Take a moment to get yourself comfortable,
Keeping your arms free,
Keeping your eye pillow to the side if you have one,
And I'll let you know when you can cover your arms and your eyes.
Once you're comfortable,
We'll begin with Brahmari breath or bumblebee breath,
Combining sound,
Breath,
And awareness.
Use your thumbs to close off the ear flaps just tight enough so that you can still hear me.
The remaining fingers on the side of the head,
Tongue behind the top teeth at the roof of the mouth.
Remember to vary the pitch,
Maximizing the vibratory impact felt in the skull.
Now,
Take a breath in and follow me.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Mm.
Now stop.
Now stop.
Release your arms by your sides.
You may cover your arms.
Place your eye pillow if you like.
Now sense the lingering vibratory impact of the bumblebee breath.
Notice the tingling in the head,
Warmth in the throat,
Sensations in the torso.
Feel yourself dissolving,
Expanding into a space of deep silence and stillness.
With the eyes closed,
Allow your attention to move inward.
Feel the whole being beginning to soften and relax.
Breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh.
Ah.
And again,
Inhale and exhale.
Let go even more and feel a sense of comfort,
Safety,
And peace begin to wash over you.
Feeling your outward attention moving inward.
Now as we enter this next phase of yoga nidra,
Remain as motionless as possible.
If you need to move or make an adjustment,
Do so mindfully and return to stillness as soon as you're able.
Resolve to remain awake.
Staying in touch with the sound of my voice.
Allow your entire body to respond to my words directly and non-mentally.
Allowing any disturbances,
External or internal,
To draw you more deeply within.
Allow all thought,
All effort to dissolve into the vast spaciousness of being.
Enter a state of complete non-doing.
Now direct your full attention to the breath,
Slowly deepening your inhalations and exhalations.
Feel the breath flowing in a ceaseless,
Repetitive tide,
Rising as you inhale,
Falling as you exhale.
Bring all awareness to the expansion and contraction of your abdomen as you breathe deeply in and out,
Releasing density,
Holding and constriction with each outgoing breath.
We will continue with seven more slow,
Deep breaths.
Count them like this.
Seven.
I am breathing in.
Seven.
Breathing out.
Six.
Breathing in.
Six.
Breathing out.
Continue like this until you get to one.
Unbroken attention.
Progressive breath,
Drawing attention subtly inward.
Allow this to be your last breath.
Stop counting.
And simply allow the breath to move spontaneously and effortlessly of its own accord.
Rest in the silence of being.
Drop into that silent space where all doing stops.
Now as I name each body part,
Feel it being overcome with an overwhelming sense of heaviness,
Sinking like a stone in water,
Both feet like bricks,
Calves and knees,
Heavy,
Solid,
Like concrete,
Thighs and hips,
Like sandbags pulling you down into the floor.
Abdomen,
Chest and back,
Gravity pulling you down deeper,
Surrendering the entire weight of the spine,
Shoulders,
Arms,
Palms,
Very heavy,
So heavy that even if you tried to lift them,
You couldn't.
Feel your entire head weighted like a rock.
Now experience your whole body sinking deeper and deeper.
Give your body completely and totally to the field of gravity,
Exerting its pull everywhere,
Dropping deeper into stillness and silent awareness.
Now as I name each body part,
Let it become empty and light,
Both feet,
Buoyant,
Calves and knees,
Vacant,
Thighs and hips,
Hollow,
Spacious,
Abdomen,
Chest and back,
Weightless,
Effortless,
Shoulders,
Arms and palms,
Like hollow wreaths,
Head,
Clear,
Open space,
The whole body,
An empty vessel,
Always present,
Constant and relaxed capacity for whatever fills you,
No resistance to any energy moving through,
Allowing it all to simply come and go.
Give yourself the permission to enter into the deepest level of relaxation right now,
Empty of all doing,
Empty of all past,
All future.
Let go of all fear,
Apprehension and anxiety about all that you want to change,
Control and manage.
Let go of all doing,
Replace it with trust and faith.
Now allow yourself to receive the following affirmations as I repeat them.
Let your whole body and every cell listen to what I say.
Every cell in my body is bathed in radiant,
Healing energy.
I no longer need to hold on to that which is causing dis-ease in my body.
The fabric and structure of my body is energetically shifting now.
Recognize at this time that you have made a major shift in perspective.
This shift will enable you to interact with yourself and with the world in a new way.
The more often you connect with this new perspective,
The more empowered you become to shape and create your own life.
You are the creator of your experience of life.
And slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness,
Feeling the sensation of your body lying on the floor,
The quality of the air as it touches the skin.
When you feel the impulse,
Begin to move and stretch your body as if awakening from a restful sleep.
If the impulse is to remain still,
Do so.
When you're ready,
Gently roll onto your right side or simply remain where you are,
Regardless of what you consciously recognize that has or has not changed.
Know that something deep within has shifted.
You can use the strength of your arms to bring yourself up to a comfortable seat with the eyes closed,
Or simply remain where you are.
And if seated,
Just simply notice how attention is automatically and effortlessly held in meditation.
Remain here as long as you like,
Or when you're ready,
You may open your eyes.
This concludes our yoga nidra.
