Please get ready for yoga nidra.
Lie down on your back on the floor or a mat and in this position the body needs to be straight,
The legs slightly apart and the arms a little away from the body with the palms of the hands either turned up or down.
Adjust your body until you are completely comfortable for during the practice there should be little or no movement at all.
Your eyes are lightly closed throughout.
Take a deep breath now and as you breathe out all the cares and worries of the day flow out of you.
When practicing yoga nidra you must completely relax.
This is not a practice in concentration,
Just endeavor to follow the instructions but if you happen to miss a few it doesn't matter.
What is important is that you keep on listening to my voice and the suggestions.
Yoga nidra is a scientific method of removing the threefold tensions,
Muscular,
Emotional and mental.
During yoga nidra you are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness and the only important thing is to follow my voice.
You're going to develop a feeling of relaxation in the body.
Simply develop the feeling of relaxation.
It's like the feeling you have just before sleep when relaxation becomes deep.
If sleep does come don't fight it however it is helpful if you make a resolve now.
Say to yourself I will not sleep I will remain awake throughout the practice.
As you listen to the suggestions please don't try to intellectualize or analyze the instructions as this can disturb your mental relaxation.
Simply follow with total attention and feeling and if thoughts do come as they will from time to time don't worry take a very passive approach to any restless thoughts or disturbances.
Just let them come and let them go.
Now allow yourself to become calm and steady.
Bring about a feeling of inner relaxation.
Concentrate on the body and become aware of complete stillness now.
Develop awareness of the body from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and mentally repeat the word relax three times.
The whole body relaxes now.
Whole body relax.
Become aware of the fact that you are going to practice yoga nidra.
Having a mental attitude of allowing yourself to be in the moment to be present with the practice.
So again you can say to yourself I am aware I am going to practice yoga nidra.
So the practice now begins and we begin with a resolve.
When the mind is relaxed and calm we are receptive to auto-suggestion and so we make a resolve or a sankalpa as we call it at the beginning of the practice and also at the end of the practice.
Now your sankalpa needs to be very simple a resolve.
Try to discover one quite naturally.
It is a short positive statement in simple language and we state it three times with awareness with feeling and emphasis.
You must choose your own sankalpa very carefully.
The wording should be very precise and clear otherwise it will not penetrate the subconscious mind.
So for example you could have a resolve that states I will be successful in all that I undertake.
Choose only one sankalpa according to your needs and inclinations.
Please do not hurry.
Once you have chosen a sankalpa there will probably be no reason or need to change it to another.
Time is required depending on the nature of the resolve.
The results depend on your sincerity and deep felt need to attain the goal of your sankalpa.
So taking time now to just be open-minded and allow an inspiration to come or if you have a sankalpa please state it three times now to yourself with awareness with feeling and emphasis with determination.
Now we come to the rotation of the mind throughout the body.
Remaining very still and calm bring your mind now to your right hand thumb,
Your right hand thumb,
Your first finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Small finger.
Be aware of the palm of the hand,
The back of the hand,
The right wrist,
The right forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
And the right shoulder.
Be aware of the right armpit and the right side of the waist,
The right hip,
The right thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
And the right ankle.
Be aware of the heel and the sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
And fifth toe.
Be aware of the whole right side of the body.
Check that you're awake and that your breathing is even.
Gently bring your mind to your left hand thumb.
Be aware of your left hand thumb and first finger,
Second finger,
Ring finger,
Small finger.
Be aware of the palm of the hand,
The back of the hand,
The left wrist,
The left forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
The left shoulder,
The armpit,
The left side of your waist,
And the left hip.
Be aware of your left thigh,
Knee,
Calf muscle,
Ankle.
Be aware of your left heel and the sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Be aware of the whole left side of your body.
Gently bring your awareness now to the back of your head.
Feel the point at which your head meets the cushion.
Be aware of the back of your head,
The top of your head.
Be aware of your forehead.
Be aware of your right eyebrow and your left eyebrow.
The space between the eyebrows,
The eyebrow center.
Be aware of the right nostrils,
The left nostril,
And the tip of the nose,
The bridge of the nose.
Be aware of your right eyelid and your left eyelid,
Both eyes together.
Be aware of the right cheek and the left cheek.
Be aware of your lower jaw and the tip of the tongue resting at the back of the lower front teeth.
Be aware of your tongue spreading in the mouth and be aware of the upper lip.
Be aware of the shape and the fullness.
Be aware of the lower lip and the shape and fullness of the lower lip.
Be aware of your chin.
Your whole face relaxes now.
Be aware of your whole face.
Bring your mind to your throat.
Feel your throat relax and the back of the neck relaxes.
