Exploring The Subconscious (Yoga Nidra)
by David Billay
Yoga Nidra is a form of deep introspective relaxation. Also known as Yogic Sleep, Yoga Nidra can bring deep insights. This particular Yoga Nidra features a rotation of consciousness and exploration of our subconscious. It can be advantageous to practice curiosity in the first thing that arises, even if it doesn't make sense to the logical mind. There may not be an immediate answer, but try and remain curious in these aspects.
Transcript
Welcome to this exploration,
Yoganidra.
The practice of Yoganidra is that of conscious sleep,
Where the body is guided out of its constant state of awareness,
Of stress,
Of thinking,
And processing.
Through a state of being and creating,
Similar to that of sleep.
With the body set at ease,
The awareness of the mind can be guided to explore a depth of consciousness not normally accessible.
In the waking state,
In Yoganidra,
The state of restful ease and awareness can be a beautiful vehicle to explore and illuminate the sources of so many of our waking thoughts.
By withdrawing the physical senses from the outside world,
We can tap into the infinite wisdom that already exists at a deeper level of who you are.
Gently withdrawing the senses from the outside world and bringing into focus the inner world,
By doing so we are able to access a state of creation and freedom.
Freedom in alignment with unconditional love and choice,
Investing time in potential,
Purpose,
And untapped energy.
Begin to move towards a comfortable position.
You'll want to remove any tight-fitting clothing,
Allowing the body to feel free but secure.
As you'll be in this position for the next 35 minutes,
It is important to take time now to adjust as needed.
Perhaps you'll want to bring a pillow under your head,
A bolster or a pillow under your knees,
And a blanket over top of you.
The body will want to feel secure and safe,
As well as it is common for the body to cool during Yoganidra.
So covering yourself ahead of time will allow you to remain warm and undisturbed,
Resolving to remain completely still during the practice.
The practice of Yoganidra begins now.
I invite you to follow my voice.
You may drift in and out and have periods where you don't hear me directly,
But know that you can come back to my voice if you notice that you fall asleep,
Gently guiding the awareness back to my voice.
The invitation for this practice is to remain in a state of constant awareness.
By focusing the awareness inwards,
While the body remains relaxed,
The more subtle layers of the body can be brought into focus.
By disarming the defences of the body and the parts of the brain responsible for defending us from threats around us.
By allowing relaxation to flow into the body,
We may notice muscles releasing,
Even though we weren't consciously aware of us holding.
These unconscious patterns of tension can be brought into focus through awareness of each of the subtle layers of the body.
What sort of inner dialogue is going on right now?
What sort of thoughts are you having?
Giving light awareness to the inner dialogue,
Allowing you to comfortably relax on deeper layers of the body.
What is the body or the mind asking for right now?
Safety,
Attention,
Rest.
Gently asking the body if it needs anything else to be comfortable.
Inviting in non-attachment by giving acknowledgement to that request and surrendering it to the world,
Releasing it from the soft grip of the mind.
As you begin to relax the physical body deeply,
Begin to gently give yourself permission to rest into the space of your physical body.
Relaxing even deeper,
Becoming aware of the sounds,
The sounds inside the room,
The sounds outside the room.
What is the furthest sound that you can hear?
Not going to attach to any one sound,
But being within all sounds that you can hear right now.
Eventually inviting the awareness of sound back towards your body,
Filtering in towards the sound of the breath.
Being aware of the breath without changing it.
Imagining the body as hollow and with each inhale filling the body with energy and light with every exhale,
Allowing the body to settle into the new space created by the inhale.
Each inhale creating a soft expansion.
And each exhale relaxing into that newly created space.
Breathing here for a few moments.
Releasing any strong focus on the breath or the thoughts and relaxing your attention to the dark release of the eyelids over your eyes.
The presence of inward attention and focus to the inner operator or witness.
Your driving force behind all outward expressions,
Both past and future.
It is now time to form your Sen Kappa or your intention.
Your intention should be precise,
Simple and clear.
An I am statement that you would like to hold as an intention for your practice.
Letting something come up naturally from a place of stillness.
True wisdom of the self beyond the thinking mind.
Try not to overthink it,
But rather finding something positive that resonates deeply.
Some examples might be I am a hole.
I'm expanding.
I am evolving.
I am centered.
I am loved.
I am safe.
Your Sen Kappa stated internally three times.
First,
We move into on my kosher.
Physical body.
Remaining aware,
Keeping the focus on my voice.
Movement is not necessary.
