Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra with me,
Lauren Calder,
Here on Insight Timer.
Translated,
Yoga Nidra means yogic or psychic sleep.
It is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping induced by a meditative practice.
When you start Yoga Nidra,
Your brain is generally in an active state of beta waves.
The meditative practice then takes you into an alpha state,
The brainwave frequency that links conscious thought with the subconscious mind.
Yogic sleep is an experience of awakening,
A method of relaxing that brings you closer to your authentic self.
Breath by breath,
Yoga Nidra can settle your worries,
Relax your nervous system and bring you back to a state of balance.
Come to a place of stillness.
Position your head comfortably,
With your head and neck in a neutral position,
With your forehead level or slightly higher than your chin.
Feel free to place a blanket under your head or a bolster under your knees.
Whatever you need to feel comfortable and at ease in this relaxed posture.
Now soften and close your eyes and allow your body to slowly relax and settle into the posture.
Come to a place of stillness and as best as possible remain still throughout the practice.
If you notice discomfort anywhere in your body at any time,
First observe.
If it continues to bother you,
Make any necessary adjustment and then come back to a place of stillness as soon as possible.
Take a deep breath and as you exhale let go of all worries and distracting thoughts.
Allow your mind to relax completely.
Follow the sound of my voice throughout the practice,
Remaining awake and aware.
Now allow the sound and the easy rhythm of your own breath to further relax your body.
Allow each breath to flow through you like a strong gentle rolling sea wave.
Observe sounds outside the room and inside the room,
Noticing them without judging them.
Feel the awareness of your body from the crown of your head to the tips of your toes.
Become aware that you are going to practice Yoga Nidra.
Say to yourself,
I am aware and I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.
Repeat this to yourself again,
I am aware and I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.
Repeat this to yourself again,
I am aware and I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Now is the time to state your Sankalpa,
A concise vow or affirmation stated to yourself in the present tense.
Discovering your Sankalpa is a process of listening.
Your heartfelt desire is already present,
Waiting to be seen,
Heard and felt.
It is not something you need to make up or search intensively for.
Examples of Sankalpas may be,
I handle situations with grace and ease.
I live my day with focus and attention.
I accept the current experience of my life.
Repeat your Sankalpa in your mind three times with full awareness,
Sincerity and faith.
If you do not yet have an affirmation you are working with,
Simply say to yourself,
I am open to my current experience exactly as it is.
Or simply,
I am at peace.
Today's Yoga Nidra practice will guide you through a process of initial relaxation.
You will then create a Sankalpa.
You will be guided through a rotation of consciousness through the body,
Breath awareness,
Inner space awareness,
Visualization and Sankalpa.
Then you will be gently guided back to waking consciousness.
So let us start.
Lie down on your back and relax in a comfortable position on the floor or bed with your palms facing up and your feet falling gently out to the side.
Now we will begin a rotation of consciousness experience.
You will transfer your awareness swiftly to different parts of your physical body while remaining still.
Allow your mind to quickly transition from part to part.
Stay alert as best you can,
But do not strain to follow.
This is a relaxing journey through the different parts of your body.
Visualize the part of the body I mention.
See it in your mind's eye,
But be sure not to actually move the part of your body being mentioned.
Become aware of your right hand.
Now move your awareness to your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the body.
Hip.
Right thigh.
Right knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Toe.
Top of the right foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Become aware of your left hand.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm.
Palm.
Back of hand.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the body.
Waist.
Hip.
Left thigh.
Left knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Moving on to the back of your body.
Become aware of the right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Right glutes.
Left glutes.
The whole of your spine and back together.
Move to the front of your body.
Draw your awareness to the top of your head.
Then move to your right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow centre point.
Right eye and eyelid.
Left eye and eyelid.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Throat.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Middle of the chest.
Navel.
Abdomen.
Pelvis.
Pelvic floor.
The whole of the right leg.
The whole of the left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole back of the body.
The whole front of the body.
Feel the whole body together on the surface you are laying on.
Remain awake and aware.
Feel your whole physical body resting.
Completely still and relaxed.
Softening and sinking.
Visualise your whole body relaxed and resting on the earth.
Return your awareness to your breath.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your chest,
Ribcage and abdomen with each slow breath.
Feel the nourishing energy of the breath flowing through you.
Visualise the front of your body and the space between your navel and throat.
Begin to visualise your breath rising from your navel to your throat.
