Nourishing Yoga Nidra

This is a 30-minute Yoga Nidra practice. Yoga Nidra is a powerful practice that can help one direct one's sails in one's desired direction. Grab all your blankets, pillows, and props. Create a rest net, Get comfortable, and take a long pause. Yoga Nidra is ah-mazing! Happy resting.

Transcript

Get ready for yoga nidra.

Lie down in shavasana with your feet apart and your palms of your hands facing upwards.

Close your eyes and quickly become motionless.

Now is the time to make any adjustments.

For this time of practice of yoga nidra we'll do our best to stay still.

And also know that you are not stuck.

You're welcome to adjust and adapt at any time.

In your mind draw a circle around this room,

Three circles.

Holding us in to this space,

Letting everything outside the circles just be.

Knowing that inside the circle is our time and space for practice.

These three circles can be made of earth,

Of stardust,

Of leaves,

Of moonlight.

Holding ourselves in for this practice of yoga nidra.

Take a long deep breath in.

And as you breathe out,

Feel yourself letting go and letting be.

Become aware of outside sounds,

Any sounds in the distance outside of this building.

Allow your sense of hearing to range into the distance and then gradually withdraw it back into this building,

Back into this room.

Develop your awareness of this room when you're self lying on the floor.

Become aware of your body lying on the floor.

Become aware of your breathing.

Just be conscious that you are breathing.

No need to concentrate,

Simply awareness of your breath.

Awareness of your body.

Remember your purpose and say mentally to yourself,

I am going to practice yoga nidra.

I will remain awake.

I will not sleep.

Now state your resolve,

Your sankalpa or affirmation.

Repeat your resolve mentally with full awareness and present moment and feeling three times.

Now we move into a rotation of consciousness.

Awareness of different parts of your body by taking a trip through your body.

Allow your mind to jump freely from one part to the next.

Right hand,

Thumb.

Right hand,

Second finger.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth.

Palm of your right hand.

Back of your hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Your right side.

Your waist.

Hip.

Your right thigh.

Knee cap.

Half muscle.

Your right ankle.

Heel.

Soul.

Top of your foot.

Your right toes.

The first one.

Second one.

Third toe.

Fourth.

Fifth.

Your left hand and the thumb on your left hand.

Second finger.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth.

The palm of your left hand.

Back of your hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Left armpit.

Side.

Waist.

Hip.

Left thigh.

Knee cap.

Half muscle.

Your left ankle.

Heel.

Soul.

Top of your foot.

Your left toes.

The first one.

Second.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth.

Go to the top of your head.

Your forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Eyebrow center.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Jaw.

Jaw.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Right chest.

Left chest.

Middle of your chest.

Navel.

Upper abdomen.

Lower abdomen.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right knee.

Left knee.

Right calf muscle.

Left calf muscle.

Right ankle.

Left ankle.

Right toes.

Left toes.

Now to the back of your body.

Right sole of your foot.

Left sole.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf muscle.

Left calf muscle.

Back of your right knee.

Back of your left knee.

Back of your right thigh.

Back of your left thigh.

Right glute.

Left glute.

Right hip.

Left hip.

Full spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of your neck.

Back of your head.

Top of your head.

Your major parts.

Your whole right leg.

Your whole left leg.

Both legs together.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together.

Whole of your head.

Together.

Whole of your back.

Together.

Your whole front.

Together.

The whole body.

Together.

Your whole body.

Together.

Become aware of the meeting parts between your body and the floor.

And concentrate on them for a short time.

Feeling the meeting points between your body and the floor.

Intense evenly.

Bring your attention to the soles of your feet.

Feel the skin on the soles of your feet from the heels to your tips of your toes.

Go to the palms of your hands and feel the skin on the palms of your hands and fingers intensely with full awareness.

Bring your awareness to your face and become aware of the skin on your face developing your full awareness and concentration.

Develop your awareness on the skin on your forehead,

Cheeks and chin becoming aware of any lines on your face.

Bring attention to your eyelids and feel the meeting points between your eyelids.

And now to your lips,

Feel the meeting point between your lips,

Intensity with feeling.

Now bring your attention to your natural breath.

Become aware that you are breathing quietly and lowly.

Become conscious of your breathing and nothing else.

Concentrate now on the flow of your breath between your navel and your throat.

Feel the breath moving along this passage.

As you inhale,

The air rises from your navel to throat.

As you exhale,

It falls from throat to navel.

Become aware of this natural movement of breath.

Becoming aware of your breath moving through your nostrils.

Natural breath flowing through both nostrils.

Begin to count your breath backwards.

Inhaling,

Exhaling,

Counting backwards from 108.

