Nau mai,
Kairo mai,
Welcome to the Spokane studio,
Eight stage yoga neutral practice.
Find a position where you'll be uninterrupted for some time,
Either lying down or a supported seated position,
Something that you can hold for some time.
You might like a slight support under your neck or bolster or cushions under the back of your thighs to support your lower back and a blanket over you.
Elongate the spine,
Find equal weight on the left and right side of your body.
Have your arms slightly away from your body,
Palms slightly up,
Fingers curved naturally.
Make any small adjustments so you can be still,
Legs slightly apart,
Feet falling naturally.
There's a sense here of surrendering the whole body to the ground beneath,
Feeling supported by the ground beneath.
Do a body scan and breathe into any tensions and let them go on the out-breath.
Back of the neck,
Lower back,
Maybe the hips.
Take two deep releasing breaths and experience the whole body softening as you come to stillness.
Listen to this guiding voice,
Staying awake and alert through this practice of yoga nidra where the body will be still.
If you do need to move,
Move slowly and mindfully.
Focus now on the body sensations,
Clothes on the skin,
The point where the shoulders touch the ground,
The air on any exposed skin.
See the outline of the body in the mind's eye as if looking into a mirror,
Feeling supported by the ground beneath.
Now bring the attention to the sounds outside this room.
Glide from one sound to the other,
Unattached,
Just witnessing.
Pick up a sound,
Let it go.
Search for the furthest sound,
As a witness,
Pick it up,
Let it go.
Now bring the attention to sounds inside the room.
Pick up a sound,
Let it go,
Like a witness.
Now observe any sounds inside the body,
The breath,
The heartbeat,
Perhaps a digestive system.
Now bring to mind your sankalpa,
A short positive statement.
It could be your greatest heart's desire,
Or you may like to use,
I am calm.
Say it three times in your mind with great conviction,
As if it has already happened.
Know you have activated a breeze as you set sail towards your intent.
Leaving your sankalpa,
Now listen to this guided voice through a body rotation,
Staying awake and alert through the practice.
Move your awareness from one body part to another,
Repeating the body part in your mind,
Seeing it and feeling it,
Then moving on to the next.
Start with the right side of the body,
Right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Armpit,
Right side of the waist,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now bring the attention across to the left side,
Become aware of the left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Fourth finger,
Little finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Sole of the foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now bring the attention to the back of the body,
Become aware of both heels,
Both calves,
Back of the knees,
Back of the thighs,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
The whole spine from the base up to the top and up to the crown of the head,
The whole spine.
Now move down the front of the body and become aware of the forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The eyebrow centre,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Both nostrils,
Tip of the nose,
Bridge of the nose,
The two lips together,
Chin,
Jawline,
Throat,
Front of the neck,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Centre of the chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvic region.
Now become aware of the whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole of the right arm,
Whole of the left arm,
The whole of the back of the body,
The whole of the front of the body,
The neck and the head,
The whole body,
One integrated connected unit,
The whole body.
Bring the attention now to the natural breath.
Watch the breath move in through the nostrils and out through the nostrils like a wave flowing into the body and flowing out of the body.
Observe this natural spontaneous breath flowing in,
Flowing out.
Be a witness to the spontaneous breath.
Breathing in calm,
Releasing tension as the breath goes out.
Now bring a count to the breath.
Count backwards from 27.
In-breath,
27.
Out-breath,
27.
In-breath,
26.
Out-breath,
26.
And so on.
If the count is lost,
Start again at 27.
Now let go of the count and observe the breath flowing through the whole body,
Each precious breath bringing more calm.
Observe the whole body breathing.
Now leaving awareness of the natural breath,
Bring to mind the following sensations in the whole body.
Feel each sensation with every cell and muscle you have.
Heaviness,
Heaviness,
The body imprinted on the earth,
Heaviness.
Now leaving the sensation of heaviness,
Bring about its opposite of lightness,
Lightness.
The body barely touching the ground,
Lightness.
Leaving lightness,
Bring about the sensation of cool,
Cool.
A walk outside on a cool day,
Cool.
Leaving the sensations now,
Move now to the soft gentle open space in front of the eyebrows and imagine a clear screen of endless space.
Look into this space and feel or see or experience anything that arises into this space.
Be the witness of what arises as if you're watching a movie.
Now imagine or visualize a path through a forest,
A path through a forest,
A river flowing over rocks,
A river flowing over rocks,
A tall mountain,
A tall mountain,
A sunset lowering over the sea,
A sunset lowering over the sea,
The first light of a brand new day,
The first light of a brand new day,
The fall of a waterfall,
The fall of a waterfall.
Arriving on the shore of an endless ocean,
Arriving on the shore of an endless ocean,
Basking in silence,
Basking in silence,
Dissolving into stillness,
Dissolving into stillness,
A steady candle flame,
A steady candle flame.
Now witness any visuals or experiences that arise,
Continue to look into the soft open space in front of the eyebrows.
Now release this space and bring to mind again your sankalpa,
Your short positive statement.
Repeat it three times in your mind with great conviction,
Knowing your intention has great power and direction.
Come back to the attention on the natural breath,
Feel it enter the body and leave the body.
Now try to deepen this breath,
Notice its quality,
Deep,
Shallow,
Steady,
Arrhythmic.
Feel the ribcage move on the inhalation and contract on the exhalation.
Notice the sound of your breath and notice any other sounds inside your body,
The heartbeat,
Maybe the digestive process.
Feel your body on the ground,
Feel your clothes on your skin,
Remember what color they are,
Know where you are in the room,
Where the door is,
The windows maybe,
Or any other features in the room.
Now move outside the room and notice any sounds,
This time know what they are and know where they come from.
Come back into the room as this practice of yoga nidra comes to a close,
Know what time of day it is and start to bring small movements to the body,
Starting with your toes and your fingers.
Now make bigger movements,
Whatever feels good and if you're lying down gently roll over to your right side,
Either moving any support under your legs with your feet or resting your feet on the bolster and stay on your side for a moment.
The embryo pose,
The pose of new beginnings.
Then gently make your way to a seated position,
Keep your eyes closed or cast down and notice how you feel.
Bring your palms together and rigorously rub them together,
Creating some friction.
Then place your palm over your eyes and flutter your eyelids open and drop your hand and thank yourself for the practice.
This yoga nidra practice is now complete.
Namahi,
Thank you for becoming yourself.
