,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Instep or arch of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now the left side,
Left thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Left side of the trunk,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Heel,
Instep or arch of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Stay awake.
Bring attention to the top of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Eyebrow center,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Nose,
Lips,
Tongue,
Jaw,
Front of the neck,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Hollow between,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Heart center,
Upper abdomen,
Navel center,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis.
Now take attention to the back body,
The buttocks,
The lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Whole spine,
Back of the head,
Top of the head.
Stay awake and be aware of the whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
Trunk,
Neck,
Head.
Be aware of both legs,
Both arms,
Trunk,
Neck,
And head.
Be aware of the whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Stay awake and bring awareness to the breath.
Notice any movements of the breath in the chest.
Feel any rise or fall of the chest with the breath.
Really notice what you feel in your chest as the breath is coming in and going out.
If the attention wanders,
Forgive yourself and guide your attention back to the breath in the chest.
Stay alert to the sensations of the breath in the chest.
With each breath in,
Mentally repeat,
Breathing in.
With each breath out,
Mentally repeat,
Breathing out.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Stay aware of the breath in the chest.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Stay awake.
Keep the awareness on the breath.
Stay aware of the movement of your breath in your chest.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Let go now of the mental repetition.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Let go of awareness of breath in the chest.
Listen for the sound of your breath.
Listen for the sounds inside or near your body.
Listen for the sounds inside this room.
Listen for the sounds outside this room.
Remember this room around you.
Remember the walls,
The floor,
Where the doors are.
Remember your position in this room.
Feel what's touching your body.
Feel the air against your skin.
Your clothing or blankets against your skin.
Feel what's supporting you.
Feel every point where your body is supported.
Then be aware of your entire body.
Be aware of your entire body from head to toe.
Breathe more deeply into and out of your body.
This practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Begin to move.
Start with your fingers,
Your toes,
Maybe wiggling,
Maybe circling,
Making little fists,
Contracting and opening.
Let this movement spread into your wrists and your ankles,
Awakening your forearms,
Your calves.
Bring some movement into your legs now.
Maybe you draw your knees up into your chest,
Rocking side to side.
Maybe having the feet on the floor with knees bent,
Knees rocking side to side.
Arms can reach out to the sides,
Perhaps overhead along the floor.
Maybe stretch the whole body long.
As you come back more fully and completely into your body,
Stretch one arm along the side of your head and then roll to that side so that your head will be pillowed by your arm.
Take a few breaths there.
The eyes are still closed.
If you're doing a closed eyes practice,
Then use your arms to start guiding yourself up to a seated position.
When you are ready,
Open your eyes.
Thank you for participating in this practice.
Thanks for joining me for this Yoga Nidra.
How was this practice for you?
I'd love to hear about that.
Once again,
Thank you for joining me for Yoga Nidra.