Inhale,

Exhale,

107.

And just keep going and counting backwards from 108.

When you make a mistake,

Simply start over at 108 with full awareness on your nostril breath.

Doing your best to continue counting backwards.

No sleeping,

Just counting backwards with total awareness.

No sleeping.

Continue counting with total awareness.

Continue counting backwards.

Continue counting your breath with total awareness.

Become aware of the space behind your forehead.

The inner infinite space just behind your eyes that extends as far as you can see.

We call this Chitakasha and it's this inner space extending as low or high and wide as you can see.

Becoming totally aware of this inner space.

Awareness without getting involved.

Observe as if you were watching a movie.

What you see projected here is from your subconscious.

If you see patterns,

This is simply the way your mind is manifesting.

Maintain your awareness.

Continue to watch the space.

Now it's time to set out on a journey.

See yourself setting out on a journey to climb a sacred mountain.

You know that this is going to be a long and difficult climb,

But you feel sure that you are ready and will reach the summit.

As you leave your hometown,

You meet your guide.

A person you've never met before,

But you know they're qualified and experienced.

You find it difficult to assess their character and they're not very talkative,

But as you want to make this journey,

You follow them trusting.

The path you are following passes through a large forest beneath a canopy of trees and crossing over many streams.

You come to an enormous lake,

A tranquilizing blue color,

Clear and fresh,

And you stop.

You and the guide pause to drink the water and rest for a bit.

Soon after continuing this journey,

You start to feel some frustration and mistrust of the guide as the forest has become dense.

So dense that you cannot see far in any direction and the sacred mountain is completely obscured from your view.

And you feel far away from home.

However,

After a little time,

You begin to ascend and the forest becomes less dense.

You're able to look back into the direction that you came from and you see the forest.

You can see where you journeyed from your home and town.

There may be even a point where you feel this journey is purposeless and useless and you want to turn around and return to the comforts of your home and friends.

But the guide insists that you go on,

So you follow.

Your ascent becomes steeper and you're feeling tired,

But the guide continues at their steady pace.

And at times you may feel frustrated at their relentless pace,

But at other times you are grateful for their expertise in climbing the more difficult terrain and avoiding the places that would have been impossible for you to climb.

The vegetation becomes less dense,

The ground is rocky and rugged and all thoughts of home and past have gone as you need to concentrate completely on climbing and keeping up with the guide.

Overcome by fatigue,

You collapse on the ground to rest.

You feel exhausted and defeated and don't care if the guide waits for you or not.

This whole journey just seems pointless.

The guide comes to you,

Takes you by the hand and starts walking again with each step.

They repeat the words,

I will.

And you find that you are walking and step with them and the sounds of the words,

I will,

Is echoing through your body and mind giving you tremendous strength and energy.

The guide releases your hands with the words keep resounding in your mind.

You continue to follow them further upwards.

As you near the top of the sacred mountain,

The ascent is even more difficult and the guide is far ahead of you.

You trudge on alone and finally reach the top where the guide is waiting for you.

The guide gives you a meaningful smile and you are grateful to them for their forcefulness during the climb.

You look out and are exalted by the environment,

Overcome by a feeling you've never experienced before.

You're still absorbed in this exhilaration when the guide says,

Follow me.

They leap from the peak,

Disappearing into space and without a further thought,

You follow.

You return to the inner space just behind your forehead.

Bringing your awareness to Chitakasha,

Returning again to this inner space.

Watching this inner space carefully for any colors or patterns that may emerge.

Not using your effort to create them,

Just awareness of watching.

Total awareness of watching without involvement.

Continue watching this space and become aware of any images,

Spontaneous thoughts that may emerge.

Become aware of your resolve once more.

Remember the resolve you made at the beginning of this practice and repeat it once more to yourself three times in the same words,

The same attitude,

Feeling and emphasis.

Become aware of your breathing.

Become aware of your natural breath occurring through your nostrils.

Develop total awareness of the nostril breath and continue practicing this.

Extend your awareness of the breath to every part of your body as you inhale,

Feel the life-giving force permeate your cells from head to heel.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath.

Become aware of your relaxed body.

Become aware of your physical existence.

Develop awareness of your surroundings,

The floor you're lying on,

The room you're in.

Visualize yourself as you lie currently here and now.

Start making small movements in preparation for sitting up.

Gentle wiggling of your fingertips and toe tips and noticing how these sensations move up into your arms and legs.

Taking your time,

There is no hurry.

Your practice of yoga nidra is complete.

It takes time to write for a few moments in your journal any images,

Thoughts,

Feelings,

Knowing there's absolutely no rush to leave this space.