Yoga Nidra: Re-Learning Trust And Letting Go
In this yoga nidra practice, you will be invited to experience a deep state of relaxation where the body is asleep but the mind is awake and aware. In particular, you will be exploring the concept of the original trust, the trust that you were born with, and the concept of letting go as tools to help you stay stable even when everything around you is becoming uncertain. Photography and editing: Robert Marnika Music: Healing Meditation Music
Transcript
Now is the time for a nice Yoga Nidra practice,
A meditation that brings your body and mind into a deep state of relaxation.
You will be in a half-sleep state,
Where the body falls asleep,
But the mind is alert and aware.
In this spatial meditation,
You will explore the concept of original trust,
The trust you were born with,
And the concept of letting go,
As tools for staying stable even when everything around you is becoming uncertain.
Lie down on your back in a very comfortable position,
Palms facing up,
And consider using blankets and pillows to make yourself even more comfortable.
In this practice,
You will only use your sense of hearing and perceiving,
Everything else relaxes.
Become aware of sounds in the distance,
Follow them for a few moments,
And then move your attention from sound to sound,
Without attachment.
Then notice closer sounds,
And also sounds inside yourself,
Like sounds in your ears or just your breath.
Observe the room you are in,
Visualize the walls,
The ceiling,
The floor,
Your body lying down,
And notice all the points of your body touching the surface that supports you.
Become aware of your breath,
Of your natural breath.
Bring your attention to your heart,
The center where the concept of wholeness and unity coexist,
Where there is a connection to the infinite field around you.
Connect with the beat of your heart,
Spread its music throughout your body using your breath.
The breath flows fluidly,
Caressing each cell.
Inhale and exhale.
Your heart beats full of vitality,
And as you concentrate here,
Recall moments of joy in your life,
Moments of gratitude,
Moments of laughter and hugs,
Moments of deep emotions,
Or moments of feeling welcomed.
Breathe in,
Feel it,
And radiate this joy of life within you and around you.
Now express an intention or sankalpa,
That means create a short,
Simple sentence,
Affirmative,
In the present tense,
Expressing a wish,
An aspiration you wish to manifest in your life.
For example,
If your wish is to be able to cope better when you are under stress,
You might say,
I am perfectly able to cope with the stress in my life right now.
So create your sentence and repeat it three times,
Trying to perceive it as realized.
Now pay attention to the weight and the structure of your body,
The body that has released all tendency to act and control,
And gently encourage each part to release even more,
Even more.
Now feel the sensations in your mouth,
Lips,
Teeth,
Gums,
Ceiling of the mouth,
Tongue,
Whole mouth and jaw simultaneously,
Left ear sensations,
Right ear,
Both ears together,
Left nostril,
Right nostrils,
The airflow and sensations in both nostrils,
Left eye,
Right eye,
Both eyes together,
Left cheek,
Right cheek,
Both cheeks together,
The entire face as a radiant sensation.
Without analysis,
Perceive the path from the mouth to the nose,
To the eyes,
Ears,
Temples,
Forehead,
Crown of the head,
Back of the head,
Neck,
Inner walls of the throat,
Left shoulder,
Left arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Left hand and fingers,
The whole left arm,
Whole left arm,
Back to the throat,
Right shoulder,
Right arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Wrist,
Right hand and fingers,
The whole right arm,
The whole right arm.
Still without analysis,
Feel both arms together as a radiant sensation,
The upper chest,
Lower chest,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
The organs inside,
Mid back,
Lower back,
Upper abdomen,
Lower abdomen,
The organs inside,
The whole back part of the torso,
The whole front part of the torso,
The whole torso,
Inside and outside,
Like a radiant sensation,
Sacrum,
Pelvis,
Sacrum and pelvis together,
Left buttock,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Left foot and toes,
The whole left leg,
The whole left leg.
Welcome sensation now in the right buttock,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Foot and toes,
The whole right leg,
The whole right leg,
Left leg,
Right leg,
Both legs together as a radiant sensation.
