Yoga Nidra For Slowing Down

This original Yoga Nidra practice is designed to help you slow down and counter our tendency to rush and hurry, generating all kinds of unhelpful physical sensations, emotions, and thoughts. With this Nidra practice, you'll have the opportunity to experience slowing down in the physical body, the breath, the emotions, and the thinking part of the mind.

Transcript

So the yoga nidra practice that we're going to do this evening is also going to be a yoga nidra designed to help you slow down and stop rushing.

As you're getting set in shavasana and with your props,

I'm reminded of the times when I most feel rushed and that's when I'm driving,

Which I haven't been doing a lot of lately the last two or three months.

Haven't seen a lot of driving for this guy.

But when I do,

I feel that sort of rushing sensation,

Like I need to get somewhere.

Like I haven't allowed enough time to get somewhere or wherever I'm going is going to be closing.

And those are the kinds of sensations,

The kinds of feelings that can create all kinds of issues both physically and emotionally.

So this yoga nidra practice is designed to help us cope with some of those,

To understand those feelings and sensations.

Let's begin our yoga nidra.

Let your eyes close down if they haven't already.

And take a few moments now to feel your body resting on your mat or a blanket.

Feel your breath and allow the breath to begin to slow down a little bit.

That may bring you to a place where your breath is lengthening and that's okay.

Just whatever it takes to begin to cultivate that sensation of slowing down.

And as you slow down the breath,

Become more and more present to your surroundings.

So keep the eyes closed.

Pay attention to the other senses.

Pay attention to your hearing,

The vibrations that are reaching your eardrums.

Pay attention to your sense of smell,

The taste in your mouth.

And pay attention to anything you're feeling through your skin.

Just accept all those sensations without judgment.

Just observe them and watch as they bombard you.

Now allow yourself to settle in even a little bit more.

And perhaps you'll feel the breath slowing even a bit more.

Now go ahead and make final adjustments to your body so that you feel perfectly comfortable.

And you're not going to need to move at all for the balance of our yoga nidra practice.

Now once you make those adjustments,

See if you can remain still.

We come to the point now in yoga nidra when you can adopt an intention in Sanskrit.

It's called a sankalpa,

An intention for this practice.

And let me suggest if you don't have one you're working with,

I have one that you may want to use for this practice.

That intention,

That sankalpa,

Is this.

I permit myself to slow down and release the desire to hurry.

I permit myself to slow down and release the desire to hurry.

So if you like you can use that intention.

If you have another that you prefer,

Feel free to use it instead.

Now take the next few moments to repeat your intention to yourself three times as though we're already true,

As though we're already manifest in your life.

I permit myself to slow down and release the desire to hurry.

Now draw a deep breath in through the nostrils and then slightly open your mouth and breathe out through the mouth.

Do that a second time.

Breathe in gently through the nostrils and then just a little gentle opening of the mouth as you exhale.

Let's begin now with our practice of rotation of consciousness.

In this part of the practice,

I'll name parts of the body.

Just let your attention move from part to part as I name it.

We'll begin with the very top of the head.

Bring your attention,

Your awareness to the very top of your head.

Now eyebrow center and chin.

From the chin,

Bring your awareness to your throat.

Now the heart.

From the heart,

Bring the awareness to the solar plexus and from the solar plexus to the navel.

Now bring your awareness,

Your attention to your pubic bone.

Now awareness to the thumb on the right hand.

The first finger on the right hand.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Little finger on the right hand.

Palm.

Back of the hand.

Now the wrist.

Elbow.

Shoulder.

Arm pit.

Right hip.

Knee.

Back of the knee.

Right ankle.

Top of the right foot.

Heel.

In step.

The ball of the right foot.

The right big toe.

The second toe.

Third toe.

The fourth toe.

The little toe on the right foot.

Begin to feel the whole body slowing,

Relaxing,

Letting go of any need to rush.

Awareness now to the thumb on the left hand.

The first finger.

Second finger.

Third finger.

The little finger on the left hand.

Palm.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Elbow.

Shoulder.

Arm pit.

