Yoganidra is the practice of sleep but with a seed of awareness.
Our goal isn't to fall asleep but to hover in that space where we are receptive and can tap into the reality of who we are beyond movement,
Labels and words.
Please come to lie down on your back.
Make any final adjustments to your body that you need.
You can use a bolster for underneath the knees,
A blanket to cover your body,
A pillow for underneath the head and maybe an eye pillow so your eyes can truly relax.
Widen your heels to be a little bit wider than your hips,
Arms a bit away from your torso,
Palms turned up and turn your thumb slightly higher than your pinky finger so you don't over rotate your arm which might cause strain.
Find the perfect positioning of your head and neck.
Close your eyes if you're not there yet.
Soften your eyebrows as if they could slide towards your temples and your temples could slide towards your ears,
All sliding towards the floor.
Relax through the jaw,
Lips might even part.
Your tongue falls into the floor of the mouth.
Relax any conscious control of the breath so you're not having to do any kind of yoga technique.
Just become aware of the movement that remains as the breath easily moves in and out.
You might notice a gentle rise and fall of the belly as you breathe.
Start to silently count back on your exhalations from 10.
So next time your belly falls silently feel 10.
The next time it falls 9.
The next exhale 8.
Letting go of a little bit more tension each time.
If you get lost it's okay,
Simply start again.
And if you finish early just start again.
No effort.
Relax your counting no matter what number you've gotten to.
Don't effort with the breath at all and relax a bit deeper.
You might notice the breath no longer reaching down into your belly but the breath just moving in the chest.
Feel this tiny little puff of breath as you relax even deeper into the floor and your support.
Release any efforting or trying.
Feel the sense of ease and comfort that is surrounding you.
You might not even feel the breath move down into the belly.
Just focus on the breath that remains in the chest.
Focus on the tiny little puff of breath as it moves in and out.
As you relax even deeper still you might become aware of the movement of the breath in the walls of the nostrils.
You might even remember or recognize that you are not the breather,
That you are being breathed.
Move that awareness now through the body.
I will name different parts of the body for you just to drop your attention into.
There is no need to move these parts or feel anything in particular.
Just become aware of your right hand,
Right thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Right forearm,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right ribs,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Right groin,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
Right shin,
Right ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole of the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now become aware of your left hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Left forearm,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left ribs,
Left waist,
Left hip,
Left groin,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin,
Left ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Back of the head,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Your spine,
Pelvis,
Lower belly,
Upper belly,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Center of the chest,
Your throat,
Your chin,
The bottom lip and top lip,
The space between the lips,
Your tongue,
Roof of the mouth,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Tip of the nose,
Bridge of the nose,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
Forehead,
Crown of the head,
Feel the entire back of the body,
Feel the entire front of the body,
Feel the left side of the body and feel the right side of the body,
Feel the whole body resting here,
Feel the whole body resting.
Begin to visualize now in the very center of your chest,
Deep back behind the breastbone,
Snuggled between your lungs,
The four-chambered mention of your own heart,
A glow,
A light,
An almond-shaped flame about the size of your thumbnail,
See it illuminating your heart,
Visualize or feel the light grow brighter,
Warmth and luminosity beginning to radiate out in all directions around you,
This light grows so bright and so radiant,
It begins to even fill the space around you as if you were held in that light,
This golden light radiating out,
Surrounding the body as if you're resting inside of a golden egg shape,
This light carries with it every peace,
Every healing,
Every love,
This light is you and you are it.
For the next minute,
Rest in that awareness,
In that remembrance of who you are,
Light,
Love,
Peace and wellbeing.
Please feel free to remain here as long as is possible.
And when you're ready,
You will awaken your body gently and roll to one side,
Lazily you will come back to sit,
Moving this practice and the remembrance of who you really are into your life.
Namaste.
