Yoga Nidra

This traditional Yoga Nidra practice, as created by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, takes us into a deeply meditative state between alertness and sleep. This practice is an excellent one to improve the quality of your sleep. Find a comfortable space, lie down, and get ready to rest.

Transcript

Welcome to practice.

I'm glad you're here.

The practice I'll be recording is a yoga nidra practice and it's using the script written by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

Please get ready for yoga nidra.

Lie down on your back on the floor and adopt the pose called shavasana.

The spine is straight from head to toe,

The legs slightly apart and the arms a little away from the body with the palms of the hands turned upwards.

Adjust everything you need to your body position and clothes until you are completely comfortable.

During yoga nidra there should be no physical movement.

Close your eyes and keep them strictly closed until you are told to open them.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out feel the cares and worries of the day flow out of you.

In the practice which follows you are going to develop the feeling of relaxation in the body.

It is not necessary to make movements or deliberately relax your muscles.

Simply develop the feeling of relaxation.

It's like the feeling you have just before sleep when relaxation becomes deep.

Sleep does come but you should try to keep yourself completely awake.

This is very important.

Make a resolution to yourself now that I will not sleep.

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

During yoga nidra you are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness and the only important thing is to follow my voice.

Try not to intellectualize or analyze the instructions as this will disturb your mental relaxation.

Simply follow my voice with total attention and feeling and if thoughts come to disturb you from time to time don't worry just continue the practice.

Allow yourself to become calm and steady.

Give yourself a few moments to do this.

If you need to pause this meditation and start again when you're ready please do so.

We don't want to start too suddenly.

Now bring about a feeling of inner relaxation in the whole body.

Concentrate on the body and become aware of the importance of complete stillness.

Develop your awareness of the body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and mentally repeat the mantra om.

Complete stillness and complete awareness of the whole body again om.

Continue your awareness of the whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Become aware of the fact that you are going to practice yoga nidra.

Say to yourself I am aware,

I am going to practice yoga nidra.

Repeat this to yourself again.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

At this moment you should make your sankalpa,

Your resolve.

Your resolve will have to be very simple.

Try to discover one naturally.

You must develop a resolve to say at this time.

It should be a short positive statement in simple language,

Stated three times with awareness,

Feeling and emphasis.

The resolve you make during yoga nidra is bound to come true in your life.

You now begin rotation of consciousness,

Rotation of awareness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body.

As quickly as possible the awareness is to go from part to part.

Repeat the part in your mind and simultaneously become aware of that part of your body.

Keep yourself alert but do not concentrate too intensely.

Become aware of the right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of your palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The right waist,

The right hip,

The right thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The left waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now to the back.

Become aware of the right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The right buttock,

The left buttock,

The spine,

The whole back together.

Now go to the top of the head,

The top of the head,

The forehead,

Both sides of the head,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid,

The right eye,

The left eye,

The right ear,

The left ear,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

The nose,

The tip of the nose,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The chin,

The throat,

The right chest,

The left chest,

The middle of the chest,

The navel,

The abdomen,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

Butt cheeks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together.

Please do not sleep.

Total awareness.

No sleeping.

No movement.

The whole body on the floor.

Become aware of your body lying on the floor.

Your body is lying on the floor.

See your body lying perfectly still on the floor in this room.

Visualize this image in your mind.

Become aware of your breath.

Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.

Do not try to change the rhythm.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

You are not doing it.

There is no effort.

Maintain awareness of your breath.

Continue.

Complete awareness of breath.

Now concentrate your awareness on the movement of your navel area.

Concentrate on your navel movements.

Your navel is rising and falling slightly with every breath.

With each and every breath,

It expands and contracts.

Concentrate on this movement in synchronization with your breath.

Now shift your attention to the chest.

Please shift to the chest.

Your chest is rising and falling slightly with each and every breath.

Become aware of this.

Now move your awareness to the throat.

Please move to the throat.

Become aware of your breath moving in and out of the throat.

Become aware of this.

Go now to the nostrils.

Become aware of the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.

Concentrate on the movement of the breath in and out of the nostrils.

Now is the time to repeat your resolve.

Repeat the same resolve that you made at the beginning of the practice.

Do not change it.

Repeat the resolve three times with full awareness and feeling.

Relax all efforts.

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your breathing.

Become aware of the natural breath.

Awareness of the whole body and awareness of breathing.

Your body is lying totally relaxed on the floor.

You are breathing quietly and slowly.

Develop awareness of your body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and say mentally in your mind,

Repeat this mentally to yourself twice more.

Become aware of the floor and the position of your body lying on the floor.

Visualize the room around you.

Become aware of your surroundings.

Lie quietly for some time and keep your eyes closed.

Start moving your body and stretching yourself.

Please take your time.

Do not hurry.

When you are sure that you are wide awake,

Sit up slowly and open your eyes.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Reviews

Fabulous - body awareness pacing was perfect 💖

Great x

Beautiful slept so well 🙏

Nice short yoga nidra with a lovely voice. Thank you ❤️

Nice nidra - I look forward to more of your recordings. Thanks! 🙏