Welcome to Yoga Nidra.
For this practice,
I invite you to get as comfortable as possible.
An hour is a very long time to be in discomfort,
So take your time to find what works for you.
Use whatever props you have to cushion your body.
A little extra under the heels.
The buttocks and the back of the head is always nice.
Again,
Take your time to get as comfortable as possible.
Adjust your clothes,
Props,
And position until you can surrender to the stillness.
During Nidra or meditation,
The stiller you can stay,
The deeper you are apt to go.
In the practice which follows,
You are going to develop the feeling of relaxation in the body.
It's not necessary to make any movements or to deliberately relax.
Simply develop the feeling of relaxation.
It is like the feeling you have just before sleep.
To help with this,
Create an energetic circle around yourself to keep out any disturbances.
It can be made of anything you would like.
Wood,
Bricks,
Soundproofing,
Rocks.
Anything you would like.
Now hold the intention of a peaceful practice in this energetic circle.
Then create a second circle inside the first one.
This energetic circle is for you and you alone.
Welcome the energy of healing in whatever form you need it right now into this circle.
Make it out of whatever you want.
Anything you feel will support you on your healing journey right now.
Love,
Smudge,
Crystals.
Maybe a cloud of aromatherapy.
Feel anything and all you are drawn to in this moment.
You are ready to relax completely.
During yoga nidra,
You are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness.
The only important thing is to follow my voice.
Try not to intellectualize or analyze the instructions as this will disturb your mental relaxation.
Follow my voice with total attention and feeling as it takes you in and out of the subconscious mind.
If thoughts come to disturb you from time to time,
Do not worry.
Just continue to practice.
Relax.
Deepen the feeling of relaxation in the body even more.
Feel all the muscles surrender to rest fully and completely mentally.
In your mind's eye,
Scrunch up your shoulders.
Feel the muscles scrunch all the way up to the ears.
Let them relax again,
Softening further into your mouth.
It is as if the back of the head is sinking into the softness of a fluffy pillow.
Relax.
Now imagine making tight fists with both hands that make the arm and shoulder muscles tighten.
Tightness in the arms and shoulders,
Then relaxing them again,
Feeling all the tension slip away.
The arms and shoulders completely relaxed.
Now in your mind's eye,
Feel your toes reaching further to the ends of your mat,
Stretching and tightening all the muscles of the legs,
Hips,
Buttocks so tight,
Then let it go.
It is as if the legs sigh,
Sinking deeper into relaxation.
The hips and pelvis relaxing deeper into your mat.
Finally,
Imagine tightening all the muscles of the body,
Even squeezing the muscles of the face,
Squishing up the nose and the forehead,
Contracting the arms,
Legs,
And torso,
Clenching them tight,
Squeezing out all the stress and tension you have been carrying around with you,
Tighter and tighter until you let it all go.
Everything calm and relaxed.
Mind,
Body,
And soul.
Your whole being softly at peace.
Completely calm.
Totally relaxed.
Holding on to that complete release.
Awaken your dreams.
Set an intention for your practice tonight.
Something you are wanting to achieve or attain.
It can be quite simple,
Like reducing your daily stress,
Or get more elaborate,
Like deepening your spiritual practice,
Holding,
Healing old wounds,
Or even finding enlightenment.
Whatever you choose.
You will feed it with your nidra practice,
Like watering a seed,
Infusing it with exactly what it needs to grow.
Create your sankalpa now using simple words in a clear and concise way,
Making a sentence that can be repeated in the same way,
With the same words,
Each time you say it.
In your mind's eye now,
State your sankalpa three times with feeling,
Gratitude,
And trust.
I am going to name parts of the body.
And as I do,
Just bring your awareness to that part while simultaneously saying the name in your mind's eye and placing the energy of a crystal there.
You can choose any crystal,
Or you may just allow whatever is meant to be to come up.
Simply seeing the universe's choice with each body part.
My name,
Either way.
Let this happen naturally without thinking too much or overanalyzing,
Disturbing your mental relaxation.
Simply see the part,
Feel it,
And place the crystal there as you say the name in your mind's eye,
Relaxing further into your mind,
Releasing all tension from the mind and body.
Sink into the space between the forehead.
