Welcome to the practice of Yoganidra.
Let's begin by lying down,
Finding the pose of restfulness.
In this practice,
We'd like to encourage the body to be completely comfortable and let go.
So take your time to be comfortable.
Putting pillows under your knees,
Your head,
Covering your eyes,
And maybe a blanket over your body to keep yourself warm.
Let your legs separate.
Let your arms rest beside you,
Palms facing up.
Invite yourself to a complete stillness and relaxation.
There's nothing for you to do.
There's nowhere to go.
This practice is the time for yourself to be relaxed,
Nourished,
Replenished.
So let yourself enjoy it.
There's absolutely no wrong way to do the practice.
Simply allow the experience to unfold in its own way.
Simply listen to my voice.
If you do not hear everything I say,
Don't worry.
It's completely normal.
You might be drift in and out of awareness.
Just accept this practice with open mind and let it happen from moment to moment.
Try to remain still until the end of this meditation and tell yourself,
I will only move when I finish this meditation.
Take a nice and deep full breath in.
Hold the breath and then let it go on open mouth sigh.
Another one like that.
Breathe in as full as you can.
Hold it and let it out with a sigh.
Do a couple more like that.
And as you breathe out,
I'd like you to imagine that any tension in your body and worries in your mind effortlessly flow out of you.
Feel the limbs becoming heavy.
All the muscles let go from your bones.
Now let your breath return to a natural and easy rhythm.
In and out through your nose.
Let yourself completely melt in to this pose of restfulness.
There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.
Follow this feeling into your nose,
Your sinus,
The back of your throat,
Into your lungs.
There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.
Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.
The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.
Allow your breath to become longer and slower.
Take a long,
Slow inhalation followed by a long,
Slow exhalation.
Make your exhale even slower.
Notice the slight pause after the exhale.
Slow inhale.
Even slower exhale.
And pause.
When you need to inhale,
Please do so.
Long,
Slow inhale.
Longer,
Slower exhale.
And then pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.
Please continue breathing in this way.
Now go back to the natural,
Easy breath,
Releasing any control over the inhale or exhale.
Become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment.
Nothing else but what you can hear without string.
Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,
Searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.
Move your attention from the sound to sound without labeling the source.
Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.
To sounds outside this building.
To sounds inside this building.
To sounds inside the room.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize the four walls of this room.
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying on the floor.
Visualize your body lying on the floor.
The position of your body.
Your clothes,
Your hair,
Your face.
Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
At this moment you should make your sankalpa or resolve.
The sankalpa should be a short positive statement in simple language.
Try to discover one naturally.
Please state your sankalpa clearly and with awareness three times.
The sankalpa you make during Yoga Nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.
Also say to yourself,
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
I am awake and relaxed.
We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.
You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.
Please say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body but do not move any part.
The practice begins on the right side.
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left big toe,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now go to the back of the body.
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right elbow,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Middle of the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
The whole right leg,
Whole left leg,
Whole right arm,
Whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Opposite sensations,
Lightness,
Heaviness.
Now imagine the whole body becoming light,
As though your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.
The head is light and weightless.
The limbs are light and weightless.
The torso is light and weightless.
The whole body light and weightless.
You're rising higher and higher away from the floor.
Now imagine your body becoming heavy.
Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body.
Each part is becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.
The head is heavy.
The limbs are heavy.
The torso is heavy.
The whole body is heavy.
So heavy that it is sinking down into the floor.
Cold,
Hot.
Awaken the experience of cold in the body,
The experience of chilly cold.
Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing.
You feel this chill permeating your entire body.
Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.
Remember the feeling of heat in summer.
When you're out in the sun with no shade,
You feel heat radiating onto your skin,
Heat all around the body.
Anxiety,
Calm.
Recollect the experience of anxiety,
Intense anxiety and worry.
Feel this stress in your mind and body but do not concentrate on its source.
Create the experience of anxiety as clearly as possible.
Now allow the feeling of complete calm to envelope you.
Manifest the experience of calm in your entire mind,
Body and emotions.
You are relaxed and aware.
You are completely calm.
Rapid image visualization.
Now a number of different things will be named and you should envision them on the level of emotion,
Memory and imagination as best as you can.
Jump from image to image as soon as you hear it.
Red desert,
Peacock feather,
Buddha meditating,
A good night rest,
Full moon,
Your reflection in the mirror,
Foggy morning,
Waiting for results,
Sun shining overhead,
Bouquet of flowers,
Tall tree,
Receiving help from others,
Cool clear water,
A relaxing afternoon,
Laughing with friends,
A warm embrace,
Burning candle,
Temple on the mountain,
Path in the woods,
Vibrant sunset,
Taking a deep breath,
Cat stretching,
A beautiful garden path,
Your favorite song,
The sound of my voice,
Your body lying on the floor.
It is now time to repeat your sankalpa.
Please repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice three times mentally.
Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out.
Breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.
Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body.
Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.
Feel the container of your skin and the clothes and props that you're touching.
Notice the heaviness of your body and take your awareness into all the points that are touching the floor.
The back of your heels,
Thighs,
Buttocks,
Shoulder blades,
Arms,
Hands and head.
Do not open your eyes yet,
But visualize the surrounding room.
Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.
Start by slowly moving your hands and feet.
Take your time,
There's no hurry.
When you're sure that you're fully awake,
Gently open your eyes.
Please roll over to your one side.
Stay on your side for a few more moments.
Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
