Hello,
Thank you so much for choosing to give yourself the gift of Yoga Nidra today.
My name is Dawn Marie.
I teach yoga and meditation and I coach people on the art of wholehearted living.
Today I'll be sharing a Yoga Nidra practice that is a favorite among my yoga students.
There will be one difference however with this version.
You won't need to get up from your yoga mat and go home.
This track is designed to be listened to in bed so you can drift off into a deeply restful and restorative night's sleep.
Therefore at the end of the Yoga Nidra practice the track will continue with relaxing music for a while.
There will be no ending bells or concluding remarks.
So before we begin I would like to thank you again and let you know that until next time I am sending you love and light from my heart to yours.
Sleep well.
Let's begin our practice of Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is a systematic way of inducing complete relaxation.
So first I invite you to prepare your space.
Adjust the lighting,
The air temperature,
And your clothing so that you are as comfortable as you can be at this time.
Arrange your blanket and pillow just the way you want them and then I invite you to settle in to Shavasana in the place where you are going to sleep.
Perhaps that's your bed or perhaps you're in a tent or on a train.
Wherever you are allow yourself to lie comfortably on your back with legs slightly apart,
Arms slightly away from your body and if you haven't already I invite you to allow your eyes to gently close.
The traditional practice of Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is to remain deeply relaxed while maintaining your awareness which typically means not falling asleep.
But because we are using this practice to facilitate deep sleep,
Please do not strain to stay alert.
If you do notice your mind drifting off you are welcome to gently return your awareness to the sound of my voice or you may simply drift off to sleep trusting that that is what your body needs most right now.
During Yoga Nidra the body remains completely still so let's get out any remaining tension from the day by tensing and relaxing all our muscles.
Curl the toes under,
Tighten the calves and thighs,
Tighten the buttocks,
The back,
The belly,
The chest,
Make fists with the hands,
Tighten the arms,
The shoulders,
The neck,
Tighten all the muscles in the face,
Scrunch it up like a raisin,
Squeeze everything,
Hold the breath,
Squeeze tighter,
Hold.
Now release,
Relax,
Let everything go limp.
Bring your awareness to your breath without judgment.
Allow your breath to move at its own pace in and out through your nose.
Notice the rising and falling of your chest and belly.
There's no need to control it.
Let your breath breathe you and as you begin to relax notice if your breath begins to become a bit slower,
A bit deeper.
Now bring your awareness to the spaces between your body and the surface beneath you.
Invite your body to soften and rest and as you begin to surrender into relaxation notice the spaces between your body and the surface beneath you becoming smaller and smaller and smaller.
There is no need to hold yourself up anymore.
You can completely relax.
Now invite a sankalpa to come into your awareness.
A sankalpa may be a positive intention or your heart's deepest longing.
Repeating your sankalpa during yoga nidra can be a powerful way to direct your life toward your highest good by allowing your intention to penetrate into your subconscious mind.
A sankalpa usually begins with I am.
For example,
I am at peace.
Take a moment now to think of your own sankalpa for today and repeat it internally three times.
Now let's begin counting down with our breath.
On the inhale mentally say the number 20.
On the exhale mentally say the number 19 and then continue counting backwards with the inhale and the exhale all the way down to one.
There is no need to rush.
Mind to your mind if it wants to wander or forgets to count.
If you lose count simply begin again at 20.
Wherever you are you may pause your counting.
Now we will begin a rotation of awareness.
All you have to do is allow your awareness to follow my voice as I guide you from point to point within your body.
When your mind moves to each point imagine it touching each body part with a golden light.
There is no need to move your body.
Simply move your imagination and the golden light to each part.
Begin with your left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm,
Top of hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left armpit,
All filled with golden light.
Move the light to the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm,
Palm,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Right armpit,
Filled with golden light.
Now bring the light down to the left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Sole of foot,
Top of foot,
Ankle,
Knee,
Left hip,
Right hip,
Filled with golden light.
Move the light to the right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Sole of foot,
Top of foot,
Ankle,
Knee,
Thigh,
Right hip,
All filled with golden light.
Move the light to your lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Neck,
Top of head,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Tip of nose,
Tip of nose,
Upper lip,
Jaw,
All filled with golden light,
Belly,
Pelvis.
Then bring the light back to your heart.
Your torso is filled with golden light.
Now become aware of your entire body filled with golden light.
Take a few moments to think of all the people in the world that you love and imagine sending them that you have pouring through your heart.
Now imagine all those people and all the other people meditating right now,
Sending light to you as you send it to them.
