Yoga Nidra
Are you feeling tired, anxious, or getting bombarded with unhelpful thoughts? This quick 15-minute meditation is for you! Yoga Nidra is arguably the deepest form of wakeful rest and relaxation, in fact, it is suggested that a 30-minute practice is equivalent to 2 hours of sleep. Yoga Nidra puts you into a fully conscious state between wakefulness and sleeps where your consciousness expands and you become acutely aware of your inner world.
Transcript
Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.
You should be lying comfortably on your back and you may have the knees slightly bent and supported.
Make sure that you're warm enough and that your position is one that can be maintained without fidgeting for the duration of the practice.
It's best that you remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and brain have a chance to fully relax.
Allow your eyes to close and keep them closed until the practice has ended.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your nose and allow your awareness to settle on your natural breathing rhythm.
Yoga nidra is a form of tantra.
It's not sleeping,
It's not concentration,
It is opening the inner chambers of your mind.
In yoga nidra you step down into the internal dimensions of your consciousness.
The sound of my voice acts as a rope.
Just as you take a rope and go in and out of the depths of the cave.
So with the help of sound you will venture in and out of the mind.
The practice of yoga nidra will guide you to the hypnagogic state,
A state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.
During the practice you should remain awake and listen to the sound of my voice.
You will be asked to move your awareness to particular parts of the body.
To bodily sensations or images.
Try not to concentrate too intensely as this may prevent you from relaxing.
If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts just come back to the sound of my voice.
Become aware of the sounds in the distance.
Become aware of the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward.
Searching out distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from sound to sound without attempting to identify the source.
Gradually bringing your attention to closer sounds.
To sounds outside this building.
To sounds inside this building.
To sounds inside the room.
Without opening your eyes visualize your surroundings.
Your body lying on the floor.
See your body lying on the floor.
Become aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness and relaxation on the floor.
Your body is lying on the floor.
Become aware of your natural breath.
Become aware of the deep natural spontaneous breath.
Observe and become a witness to your natural relaxed breath.
Keep on listening to my voice and know that you are breathing.
The practice of yoga nidra begins now.
At this moment you should make your sankalpa.
Your sankalpa is your heart's deepest desire.
It can be anything from health to wealth,
A happy relationship or a new job.
The sankalpa should be a short positive statement made in the present tense.
For example if it's health you desire your phrase might be I am in perfect health.
Sankalpa has the potential to release tremendous power by clearly defining and focusing on a chosen goal.
It may also be visualized symbolically as an image or felt as a sensation.
Take a few moments now to discover your sankalpa.
Please state your sankalpa clearly and with awareness three times.
The sankalpa you make during yoga nidra plants seed for transformation in your life.
Now repeat silently after me I am practicing yoga nidra I am awake and relaxed.
We will now begin the rotation of consciousness.
You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them.
Please silently repeat the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body but do not move.
The practice begins on the right side.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Top of the foot,
Sole of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of the body,
Back of the head,
Back of the neck,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Left spine,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right heel,
Left heel.
Now the front body,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
Whole right leg,
Whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
We will now begin the experience of opposites.
Imagine in your mind that the body is becoming very heavy.
Awaken the idea of heaviness in the body.
Gradually feel that the body is becoming heavier and heavier.
The head is becoming heavy,
The limbs are becoming heavy,
The torso is heavy,
The whole body is heavy and sinking into the floor.
Now feel the whole body becoming lighter and lighter.
The head is light and weightless,
The limbs are becoming light and weightless,
The torso is light and weightless,
The whole body is light and weightless.
You feel as if it is rising from the floor.
The body is light,
The whole body light.
Cold versus hot.
Awaken the experience of cold in the body,
The experience of bitter cold.
Imagine that you are walking on a cold floor in winter.
You feel very cold.
You feel cold permeate your entire body.
The body is cold,
The whole body is cold.
Allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.
Remember the feeling of heat in summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.
You feel heat radiating onto your skin.
All of the body,
Heat all around the body.
The body is hot,
The whole body hot.
We will now begin in a space visualization.
Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.
Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.
A space that extends as far as the eye can see.
Concentrate on this dark space and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.
Colours,
Patterns and light.
Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.
Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.
Practice detached awareness only.
If any subtle images make themselves known,
Simply notice them without becoming involved in the images.
If thoughts occur,
Let them come and go but continue watching the dark space.
Continue this with detached awareness.
We will now begin rapid image visualization.
A number of different things will be named and you should envision them on the level of emotion,
Memory and imagination as best you can.
Jump from image to image as soon as you hear it.
A red flower,
A wild ocean,
A Buddha meditating,
A huge waterfall,
A bowl of strawberries,
Your reflection in a mirror,
A cloudy sunrise,
A pod of dolphins,
A high-rise building,
A tropical garden,
A busy road,
The vast desert,
A tall tree,
A blue car,
A white snowfield,
A Christmas tree,
A coiled snake,
A temple on a cliff,
A rainforest path,
A starry night sky,
A bird in flight,
A cat stretching,
Your body lying on the floor.
It is time to repeat your Sankalpa.
Please repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times to yourself now.
Now relax all efforts and bring your attention to the natural breath,
The natural breath flowing in and out of the nostrils.
Maintain your awareness of the breath and at the same time develop your awareness of physical relaxation.
Become aware of the physical existence of your body.
Develop awareness of your body and visualize your body lying on the floor.
Feel the clothes resting on your skin.
Don't open your eyes yet but visualize the area where you're lying.
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.
Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.
Please roll over to your side and stay here for a few moments.
Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last.
The practice of Yoyamitra is now complete.
Namaste.
