Simple Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a practice where one lays down on the floor, or can be done in a supportive chair. Closes the eyes and relaxes. The body experiences a deep sense of relaxation while the mind remains awake and present following the instructions of the practice. Have a blanket to cover you and pillow under the knees (if you need) before starting. A key aspect of Yoga Nidra is the setting of a Sunkulpa, something you want to have happen in your life. I will guide you with this. See you on the inside!
Transcript
Prepare for the practice of Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is a practice of deep relaxation for both body and mind.
A place where the ripples of the mind can cease and the inner wisdom can rise.
This practice is performed laying down on the floor with the eyes closed.
There's no need to move the body at all during the practice.
The body is relaxed,
The eyes are closed,
Whilst the mind remains awake following the instructions of the practice.
It might be tempting to want to fall asleep during Yoga Nidra.
Make a conscious effort to want to remain awake and aware throughout the duration of the practice.
Begin now lying down on your back.
Remove glasses from the face,
Perhaps watches or bracelets from the wrist.
Loosen any tight clothing.
The body's temperature will naturally come down during the practice.
If you feel you may experience coolness in the body,
Then please cover yourself adequately.
If the room is too bright,
Gently cover the eyes with a towel or an eye pillow.
And make adjustments now to the body's resting position.
If there is any tendency in the body,
You can place a prop under there,
Perhaps under the knees,
Perhaps under the head to support the neck.
And now adjust the buttocks,
The back of the shoulders,
The back of the head,
And come to a place of stillness.
Allow the arms to be by the side of the body,
Hands resting upwards or to the side,
Allowing the fingers to curl naturally.
Relax the muscles of the feet and toes,
Softening the backs of the knees.
Relax the buttocks,
Soften the breath in the abdomen.
Feel the space between the floor and the lower back.
Relax the chest.
Allow both shoulders to become heavy.
The elbows are soft,
Fingers released and relaxed.
Feel the space between the floor and the back of the neck.
Relax the throat.
Soften all the muscles of the face.
Relax between the eyebrow centre.
Eyes are soft and closed.
Relax the tongue in the mouth.
Release the jaw.
Allow the teeth and lips to separate.
Feel the whole back of the body in contact with the floor.
Feel the parts of the body on the floor.
Feel the parts of the body covered by a blanket.
Parts of the body covered by clothes.
Parts of the body exposed to the air in the room.
See the body's resting position in the room.
See the body's resting position in the room.
And now take the awareness outside.
Listen to all the sounds outside.
Listen to all the sounds outside.
Search for sounds from the most distant sound to the closest sound outside.
Hear a sound,
Feel the vibration of the sound and then move to the next sound.
Continue searching for sounds outside.
And now move the sound inside the room.
Listen for sounds inside the room.
Search for the most obvious sound to the subtlest sound in the room.
And now bring the sound close to the body.
Without altering the breath,
Listen to the sound of the breath.
The sound of the breath moving in and out of the body.
And now come to the space of the mind.
And here in the spaciousness of the mind begin to form a resolve also known as a sankalpa.
It is something that you would like to have happen in your life.
Perhaps an intention in the short term.
Perhaps something long term.
Or perhaps something that is about your whole life.
And if you are unsure,
Then your intention,
Your sankalpa,
Can simply be that this practice be a place where your sankalpa can emerge.
And now repeat this sankalpa three times in the mind.
Repeat with sincerity and clarity.
And now allow the sankalpa to remain there in the mind.
As you shift the awareness to the body resting on the floor.
The names of the body parts will be called out.
Have a vision or a sense of that body part.
Feel the body part.
And quickly move the awareness to the next body part.
There is no need to physically move the body.
Simply keep the mind awake following the rotation of each body part.
Starting on the right side of the body.
And the right hand.
Right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
Back of the hand.
Right wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Right armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Shin.
Soul of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth toe.
Shift the awareness to the left side of the body.
Left hand.
Left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Fourth finger.
Little finger.
And back of the hand.
Left wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Left armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Waist.
Hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Calf.
Shin.
Soul of the foot.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth toe.
Take the awareness to the back of the body.
Right heel.
Left heel.
Backs of the legs.
Buttocks.
Small of the back.
Lower back.
The whole of the spinal column.
Back of the head.
Coming around to the front side of the body.
Crown of the head.
Forehead.
Right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow center.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Bridge of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Tip of the nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Tongue.
Jaw.
Chin.
Front of the neck.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Center of the chest.
Sternum.
Upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
Pelvic bone.