With each inhale.
And slowly descending with each exhale.
Repeat this.
Visualise your breath rising from your navel to your throat with each inhale.
And slowly descending with each exhale.
Listen to the soft sound of your own breath and notice how it sounds.
Hear your breath.
And feel it moving through you easily without effort.
Continue to visualise your breath rising from your navel to your throat.
Now begin to count your breath descending from 10 to 1.
Inhale.
Breath rising 10.
Exhale.
Breath descending 10.
Inhale.
Breath rising 9.
Exhale.
Breath descending 9.
Inhale.
Breath rising 8.
Exhale.
Breath descending 8.
Inhale.
Breath rising 7.
Exhale.
Breath descending 7.
Continue on with your breathing,
Maintaining awareness.
If you lose track of your counting,
Begin again at 10.
If you finish counting to 1 before I give further instructions,
Simply go back to 10 again and begin counting down a second time.
Now cease the practice of counting.
Awaken the sensation of heat in your body.
You are outside on a scorching hot sunny day.
Feel the sweat running down your body.
Feel the intense heat on your skin.
Feel your clothes hot on your body from the blazing sun.
Notice the sun-baked feeling.
Feel the air scorching your skin.
Now allow the sensation of heat to fade away.
Awaken the sensation of intense cold.
Imagine you are standing in the freezing snow with no shoes on your feet.
Feel the goosebumps on your skin.
Your whole body shivering in icy cold.
Now allow the sensation of cold to dissipate.
Allow the sensation of cold to dissipate.
Allow the sensation of cold to dissipate.
Experience the sensation of being wet.
You are standing outside in heavy rain.
You are drenched and water is dripping from your hair and down your face.
Your clothes are soaked and sticking to your skin.
Your bare feet are in puddles of water.
Now allow the sensation of wet to fade away.
Experience the sensation of being dry.
You are standing outside in an arid desert.
Your body feels parched and your skin feels shriveled from the lack of moisture.
Your throat and body feel dehydrated.
You long for a drop of water.
Now allow the sensation of dryness to leave you.
Concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.
In this space begin to notice the screaming of the mind.
This space extends as high and wide and distant as the eye can see.
Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any colors,
Patterns or light you may see.
Whatever you see manifested by your mind.
Continue to be aware of this space in your mind's eye but do not become involved.
Practice detached awareness only.
Now imagine you are at your favorite beach walking along the shore.
You see the sun in the distance illuminating the sky with brilliant shades of pink and orange and reflecting rays of color over the clouds.
Feel the sea breeze caressing your skin.
Smell the salt in the air and feel the sand between your toes.
You hear the sound of gentle waves rolling onto the sand,
Back and forth.
You get up.
You smile as your eyes take in the surroundings.
You flash back to when you were a child.
You remember yourself as a child skipping along the shore.
You glance around and notice the beach is deserted.
You smile from the inside out.
You find yourself skipping through the sand and the shallows along the shore,
Watching the sea water splash all around you.
You allow this playful feeling to wash over you like another rolling wave.
Then you collapse downward,
Placing your hands on the sand,
Rolling your body out with your back on the sand and your arms stretched out to the sides of your head.
You feel your head,
Back,
Buttocks,
Legs and heels sink into the warm sand.
The years seem to drop away.
You feel happy and full of joy,
Like an innocent child.
You are free,
Inhaling the fresh,
Crisp sea breeze.
It feels like the breath of life.
Now allow these images to slowly fade away.
Now come back to your resolve,
Your sankalpa,
And repeat it to yourself three times with full awareness,
Sincerity and faith.
Now return your attention to the rhythm and soft sound of your natural breath,
Feeling it flow in and out of the nostrils.
As you maintain your awareness of your slow,
Easy breath,
Develop your awareness of your state of physical relaxation.
Notice your whole body resting on the surface beneath you.
Notice the parts of your body that are touching the ground.
Your head and upper back,
Your elbows and hands,
Your buttocks,
Your calves and heels.
Begin to notice sounds inside the room.
Notice sounds outside the room.
Notice sounds outside the room.
Visualize the floor,
The windows and walls and the ceiling in the room where you are lying.
Slowly start to do some slow movements.
Start to do larger movements and some stretches.
And then when you are ready,
Slowly open your eyes.
Roll over onto your right side and take at least five deep breaths before slowly making your way back up into a seated position.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
