This Yoga Nidra practice is inspired by Yoga Sutra 1.
13.
TATRA STHITAO YATNO ABHYASA Practice is the effort to remain steadily established there.
In this sutra Patanjali helps us understand Abhyasa.
Practice.
Practice does not mean never wandering.
It does not mean never becoming distracted.
It does not mean doing everything perfectly.
Practice is the willingness to return again and again and again.
During this yoga nidra,
Your mind may wander.
You may lose track of my voice.
You may drift towards sleep.
A thought may take you somewhere else.
Nothing has gone wrong.
Whenever you notice awareness has wandered,
Simply the turn.
Return to the sound of my voice.
Return to the body.
Return to this moment.
The returning itself is the practice.
So there's nothing to achieve,
Nothing to perfect,
Simply there's time.
Listen.
And whenever necessary.
They're done.
Lie down in a comfortable position.
Traditionally,
Yoga Nidra is practiced lying on the back.
Allow the legs to rest slightly apart.
Let the arms rest a little away from the sides of the body.
Palms facing upward if that feels comfortable.
And if lying on your back is not suitable,
You may rest on your side.
Or you may also practice seated with the spine comfortably upright and the head supported.
Make any adjustments you need.
Allow yourself to become comfortable enough that you do not need to keep adjusting.
And when you are ready.
Allow the eyes to close.
Let the eyelids soften.
Relax the space between the eyebrows.
Soften the jaw.
Let the tongue rest quietly in the mouth.
Let the shoulders become heavy.
Let the arms soften.
Let the hands rest.
Let the belly soften.
Let the legs become still.
Take a slow breath in.
And breathe out gently.
Once again breathing in.
And a long easy breath out.
One more time.
Breathing in.
And breathing out.
Now allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
There is nothing you need to control.
Nothing you need to improve.
Simply notice that breathing is happening.
The body is resting.
The breath is moving.
Awareness is here.
Feel the contact between the body and the surface beneath you.
Feel the weight of the back of the head.
The Shoulders The alms.
The back the hips,
The legs.
The heals,
Allow the surface beneath you to hold the body completely.
You do not need to hold yourself up.
You do not need to hold the mind together.
You do not need to maintain concentration perfectly.
You are allowed to rest.
And if the mind wanders,
Return.
To the body.
To this moment.
Feel the whole body resting.
The whole body is supported.
The whole body breathing.
Become aware of the body as one complete field of sensation.
Perhaps there is comfort.
Perhaps there's discomfort.
Perhaps heaviness,
Perhaps lightness.
Perhaps restlessness or stillness.
Whatever is pleasant.
Simply notice this is here.
This is known.
No judgment.
Namaste.
Just Expedience.
Now bring to mind your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your inner dissolve.
A short,
Clear intention.
And repeat your Sankalpa silently three times,
With attention,
With sincerity.
Simply planting the words gently into the deeper mind.
Like a seed planted in quiet soil.
There is nothing more to do with it now.
Now we begin the rotation of consciousness through the body.
Move awareness quickly from one point to the next.
Do not move the physical body.
Simply hear the name of each part.
Feel it inwardly and move on.
If you lose the sequence,
Simply return when you hear my voice again.
We begin with the right hand.
Right Hand Thumb 2nd finger Todd?
Forward.
Fifth,
Balm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
List.
Lower arm.
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the chest.
Right ways.
Right hip.
Right thigh.
Kneecap.
Back of the knee.
Gov.
Shin.
Angle heal,
Soul of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Right big toe.
2nd Tool Todd?
Forward.
Fair.
The whole right side.
The whole right side is known.
Now the left side.
Left Hand Thumb 2nd finger Third finger.
Forward.
5.
Fumbled the hand.
Back of the hand.
List.
Lower arm.
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder armpit Left side of the chest.
Left Waist Left hip.
Left Thigh Kneecap.
Back of the knee.
Golf Shin.
Angle Feel.
Soul of the left for Top of the left foot.
Left big toe Second two.
Todd?
Forward.
Fair.
The whole left side.
The whole left side is known.
Now the back of the body.
Back of the head.
Back of the neck.
Like shoulder blade.
Left Shoulder Blade the space between the shoulder blades.
Upper back.
Metal bag Lower back.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
The whole spine.
