Welcome to Yoga Nidra for Clarity and Confidence.
This gentle guided meditation is designed to place you into a deep state of relaxation that will open you to new levels of awareness.
It is this heightened awareness that will help you approach whatever goals you have with greater clarity and confidence.
As we practice,
You will simply become a witness to your thoughts,
Feelings,
Beliefs,
And sensations as they occur.
There is no need to judge them as good or bad.
Just accept them for what they are – thoughts,
Feelings,
Beliefs,
And sensations.
You will come to understand that these are the changeable parts of you,
And through heightened awareness,
You will be empowered to recognize which thoughts,
Feelings,
And beliefs are self-limiting,
And how to harness your creative mind to envision a clearer,
More successful path.
Now to start,
Let's become as relaxed as possible.
Find a comfortable position.
Let your muscles melt into the chair or the floor.
If you need to sigh or stretch to release any tension,
Please do so now.
Just do whatever you need to completely let go.
Please know if you get so relaxed that you fall asleep,
This practice will still work,
Because the part of you that I'm speaking to is always paying attention,
Whether your waking mind is.
Close your eyes and just notice whatever you are aware of in this moment.
The sound of my voice,
The temperature in the room,
Or the feeling of clothes on your skin.
Whatever you are aware of in this moment,
Practice welcoming it,
Recognizing it for what it is,
And accepting it as it is.
Now as you relax,
Please think of one goal that you would like to focus on today.
Try to be as specific as possible with this goal.
Once you've got your goal firmly in your mind,
You can create your sankalpa,
Or your seed of intention,
Which we will return to as we go deeper into our yoga nidra practice.
Your sankalpa is a statement that is specific and positive,
While reflecting where you are now in relationship to where you want to be with your goal.
For example,
Your sankalpa might be something like,
I am on the road to greater health and vitality,
Or I have everything inside of me that I need to paint or draw,
Or the universe wants to bless me with a better job,
A better home,
A new relationship.
Again,
Your sankalpa is most powerful when it is positive,
Present,
And specific.
Once you've established your sankalpa,
Repeat it several times in your mind.
Your sankalpa will act as a powerful seed of whatever you hope to achieve in yoga nidra practice today,
And in the days to come.
So please say it silently in your mind.
Now I invite you to further relax deeper into awareness by bringing attention to parts of your body,
Starting with your face.
Simply notice your eyes,
How they feel heavy in their sockets,
The sensation of your eyelid.
Sense the space between your eyes.
Relax.
Soften any muscles on your forehead or brows.
Now bring your focus to your mouth and cheeks,
Relaxing any muscles.
Now sense your ears,
Your nose.
Now feel the crown of your head,
The back of your head.
Simply feel your entire head.
Now trace the sensation from your throat to your collarbones,
Down your chest.
Feel the slow rise of your chest as you breathe.
Can you slow your thoughts down enough to notice the subtle beating of your heart,
The pulse in your veins?
Move your attention to your arms.
Without any movement,
Just relax your arms.
Allow them to feel comfortably heavy,
Whether at your side or on your belly.
Be aware of your arms from shoulders to elbows,
Elbows to wrists.
Feel your hands at this moment.
Notice your left hand,
The palm of your hand,
Your thumb,
And each finger one by one.
Now move to your right hand,
Your right palm,
Your right thumb,
And each finger one by one.
Now move to the sensation of your belly.
Now feel your back,
Your shoulder blades,
Spine,
And ribs.
Be aware of the sensation of your entire torso,
Front and back,
Sinking into whatever is holding your body.
Now bring attention to your pelvis.
Feel it flood with warmth and light.
Let's move your attention to your left leg,
From hip to thigh,
Thigh to knee,
Knee to calf and shin,
Shin to your ankle,
To your heel,
To the sole of your left foot.
Bring awareness to the sensation of the toes of your left foot.
Now move attention to your right leg,
From hip to thigh,
Thigh to knee,
Knee to calf and shin,
Shin to ankle,
To heel,
To the sole of your right foot.
Bring awareness to the sensation of the toes of your right foot.
Now in this moment,
I invite you to imagine your head as light and your feet as heavy.
Be both light and heavy,
Whether this makes sense or not.
Now switch.
Your feet are light and your head is heavy.