Be aware of the back of your neck,
The right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder blade,
The whole spine.
Be aware of your whole spine.
The right side of your lower back and the left side of your lower back.
The right buttocks,
The left buttocks.
Be aware of your whole back now.
Whole back.
Gently bring your awareness to your right collarbone,
Your left collarbone,
The right rib cage,
The left rib cage.
Be aware of your lungs and your heart.
Check that you're awake and that your breathing is steady and calm.
There is plenty of time,
There's no hurry.
Now be aware of the upper abdominal area,
The lower abdominal area,
And the middle.
Be aware of the navel.
Be aware of your whole abdominal space and the whole chest.
Now bring your mind again to the whole right arm,
Your hands and fingers,
And feel your whole left arm,
Hands and fingers completely relaxed together.
Your whole right leg and left leg together.
The whole right foot and left foot together.
Be aware of your whole torso,
The whole torso front and back,
And your whole face,
Your whole head.
Be aware of your whole body.
Be aware of your whole body.
Now bring your mind as you rest calmly in the body.
Bring your mind to your breathing and to the area around your navel.
Now as you breathe in and out,
We're going to count backwards from 27.
As you breathe in,
Silently repeat the words,
My navel is rising 27,
My navel is falling 27.
Be aware,
My navel is rising 26,
My navel is falling 26.
Please continue counting backwards.
If you falter or drift off,
Come back to the beginning,
Gently and lovingly.
Now leave the navel and bring your mind to your chest,
And we repeat the same practice,
With the breath counting backwards from 27,
My chest is rising 27,
My chest is falling 27,
My chest is rising 26,
My chest is falling 26,
And so on.
Now leave your breathing,
Let it go.
And we're going to now come to a section where we visualise.
So before your mind's eye,
Imagine the objects that I suggest now.
I will repeat the objects and as I name each one,
Try to visualise it very quickly.
If you can't visualise it,
Just think about it.
Keep on following the instructions.
Sometimes I'll go very slowly and sometimes very fast.
I may come back to the same image a number of times.
Some of the images may be known to you but do not think too much.
The image should shine by itself.
So bring your attention now,
Bring your inner gaze to glance either immediately in front or uplifted a little toward the eyebrow centre,
Keeping the eyes closed.
Visualise now a pink rose,
A pink rose,
Waves on the ocean,
Waves on the ocean,
Blue sky,
Blue sky,
A dark night,
A dark night,
Tiny shining stars studded in the heavens,
Tiny shining stars studded in the heavens,
A high mountain range with snow capped peaks,
A ship sailing on the high seas,
A white sandy beach,
A forest with tall and dense trees,
A dove,
A galloping horse,
A small hut in the forest,
A burning fire in the bush,
A stormy night,
A full moon,
A mountain stream and a large garden with blooming flowers,
A rising sun.
Keep your awareness focused at the eyebrow centre or your gaze straight ahead.
Visualise a large lake with lotus flowers,
A sailing boat,
People swimming,
A desolate valley,
A high mountain with snow capped peaks,
A quiet evening,
A beautiful sunset,
Chirping birds,
A tiger in the forest,
An elephant,
A cobra,
A sound of a bell ringing,
Waves on the ocean,
A ship at sail,
A full moon,
A calm and quiet evening in a moonlit valley,
A calm and quiet evening in a moonlit valley,
A mountain stream,
A refreshing cold bath in the mountain stream.
Experience the exhilaration.
Now become aware of your breathing again.
Inhale through your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril.
Imagine that you're inhaling through your left nostril and exhaling through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril,
Out through the left.
Inhale through the left nostril,
Out through the right nostril.
Inhale through the right nostril,
Out through the left.
Start to practise mental alternate nostril breathing.
Feel the feeling,
Be there.
Now come back again to your gaze toward the eyebrow centre and visualise the rising sun clouds gathering in the sky,
Drizzling rain,
A sunflower,
Tall pine trees,
A cluster of grapes,
Snow-capped peaks and a mountain stream.
See the lotus flowers on a large lake and imagine now the sun setting,
Slipping down behind the horizon.
See the brilliant colours and watch as the sun slowly sets.
Now it's time once again to repeat your Senkalpa,
Your resolve.
Please repeat it three times with awareness,
With feeling and emphasis.
And now beginning to breathe a little deeper,
Coming back,
Feel your body lying on the mats or on the floor.
Be aware of your blanket covering you.
Be aware of sounds that you can hear,
Move from sound to sound,
Taking your time,
Listening very carefully,
Remaining with eyes lightly closed,
Visualising any objects that you recall.
And you bring to mind once again that total feeling of ease and relaxation that you feel within your body.
Carry that with you,
Deep within your heart.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