As we go through the rotation of consciousness,
Bringing your internal awareness to each part that I mentioned.
Inviting the attention without any intention or desire.
Bringing into focus the right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Pinky finger.
Palm of the right hand.
Back of the hand.
Right wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side ribs.
Right waist.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Knee cap.
Right calf.
The ankle.
The heel.
The sole of the foot.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Bringing the attention to the left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Pinky finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Back of the hand.
Left wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Armpit.
Left ribs.
Left waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Knee cap.
Left calf.
The ankle.
The heel.
Bringing the awareness to the sole of the foot.
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Remaining awake.
Bringing the attention to the right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The right upper back.
The left upper back.
The right middle back.
The left middle back.
Right lower back.
Left lower back.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
The pelvis.
And the spine.
Feeling the whole of the back body together.
Feeling the whole of the right leg.
And the whole of the left leg.
Feeling both legs together.
Slowly guiding the awareness up the spine.
Feeling each vertebrae.
Feeling the whole spine all the way up to the neck.
Where your skull connects to your spine.
Feeling the back of your head where it connects to the floor or pillow.
Guiding the awareness to the top of the head.
Feeling the forehead.
The right eyebrow.
The left eyebrow.
Feeling the space between the eyebrows.
Feeling the space between the eyebrows.
Feeling the right eyelid.
The left eyelid.
The right eye.
The left eye.
The right cheek.
And the left cheek.
And the nose.
The tip of the nose.
The upper lip.
The lower lip.
The jaw.
And the left ear.
And the right ear.
Feeling the throat and neck.
The right collarbone.
The left collarbone.
The right side of the chest.
The left side of the chest.
In the middle of the chest.
And the heart center of the chest.
Feeling the navel.
The abdomen.
The lower abdomen.
The groin area.
And the tailbone.
Feeling the whole of the right arm.
The whole of the left arm.
Feeling both arms together.
Feeling the whole of the back body.
The whole of the front body.
The whole of the back and front body together.
Feeling the whole of the head.
Feeling the whole body together.
Whole body together.
The whole body together.
Gently guiding the attention inwards.
Guiding the awareness to the brain.
Picturing the brain inside your skull.
Imagining the nasal passage between the nose and throat.
Where the air moves down your neck.
Feeling the mouth,
The throat.
The tongue.
The teeth.
Feeling the air moving down into your right lung.
And your left lung.
Feeling the heart gently beating.
Feeling the stomach.
The liver.
The right and left kidney.
And your intestines.
Feeling the entire physical body together.
And unified as your whole being.
Going a step deeper we can guide our attention to the breath.
Where we begin to feel the sensation of the pranamaya kosha.
Where our vital force,
Our life energy flows.
Bringing the awareness to your breath without changing it.
The breath is a pathway from our normal scattered awareness.
To our powerful centered awareness.
The awareness of the present moment.
And the pathway to a deeper freedom from sensory stimulation.
Notice the breath as it travels through the abdomen and up the throat.
Without changing the breath,
Keep noticing the breath flowing.
From the throat down to the belly.
And back up to the throat.
Noticing how the breath moves in the body.
And how the body moves with the breath.
Can you feel the gentle rise and fall of your abdomen.
And the gentle expansion and contraction of your ribs.
Begin to guide your attention to the palms of the hands.
Noticing how the breath feels in the palms of the hands.
What sort of feeling do you have in the palms of your hands when you breathe in and out.
Allowing the subtle energy to flow in the body.
Becoming more acutely aware of the movement of each breath in and out of your hands.
Beginning to guide the attention from the hands to the soles of the feet.
Noticing how the breath feels in the soles of the feet.
What sort of feeling do you have in your feet when you breathe in and out.
Allowing the subtle energy to flow in the body.
Becoming more acutely aware of the movement of each breath in and out of your feet.
Beginning to guide the attention to the center of the chest and heart area.
Noticing how the breath feels in the heart.
What sort of feeling do you have in your heart when you breathe in and out.
Allowing the subtle energy to flow in the body.
Becoming more acutely aware of the movement of each breath in and out of your heart.
Allowing space in the heart on each inhale.
Allowing that space to relax into the body on the exhale.
Beginning to guide the attention from the heart to the pineal gland in the center of your brain.
Right in the middle between your ears,
Behind your eyes.
Breathing into this spring of deeper awareness and vision.
What sort of feelings arise when you breathe into your pineal gland.
Allowing the subtle energy to flow in the body.
Becoming more acutely aware of the movement of each breath in and out of the pineal gland.