The entire back body.
Now the front of the body.
Top of the head.
For the head.
Thy temple.
Left Temple Right Eyebrow Left type though.
Space Between the Eyebrows Right Eye.
Left eye Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose Tip of the nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Jaw.
DROD Right Collarbone Left Collarbone Center of the chest.
Right side of the test.
Left side of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel Lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
The whole front body.
Now the whole right leg.
The whole left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole back body.
The whole front body.
The whole head.
The whole body.
The whole body resting.
The whole body breathing.
The whole body held in awareness.
Now bring awareness to the natural breath.
Do not change it.
Do not deepen it.
Simply notice.
Breath Entering.
Breath Living.
Notice the breath at the nostrils.
Cool Air Entering Warmer air leaving.
Nothing to control.
Nothing to improve.
Just this bit.
And perhaps the mind wanders.
A thought.
A memory,
A plan,
An image.
When you notice the turn.
Return to the Bread.
No criticism.
No frustration.
Simply The Tone.
This bread.
This moment.
Now we explore opposite experiences.
Bring into awareness the feeling of wandering.
Not physically,
Just the feeling of being mentally scattered.
The mind going in many directions,
One thought leading to another.
The sense of losing the tread.
Perhaps restlessness,
Perhaps distraction,
Perhaps unfinished thoughts pulling for attention.
Let the feeling of wandering be present.
Wandering is here.
Wandering is known.
And now the lees wander they.
Bring into awareness the feeling of returning.
The moment you remember,
The moment awareness comes back.
The body beneath you,
The breath,
The sound of my voice or simply the feeling of here.
The Dawning No urgency,
No shame,
Just the turn.
The turning is present.
The turning is known.
Now wandering and returning together.
The mind may wander.
Awareness can return.
WANDERING DOES NOT CANCEL PRACTICE.
The dawning is practice.
Let both dissolve.
Now bring into awareness the feeling of effort.
A gentle effort,
A sense of intention.
Choosing to stay.
Choosing to listen.
Choosing to return.
Not strain,
Not force,
Just sincerity.
Steady effort.
Effort is present.
Effort is known.
Now bring into awareness EASE.
Nothing to push.
Nothing to grip.
The body resting,
The breath flowing.
Awareness Open Ease softness.
Space.
Ease is present.
Ease is known.
Now effort and ease together.
Steady without being tense.
Soft without becoming passive.
Committed without force.
Effort and ease together.
This is Abhyasa.
Let both dissolve.
Now bring awareness to the inner space behind the closed eyes.
Chidakasha,
The dark inner screen,
The quiet inner sky.
Bring awareness to that space.
Perhaps there is darkness.
Perhaps color,
Perhaps movement,
Perhaps shapes,
Perhaps nothing at all.
Do not create anything.
Do not search,
Simply observe.
Whatever appears,
Appears.
Whatever fades,
Fades.
If a thought appears,
Notice.
If an image appears,
Notice.
If nothing appears,
Notice.
Awareness remains.
Now silently hear the Sutra.
TAT RAS TE TAO YAT NOBYASA TAT TARAS TE TAO YAT DON ABHYASA.
Practice is the effort to remain steadily established there.
Let the meaning settle.
Practice is not never wondering.
Practice is the turning.
You forget?
The dawn.
You become distracted.
The Don.
You get caught in a thought.
The dawn.
You become discouraged.
The dawn.
You stop practicing the tone again.
And again.
And again.
Now imagine that you are standing at the edge of a wide field.
The grass is tall.
So.
.
.
Moving gently in the buddhis.
In front of you is no obvious path,
Only open grass.
You take one step forward.
Then another.
The grass brushes against the legs.
The way is not clear,
But you continue.
One step.
Then another.
You cross the field and eventually you reach the other side.
Now imagine the turning the next day.
Again you cross the field.
This time,
Perhaps,
You recognize where you walked before.
The grass is slightly bent.
A faint line is beginning to appear.
You walk again.
And again.
Day after day.
Not always perfectly.
Some days you miss the path.
Some days you walk only part of the way.
Some days you do not come at all.
But whenever you the tone.
The path becomes a little clearer.
And gradually what was once hidden.
Begins to become visible.
A path forms beneath your feet.
