30 Minute Yoga Nidra Practice

Yoga Nidra is a powerful technique that helps to induce deep relaxation and facilitate the release of tension and stress from the body and mind. It's often referred to as "yogic sleep" because it allows you to experience a state of consciousness that is similar to the moments just before you fall asleep. During a Yoga Nidra practice, you lie down in a comfortable position and follow the guidance of my voice, which leads you through a series of relaxation techniques and visualizations.

Transcript

Hello my friend, Let's practice. In today's practice we'll be doing a yoga nidra practice. Yoga nidra is a powerful technique that helps to induce deep relaxation and facilitate the release of tension and stress from the body and mind. It's often referred to as yogic sleep because it allows you to experience a state of consciousness that is similar to the moments just before you fall asleep. During a yoga nidra practice you lie down in a comfortable position and follow the guidance of your teacher which leads you through a series of relaxation techniques and visualizations. The goal is to enter a state of complete relaxation while remaining aware and present. Come and lie down on your back. Take time to arrange yourself so that you are completely comfortable and able to stay in this position for the next 20 minutes or so. Be sure you have some cushion under your head for padding, Maybe something under your knees for support, And a blanket to cover you if you feel at all chilled. Become aware of yourself lying on the floor, Your whole body lying on the ground. Become aware of the room, Visualize the room that you are lying in, And listen to the sounds around you. Gradually bring the sounds closer in until the sound of your own breath is in the foreground of your awareness and everything else except my voice falls away. Invite the body to relax fully, Cultivating a sense of deep inner stillness. Yoga nidra is a meditative practice. The intention is to stay awake and follow along on an inner journey. If you find yourself falling asleep, Gently draw yourself back to consciousness. Repeat to yourself now three times. I am practicing yoga nidra. I will stay awake. I am practicing yoga nidra. I will stay awake. I am practicing yoga nidra. I will stay awake. From within, Connect to a heartfelt intention or a positive resolve about yourself. Let the words formulate naturally in a simple phrase such as, Letting go, I take this time to care for myself. You are welcome to use this phrase or work with one that emerges from within you. Repeat your resolve three times. Now we begin the rotation of consciousness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body. Imagine that you are lying back in a shady grove, The soft, Moist grass beneath you, A light breeze brushing each part as I name it, Leaving it refreshed and invigorated. Move your awareness swiftly through the body, Following along with my voice, Beginning on the left side with the hand, Thumb, Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky finger, Palm of hand. Palm of hand. Become aware of the palm, The back of the hand, The wrist, The lower arm, The elbow, The upper arm, The shoulder, The armpit, Rib cage, The left waist, The left hip, The left thigh, Kneecap, The calf muscle, The ankle, The heel, The sole of the left foot, The top of the foot, The big toe, Second toe, Third, Fourth, And fifth toe. Feel the whole left side of the body fanned with the passing breeze, The moist earth cradling you. Moving to the right side, Thumb, Index finger, Middle finger, Ring finger, Pinky finger, Palm of the hand. Become aware of the palm, The back of the hand, The wrist, The lower arm, The elbow, The upper arm, The shoulder, The armpit, Rib cage, The right waist, The right hip, The right thigh, Kneecap, The calf muscle, The ankle, The heel, The sole of the right foot, The top of the foot, The big toe, Second toe, Third, Fourth, And fifth toe. Feel the whole right side of the body fanned with the passing breeze, The moist earth cradling you. Move your awareness to the back of the head. Let it sink to the ground, Feeling embraced by the soft cushion of grass. Experience the sensation of moisture like dew trickling down the back of the neck, Along the spine, And across the back, Around the buttocks, And down the backs of the legs. Now go to the top of the head. Feel the top of the head and forehead fanned by the wind, A refreshing breeze blowing across the temples, The left eyebrow, Right eyebrow, And space between the brows, Left eye, Then right, The left ear, The right ear, Left cheek, Right cheek, The nostrils, The tip of the nose, The upper lip, The lower lip, The chin, The throat, The left breast, The right breast, The heart center, The abdomen, The pelvis, A light gust brushing over your skin like a feather. Focus your awareness on the navel