Feel the third eye center.
Third eye center.
Tip of the nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Neck.
Pit of the throat.
Center of the chest.
Move to the right side.
Right shoulder.
Upper arm.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Top of the right hand.
Right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third.
Fourth.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Right wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Cross the center of the chest again.
Then come to the left shoulder.
Upper arm.
Elbow.
Lower arm.
Wrist.
Top of the left hand.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Right shoulder.
Center of the chest.
Heart center.
Abdomen.
Pelvis.
Hips.
Feel the right hip.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Right knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Baby toe.
Sole of the foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Right calf.
Back of the knee.
Thigh.
Buttock.
Right hip.
Pelvic center.
Root center.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Left knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Top of the left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Baby toe.
Sole of the foot.
Heel.
Ankle.
Right calf.
Back of the knee.
Thigh.
Buttocks.
Left hip.
Back to the pelvis.
Root center.
Sacral center.
Solar plexus center.
Heart center.
Throat center.
Chin.
Lower lip.
Upper lip.
Tip of the nose.
Bridge of the nose.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right eyelid.
Left eyelid.
Center of the forehead.
Third eye center.
Crown of the head.
Feel the energy of each crystal radiating out to the next.
A connection of energy lines creating this sacred geometry that is you.
Your unique and beautiful vibration.
See this vibration as breath.
Like mist or lasers moving through the body from crystal to crystal.
Follow where it goes with each inhale and exhale.
Let the breath move naturally without forcing or directing it.
Simply witness the organic movement of the breath between these energy centers.
Flowing through the body.
Now let the breath take on the cotton-colored candy colors of the sunset.
Pink.
Blue.
Violet.
Lavender.
Turquoise.
Orange.
And indigo.
Again,
Let it move naturally taking on whatever color it wants as it flows through the body.
Observe with detachment colors flowing.
Inhale and exhale.
Release the breath.
Return to the third eye center.
The space behind the forehead.
The space called Chittikasha Dandasana.
The darkness of the unconscious mind.
Like walking into a movie theater,
Let your mind's eye adjust to this darkness.
Observe here with detachment.
No need to analyze or discern.
Simply witness what arises.
Shapes.
Colors.
Images.
Feelings.
Bring yourself back to the third eye center again.
Release the darkness.
And imagine instead a very sunny day.
Sun is high in the sky with no clouds in sight.
Just blue everywhere.
The heat of the midday sun is beaming down as you sit on the beach.
Feel the heat of the sand that has been warmed by the sun beneath your soul.
Feel the heat of the hot sun on the top of your head.
On your skin.
Intensify the feeling of being hot.
Awareness of the sensation of heat.
Now imagine a rainy day.
The kind when the rain is gently falling and the air is warm.
As the sudden shower breaks through the mugginess.
Feel the tiny raindrops hit the top of your head and trickle through your hair,
Cooling your scalp.
Feel them touch your face.
Their coolness inviting on your warm cheeks.
Your clothes become damp and cool against your skin.
Awaken the feeling of coolness.
Intensify the feeling of cold rain on your skin.
Experience coolness.
Now imagine the warmth of the ground beneath your feet.
Standing in a patch of your garden that is directly in the sunlight.
You feel connected and grounded with the dirt between your toes.
Deepen your awareness of the earth and your connection to it.
Intensify the feeling of being grounded.
Strong.
And secure.
Awareness of feeling grounded.
Now gaze up to the sky.
Imagine floating in the night sky amongst the fluffy clouds and the tiny sparkling stars.
A feeling of lightness and freedom.
Feeling connected to the cosmos.
A part of something greater than you are.
Intensify this feeling.
This feeling of being deeply connected.
Stay with this image of the night sky and feeling connected.
From here I will enumerate a few places and things.
As I do,
Try to visualize them.
Sometimes I will go slowly and other times quickly.
And I will come back to the image a number of times.
Don't overthink it.
Let each image shine on its own.
Dark night.
Sky studded with shimmering stars.
Full moon.
A snowy white owl.
A hummingbird darting between flowers.
Sage.
Orchid.
Feather.
The warmth of a hot tea in your hands.
The sound of a wolf in the distance.
Mountain.
Raindrop.
The babble of a stream.
