Yoga Nidra - Deep Relaxation
Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra - traditional technique which will help you to release stress and enter the state of deep relaxation on the physical, mental and emotional level. Regular practice of Yoga Nidra helps to relax the body and mind, to improve focus and sleep quality.
Transcript
Hello,
It's Evelina here.
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.
We'll be working on releasing physical,
Emotional and mental tension.
In order to practice Yoga Nidra in a proper way,
We don't want to fall asleep.
We just want to deeply relax on all different levels.
So I'm inviting you to set up the intention to not fall asleep,
But only to deeply relax.
Let's begin by lying down on the back.
You may take any props if you need,
Maybe a bolster or a cushion underneath your bent knees,
In case if your back is hurting.
You may also have a small cushion underneath your head,
If that will make you feel more comfortable.
Maybe covering yourself with a blanket and then opening your legs freely to the sides,
Allowing them to open to the sides in a relaxed way.
Opening your hands to the sides with your inner palms facing upwards,
Keeping your neck relaxed,
Free of any tension and ensuring that your lower back is not arched,
Is resting nicely close to the floor.
Closing your eyes,
Taking a couple of long,
Steady breaths in and out,
Breathing only through the nose.
Feel how with every inhalation your belly,
Your chest gently rise up,
Fill up with air.
And with every exhalation,
Observe how your belly,
Your chest are naturally,
Softly coming back in.
Calm,
Steady breathing.
Now repeat in your mind,
Silently,
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
I will stay awake and aware.
Calm,
Steady breath,
In and out.
Let's begin our practice of Yoga Nidra with setting up a Samkalpa,
An intention,
A resolve.
Your Samkalpa,
Your intention,
May be about anything what you would like to work on within yourself,
Within your life.
Any values which you truly want to live.
Find your intention and state it clearly in your mind,
In a form of short,
Positive sentence.
For example,
If you want to work on being more patient,
You would say,
I am patient.
Take your moment to find your own Samkalpa for this practice and state it three times in your mind.
Long,
Deep breath in and complete breath out.
Begin drawing awareness to the sounds around you.
Notice the sounds which are closest to you.
The sounds,
The sounds which are farther away.
Notice louder,
More intense sounds and also the ones which are very gentle,
Very subtle.
Keep your attention with the sound and then switch after a moment to the next sound and next.
Try to differentiate,
Become aware of as many sounds as you can.
Calm,
Deep breath in and breath out.
Let's begin the body scan.
We will be drawing awareness through different parts of the body.
As you will draw the awareness into particular parts,
This part will become more relaxed automatically.
As well as we are relaxing different parts of the body which are connected to different parts of the brain.
We are relaxing our nervous system.
We're stepping into mental,
Emotional,
Physical relaxation.
Calm breathing.
Bring your awareness to your right thumb.
Shift it towards your right index finger,
Right middle finger,
Right ring finger and right small finger,
Right palm,
Right wrist,
Right forearm,
Right elbow,
Right upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Right side of the rib cage,
Right hip,
Right glute,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
Right shin and calf muscle,
Right ankle,
Right foot,
Right sole of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the right fifth toe.
Bring your awareness to your left thumb.
Shift it to the left index finger,
Right middle finger,
Left ring finger and left small finger,
Left palm,
Left wrist,
Left forearm,
Left elbow,
Left upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left side of your chest,
Left side of your rib cage,
Left hip,
Left glute,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin and calf muscle,
Left ankle,
Left foot,
Left sole of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and the fifth,
Left toe.
Bring your awareness towards your tailbone,
Towards the foundation of your spine,
Your sacrum area,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Back of your neck,
Back of your head,
Left side of your head and the left ear,
Right side of your head and your right ear,
Top of your head,
Front of your head,
Your forehead,
Your left eyebrow,
Right eyebrow,
Left eye,
Right eye,
Left temple,
Right temple,
The area in between your eyebrows,
Your nose,
Your left nostril,
Right nostril,
The area underneath your nose,
Your whole left cheek,
Your right cheek,
Your upper lip,
Your chin,
Your jaw,
Your throat and front of your neck,
Your collarbones,
Your chest,
Your rib cage,
Your belly,
The area of the pelvis and the base of the pelvis.
All your body is completely relaxed.
Breathing deeply in and out,
Soft breathing,
Calm breathing.
We will count the breaths from 10 to 1.
We will begin counting together and later on I will leave you to count on your own in silence.
If you will lose the count,
Don't worry and just start all over again.
10,
Inhale,
10,
Exhale,
9,
Inhale,
Exhale,
8,
Inhale on your own until 1.
Bring your awareness towards the feeling of the heaviness of your body.
Visualize it being so heavy that even if you would like to raise up a finger,
It would not be possible as it is just so heavy.
Bring your awareness to the feeling of lightness within your body.
Feel it as light as the feather,
As light as it would be floating above.
Bring your awareness to the feeling of heat within your body.
Imagine it hot like you would be lying down under the hot sun,
Midday sun in a tropical country.
Now feel the sensation of cold within your body.
Imagine it so cold like you would be lying down on the ice in the snow in the middle of winter.
Come breath in,
Come breath out.
Bring your awareness into the point in between your eyebrows.
Keeping your awareness there,
I will guide you through a series of visualizations.
Inhale,
Keeping your awareness in the point between your eyebrows.
Visualize a sunrise,
A sunset,
Dense forest,
A mountain,
A steady lake,
Ocean,
Someone dear to you,
A flower.
Deep breath in,
Deep breath out.
Bring your awareness once again to your Samkalpa,
To your intention,
Resolve,
Which you set up at the beginning of this Yoga Nidra practice.
The Samkalpa set up in the time of Yoga Nidra has a special power as it goes to the subconscious mind in the state of relaxation.
It works very powerfully.
It's like a seed that you are sowing in the depth of your consciousness.
State your Samkalpa,
Your intention,
Three times in your mind.
Bring your awareness to the sounds around you.
Once again,
Notice as many sounds as you can.
Notice the louder sounds,
The sounds far away.
Notice the subtle sounds very close to you,
Like a sound of your own breath.
Bring your awareness back into your body.
Begin gently moving your fingers and your toes,
Moving your head side to side,
And stretching in any way which feels good for you at the moment.
Bend your knees,
Place your feet on the ground,
On the mat,
And then roll any side of your body.
Take a moment to notice your breath,
To notice your heartbeat,
And then slowly make your way up,
But to seated position.
Keep your eyes closed for another couple of breaths.
Notice how this practice makes you feel.
Bring your palms together in front of your heart center in a gesture of gratitude.
Gratitude for taking time for yourself,
For your well-being.
Gratitude for all the small and big things in life.
Gratitude for all the beautiful moments,
For all the challenging,
Difficult moments,
For everything what makes us grow,
And for all the opportunities which are out there.
Endless opportunities.
Begin gently rubbing your palms,
Warming them up,
And place them on top of your closed eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
And exhale all the way out.
Open your eyes,
And move your hands down,
Touching through all your body.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
I wish you a beautiful day,
And hope to practice with you again soon.
