Yoga Nidra - Deep Rest With Guided Visualization

In this yoga nidra practice, along with rejuvenation and stress relief, you will recruit the subconscious to empower personal growth and fulfillment of your deepest and most heartfelt wishes.

(This practice is in the style of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. In modern parlance, we could call it non-sleep deep rest.)

Transcript

Hello everybody and welcome to Yoga Nidra.

Let's take a moment to get ready to practice.

I recommend that you practice lying down on your back in Shavasana.

You might want to grab some props for this so if you have something that you can put under your knees like a bolster or a rolled up blanket and you might want to have your head supported gently.

If you're at all cold or you might be then please cover up with the blanket or put on some layers.

If you need a moment to go and take care of those things and get yourself situated please pause the recording and do that now.

Otherwise when you're ready find yourself lying down on your back with your legs apart and your arms apart and your palms facing up.

Adjust your blanket,

Your clothing,

Everything that's around you so that you are experiencing no discomfort at all.

You're completely at ease,

Relaxed and ready to practice Yoga Nidra.

If there's anything you can do to make yourself even the slightest bit more comfortable go ahead and do that.

The idea is to practice Yoga Nidra without moving as much as possible and without discomfort.

If your eyes are not closed already please go ahead and close them.

As we go through this practice please know that there's really no way to do it incorrectly.

Whatever happens during this practice is appropriate and exactly what is supposed to be happening.

The idea is to stay awake during the practice.

You will probably float a little bit along the continuum between wakefulness and sleep.

You may say to yourself now if you like I will not sleep.

I will only listen to the voice.

I will not sleep.

I will only listen to the voice.

Take a long deep breath and as you breathe in feel calm spreading throughout your entire body.

As you breathe out feel a sense of relaxation spread throughout your entire body.

A couple of times breathing in notice a sense of calm and ease as you fill your body with breath.

Breathing out slowly relaxing completely relax.

Become aware now of sounds that are happening in the distance.

Soften your ears to take in the sound.

There's no need to identify the sounds simply allowing them to enter your consciousness.

Begin to bring your attention to closer sounds.

Sounds inside of the building or the house where you are.

Again attention drifting from sound to sound without needing to identify the source of the sound.

And then sounds inside of the room.

Maybe even the sounds of your own body.

Then begin without opening your eyes to develop your awareness of your room.

Visualize the four walls,

Ground,

Ceiling.

Visualize your body lying down in the room.

Become aware of your body lying in stillness inside of this room.

Become aware of all of the physical meeting points between your body and the floor.

Feel them.

Notice that sensation.

Become aware of your deep natural spontaneous breath.

There's no need to concentrate on the breath.

Just lightly bringing your awareness.

And then continue listening to my voice.

Know that you are breathing.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Say to yourself mentally,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

And now is the time to set an intention or a resolve,

Sankalpa,

For your practice.

Something that arises from deep inside of you that reflects your deepest wishes.

Find words to represent it that are very simple,

That are set in the present tense as though they're already happening,

And that are said in a positive way.

So your intention is for what you want always instead of what you don't want.

Again,

Simple,

Set in the present tense,

Positive intention or sankalpa.

Please state this intention to yourself clearly with emphasis and feeling three times.

If you find that there is no intention coming to you,

There's no need to worry.

Now we will begin a rotation of consciousness.

So we will bring our awareness through various parts of the body.

As I say the various names and jump from point to point,

Please bring into your awareness that part of the body.

Simply feel it,

Be aware of it.

We'll start on the right side with the right hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the right hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Right armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Right heel,

Sole of the right foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Moving to the left side,

Left hand thumb,

Pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the left hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Left armpit,

Left waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Left knee,

Left calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Back of the body,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Upper back,

Middle back,

Lower back,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The spine,

The entire back,

All together.

Moving to the front,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Point between the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Nose,

Nasal passages,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Navel,

Abdomen,

Low belly.

Now feel the whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg.

Feel both legs simultaneously,

Whole of the right arm,

Whole of the left arm,

Both arms simultaneously.

Feel the entire back of your body,

The entire front of your body.

Feel your entire head,

All together.

Feel your legs,

Your arms,

Your back,

Your front,

Your head,

All together.

Feel the entire body together.

Feel the whole of the body all together,

The entire body together,

The entire body all together.

Continuing with feeling the entire body all together,

Become aware of the space that's occupied by your body.

Aware of the body,

Aware of the space that's by your body.

Aware of your body in relationship to the floor,

Aware of the meeting points between your body and the floor.

Feel all the parts of your body that are touching the floor.

And from here,

Bring gentle awareness to the breath,

The natural ingoing and outgoing breath.

Feel your inhalation,

Navel rises,

Exhalation,

Body relaxes,

Navel descends.

No need to force the breath or to overly concentrate.

Very simple,

Light awareness.

We'll continue like this for about nine more breaths.

If you like,

You can count backwards,

Breathing in nine,

Breathing out nine,

Breathing in eight,

Breathing out eight,

And then continue in your own time being with the breath.

The breathing continues slow and relaxed.

Continue breathing.

Notice that you are awake and that you are breathing.

And now we'll begin to awaken certain sensations in the body along with their opposites.

Beginning with a feeling of heaviness,

Feel a sense of heaviness in your body.

Notice every single part of your body completely heavy,

Sinking into the earth.

So heavy that you could not lift your limbs.

Heavy,

Heavy,

Heavy,

Heavy,

Sinking into the earth.

