Yoga Nidra - Exploring The Sheaths

Discover the profound benefits of Yoga Nidra, a powerful technique known as "yogic sleep," designed to guide you into a state of deep relaxation and meditative consciousness. This guided practice based on Swami Satyananda Saraswati's Yoga Nidra will enable you to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit, allowing a sense of inner peace and tranquility.

This session explores the sheaths of consciousness.

Transcript

Let's get ready to practice Yoga Nidra.

Try to find a comfortable position,

Preferably in Shavasana,

The dead man's pose or the corpse pose,

Lying flat on your back,

On your bed or on the yoga mat,

With your palms facing upwards and your feet slightly plopped to the sides.

If you're sitting,

Make sure your back is supported and you can keep your palms on your thighs,

Facing upward,

Your feet firmly planted into the ground.

And whichever position you're getting into,

Feel yourself supported by the surface that your body is resting on.

If you need to make any adjustments,

Make them now.

Get as comfortable as you can,

But not too comfortable that you would fall asleep.

And you can gently close your eyes.

During Yoga Nidra,

You are guided to notice and feel physical sensations.

The breath,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

And feelings.

And to experience yourself as the witness of all these comings and goings.

And whatever you experience in this session is perfect,

Just as it is.

Now simply rest at ease and allow my voice to be your guide.

During this session,

Welcome every experience as a messenger that is inviting you to explore sensations,

Emotions,

And thoughts without trying to change,

Without trying to fix,

And without trying to make anything happen.

Now feel your body settling into complete stillness.

Bring your attention to your senses.

Notice the taste in your mouth.

Notice the sounds around you.

The smells.

The images or colours behind your eyelids.

The touch of the air on your skin.

Your senses open and alive.

And now bring to mind your intention,

Your sankalpa.

Whatever it is,

Affirm your sankalpa now,

Three times.

With all the feeling and emotion that you can gather.

And let the sound now of my voice be your guide and support you in experiencing sensations throughout your body.

As I name each area of your body,

You may feel sensations that are present or nothing in particular.

But whatever you experience is just as it is in this moment.

Mouth.

Bring attention to sensations Bring attention to sensations inside the mouth.

Roof of the mouth.

Floor of the mouth.

Inside cheeks.

Left and right.

Back of the throat.

The tongue.

The entire mouth as a field of sensation.

The ears.

Left ear.

Right ear.

Sensing both ears at the same time.

Welcome the breath as pure sensation in the nose.

Left nostril.

Right nostril.

Both nostrils at the same time.

The eyes.

Left eye.

Right eye.

Both eyes together a field of radiant sensation.

Your forehead.

The scalp.

The back of the head and neck.

Inside the throat.

Left shoulder.

Left upper arm.

Forearm.

Wrist.

Left palm.

All the fingers.

The entire left arm.

The right shoulder.

The right upper arm.

The forearm.

The wrist.

The right palm.

All the right hand fingers.

The entire right arm.

Both arms together as one field of sensation.

The upper chest.

The upper back.

Middle chest.

Middle back.

Abdomen.

Lower back.

The entire torso as a field of sensation.

The left buttock.

Left hip.

Thigh.

Knee.

Foot.

All the toes on the left side.

The entire left leg.

The right buttock.

The right hip.

Right thigh.

Knee.

Foot.

All the right toes.

The entire right leg.

Both legs at the same time.

Become aware of the entire front of the body.

Become aware of the entire front of the body.

The entire back of the body.

The complete left side of the body.

The complete right side of the body.

Sense the entire body.

The entire left side of the body.

The entire right side of the body.

The entire left side of the body.

The entire right side of the body.

The entire left side of the body.

The entire right side of the body.

First sensing what's present.

Then experiencing yourself.

As the field of awareness in which everything is coming and going.

Become aware of the body breathing.

The flow of the breath as sensation in the nostrils.

The abdomen gently rising as breath flows in.

And releasing as breath flows out.

No need to change anything.

The body breathing naturally and rhythmically.

In breath,

Abdomen rising.

Out breath,

Abdomen releasing.

No need to change anything.

The body is breathing itself.

Begin counting each breath silently backwards from 7 to 1 in the following way.

In breath,

Abdomen rising 7.

Out breath,

Abdomen releasing 7.

In breath,

Abdomen rising 6.

Out breath,

Abdomen releasing 6.

Continue counting and breathing in your body's own natural rhythm.

Now let go of counting with no need to each one.

And be aware of the fields or flows of sensation throughout the body.