center, Abdomen, And pelvic girdle. Let your attention gather there. Have a sensate awareness of the rise and fall of the belly. With the breath, Notice a sensation of spaciousness of spaciousness within the belly and spaciousness all around the belly. With each breath, Encourage a deep release and relaxation in the abdominal cavity. Surrender the weight of the body to the cool embracing earth and let the flow of the breath, Like the flow of the breeze, Waft within you and around you. Feel the coolness of the air as it brushes the inside of the nostrils and the back of the throat. As you breathe in, Say the word, Balance. Silently to yourself, Let the exhale be slow and deep. Feel the release of tension and say, Calm, Silently to yourself with each outgoing breath. Inhale balance, Exhale calm. As you breathe in and out, Begin to imagine the inhalation breath first entering through the left nostril and then the exhalation breath exiting through the right. Then inhale through the right nostril and exhale and exhale through the left. Continue to breathe this way. Inhale left, Exhale right, And then inhale right and exhale left. Inhale balance, Exhale calm. Experience the breath like an inner current, Its confluence coursing through you, Like the gentle wind cleansing your insides, Bringing complete balance and calm. Be aware of the content of your consciousness, Just as it is, Without any need to change or modify your experience. Relax and be with everything, Just as it is. Be aware of being aware. Bring your sensate awareness to your physical body, To your body, Thinking to yourself, I have a body and I am aware of this body. This body experiences different conditions of health and sickness, Stress and relaxation. I have a body and I am aware of this body. This body is an experience unfolding in my awareness. I have a body and I am more than the experience of this body. I am aware of this body. Be aware of the emotions that come and go in this body. I have emotions and I am aware of these emotions. These emotions are experiences unfolding in my awareness, Changing, Sometimes contradictory, Swinging from love to hatred, From calmness to anger, From joy to sorrow. I have emotions and I am more than the experience of emotions. I am aware of these emotions arising in the field of unchanging awareness. Be aware of the thoughts that run through the mind and are constantly changing. I have thoughts, I have a mind, But I am more than this mind filled with thoughts. Thoughts changing, Chasing one another within this mind. I am the awareness that perceives this mind and it's constantly changing conditions. Be aware of all the objects in awareness, Sensation, Feeling, Thought and experience. Notice how each arises in the ever-present field of awareness. Say to yourself, I experience sensation, Feeling and thought. I am not separate from them. All of these move within the field of my awareness. I am the one who is aware of them. I am aware and distinct from these movements. I am the one who is aware. Now tap into the sensate feeling of this I am who is aware. Trace the feeling of I am down from the brain and into the body. Locate and feel the bodily location of I am in the heart center and rest in the heart as the feeling of pure awareness. Be with the experience of I am without judgment, Free of any need to do or change. Simply be with the purity of I am abiding in a sea of awareness, A sea of consciousness. Return your attention to the flow of the breath. Inhale balance, Exhale calm. Feel the rib cage and belly expand with each inhalation breath and release with each exhale. Become aware of your body lying on the floor. Feel your body lying on the floor. Become aware of the room around you, The sounds around you. Bring to mind the heartfelt prayer from the beginning of the practice. Your own or the one offered earlier. Letting go, I take this time to care for myself. Repeat your resolve once again three times. Begin to gradually open your eyes. Let them open and close several times, Rocking gently between the interior world and the exterior world. Allow the eyes to naturally come to focus and receive the light as they are ready. Then stretch your body, Curl your knees to your chest and roll over to your favorite side for just a few breaths. And then slowly transition to a seated position. Bring your palms to touch at the center of your chest and take a moment to notice how you feel. Bring your palms to the center of your forehead and bow your head towards your heart. In honor of you and me and this practice that we share, I bow to you my friend and say namaste.

Reviews

Very good. I enjoyed this practice and felt calm and balanced.

I love this guided meditation. However, the audio "blackouts"were clunky. What I mean is the shifts to complete silence (eliminating background noise) ironically were, to me, a bit distracting .