Yoga Nidra: The First Hike

Yoga Nidra or 'Yogic Sleep' is a relaxation technique that involves a guided meditation voiced by a teacher. For those who are not familiar with this practice, this is a good basic introduction for beginners who are interested in the technique. It is also suitable for more experienced students who are interested in revisiting the foundations of a Nidra practice. This calming Yoga Nidra practice incorporates breathing techiques, body rotation and visualisation to enter a state of calm and stillness. This practice is ideally listened to while lying down either on the floor (on a yoga mat), or on a bed.

Transcript

We will now prepare for Yoga Nidra. Please lie down in a comfortable position. You can put a block under your head if that's what you wish. Let me just briefly explain while you relax. Nidra. It translates itself as sleep in Sanskrit, But the practice itself is not quite sleep. Throughout these short 30 minutes, Your mind remains conscious but relaxed. Yoga. We all sort of know Yoga as union and in this case, We can see Yoga Nidra as a complete unified sleep. There's nothing to do in this exercise. Your only position is Shavasana. There's nowhere to go, No errands to run, No job waiting for you. You are here. You can only be here. All you have to do is follow my voice. Do not worry if you miss a step. The point is to let go. To let go of control. To let go of the baggage that you carry in your daily lives. Let go of the problems that are bothering you. Just for these 30 minutes, Have a little bit of fun. Lie now in this stillness. With your palms facing up, Fingers relaxed. Your feet can roll outwards, Legs relaxed. Take your time in making any final adjustments. You can shift your butt around so your lower back flushes against the ground. You can adjust your head by nodding front and back, Side to side. When you are ready, I invite you to join me in complete stillness. We start by observing the breath. Simply observe. You don't have to force anything. Just be aware of the rising and falling of the belly. When you inhale, It rises. When you exhale, It falls. Observe the chest. When you inhale, It rises. And when you exhale, It falls. As you observe this, There is a process, A natural tendency for the breath to lengthen. It becomes deeper and smoother. As you inhale, The breath drags itself to become longer and deeper. As you breathe out, Your body becomes relaxed. The weight on your mind becomes light, Like a feather. As you inhale, Feel the breath washing away all the tension in the head. As you exhale, The mind becomes relaxed and clear, Like crystal clear waters. As you inhale, The breath washes all the tension in the body. Now breathe out. Feel the body becoming very light. Keep observing this, This phenomenon. It's quite interesting how the breath in its most relaxed state follows the rhythm of the ocean. As you lie now, Feeling safe and relaxed, I would like to invite you to think of a sankalpa. A sankalpa is a resolution that you would like to achieve. But instead of using I want to or I will, I would like to suggest you to use I am, As in you have and already are. Take some time to do this, To find a sankalpa, A resolution that speaks to you, That's important and positive. About five months ago, I shared my own sankalpa in my teacher's class. You're welcome to use it if you like. It is I am at peace. Say it three times. I am at peace. I am at peace. Today my sankalpa have changed. You can also use this. It is I am self-aware. Now if you've decided on one resolution, Repeat the words in your mind three times. Say it clearly with joy and with conviction. Now let it go. Let it disappear, Floating away like a bubble. Let it pop. I am now going to guide you through a simple relaxation technique. As I name each body part, Just be aware of that part. Don't worry if you skip some, It will still work. You do not have to move when I name them, Just be conscious of it and relax. We will start with the right hand, The right thumb, The right index finger, The middle finger, Ring finger, The pinky, The front of the palm, The back of the palm, Wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, Right shoulder, The armpit, The right side of the body, The thigh, The knee, The back of the right knee, The calf, The shin, The ankle, The heel, The sole, The right big toe, Second, Third, Fourth, The little toe, The entire right side body, The entire right side body. Feel relaxed and heavy. Now move on to the left, The left thumb, Index, Middle, Ring finger, Pinky, The palm, The back of the palm, The wrist, The forearm, The elbow, The upper arm, The left shoulder, The armpit, The left rib cage, Thigh, Knee, Back of the left knee, The calf, The shin, The ankle, The heel, The sole, Left big toe, Second, Third, Fourth, And little toe, The plane of both feet. Move your awareness to the crown of your head, The forehead, The eyebrows, The areas between your eyebrows, The eyelids, The tip of the nose, The top of the lip, Your cheeks, Your bottom lip, The chin, The neck, The right chest, The left chest, Abdomen, Your hips, Whole of the right leg, Whole of the left, Both legs together, The heel of both legs, The calf, The hamstrings, The buttock, The lower back, Upper back, Back of the neck, Back of the head, The whole body together, The whole body together, Your whole body together, Sink. Feel the entire body sinking into the ground, Limbs are heavy like concrete. Now feel the body becoming light, Like a feather, Almost floating, Just an inch off the ground. Feel the body becoming cold, As if it's winter and freezing. Now ground your floating body back down and feel your body becoming warm. Imagine yourself on a beach. The sun is warm, Sand beneath your body. Try now to see a mountain in the distance, A mountain with snowy tip, Standing amongst the clouds. The sun is about to rise, Giving the surroundings a reddish orange color. You start to take a step towards the mountain. Your boots sink deep into the snow. It rises above your ankles. You continue hiking. The morning wind caresses your face as you walk towards the hill. The sun starts to rise. Keep hiking while I count you down to consciousness. 10. Your breath deepens. Feel your inhalation. Exhale. Feel light. 9. You're focusing on the breath, Observe the rise and fall of your belly. 8. Feel the contact between your body and the floor beneath you. Feel its support. 7. Be mindful of the breath. Be gentle. 6. Your breath becomes regular and subtle. 5. We're going back to our sankalpa, The resolution we made at the start, Taking our time to repeat it in our minds three times, With the same joy and conviction we used at the start. I am at peace. I am at peace. I am at peace. 4. Let the sankalpa go. The seed has been planted. 3. Slowly we bring our consciousness back to our present moment. We do this by simply listening to the sounds around us. The sound of traffic. The sounds of birds chirping. The clock ticking. The air condition rumming. No vibrations. 2. Gently wiggle your fingers and your toes, But keep your eyes closed. 1. Roll onto your right side and rest your face on your biceps. 2. Gently prop yourself up into a sitting position. You can now open your eyes. Thank you for taking the time to listen. Namaste.

Reviews

Relaxing guide and music. Thank you. I am at peace.

One of my favorites

I almost feel asleep, effective for sure ❤️❤️

That was amazing. My headache is gone and I feel refreshed and ready for a day of work. Thank you for this. I will repeat often 😊🙏

Delightful suffused expanded conscious awareness, peace.