This practice is focused on the Moola Dada,
On the Root Chakra.
So begin by making yourself completely comfortable.
Preferably in Shavasana,
The sleeping pose also known as the dead man's pose.
Lie down on your back and allow the body to be fully supported by the surface beneath you.
If you need support under the knees,
The hips or the head,
Take a moment to arrange it now.
Once you are settled,
There will be no need to move.
Let the arms rest slightly away from the body,
With your palms facing upward.
Allow the feet to fall open naturally.
If you prefer,
You can also do the practice sitting down with your spine upright,
With your hands on your knees or your thighs with your palms facing upward.
Gently close your eyes.
Begin to notice your natural breath.
Do not change it.
Simply notice.
With each exhale,
Feel the body becoming heavier,
Closer to the ground,
More supported.
Now gently introduce the breath into the chest.
A simple intention.
Your Sankalpa,
Your dissolve.
A simple intention,
Not something to force but something to remember.
Repeat your intention three times with complete feeling and awareness.
Let this intention rest quietly in the body.
We'll move into the rotation of awareness.
As I name the part of the body,
Become aware of that part and silently name that part in your mind.
Become aware of the base of the spine.
Bring awareness to the right foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The sole of the foot,
The heel,
The right ankle,
The lower leg,
The knee,
Upper leg,
The hip.
Now bring awareness to the left foot.
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The sole of the foot,
The heel,
Left ankle,
Lower leg,
Knee,
Upper leg,
Hip.
Bring awareness to the base of the spine,
The lower abdomen,
Lower back,
The whole pelvis,
Once again to the base of the spine.
And bring your awareness to the whole lower body on the surface that it is resting on.
Bring awareness to the whole lower body,
Right from the base of the spine,
To the tips of the toes,
Heavy,
Still.
Remain aware.
Now bring your attention to your breath.
And begin to notice the breath in the lower body.
As the breath flows in,
Sense it reaching the base of the spine.
As the breath flows out,
Feel the body settling downward.
Breathe in and sense the breath reaching the base of the spine.
Breathe out and feel the body settling downward.
No effort,
No direction to force.
Just gravity doing its work.
Breath descending,
Body resting.
Breath descending,
Body resting.
Now allow awareness to gather at the base of the spine.
Not the muscles,
Not the bones,
But the center of the spine.
Sense of presence there.
Allow awareness to gather at the base of the spine.
There is a subtle vibration associated with this place.
The sound is LUM.
You do not need to repeat it.
You do not need to pronounce it.
Simply notice whether there is a tone,
A density,
Or a quiet hum in the whole body.
If the sound LUM appears in the mind,
Allow it.
If it does not,
Allow that too.
LUM is not something you do.
It is something you listen for.
Notice how this vibration feels heavy.
Steady.
Grounded.
Unlike sound that moves upward,
This resonance settles downward into the earth.
If thoughts arise,
Let them rest on this vibration and sink.
The earth receives everything without effort.
Now gently let go of the sound itself.
Remain with sensation.
Wait.
Contact.
Support.
The body resting.
The ground holding.
Rest here.
In stillness,
The body,
The members,
It belong.
Bring awareness again to the base of the spine.
Sense the quality of earth here.
Solid.
Reliable.
Unmoving.
Nothing rising.
Nothing expanding.
Just ground.
Now notice a deep,
Steady red at the base of the spine.
A deep,
Steady red.
Not bright,
Not radiant.
Dense.
Contained.
Warm like sun warmed soil.
The red remains still.
Within this red field,
See a solid square.
Four equal sides.
Stable.
Balanced.
A foundation that does not tip.
Let the square become heavier.
Denser.
Until it feels less like a symbol and more like stone.
The square becomes rock.
Rock becomes ground.
Ground becomes dark,
Compact earth.
I will now name a series of images.
As I name the image,
Try to form a clear picture of that image in your mind and try to get a feel of that image.
A heavy stone resting on the ground.
A large rock.
Unmoving.
Dense earth.
The base of a mountain.
Solid bedrock.
Ground that does not shift.
Deep layers of soil.
Dark,
Compact earth.
Earth beneath the surface.
Sun warmed ground.
Bare feet on soil.
The feeling of standing firmly.
Still ground.
Support.
Rest.
Now bring awareness to the points of contact between the body and the surface that it is resting on.
Become aware of those points of contact.
The back of the body and the surface it is resting on.
The legs and the surface that it is resting on.
The pelvis and the surface that it is resting on.
Notice how the ground,
The earth,
Receives your weight.
You do not need to hold yourself.
The earth beneath you is stable.
Unmoving.
Reliable.
It does not respond with your thoughts.
It does not change with your mood.
It simply holds.
Imagine the weight of the body being given to the earth.
Not released.
Not dropped.
Not given.
If there is tension,
Let the earth receive it.
If there is restlessness,
Let the earth receive it.
Nothing is asked of you.
Bring awareness to the base of the spine.
A sense of density.
Presence.
You do not need to imagine roots.
Simply sense that the body belongs here.
On the ground.
In gravity.
Let go of imagery and remain with sensation only.
Weight.
Stillness.
The body resting in the earth.
The earth holding the body.
Nothing else.
And now gently recall your intention.
The same intention you made at the beginning of the practice.
Repeat the same intention with complete feeling and awareness.
Repeat the intention three times.
Let the words sink beneath thought and into sensation.
Begin to notice the natural breath again.
Notice the natural breath.
Feel the body resting.
Feel the surface,
The ground beneath you.
Invite small movements back into your fingers.
Into your toes.
If you like,
You can gently stretch yourself.
And when you are ready,
Slowly open the eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Haryom Tat Sat