Every part of your body is heavy.

And then awaken the feeling of lightness.

Feel a sensation of lightness in every part of your body.

Weightlessness,

So light that it could float away.

Lightness in every part of your body.

Your body is so light,

Could simply drift away.

Awareness of lightness.

And then awaken the experience of cold in your body.

Bitter cold.

Imagine that you're walking on a cold floor in winter.

Your feet are very cold.

You're cold all over your body.

Complete awareness of coldness in your body.

Awareness of coldness in your body.

And now awaken the sensation of heat in your body.

Awaken the experience of every body part being completely hot.

The whole body is hot,

Hot all over.

Remember feeling hot in a very sunny summer place.

You're in the sun,

There's no shade,

Completely hot.

Awaken the experience of heat in your body.

Awareness of heat.

We'll begin to withdraw the mind.

Notice the space in front of your closed eyes.

Imagine before you a screen through which you can see infinite space.

Space that extends as far as the eyes can see.

Notice the screen in front of your closed eyes.

You may experience this screen behind your forehead.

Become aware of any phenomena that manifest on the screen.

Without becoming attached to it,

Become aware of whatever is manifesting in the screen behind your closed eyelids.

Now we'll begin a guided visualization.

I'm going to say a series of objects and scenes,

And as I do,

Simply bring them to mind,

Visualize them.

If they don't come easily to mind,

Don't worry.

Simply focus on the images and the scenes that are easy to visualize and let the other ones go.

We'll begin with a sunrise.

See a sunrise.

See the sunrise over a calm sea.

There's an orange sun,

A red sun,

A yellow sun.

See the reflection of the morning sun on the water.

Notice the reflection of the morning sun on the water.

Notice the reflection of the morning sun on the water.

Notice the reflection of the morning sun on the water.

Notice how the morning sun reflects on the waves of the water.

The sun reflecting on the waves of the sea.

Blue sky.

White seabirds flying across a blue sky.

White birds flying.

Blue sky.

Full moon.

Bright,

Big,

Full moon.

Full moon over a raging sea.

Big waves crashing on the shore.

Lonely beach.

Full moon.

Waves crashing on the shore.

Starlit night.

Thousands of stars.

Thousands of stars brightening the night.

White mountaintops.

Snow-capped mountains.

Flying overhead,

Looking down at snow-capped mountains.

Large mountains.

Huge mountains.

Snow-capped mountains.

You are looking down at the snow-capped mountains.

A field with blooming flowers.

Yellow flowers.

Blue flowers.

The smell of grass and butterflies.

There are orange butterflies.

White butterflies.

Flying.

There is a gentle rain.

And the smell of grass.

Gentle rain.

In a field with blooming flowers.

Gentle rain.

Rapidly flowing river.

Fierce,

White caps.

Fish swimming and jumping in this big river.

And then there is a hawk flying in the sky.

Large hawk flying high,

High,

High in the sky.

Large hawk flying high,

High,

High in the sky.

Dark clouds.

Gray clouds.

Dense forests with tall trees.

Trees towering,

Making a canopy of branches.

Dark gray clouds.

Canopy of branches.

In a dark forest.

Dark clouds.

In a dense forest.

And then there is a clearing.

Through the clearing.

There is an opening.

And there is a small temple on a cliff.

A small temple.

Surrounded by a warm light.

And a setting sun.

A setting sun behind the small temple.

A lighting it in warm light.

The temple door is open.

The temple door is open.

Inside there is a beautiful altar.

With ancient statues and fresh flowers.

A small temple.

With a beautiful altar.

Statues.

Fresh flowers.

The feeling of damp,

Cool air.

Damp,

Cool air in the temple.

And the feeling of solid ground.

Soles of feet on solid ground.

Faint smell of incense.

Breathing deeply in the temple.

Breathing deeply in the cool,

Cool temple.

With the beautiful statues.

Feeling of presence.

Feeling of vitality.

Feeling of peace.

Feeling of vitality.

Feeling of contentment.

Feeling of solid ground.

In a cool,

Beautiful temple.

Bring your awareness back into the space.

That is behind your closed eyelids.

Notice the darkness now behind your closed eyelids.

With detachment.

If there are subtle phenomena,

Then just notice.

You might see colors or patterns.

Simply take note and continue with your awareness.

Thoughts come and go.

Simply watching the dark space.

Continuing with detached awareness.

And now become aware of your intention.

Your sankalpa.

From the beginning of the practice.

Please repeat the same intention that you made three times.

With the same feeling and feeling.

The simple sankalpa.

Present tense.

Positive.

Three times to yourself.

Clearly with feeling.

The intentions set in yoga nidra are always true.

And always come to pass.

The fact of them arising in your consciousness.

Means that the seed of them is already present.

It's already there.

And now become aware of your breathing.

Aware of your natural breath.

Aware of your breathing.

Become aware of your physical body.

Your arms.

Your legs.

Your body lying stretched out on the floor.

Your hands.

Your feet.

Your feet lying stretched out on the floor.

And again become aware of the meeting points between your body and the floor.

Noticing the sensations of all the parts of your body that are touching the floor.

Aware again of the room.

The walls.

The ceiling.

The noises inside of the room.

The noises outside of the room.

Stay here for a few breaths.

Begin to stretch and move your body.

But keep your eyes closed for another moment.

And when you're ready.

Taking your time.

You will sit up slowly and open your eyes.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Reviews

🙏🤍🕊️