Anuttara Yoga Nidra

The practice of Anuttara, this practice focuses on an accessible introduction to yoga nidra. There are some yoga terms used like savasana and kosha, but the instruction is meant to help ease you into the practice even if you don't know what the terms mean. This practice doesn't require any movement or previous yoga knowledge; Simply find a comfortable place to relax and let the instruction guide you into a deep and rejuvenating rest.

Transcript

Welcome to this yoga nidra.

The practice of yoga nidra is that of yogic sleep,

Where we gently guide the various layers of the body into relaxation.

As we go through the various layers of the body,

We relax the body deeper and deeper,

Moving from the physical body to the energetic body,

And then moving through the emotional body,

The body of our intellect.

And then finally,

Resting in a beautiful space of bliss,

Our anandamaya kosha.

The practice of yoga nidra is often done in the posture shavasana,

Lying on the back,

Either on the floor or a bed,

But trying to allow the body to be alert and aware as we're going through the practice.

Beginning to find ourselves in the way of shavasana,

Lying on the back,

Possibly with a bolster under the legs to help the lower back,

Maybe a small pillow under the head,

Finding a place that we can relax and allowing the body to feel supported and at ease.

As we begin the practice of yoga nidra,

We establish our place of our heart space,

Remaining in control throughout the entire practice.

We can return to the sacred space of the heart at any time.

Breathing in to this beautiful area at the center of the chest,

Feeling the expanse of the heart open as we breathe in.

Then holding the breath just for a moment at the top of the breath to feel the energy in the heart before gently letting the breath out,

Settling back into stillness.

We can take another breath,

A deeper breath than normal,

Feeling the heart space in the center of the chest expanding on the inhale.

And then remaining just for a moment at the inhale,

And then exhaling,

Letting the chest gently fall,

Relaxing here into the stillness.

Here we can set a personal sankalpa,

A solemn promise or vow,

An I AM statement.

Some examples might be,

I am centered.

I am love.

I am peace.

I am expanding.

Once you find a sankalpa that resonates with you,

Say the sankalpa silently to yourself three times with intention and presence.

For this practice,

I will also set a group sankalpa,

So anyone listening to this yoga nidra can also have this sankalpa for their practice.

The sankalpa will be,

I am practicing yoga nidra and I am awake and aware.

I am practicing yoga nidra and I am awake and aware.

I am practicing yoga nidra and I am awake and aware.

With our sankalpa,

Our intention set for the practice,

We begin by moving into anamaya kosha,

The awareness of the physical body.

We gently guide the awareness to the left big toe.

We invite stillness and release of any tension in the left big toe,

Moving the awareness to the second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the fifth left toe.

Feeling the stillness and release of tension in all of the toes on the left foot.

Then bringing the awareness to the sole of the foot,

Releasing any tension in the sole of the foot.

Moving the awareness to the top of the foot,

The heel,

The ankle,

Gently guiding the awareness up the left leg,

The calf,

And the shin.

Seeing if you can focus on the knee,

Any tension or inviting stillness into the knee.

Bringing the awareness up the leg to the thigh,

Into the pelvis and hip on the left side.

Feeling the whole left leg relaxed.

Then bringing the awareness up the left side of the body,

The left side.

Seeing if there's any tension in the left side of the chest,

The left shoulder.

Moving down the arm,

The front of the arm,

And the back of the arm,

The left elbow,

The left forearm.

The left middle finger,

The left ring finger,

And the left pinky finger.

Focusing the palm of the left hand and any energy or stillness in the left palm of the hand.

We can then gently guide the awareness to the right big toe.

Focusing on bringing in stillness and relaxation into the right big toe.

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feeling the sole of the right foot,

The top of the right foot,

The heel of the right foot.

Moving our way up the leg to the ankle,

Releasing any tension in the ankle.

Moving up the leg,

The calf and the shin of the right leg.

Moving up the knee,

Releasing any tension in the right thigh.

Feeling where the leg connects to the pelvis,

Any tension in the hips.

Gently melting away with our awareness.

Feeling the right side of the body,

The right chest,

The right shoulder.

Remaining awake and aware.

Feeling the right wrist,

The right thumb,

The right pointer finger,

The right middle finger,

The right ring finger,

And the right pinky finger.

Becoming aware of the palm of the right hand.

Then trying to bring the awareness to the palm of the right and the palm of the left hand.

Seeing if there's any differences between the left and the right palms of the hand.

We can begin to feel the energy of the spine.

From sitting or standing,

We can have so much tension built up in the spine.

Beginning to focus vertebrae by vertebrae from the pelvis.

Working our way up one at a time,

Inch by inch up the back.

Seeing if we can release any tension and invite in relaxation to the spine.

Not forcing,

But just inviting the relaxation into the spine.

Continuing up the back,

Past the shoulders,

Up the neck.

Feeling the muscles of the neck.

Gently relaxing once you get there.

Then once you reach the base of the skull,

You can begin to relax the back of the head even further into the floor.

Realizing if we're still holding on to any parts of the body,

As the support of the floor will unconditionally support us as we rest here.

No need to provide any other support in the body as we rest the entire body into the floor.

Remaining awake and aware,

We can feel the right side of the head.

The left side of the head.

Feel the forehead,

Gently relaxing.

The eyebrows and the eyes,

Relaxing into their sockets.

Releasing any of the small muscles holding the eyes.

We can relax the cheekbones,

Any hidden tension in the jaw,

And the entire face,

Fully relaxed.

With the entire body moving into a state of relaxation,

We can remember our heart space that we found at the beginning of the practice.

And knowing that any time during the practice,

We can return to that heart space.

As we have relaxed the anamaya kosha,

Our physical body,

We can then move to our pranamaya kosha,

The awareness of the energetic body.