And now the major body parts.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Awareness of both arms.
The whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Awareness of both legs.
The whole front of the body.
The whole back of the body.
Front and back of the body.
Awareness of the whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body resting on the floor.
The whole body resting on the floor.
Check that the body is awake and aware.
And shift the awareness to the natural breath in the abdomen.
Observe the natural rise and fall of the navel with each breath.
On an inhalation,
The navel rises.
On an exhalation,
The navel falls.
Observe the rise and fall of the navel with each breath.
Introduce a count to the breath.
Counting the breath from 12 all the way down to one count.
Counting the breath,
Breathing in,
Count 12.
Breathing out,
Count 12.
Breathing in,
Count 11.
Breathing out,
Count 11.
Continue counting all the way down to one count.
Remain focused with the counting of the breath.
If the mind has lost count,
Go back to 12 and count down to one again.
If you reach one,
Return to 12 and commence counting down to one again.
Let go of all counting.
Allow the breath to return to normal in the abdomen.
Observe the natural rise and fall of the navel with each breath.
And now you are to experience different sensations in the body.
These are sensations you are already familiar with.
The presence of these,
The awareness of them is stored in the mind.
Bring that awareness out.
Feel now a sense of heaviness in the body.
The body is becoming heavier and heavier.
The body feels heavy like stone or rock.
The body is becoming heavier and heavier.
The body is heavy as if it is leaving a very light indent in the floor.
And release this.
The body now feels light.
The body feels lighter and lighter.
The body feels light like a feather.
The body is becoming lighter and lighter.
The whole body feels light.
And again release this and return to heaviness.
The body again feels heavy.
The body is heavy like rock.
The body is so heavy that even though it could move,
It is so still like rock it won't.
The body is heavy.
And now release this and the body is once again light.
The body is light as if it is almost floating above the ground.
Light like a feather just touching the ground.
The body feels light.
And now release all experiences,
Sensations and feelings in the body.
And behind the closed eyes see a white blank screen.
And now items are to be said.
Have a quick vision of this item and then move to the next item.
A red desert.
A red desert.
A full moon.
A full moon.
A reflection in water.
A reflection in water.
Sun shining in a clear blue sky.
Sun shining in a clear blue sky.
Tall tree.
Tall tree.
Burning candle.
A burning candle.
A mountain top.
A mountain top.
And a vibrant sunset.
A vibrant sunset.
And now allow all images and experiences to fade in the distance.
Return the mind to the resolve,
The sankalpa made at the beginning of the practice.
Recall the statement in the base of the mind and repeat this statement again using the exact words in the mind three times now.
And allow this sankalpa,
This resolve to be embedded deep in the mind like a seed sown in the depth of your consciousness.
Take the awareness to the breath in the abdomen.
Observe the rise and fall of the navel.
Begin to deepen the breath,
Deepening in the navel,
Deepening it in the chest.
Feel the expansion of the chest with each breath.
And allow each breath to awaken the body.
Begin to breathe deeper and sighing the breath out,
Awakening the body.
Listening to sounds in the room.
The practice of yoga nidra is now coming to an end.
Start to notice your physical body resting on the floor.
Feel the back of the body in contact with the earth.
Take deeper breaths and awaken the body,
Recall the body's resting position in the room.
Remember all the objects in the room that you're in.
Remember the type of floor that you're lying on.
Remember if you used a blanket.
The practice of yoga nidra has now ended.
Begin to initiate movements to the fingers and the toes.
Start to take a big deep inhale and stretch the arms.
Stretch and awaken the body.
You might like to move the knees gently side to side.
Placing the feet flat on the ground.
Perhaps draw the knees into the chest and make little round circles,
Awakening the back of the hips.
You might like to raise the arms up over the head.
Perhaps gently moving the head side to side and awakening the neck.
And slowly have an observation of how the body feels.
And which side you would be comfortable rolling onto.
Leaving the eyes closed,
Roll onto that side now.
And when you're ready,
Carefully and gently come to a seated position.
A nice way to complete the practice of yoga nidra is by rubbing our hands together very,
Very fast.
Creating inner heat.
And once they feel warm,
Placing them over the closed eyes.
And as you place them over the closed eyes,
Begin to gently blink the eyes open.
Allowing the light of the room to flood in ever so slowly.
And then when you're ready,
You can allow your eyes to completely open and your hands relax.
4.6 (79)
Recent Reviews
Astrid
June 21, 2021
Great thanks for the meditation loved it.