The left hip.

Knee.

Back of the left knee.

Left ankle.

Top of the left foot.

Left heel.

In step.

Ball of the left foot.

The left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe on the left foot.

Pubic bone.

Table.

Solar plexus.

Heart.

Throat.

Chin.

Eyebrow center.

Top of the head.

The right side of the body.

The left side of the body.

Now the whole body,

Experience it all at once.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Throat center.

The right eye.

The left eye.

Both eyes together.

The right cheek.

The left cheek.

Tip of the nose.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Both nostrils together.

The upper lip.

Inside the mouth.

The upper palate.

Back of the mouth.

Tongue.

Teeth.

Upper lip.

Chin.

Throat.

Heart.

Solar plexus.

Navel.

Big bone.

The whole right leg.

The whole left leg.

Both legs together.

The right arm.

The left arm.

Both arms together.

Now the whole body.

Sense your whole body.

Feel it all together.

All at once.

Bring your awareness now to your breath and feel the breath flowing in and out through both nostrils.

Feel the evenness of the breath.

Slow and gentle.

There is no rushing whatsoever to the breath.

Begin to feel the breath lengthening.

With each inhale and each exhale becoming longer and longer.

Don't force it.

Just allow the lengthening to happen on its own.

No strain.

Just surrender into the breath.

Let it flow.

Let your breath slow even more.

So that the process of breathing becomes completely effortless.

Let go of the idea that you are breathing and just allow the body to breathe for itself as you watch.

As you observe,

Notice that the breath is lengthening and slowing even more.

The breath now is completely effortless.

There is no element of rushing at all.

It's just flowing in and flowing out all on its own.

A beautiful gentle pace.

Flowing in and flowing out.

You almost come to a place where you don't even really need to breathe.

It's so slow.

So gentle.

The breathing seems almost unnecessary.

Now release your attention from your breath and begin to remember a time when you felt hurried and rushed.

Whether the need to hurry was self-imposed or whether it was external.

Remember that time.

Remember that occasion.

Bring it to mind.

And now remember how your body felt.

Just the physical sensation of hurrying and rushing.

Bring the time to mind and focus as best you can on the physical sensations that you felt while hurrying and rushing.

Maybe you remember how your heart beat faster.

Maybe you remember how your breath became shallow and fast.

Remember the physical sensation of rushing.

The feeling in the body.

Now remember a situation where you felt calm and at ease.

Remember that in that situation there was no need to rush.

Remember that your heartbeat was slow and gentle.

Remember that your breath was relaxed.

Remember this physical sensation of deep calm in the body.

Now return to the physical feeling of being rushed.

Remember what that felt like.

And then return to the sensation,

The physical feeling of calmness in the body.

And now back to the feeling of rushed.

And back to the sensation,

The feeling of calm.

Now release the physical sensations in the body.

And return to the time when you felt very rushed and hurried.

But now remember the emotions that arose from that experience.

Perhaps you experienced fear.

Perhaps anxiety.

Perhaps anger.

Or other emotions.

Think back to the emotions you felt in that time of hurriedness.

The time when you were really rushed.

Remember those emotions and remember how they felt.

Allow yourself to relive them.

Now remember this situation where you felt calm and profoundly at ease.

The time when there was no need to rush or hurry.

Remember the emotions that came with calmness.

Perhaps happiness.

Perhaps satisfaction.

Perhaps joy or contentment.

Remember the emotions were that accompanied that calm time.

Allow yourself to relive those emotions.

Re-experience them.

Re-deal them all again.

Now return to the emotions accompanying the experience that you had when you felt rushed and hurried.

Relive those emotions again.

And then return to the emotions you felt when you were profoundly calm and at ease.

Now imagine that you're reaching your hands out in front of you.

You don't need to move.

Just use the imagination.

And now place in your left hand the emotions that accompany the experience of being rushed and hurried.

And in your right hand place the emotions that accompanied the experience of being profoundly calm and at ease.

Now look to the left hand.

See the emotions accompanying hurriedness.

And to the right hand the emotions accompanying calmness.

