Welcome to Yoga Nidra and thank you for joining me for this practice.
During Yoga Nidra,
We rest between sleeping and waking.
The body sleeps,
But the consciousness remains awake and aware.
Yoga Nidra is not so much a practice as a state of being,
Where we move beyond our everyday dualistic state of awareness into a liminal space,
Where we can potentially explore new,
Unlimited possibilities,
And experience ourselves more deeply.
As we move through the different stages of the practice,
Relaxation occurs on every level,
Physically,
Emotionally,
Mentally,
And energetically.
And during this profoundly deep state of relaxation,
We receive the many healing and rejuvenating benefits of deep rest.
First of all,
Make sure that you're comfortable to practice.
Yoga Nidra is usually practiced lying down in Shavasana,
Corpse pose.
This is lying on your back with your legs open,
So that the feet fall out to the sides,
A little wider than hip distance apart.
You might like to support yourself with some props here,
By placing a blanket under your ankles or knees,
Or a pillow under your head.
And if you don't feel like you'll be able to rest comfortably in Shavasana,
Find another position that feels more comfortable for you.
You could bring your feet to the sides of the mat and let the knees fall in together,
Or bring the soles of the feet together,
With the knees falling out to the sides,
Perhaps supporting your thighs with cushions or blocks.
Or you may feel more comfortable lying on your side,
Or even sitting.
Wherever you are,
Make your body as comfortable as you possibly can.
And also make sure that you're warm enough.
Your body temperature will drop as you practice,
So cover yourself with a blanket and make sure you have enough layers on.
See if you can make yourself so comfortable,
That you might even be able to forget about your body completely as you practice.
And if you do feel like you need to move at any time,
Be mindful about how you move your body.
Take your time,
And be careful not to disturb the rest of your body,
Which is relaxing deeply.
And now feel your body continuing to settle.
Feel your body sinking into the surface beneath you.
With every breath,
Feel your body becoming heavier,
Relaxing into the surface beneath.
Feel tension gently releasing from your muscle.
And if there are any places in your body which feel more tense or uncomfortable,
As you breathe in,
See the breath moving into those places.
And then as you breathe out,
Feel the exhalation carrying any tension away.
Repeat this several times,
Breathing into any areas of tension,
And feeling them release with the exhalation.
Now send your awareness outwards,
And become aware of any sounds you can hear in your environment.
Just notice that the sounds are there.
There's no need to get involved in what the sounds are,
And where they're coming from.
Just observe that they're there,
And know that they're not going to disturb you,
But can only help you to relax even more deeply.
We're going to take the consciousness around the body.
So as I name each body part,
Just rest your awareness on each point.
There's nothing more that you need to do.
Simply move the awareness from body part to body part,
As each one is named.
We'll begin at the thumb of the right hand.
Bring the awareness to the right hand thumb,
And the right index finger,
The right middle finger,
The ring finger,
And the little finger.
Bring the awareness to the palm of the right hand,
The back of the hand,
The right wrist,
The right forearm,
The right elbow,
The right upper arm,
The right shoulder,
The right collarbone,
The right side of the chest,
The right waist,
The right hip,
The right thigh,
The right knee,
The right lower leg,
The right ankle,
The right heel,
The sole of the right foot,
The top of the right foot,
And each of the right toes.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Now become aware of the whole of the right leg,
The whole of the right arm,
And the whole of the right side of the body.
Now bring the awareness to the left hand thumb,
The left index finger,
The left middle finger,
The ring finger,
And the little finger,
The palm of the left hand,
The back of the left hand,
The left wrist,
The left forearm,
The left elbow,
The left shoulder,
The left collarbone,
The left side of the chest,
The left waist,
The left hip,
The left thigh,
The left knee,
The left lower leg,
The left ankle,
The left heel,
The sole of the left foot,
The top of the left foot,
And each of the left toes.
One,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five.
Now become aware of the whole of the left leg,
The whole of the left arm,
And the whole of the left side of the body.
Bring the awareness to the back of the head,
The top of the head,
The forehead,
The right eyebrow,
The left eyebrow,
The eyebrow centre,
The right eye,
The left eye,
The right ear,
The left ear,
The right cheek,
The left cheek,
The nose,
The tip of the nose,
The upper lip,
The lower lip,
The chin,
The jaw,
And the whole of the head.
Awareness on the whole of the head,
And now the whole of the body together.
Become aware of the whole of the body together.
The whole of the body together.
Bring the awareness to the breath.
Watch the breath flowing naturally in and out of the body.
Observe the gentle rising and falling of the chest as you breathe in and out.
And now begin to count the breaths backwards from 27 to 1.
Like this.
Breathing in 27.
Breathing out 27.
Breathing in 26.
Breathing out 26.
Breathing in 25.
Breathing out 25.
And so on.
Keep the awareness on counting the breath.
If you make a mistake,
Or if you reach the end,
Go back to 27 and start again.
Continue counting the breath.
Stop counting,
And now feel your body becoming very heavy.
Feel your body becoming heavier and heavier.
Feel your body becoming so heavy that it sinks into the surface beneath you and sinks down into the earth.
Intensify this feeling of heaviness.
Feel the body becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.
And now feel your body becoming very light.
Feel your body becoming lighter and lighter.
Feel your body becoming so light that it floats away into the air and floats up into the sky.
Intensify this feeling of lightness.
Feel the body becoming lighter and lighter,
Floating away.
And now can you feel both of these at the same time?
Are you able to feel your body very heavy,
Sinking down into the earth,
And very light,
Floating up into the sky at the same time?
Can you feel heaviness and lightness together?
Heaviness and lightness together.
Bring your awareness to the space behind your forehead.
I'm going to name some different things.
Allow an impression of each one to arise as it's named.
There's no need to force it.
Let them come by themselves,
However they come.
You may see an image,
Or you may feel a feeling,
Or feel a subtle sense of knowing.
We'll start with the rising sun,
A flowing river,
A peacock,
A ball of string,
A tiger walking through the jungle,
A palm tree,
A crow,
A daisy chain,
The full moon,
A quiet beach,
A star in the sky,
A misty morning.
And now,
You are free to rest in the silence.
Slowly begin to turn your awareness back outward.
Become aware of any sounds you can hear in your environment.
Just notice that the sounds are there.
There's no need to think about what they are,
Or where they're coming from.
Simply acknowledge the sounds,
And become aware of the feeling of the air against your skin,
The air against your nostrils,
And the feeling of your clothing against your skin.
Feel your body resting into the surface beneath you.
And now begin to deepen your breathing,
In preparation to end the practice.
Start to make some small movements with your body.
Move the fingers and toes.
Circle the wrists and ankles.
And stretch yourself in any way that feels good for you.
When you are ready,
Gently blink the eyes back open.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
