Welcome to the practice of Yoganidra.
Nidra means sleep.
And when the words yoga and nidra are paired together,
It represents a paradox,
An invitation to awaken,
The deeper states of mind,
Body,
And being.
Nidra refers to awareness across all states of consciousness,
Including deep sleep.
Ancient yogis noticed that human beings have a tendency to be asleep to their true nature,
A stable ground of peace that remains undisturbed even amidst the fluctuations,
Challenges,
And experiences that come and go in our lives.
We often carry the stress of our waking lives into our sleep and experience difficulty falling asleep or restless sleep,
Or perhaps we wake up feeling a lack of vitality.
Yoganidra guides you to access a much deeper quality of rest,
Simultaneously blended with awareness,
Stimulating a fresh depth of healing and restoration.
In the practices that follow,
Your attention will be guided to go inside the various aspects of body,
Breath,
And being,
From dense to progressively more and more subtle.
These practices can be turned to,
Regularly,
To reconnect to your center,
Conserve energy and rest deeply,
Unwind patterns of stress in the mind and the body,
And deepen your yoga and meditation practice along the way.
The more often you practice,
The more you will feel its unique potency saturating your daily life.
Eventually,
You'll be able to guide yourself through your own yoga nidra sessions as you strengthen your awareness.
Ideally,
Yoga nidra can be integrated into every possible position,
So it's okay to lie down or lie on one side,
Sit,
Or even stand.
As you practice,
If you experience any discomfort,
Welcome it as a messenger,
And notice messengers with curiosity and openness,
Rather than reactivity or defense.
And in this way,
Any distractions you might experience could actually empower and deepen your practice,
Rather than take you away from it.
During these practices,
At times,
You will be with my voice,
And at times,
You will drift away.
Set your consciousness free to be exactly as it is,
Sometimes alert,
Sometimes sleepy,
Sometimes deeply asleep.
This is an opportunity to recognize that there is always a background awareness present,
As thoughts,
Feelings,
And states arise and dissolve.
Make yourself as comfortable as you can possibly be.
Make sure your chin is slightly below the level of your forehead.
And be warm,
Using extra layers or blankets as necessary.
And practice in a relatively quiet space,
Where you won't be interrupted.