Being aware that the breath continues without our intervention,

The normal flow of the breath.

As we become aware of the flow of the breath,

We can gently split the attention between the palms of both hands,

The left and the right.

And as we breathe in and out,

What sort of feelings do we have in the palms of our hands?

We can begin with the natural flow of the breath,

Providing expansion on the inhale,

And calming relaxation on the exhale.

Focusing on the palms of the hands.

And then,

Next,

Full breath.

Seeing if we can guide the awareness to the soles of the feet.

Seeing what we feel in the soles of the feet as we breathe the natural flow of the breath.

Gently guiding the awareness to the top of the head.

Seeing what we feel in the top of the head with the awareness as we breathe the natural flow of the breath.

And then finally moving the awareness to the center of the chest,

Into the heart space.

Where we can move with the breath in and out,

Seeing what we can open up,

Or what is ready in the heart space.

We can then move to observe with the awareness the Manomaya Kosha.

Here in the emotional body.

We realize that feelings and emotions are neither good nor bad.

But these experiences can be witnessed just as they are.

From here,

A state of relaxation and stillness.

We can move through emotions more easily.

And within our control,

Knowing that we can return to the heart space at any given time in our practice.

Inviting in the sensation of heat.

Heat becoming alive and awake in the body.

Feeling heat warming the body.

Like we're sitting by a warm fire.

Allowing the sensation of heat to be alive and awake in the body.

Allowing the sensation of heat to gently pass,

Coming to a neutral state.

Then inviting in the sensation of cold.

Cold running through the body.

As if we're taking a walk through a winter forest on a cold day.

Feeling our body becoming cold.

And just as we did,

With the sensation of heat,

Returning the body back to neutral.

Then inviting the sensation of pleasure in the body.

Pleasure becoming alive and awake in the body.

Sensation of pleasure moving through the body,

However it's ready to be felt.

Allowing the sensation of pleasure to gently pass,

Returning back to neutral.

The sensation of pain,

Alive and awake in the body.

Pain,

However it's ready to be felt.

And just as we did,

With pleasure allowing the pain,

Or the sensation of pain,

To gently subside.

And returning back to neutral.

Allowing the body to become still and at ease again.

Repeating the sankalpa,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

And I am awake and aware.

Remembering that you can return to your heart space at any time.

Moving out of our emotional bodies and a layer deeper into our body,

The vijnana maya kosha.

Bring your awareness to different images as I mention them.

Allowing whatever sort of intuition or awareness of the image that I mention to come into focus.

No matter what it is,

Allowing the freedom of the intuition to relate to each image.

We'll begin with the image of an endless desert.

A tall palm tree.

Ancient ruins.

Raindrops on a window.

Christmas morning.

A dense deep forest.

Fresh cut grass.

New born puppies.

And a crystal clear lake.

Noticing whatever arises and comes up in the awareness.

Knowing that the consciousness is always perpetuating through all things.

And even as we imagine things which we have not seen in person,

We still feel we are able to imagine these with the wisdom of the mind.

As we can feel the intuition,

Alive and awake in the body,

We then can move a layer deeper into anandamaya kosha.

The blissful space that is always present in the body.

A space dense with joy and bliss.

A sense of lightness.

An unbound awareness in the body.

It can sometimes feel like there is so much on top of this bliss,

But resting here we are reminded and aware that the bliss does not ever leave the body.

As we rest here into the space of anandamaya kosha,

I'll be here to bring you out.

It is here in the anandamaya kosha where we can realize atma vichara,

The awareness of our true being.

Who is it that is aware of these feelings of the self?

Looking a layer deeper to the saying,

I am.

Feeling a deeper level of I in the heart space.

I am in the heart space allowing to fall into just an I.

I in the heart space.

And then seeing if we can go a layer deeper if that's accessible.

And just dropping the I and simply resting into pure being and consciousness.

It is here where we are set to rest into our natural state.

To accept each moment as it arises.

We are no longer longing for anything free of desire.

And experiencing the world as an open and infinite being.

From this space we can gently bring back the feeling of awareness.

Slowly inviting back in the senses.

And reconnecting with the natural flow of the breath.

We can reconnect with our personal sankalpa we set at the beginning.

And if you don't remember,

That's fine.

Just picking a sankalpa that's resonating with you now.

And repeating the sankalpa three times.

As we gently deepen the breathing.

Bringing life into the physical body.

Energy and prana coming back into the body.

We can begin to make small movements with the wrists and ankles.

Slightly bigger movements with the knees and the shoulders.

And when we feel ready,

Coming on to one side of the body.

Resting here for just a moment.

Allowing the body to settle back in.

We can gently push ourselves up into a seated position.

Where we'll be comfortable for a few moments.

With the eyes closed,

If that's accessible to you.

Bringing the hands to a prayer mudra.

I will say the anuttara yoga prayer.

And then if you are able to listen to the words as if they were your own.

Feeling this prayer being said in your heart as if it were your own.

With gratitude to all teachers,

Spirit guides,

Ancestors,

Friends and family.

Who lead me to here and now.

The practice and all practices that I do are humble movement towards the recognition of my true self.

I set the intention today and all days to live life as the divine embodied.

Knowing that all experiences are an opportunity for me to wake up to my fullest potential.

I neither deny nor attach to anything.

Eternally observing the ebb and flow of life.

All things come and go.

Only I remain.

Living this inner wisdom,

I am forever at peace.

Resting in the beingness of the heart.

May the energy and intentions from this practice be consecrated towards the awakening of all beings everywhere.

When you feel ready,

Gently allowing the eyes to open.

Focusing the gaze just there in front of you.

That concludes this Yoga Nidra.

Thank you everyone.

Reviews

I was asleep before it was over