Continuing to breathe on your own for just a few moments.
Following the natural rhythm of your breath.
Bringing the awareness a layer deeper into focus of the Manamaya Kosha or the mental and emotional body.
Landing in the seat of the inner witness.
Allowing the sensation to be witnessed remembering that you are here and safe.
Feeling the sensation of pain.
Pain.
Pain.
Allowing only the experiences of pain that you are ready to witness arise.
Anywhere in the body storing pain.
The memory of pain.
Allowing to easily flow.
The sensation of pain alive and awake in the body knowing that you are safe to experience any emotions that arise.
Releasing the sensation of pain and resting back into the stillness and neutrality and sense of safety in the body.
Then gently inviting the sensation of pleasure.
Pleasure.
Pleasure.
Pleasure being allowed to move inside the body however it feels ready to do so.
Any kind of pleasure that the body is ready to witness moving throughout the body.
More and more pleasure awakening inside the body.
The sensation of pleasure alive and awake in the body knowing that you are safe to experience any emotions that arise.
Feeling the sensation of pleasure releasing.
Resting back into the stillness and neutrality and sense of safety in the body.
And then invite you to bring in the sensation of heaviness into the body.
Heaviness.
The weight of gravity pushing you into the floor.
Allowing the sense of heaviness to flow in the body as it arises.
Keeping the awareness on the sensation of heaviness.
Then inviting the sensation of lightness in the body.
The sensation of lightness as if a light breeze could take you away.
Allowing the sense of lightness to flow in the body as it arises.
Like a leaf blowing in the wind.
Keeping the awareness on the sensation of lightness.
Now inviting the sensation of heavy and light simultaneously in the body.
Breathing the sensations of light and heavy into the body at the same time.
Inviting the sense of neutrality into the body.
Allowing the body to settle back into being just the way it is.
Gently remaining in the state of stillness.
Gently releasing our sensory experiences in our mental and emotional bodies.
Bringing into awareness our Vijnanamaya Kosha,
Our wisdom body.
The gateway to our inner spirit and essence in the body.
Returning the attention to the inner witness.
The doorway to experience deeper than that of sensation to that of instinct and wisdom.
The body acting as a doorway to this higher vision.
Seeing and knowledge.
Allowing whatever arises from this space,
As I mentioned,
The following images.
An endless desert.
A tall palm tree.
A large mountain range.
Newborn puppies.
A lush garden.
First place prize.
Christmas morning.
A first date.
A small snail.
An Egyptian tomb.
The edge of the universe.
A dark cave.
Unlimited potential.
Unlimited potential.
Connecting to the deep inner wisdom body as we embark on a new journey each day.
Each day the mind observes so much of the world around us.
Tapping into this highest form of vision.
Finding yourself on a beautiful endless beach on a perfect day.
As you rest into this picturesque setting,
You can feel the warm sun caressing your skin.
The sound of waves gently flowing ashore.
Fresh sea air in your nostrils.
And the vivid contrast of the white sand and the blue sea.
Seemingly endlessly fading into the blue sky above.
Here you find the serenity and tranquility of nature.
Seemingly giving back everything that you provide to the world.
You feel a sense of rest and ease in your body as you peacefully observe the world around you.
No longer bound by time or needing to be somewhere because you are present here on the beach.
Taking time to connect to your inner being and your connection to the natural world.
As you look off into the distance,
You can see a tall cliff face reaching up into the sky.
You notice that there is an image being cast onto the cliff face.
Almost like a movie theater.
The projection seemingly coming from the sun itself.
The image meant for you to see.
The projection for you to observe and for you alone to witness.
As you gently arise and walk closer to the cliff face,
The images slowly come into focus.
Watching the projection,
You realize that the image isn't of the future or of the past.
But of your true form and true being.
The unlimited potential already inside of you fully realized.
And as you become focused completely on these images.
As you become completely focused on these images,
You can feel as if you can walk into the projected image.
And live this life as yourself.
And walking through the screen,
You can feel the harsh lines of your body begin to fade away.
As you become free of the bounds of the world,
Of desire,
Of form,
And of time and space.
You feel truly capable.
Infinite possibility enriching every cell of your body.
Full of limitless potential.
You can feel the complete integration with the flow of the universe and an emergence of bliss arising in the deepest core of yourself.
As you begin to merge into the field of unbound awareness,
You begin to see into an undemied kosha,
The bliss body.
Where polarity no longer exists.
No good or no bad.
Just existing itself.