The long neck of a giraffe.
And a falcon in flight.
Come to your third eye center.
And see the snowy peaks of a tall mountain range.
A large gray wolf.
Wings taking flight.
Sunset.
The moon high in the night sky.
A giraffe.
The quartz crystal.
Pink plumeria flowers.
And the trickling water of a mountain stream.
White fluffy clouds against the blue sky.
Falcon.
Waves.
The misty rain of a summer evening.
Return again to your third eye center.
The yellow plumeria flowers floating on the water.
The wolf howling at the moon.
Shooting star.
Feather.
Falcon.
A giraffe peeking above the high trees.
The tiny hummingbird's wings fluttering.
Mountain stream.
Pink blossom.
Sage.
Clouds covering the glow of the full moon.
Waves kissing the shore.
And a white orchid.
Now imagine yourself sitting in a dimly lit room.
Cross-legged in the middle of the floor.
The ceiling seems to be domed.
And the room empty.
Except for you.
You are comfortably perched on a thick meditation cushion.
Through the darkness you begin to see speckles of light flickering here and there.
It is almost as if the door has been opened.
And fireflies have made their way inside.
Teasing the senses with the blip of light that appears and disappears again.
Slowly,
These flickerings linger longer.
Starting to take form and shape.
You suddenly realize you are surrounded by a matrix or grid of crystals.
Holographic crystals suspended in the ethers all around the large room that was once empty.
Just hovering in space.
Beautiful and majestic.
All around and above you.
As you look around you notice they are all connected.
With thin beams of light.
Some crystals are the same as each other and others are completely different.
But all connected in one way or another to each other.
And to you.
Amazed.
You raise your hand to scratch your head in wonderment.
Noticing that as you do,
Something moves.
Curious.
You swipe your hand through the air in front of you to see a crystal turn around.
By simply moving your hands you are able to conduct the space.
Shifting and changing the positions of the crystals and the grid lines.
Manipulating the energy.
Changing colors and even seeing images now.
This keeps your attention for some time playing with your crystal grid until it feels complete.
It holds the energy you give it.
Eventually,
As you are done.
You notice one unique crystal right in front of you.
You are drawn to it.
You focus all your attention in this one spot.
As if the rest has disappeared.
And it is only you and this one crystal.
This one crystal holds the energy of your entire grid.
This thing that you made,
You need it.
You have shuffled your energy releasing things you no longer need and created new energetic lines to the things you want to create.
It is all contained here in this special crystal.
Right in front of you.
Soften your gaze as you peer at its glow.
Completely present.
Feeling and observing.
Open awareness.
Images begin to appear in it.
Maybe words or pictures or even a movie for you to view.
Watch here without judgment.
With complete detachment,
Just taking in what you are here to be shown.
Slowly,
The crystal's glow gets brighter and brighter.
It's so bright it has filled the entire room with its light.
So bright you can barely see anything around you.
Then in an instant,
The brightness implodes,
Not sure if the light went inward or blasted outward.
Just knowing that you are here.
Sitting again in the dimly lit room.
Cross-legged on a large meditation cushion.
You feel amazed yet peaceful.
There is a knowing.
A knowing that you have been shown exactly what you needed to see in this moment.
As you stand up to get ready to leave,
You feel something in your pocket.
You reach your hand inside to pull out your crystal.
It is here with you to remind you of what you need to know.
In this place of complete peace,
Remember your sankalpa,
The seed you planted at the beginning of your practice.
One you will tend each time you meditate until it's come true.
Repeat your sankalpa in your mind's eye now three times with feeling,
Gratitude,
And trust.
Return to your breath,
The natural rhythm of your breath.
Bring your awareness to sounds inside this room and sounds outside of this room.
Let yourself become completely external.
Feel yourself lying on your mat on the floor.
Feel your arms and legs,
Your fingers and toes.
Wiggle your fingers and your toes.
Find a little physical movement.
Slowly waking the body back up again.
Slowly move and stretch until the body feels completely awake.
When it is and there is no rush to get there,
You can simply roll over to one side or the other.
Take a few rounds of breath here before finding your way to seated.
Again,
There is no rush.
Let your body move slowly while it catches up to finding movement again.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hario Tadsat.