Feel that sensation.
Now for one special moment,
Imagine yourself as experiencing your entire body as awareness itself,
Whether floating above,
Off to the side,
From within.
Notice your entire body.
Without judgment,
Notice your entire body.
Now take a moment to see if you can relax your body even more.
Notice where you might still be holding tension,
And imagine opening a small valve to let out the remainder of any tension.
To do so,
Let's breathe and exhale.
From this deep relaxation of your entire body,
Your chest,
Your belly,
Your back,
From this relaxation,
Imagine everything is heavy and welcome the sensation.
Now we will use our senses and imagination to go on a journey.
I ask you to envision your own personal sanctuary.
This could be a place that is real or imagined,
A place where you feel safe and content.
Notice all the aspects of this beautiful place.
What do you see?
Is it a cozy room or sunlit beach?
Wherever you are,
Notice any sounds,
Physical sensations,
Smells,
Tastes.
Remember,
Just witness and accept.
Please notice what thoughts naturally arise in your sanctuary.
Nothing is right or wrong,
Good or bad.
It's all just information.
Remember,
You are simply exercising your power of awareness,
Your true self.
If any fears arise,
Simply name it as a fear and move on.
If a belief arises,
State the belief.
You can imagine that you are nodding at these fears and beliefs,
Acknowledging only that it has arisen.
But now,
Perhaps,
You can ask them to leave your sanctuary,
Open a window to let them out,
Put them in a box or on a shelf.
There they are,
Not you,
Just there.
Because this is your sanctuary,
The sanctuary you have created,
It is designed to keep you safe and allow you peace and pleasure.
Allow the feeling of peace and pleasure.
I invite you to come back and evoke these feelings as often as you need during this meditation and in your day to feel grounded,
Safe and powerful.
Please repeat your sankalpa silently,
Understanding that in this place you have the power to accomplish whatever you need and whatever you desire.
Now,
I want you to envision that there is a door or portal leading out of your sanctuary to some other wonderful place.
This place is where you feel your wisest,
Strongest and most serene,
Where you have accomplished your goal.
Do you see it?
What does it look like?
What associations or feelings go with this image?
Just notice and accept.
Feel yourself breathe as you open this door and step through to the other side,
The place of boundless possibilities.
Here I invite you not to just imagine,
But to feel in this place as if you have already accomplished the goal you are striving for.
Tune into your senses to feel the moment of success.
Experience it as if you are truly in the moment,
Seeing what you would see in the moment when you have achieved this goal.
What are the textures,
The colors?
Is it day or night?
Are you inside or outside?
What are the objects or people you see?
In this moment,
I invite you to bring to the surface the emotions you feel when you have accomplished this goal.
Are they satisfaction,
Excitement,
Happiness?
Notice the energy you feel around this feeling of accomplishment.
You could describe it any way you want.
Is it frenetic or calm?
Light or deep?
Cool or warm?
Does this energy have a color,
A feeling,
A taste?
Where in your body do you feel the energy and emotions?
Perhaps it's in your heart,
Your limbs,
Your belly.
Remember,
You are simply welcoming,
Recognizing,
And witnessing.
Now,
From this place,
Imagine you can look back from where you came.
You can see all the steps that took you there.
What do you see?
What were some of the things you did or the people who helped you accomplish this goal?
Now,
Let's return and sit in the glow of this special place,
A place you created,
And because you are awareness itself,
A place that will always be a part of you.
Before we leave this wonderful place,
Remember you can always return any time you desire,
And you can evoke the feeling of accomplishment and let it be your guiding star through the entire process of realizing your goal.
Now we will begin the return to our waking cells.
We will walk back through our sanctuary and back into our bodies.
We will feel again the energy that courses through our blood,
Muscles,
Bones,
And brain.
But now we will feel more connected to our strength,
Wisdom,
Clarity,
And confidence.
We will be ready to awaken to greater positivity and possibilities.
Remember,
By doing this practice regularly,
You will find yourself making both large and small steps towards your goal until you find it manifest in your life.
In a moment,
I will start counting down from five to signal the end of our Yoga Nidra practice.
Take this time to awaken your body with small,
Gentle movements in your hands and feet.
5.
.
.
3.
.
.
1.
.
.
Yoga Nidra is now over.