In the mouth,

Face,

Scalp,

Neck,

Throat,

Shoulders,

Arms.

Hands,

Torso,

Pelvis,

Legs and feet.

Awake and alert the body as a field of radiant sensation.

And be aware of all that's now present in your awareness.

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present.

Sensing what's present.

Then experiencing yourself dissolving into being the field of awareness in which everything is rising.

Now bring attention to feelings that are present throughout the body such as warmth or coolness.

Heaviness or lightness.

Comfort or discomfort.

Allowing them to blossom fully in your body.

And if no feelings are present,

As can happen,

Simply welcome whatever is present.

Now try to locate the opposite of what you are feeling.

If you are feeling warmth,

Find coolness.

If you are feeling heaviness,

Find lightness.

If you are feeling comfort,

Find discomfort.

Welcome the opposite of feeling fully into your body.

Now welcome both opposites of feeling into the body at the same time.

Without thinking,

Simply experiencing how doing this affects your body and mind.

Now bring attention to an emotion that is present in your body or one that you are working with in your life.

Or if you choose,

You can recall a memory that invites a particular emotion into your body.

Welcoming the emotion as sensation into your body.

Inviting this emotion to unfold fully.

To unfold fully as sensation in the body.

And if no emotion is present,

There is no need to make anything happen.

Simply be welcoming of whatever is present.

And if an emotion is present,

Where are you feeling it in your body?

Allow it to blossom fully while welcoming thoughts,

Images or memories that co-arise with this emotion.

Now allow an opposite emotion to emerge.

Perhaps recalling a memory that invites the opposite emotion into your body.

Where do you experience this in your body?

Where do you experience this in your body?

And now try moving back and forth several times between the opposite emotions.

Experiencing the first,

Then the other.

Sensing how each is experienced in the body.

Now invite both emotions into awareness at the same time.

Without thinking.

Simply experiencing how this affects your entire body and your mind.

And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.

Feel yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present.

Sensing what's present.

Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is rising.

Remember that there is no right or wrong way of doing any of this.

Now welcome a thought or belief that you sometimes fall into.

Or you take to be true about yourself.

A thought or belief that you sometimes fall into.

Or that you take to be true about yourself.

And if no belief is rising,

Simply being present with whatever is.

And if there is a belief present.

As you hold this belief about yourself to be true.

Where and how do you hold it in your body?

Try to sense how this belief affects the entire body.

Try to notice any images,

Emotions or thoughts that co-arise with this belief.

Without trying to change anything.

Now bring to mind the opposite of this belief.

And as you hold this opposite belief about yourself to be true.

How does it affect your body?

Be welcoming of any images,

Any emotions or any memories that may emerge.

Be present to your experience just as it is without trying to change or fix anything.

And now try to alternate between these opposite beliefs.

Welcome the first one as true.

Then the other.

And experience how each belief acts upon your body and mind.

And now welcome both beliefs at the same time.

Experience how this affects your body and mind.

And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness.

Feel yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present.

Sensing what's present.

Experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is rising.

And now dissolve into being pure awareness itself.

Pure awareness,

Open and spacious.

Being the awareness in which everything is coming and going.

Being the awareness in which everything is welcome just as it is.

Being awareness and deflecting upon all that has been or is now present.

Sensations,

Emotions,

Beliefs,

Joy,

Well-being.

The experience of being pure awareness.

Everything just as it is.

Yourself just as you are.

And now bring to mind your intention,

Your sankalpa.

And once more repeat your sankalpa three times with complete feeling and complete emotion.

And imagine now going about your daily life.

Noticing sensations,

Emotions and thoughts all constantly changing yet.

All the while feeling yourself as unchanging.

Spacious awareness.

Awareness in which everything is coming and going.

And now bring your attention,

Your awareness to your breathing.

Notice the air as it enters to your nostrils and it leaves to your nostrils.

Become aware of your physical body.

Become aware of the room that you are located in.

Start to wiggle your fingers and toes.

Start to move your body.

Slowly opening your eyes,

Reorienting yourself.

Becoming fully alert.

Becoming wide awake.

And experience the feeling of gratitude for taking the time to practice Yoga Nidra.

Welcoming and loving yourself.

Experiencing yourself as timeless,

Open and spacious well-being that is perfect just as it is.

And your whole self as whole,

Healthy and perfect just as you are.

Your self as unchanging,

Spacious awareness in which everything is unfolding.

And the understanding that you always know the perfect response to each moment.

As you take the time to welcome your deepest knowing.

Thanking yourself for taking this time to practice.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tat Sat.