Meaning there in the deep inner spring of wisdom and potential.
By dissolving any limiting mental picture of yourself,
You become aware of what's before all physical life.
Moving deeply into the blissful sheath of an undemied kosha,
We rest silently into the place before all matter and space.
You feel truly capable.
Infinite possibility enriching every cell of your body.
Full of limitless potential.
You can feel the complete integration with the flow of the universe and an emergence of bliss.
Full of limitless potential.
You can feel the complete integration with the flow of the universe and an emergence of bliss.
This is the place that the seed of the Senkalpa is planted.
In the deepest garden of your being.
Tuning into your truth.
A seed that you are ready to grow within the form of your body.
Gently recalling the I AM statement.
A feeling of knowing and feeling.
Recalling your Senkalpa and repeating it three times mentally and energetically.
As you begin to emerge from this state of bliss,
You notice subtle changes in the layers of your body.
Imagine hovering over top of your body and seeing its form laying on the ground.
Seeing the shape of your body,
The color of your clothing,
The placement of props.
Allowing the layers of your body to gently come back into form.
The wisdom and knowledge deep in your body.
Followed by the sensations and emotions in the body.
Inviting in the breath and life force circulating in the body.
And finally settling into the physical form of your body.
Bringing the awareness completely into the present moment.
And noticing any new sensations in the body.
However small or subtle.
Noticing the smell of the moment.
Noticing the taste inside your mouth.
Consciously deepening the wind of your breath to touch the whole body awake.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
When you feel called,
Either remaining in a lying position,
Which is totally fine.
Or gently letting the awareness and the life flow from the heart center into the arms and legs.
And when you feel ready,
Inviting small movements into the fingertips and toes.
Moving into larger movements in the ankles and wrists.
Feeling the entire body awake.
If a stretch would be good for the body,
Invite that in as well.
When the body feels awake and you feel ready.
Gently coming onto either side of the body.
Making sure to support the head and neck.
We will finish with a short seat meditation.
When you feel ready,
Moving your way into a seated posture.
Keeping the attention inwards and the eyes closed.
Settling into the seat.
Allowing the attention to focus on the gentle flow of breath.
Continuing to bring life into the body on the inhale.
Allowing the body to relax and release on the exhale.
Allowing the energy to move in the body.
Keeping the awareness on the breath and the sensation in the body.
We will sit silently for a few moments and I will be here to bring you back.
Gently bringing the attention to the body.
Allowing the attention to the body.
Allowing the attention to the body.
Gently bringing the attention to the body.
Allowing the attention to the body.
Allowing the attention to the body.
Thank you everyone,
And Namaste.
4.8 (542)
Recent Reviews
Dianne
August 5, 2024
This was soothing and relaxing, it helped me get to sleep ✨🙏🏼✨
Pam
October 3, 2023
Excellent 💜
Esther
July 22, 2023
Absolutely wonderful, deeply relaxing, thank you! 🪷🙏🏻🕊️
Margaret
June 22, 2023
Thank you for this middle of the night passage back to tranquil sleep. Namaste
Amari
April 20, 2023
Fantastic, will be coming back to this. Thank you. 🙏🏼🫧
Amanda
March 16, 2023
Wonderful x Thank you 🙏
Angela
February 12, 2023
Thank you, I really appreciated the guidance to help me feel safe to feel my pain. It really opened me up to some painful emotions. Very helpful <3
Alyona
February 7, 2023
This was an incredible experience & I am grateful to you!
Robin
October 27, 2022
The Best Yoga Nidra session I have practiced. Thank You! Peace& Love!!
Judith
August 20, 2022
🙏💕
Savannah
August 18, 2022
That was the most healing and powerful meditation I’ve ever done. So blessed to have found this. Thank you.
Sjackson
June 30, 2022
Excellent. Just what was needed.
Sandra
June 21, 2022
This was a great nidra session, was nice to try a longer one.
Maureen
May 27, 2022
Beautiful journey- thank you so much 💜🙏
Denise
May 24, 2022
Thank you so very, very much for your beautiful nidra practice. Very calming and wonderful pace. Helped me so much to go into a deep sleep. 🙏🏻.
Robin
April 20, 2022
This was amazing! One of the best guided meditations I have done. I will definitely be using it again. Thank you! 🙏
Graeme
April 19, 2022
Wonderful!!!
Ana
March 27, 2022
I had total out of body experience. Thank you so much. It was incredible 🙌❤️
Wendy
March 4, 2022
That was amazing. Can't even describe it. Thank you.