Welcome sensations in the whole front of the body,
The back of the body,
The left side of the body,
The right side,
The inside of the body,
Its outer surface,
The whole body,
A field of radiant deep sensations.
Now pay attention to the eyelashes,
Feel the thin line where they meet,
Then to the lips,
To the thin line where they meet,
And then from the lips observe the nose and the breath going through the nostrils,
The exact moment when the air touches them,
Just stay here.
Now keeping your attention at the nostrils,
Start a countdown,
In particular a count from 18 to 0,
Start by repeating silently inhale 18,
Exhale 18,
Inhale 17,
Exhale 17,
Inhale 16,
Exhale 16,
And so on going down to 0,
Stay awake and aware,
And if you lose the count go back to 18,
Nothing else to do,
And then let go no matter where you are.
And let me guide you through a series of opposite experiences,
Try to perceive the sensation of cold,
Feel the cold spreading throughout your body,
Imagine walking barefoot on a frozen lake in a winter time,
Where do you perceive the cold in your body,
What does the memory of cold mean for you,
Cold throughout your body,
And then let go,
Find the memory of heat now in your body,
Like on a very hot summer day,
Feel the sun on your skin,
The heat spreads throughout your body,
Throughout your body,
Where is the heat,
How do you recognize the heat in your body,
Let it go,
Then try to feel the sensation of heaviness,
The body is heavy like glued to the floor,
Heavy and dense like lead,
Heavy on the floor,
Sensation of heaviness,
Experience this memory and then let go,
Then invite the opposite feeling,
Your body becomes light,
Light as a feather,
Weightless,
Barely touching the ground,
Floating lightly in the air,
Enjoy the feeling of being light,
Weightless,
And then let go,
I will guide you through a visualization,
Now imagine that you are near a river with clear water,
It is so inviting that you decide to use your large sturdy raft to float down the river,
The river is quiet,
Secure,
The day is perfect with an optimal temperature,
The sun is gently warm,
A light breeze,
A few puffy clouds here and there,
You can see both banks of the river with colorful plants and flowers,
Everywhere birds chirping,
Butterflies flying,
You feel so peaceful that when you get on the raft,
You decide to lie down comfortably and let yourself be gently carried by the slow and steady current,
You move with the river,
A calm river,
And this allows you to breathe easily and relax with the rhythm of this slow water,
Breathe in and breathe out slowly,
In and out,
In and out,
You float on the water on a large and stable raft,
Feeling its gentle movement and now the feeling of well-being is such that you let the boundary between you and the river dissolve,
You become the river,
Let yourself become the natural flow of the river,
You are one with the water,
No separation,
You float like a weightless water plant and find again a sense of well-being and rediscover what trust means,
A complete protection as if you were back in the womb,
Relearn what trust is,
Feel it,
Go with the flow,
You can breathe easily and deeply,
Your body feels at peace,
Finally free,
You are perfectly safe and it becomes natural for you now to let yourself go,
To surrender,
Trust the river that carries you,
You are one and then slowly you find yourself back on the surface of the raft,
The light breeze and the sun dry your body,
A rejuvenating sensation,
Knowing that all is well and finally you come back,
You go back on the sand,
Touching the earth,
Feel of gratitude and still keeping the sensation of trust and surrender inside of you,
Knowing that you can go and meet these sensations anytime you need,
Let go of the visualization and now gently bring your attention to your lying body and become aware of the breath,
Recall your intention or sankalpa,
The same sentence you have created at the beginning of the practice and repeat it three times silently with awareness and consciousness,
Then feel the shape of your body and observe your arms and legs,
The contact points between your body and the surface you are lying on,
Remember the room,
Walls,
Ceiling,
Floor,
Sounds in the room,
Sounds outside the room and take your attention more and more outwards,
Wiggle your fingers and feel the connection between your fingers and your hands,
Wiggle your toes and feel the connection between your toes and your feet,
Stretch,
Keep moving and in your own time turn on your side,
Stay here for a few breaths and then come to a seated position,
Bring your hands together in front of your chest and feel your heart,
The seat of all creation,
The seat of the connection between you and all the earth,
The seat of gratitude,
Trust and joy for life.