Not because you forced the field,
But because you returned again.
And again.
And again.
Feel yourself standing on this familiar path.
The path of awareness.
The path of practice,
The path of return.
And silently say,
I can always return.
I can always.
The dawn.
Now we come to Rapid Image Visualization.
I will name a series of images.
Do not hold any image.
Do not analyze.
Do not try to make the image perfect.
Let the image appear briefly.
And then disappeared.
If no image appears,
Simply hear the word.
And move lightly from one image to the next.
A sunrise.
A winding path.
A single candle flame.
Are they worth storing?
A hand opening.
A closed door.
An open door.
A seed beneath the soil.
A young green shoot.
Footprints in Sand a bell,
A still lake.
A bird returning to a branch.
A circle drawn in sand.
A mountain path.
A staircase.
A pair of walking shoes.
A meditation cushion.
An empty chair.
A journal opening.
Abandon touching people.
Upload a breath of mist.
A wave reaching the shore.
The Wave Returning to the Sea a leaf falling.
A leaf resting on water.
A flame moving in the wind.
The flame becoming steady.
A compass.
A pathway through tall gadas.
A bridge.
A hand on the heart.
A hand resting on the belly.
A quiet room.
Morning light through a window.
A cup placed on a table.
A door opening at dawn.
A person standing again after falling.
A child learning to walk.
One step.
Another step.
Another Step.
A spidon.
Assalamu alaikum.
A homecoming.
A Familiar Path A lamp in the distance.
The lamp coming closer.
The breath entering.
The breath leaving,
The word returns.
The dawn.
And now let all the images dissolve.
No image.
No effort.
Just Awareness.
Imagine once again the path through the field.
You are standing quietly.
Notice the path beneath your feet.
Perhaps the path represents something in your life.
A meditation practice,
A health practice,
A creative practice,
A relationship,
A way of speaking to yourself.
A commitment that matters.
Let one area of your life come gently to mind.
Nothing overwhelming,
Just something where you would like more steadiness.
Let one area of your life come gently to mind.
Notice whether you have been Judging Yourself.
Perhaps you started and stopped.
Perhaps you lost momentum.
Perhaps you have been waiting for motivation.
Perhaps you have been telling yourself.
I should have done better.
Now let those words soften.
And us.
What would the turning look like?
What would the turning look like?
Not fixing everything,
Not starting perfectly,
Just returning.
What is one small step,
One breath,
One action,
One moment of awareness?
Let the answer arise without forcing.
Perhaps it is to sit for five minutes,
Or write one paragraph,
Or take one walk,
Or make one phone call,
Or to pause before responding,
Or to go to bed on time.
Or do they turn to the breath?
Or to speak gently,
Or to begin again,
Whatever appears.
Let it be simple.
And then silently say,
One small return is enough.
One small return is enough.
Now let the path dissolve.
Let the field dissolve.
Let all images dissolve.
And return to Simple Awareness.
The body resting.
The Bread Moving.
The mind quiet or active.
Whatever is pleasant,
Nothing has to change.
Notice.
Even if thought appears.
Awareness can return.
Even if memory appears,
Awareness can return.
Even if imagination appears,
Awareness can return.
The path back is always available.
Duff that.
The body.
The present moment.
Silently that be.
The Don?
The Don.
They don't.
Now bring your Sankalpa back into awareness.
The same intention you planted at the beginning of the practice.
Repeated silently three times with feeling,
With sincerity.
Let the Sankalpa settle deeply.
Let it become a quiet reminder in daily life.
And start to become aware of the physical body.
Feel the whole body resting on the surface beneath you.
Feel the natural breath.
The air entering and leaving.
Become aware of the area around you.
The temperature.
The Sound the space around the body.
Start to make small movements.
The fingers.
The Doors Stretch the body in any way that feels natural.
Take your time.
There is no rush.
If you are lying down.
When you are ready,
Roll gently to one side.
And pause there.
Let this position become a bridge between deep rest and waking life.
And remember,
You do not need to carry the whole path at once.
You only need to return to the next step.
When you are ready.
Slowly come back to a seated position or the main resting if you prefer.
Bring the palms together at the heart if that feels natural.
Take a slow breath in.
Breathe out gently.
And you can open your eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hadi Om Tat Sat.