Look to the left.

Look to the right.

And to the left hand.

And to the right hand.

Now release the emotions.

Let them go.

Now begin to visualize a quickly flowing river.

See the river flowing really fast downhill.

And now visualize a perfectly still pond.

Now imagine a huge tornado curdling debris all over the countryside.

Now bring your mind to a gentle breeze on a warm summer's night.

Now imagine an ocean spreading out in front of you.

See gentle waves rise up in the ocean and then flow towards where you stand.

Look out again at the ocean peaceful and calm.

Now see a little wave rise up a very gentle one.

And then watch it as it flows towards where you stand.

See the ocean.

See the gentle wave arise.

See the gentle wave flow in to where you stand.

Bring your awareness now to eyebrow center.

The space between your eyebrows and let it rest there for a moment.

Keep your awareness at eyebrow center.

Just notice what if anything arises for you with awareness at eyebrow center.

Perhaps you see colors or shapes.

Maybe shadows.

Maybe images.

Or perhaps nothing at all.

Keep your awareness at eyebrow center.

Just let it rest gently there.

Now let your awareness move into space that rests below eyebrow center.

It's a vast boundless dark space.

The space is quiet and peaceful.

There is nothing to fear in this space.

There is nothing to accomplish.

There are no goals to meet.

There is no one to satisfy and no one to be disappointed.

Just the peaceful quiet and darkness of this vast and endless domain that rests below eyebrow center.

Remain in this place.

This place of peaceful darkness and rest.

Now let your awareness rise back to eyebrow center.

Leaving the quiet peaceful darkness exactly where it was.

Knowing that it is a place you can return to anytime you want.

With awareness at eyebrow center,

Notice again what if anything arises with your attention at the space between the eyebrows.

Colors.

Shapes.

Lights.

Just notice.

Now release your awareness from eyebrow center.

And return to your intention for this practice.

We're going to repeat that intention three times silently.

And if you use the intention I suggested,

I'll repeat it now.

Otherwise repeat your own.

The one I suggested was I permit myself to slow down and release the desire to hurry.

Twice more on your own.

Repeating your intention.

Now bring your awareness back to your body.

And remember that you are resting on the floor.

Begin to remember the room that you are resting in.

Remember the physical characteristics of the room,

What the walls look like,

What the ceiling and the floor look like.

Remember the furnishings.

Now allow yourself to return to your body.

Let your consciousness begin to re-inhabit your body more and more fully.

Now begin to feel your breath as it flows in and out.

Notice how your body reacts as you breathe in.

And notice how it reacts as you breathe out.

Now bring awareness to the fingers on your right hand.

Keep your awareness there and notice as the fingers on the right hand begin to move.

Very gently and slowly at first.

And perhaps more and more.

Then let your awareness shift to the left hand.

Notice gentle movement in the fingers on the left hand.

When you're ready,

Rotate your wrists and maybe the ankles.

And become aware that you are returning to your body completely.

When you feel ready,

Bend your knees,

Picking your feet up off of the floor.

And then roll to your side.

Once you're on your side,

Feel free to cradle your head and your arm and just pause for a moment.

Feel the peacefulness and the calm that you have brought with you from our experience.

Resolve to cultivate that sense of peacefulness and ease.

Finding go of the need to rush or hurry.

Now slowly bring yourself to a seat.

Once you're seated with your eyes still closed,

Bring your palms together and then bring your hands to heart center.

Join me as we offer loving kindness.

May you be happy and well and may you be safe.

May you be peaceful and may you be at ease.

Namaste.

Gently open your eyes.

This completes our practice of yoga nidra for today.

I hope you enjoyed this practice.

And as always,

If you have questions about it,

Feel free to let me know in whatever way you can.

Take care and have a wonderful rest of the evening.

Reviews

Lovely, thank you!

Garry, you are Simply the Best. This is one beautiful, profound practices. With all my thanks.

One of my favorite teachers. Very gentle practice, no music or other distractions 🙏

His voice is conversationalnand reassuring. I especially liked the sequences of the body scan. I had a great sleep.