Yoga Nidra For Beginners

This Yoga Nidra guidance is designed for beginning or advancing meditation practitioners to find rest, relaxation and mental clarity. We use a sankalpa (intention), as well as a nature visualization and guidance through the senses to arrive in a state of deep relaxation and rejuvenation of mind and body.

Transcript

Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra. This session is designed to allow you to relax and to move through an intention with the guidance of your body, Specific relaxation points, Sensation, Visualization, And ultimately unification of these layers into your whole being. Relax that as you lie back, Relaxed and comfortable, And let the words fall over you, That the practice is happening. You may come in and out of conscious hearing throughout, But know that your core self is always listening. Try to resist the urge to move or fidget, And remain as still as possible throughout the practice. Sensations may come and go, And you can watch them as they do. Let the practice be unconcerned. So now lie back, Get comfortable, Allow your body to sink into the floor or any props or the bed. And before we begin, Repeat the following sentence to yourself three times. I will remain awake. Know that you are in a safe space. Allow your body to sink into the floor here. Know that you have nowhere to go, Nothing to do, But to be in this practice. Over the course of this practice, You may not hear everything that I say. Know that that's okay, And that your core self is always hearing. There is no way to do this practice wrong. Simply follow along and keep your attention, And the work will do itself. So now feel your bones heavy and sinking, And allow them to release. Now allow awareness to travel through your body on a journey of sensation. Try to remain still, But simply notice each part as it's named. Welcome each sensation as it happens. Begin to see your entire body, Each part of the body. Beginning at your right foot, Feel the toes, The arch of the foot, Heel, Ankle, And on up to the right leg, The knee, The hip, Your whole right leg. Allow the back of the leg to be heavy and sinking. Begin the left toes, The arch of the foot, The heel, The ankle, On up the leg, The knee, The hip, And your whole left leg sinking heavy. Release your left hand, Fingertips, The palm, The wrist, The forearm, The upper arm, The shoulder, The whole left arm, The back of the arm, Sinking, Releasing. The right hand, Fingertips, Palm, Wrist, Forearm, Elbow, Upper arm, And the whole right arm, Sinking, Releasing. Both arms alive with vibration, Noticing sensation there, Pouring your awareness along the whole right side of the body, And pouring your awareness into the whole left side of the body, Pouring your awareness into the whole back side of the body, And pouring awareness just above the body. Feeling the spine and each vertebrae of the spine, And the face, The lips, The nose, The center of the brow, The space just above the forehead, The space just above the crown of the head. See if you can notice any sensation or vibration or awareness just above the crown of the head. Become aware of sensation in the body as a whole, The space just around the body, Above, Below, To sides. Now begin to notice the breath, Recognizing that energy that travels through the breath, And allow the breath to be natural as it flows through you. You can notice as the in-breath fills up the lungs with a fresh wave of energy, And notice what you can release with each out-breath that might not serve your practice. Each round of the breath, Each time you inhale, You fill up with what serves you. With each out-breath, Each exhalation, You let go of anything that won't serve your practice. You can let the breath become like a wave along the surface of the ocean, Forming, Growing, Filling up, And then letting go on the other side. Each inhale brings total serenity. Each exhale washes away any fears, Any attachments. Begin to follow that wave of the breath over these next few moments. Each inhale filling, And each exhale washing away. Exhalation, Exhalation. Allow the natural flow of your breath, That natural ocean wave-like movement of the breath to continue. And allow a part of your core self to bring your attention towards your heart center. And we'll arrive at intention, Or sankalpa, For practice. So at your core, Ask yourself, Who am I? And sankalpa is an opportunity to explore that genuine desire. Imagine the intention as if it's happening right now, In this present moment. A statement should be true, And a deeply held fact. You might say, Compassion is my true nature. I am peace itself. I flow through life with resilience and ease. I am completely healed and completely whole. Settle on an intention to guide your practice today. Let it be what feels most genuine to you. When you're ready, Repeat the intention to yourself three times, Silently. And now, With that intention, Settle deep in your heart. Allow the flow of your breath to continue. And we'll begin a visualization. Imagine you're walking along a small path through a forest. Above you, There is a canopy of trees. And there are streams of sunlight pouring through the patches of the leaves. The leaves are a bright green, And the sunlight is a warm yellow. As you make your way along the path, There are birds making sounds all around you, Butterflies and other insects along the way. Leaves gently brush you as you walk past. There are flowers, Different colors along the edges of the path. As you follow, You begin to reach a clearing where light streams into your view from the sunshine above. Those tiny animal sounds begin to fade a bit. There is a vast expanse of wildflowers. You can smell the various scents from the flowers all around you. And you can feel the brushing of the wind, A cool breeze against your skin. And you can also feel the sunshine from the sun up above, Allowing that cool breeze to come up against the skin, Noticing that sensation. See if you can feel that here. See if you can also feel the sunshine, The warmth, That golden light wrapping around the body. See if you can feel both of those sensations held together. As you continue on your walk, You notice a butterfly gracefully dances by your view and clouds pass overhead. You can continue to feel that breeze wrapping around the body, Refreshing. And as the sunlight hits the skin, Warm, Perfect, And comforting. You begin to make your way to a small stream up ahead. Continue to sit down by the edge and place your feet into the water to feel the cool crispness of the water wrapping around your toes and the feet. A warm sunshine against the crown of your head and that cool, Crisp temperature against the feet. What are the smells that you notice? You bring those into your sensory awareness here. The flowers, The fresh air, The smell of grass. Allow your sensory body here to appreciate, To pause, To savor each of the sensations that are available here. The temperatures, The textures against the skin, The colors, The visuals that you are able to see. The smells, Aromas around you, Any taste that you might notice. The sounds, The animals and the surroundings. Feel the totality of that sensory awareness. Pause. Breathe it in. Remain in that complete awareness. Shift your mind's eye back to your intention. Repeat your intention to yourself three times here. Allow yourself to be guided through your power of sensory perception and imagination. Allow your intention to soak deep into your state of being here. Allow that deeply held fact to be the truth that it is. Continue to hold that truth within you as you shift your awareness back into that scene of nature that surrounds you. I'm beginning to notice the breath, Waves of the breath, The inhalation, The exhalation. Through that awareness of the breath, Noticing the lungs filling, Emptying the torso and watching that awareness spread through the body, The whole right leg, The whole left leg, The whole left arm, The whole right arm, Back of the body, The front of the body. All around the body. Noticing if there's a particular area of the body that's speaking to you. Shift your attention there. Let your awareness linger for a few moments on that area. Perhaps there is some kindness that you can send into that area of the body. Perhaps you can let your exhalation release a little bit further to soften away any tensions that might continue to linger there. Spreading warmth and ease. When it begins to feel natural, There's no rush whatsoever. Allow an area of the body, Perhaps a fingertip or a toe, Begin to stir. Start with stopped movements to awaken back into that physical awareness of the space around. As you begin to come back into awareness of the body, Notice where those edges touch the earth below. Take care to notice the space around you and each of the sensations as they come back in, One at a time. Hold peace in your heart as you begin to deepen your breath. When it's comfortable for you, You can open your eyes and turn to the space around you. Take your time to adjust back into the space to keep holding that peace in your heart. Thank yourself for taking this time to do your yoga nidra practice.