Returning and Releasing.
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice inspired by Yoga Sutra 1.
12.
Abhyasa Vairagya Abhyam Tan Nidodaha The stilling of the movements of the mind is brought about through practice and non-attachment.
In this sutra Patanjali gives us two essential supports for calming and steadying the mind.
Abhyasa which is practice or repetition or the turning and Vairagya which is non-attachment,
Letting go of freedom from clinging.
And together they form a beautiful rhythm.
They turn,
They lease,
They turn,
They lease.
With a turn to the breath,
We release the story.
With a turn to the body,
We release the grip.
We then turn to awareness and we release the need to control.
This practice is not about forcing the mind to become silent.
It is not about judging yourself for having thoughts.
It is not about trying to become perfect.
It is an invitation to rest deeply and gently experience the wisdom of this Sutra in the body.
So allow yourself to prepare for Yoga Nidra.
Lie down in a comfortable position.
Let the body be fully supported.
You may place a pillow beneath the knees,
A folded blanket beneath the head or cover the body if you wish to stay warm.
Let the feet fall slightly apart.
Let the arms rest away from the sides of the body with the palms facing upward.
Or in any position that feels natural.
In Yoga we call that the Shavasana pose,
The dead man's pose or the corpse pose.
If you are practicing seated.
Let the spine be upright but not rigid.
Let the head and neck be supported and let the hands rest on the thighs or the knees.
Once you have settled,
Allow the eyes to close gently.
Let the eyelids soften.
Let the space between the eyebrows soften.
Let the jaw loosen.
Let the tongue rest quietly in the mouth.
Let the shoulders become heavy.
Let the hands soften.
Let the belly soften.
Let the legs become still.
Take a slow breath in.
And a gentle breath out.
Allow this to be a time of deep rest.
Nothing to achieve.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing too perfect.
Nothing to force.
For now simply allow yourself to be here.
And now quietly bring to mind your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your resolve.
Whatever you dissolve for this practice,
Repeat it silently three times,
With attention and sincerity.
Let the Sankalpa settle into the deeper mind,
Like a seed.
There is nothing more to do with it now.
Now we begin the rotation of consciousness.
Allow your awareness to move from point to point in the body.
Do not move the physical body,
Simply listen,
Feel.
And let awareness travel.
We begin with the right side.
Right Hand Thumb Index finger.
Middle finger LingFingal Littlefinger Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
List.
Voila!
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder AMPEG Right side of the chest.
Right Side of the Waist Right hip.
Hi.
Knee Gov.
Angle Heal Soul of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Write a big deal.
2nd Toe Todd?
Both.
Fifth.
Now the left side.
Bring awareness to the left hand thumb.
Index Fingal Middle finger Ring finger.
Littlefinger Bomb of the hand.
Back of the Hand List.
For them.
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Bye.
Knee Goff.
Angle Heal sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot.
Left big toe.
2nd toe third,
Fourth,
Now awareness to the back of the body.
Back of the head.
Back of the neck.
Right Shoulder Blade Left Shoulder Blade The Space Between the Shoulder Blades Upper back.
Middle Back Lower back.
The whole spine.
The back of the pelvis.
Right side of the back.
Left side of the back.
The whole back body.
Now the front of the body,
Starting with the top of the head.
Follow the hand.
Right Temple.
Left Temple Right eyebrow.
Left Eyebrow The space between the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left Eye Right EO.
Left Yo.
Write G.
Left cheek.
The nose,
The Tip of the Nose Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Gin,
Jaw.
Truth.
Right Collarbone Left Collarbone Center of the chest.
Right side of the chest.
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.
The body is present.
Sensation is present.
Awareness is here.
Now they turn to the bread.
Notice the natural breadth.
Breath Entering.
Breath Leaving.
The breath is here.
The body is here.
Avenus is here.
Begin to count the breath gently backward from 27 to 1.
Breathing in,
27.
Breathing Out 27 Breathing in,
26.
Breathing out 26.
Breathing in 25.
Breathing out 25.
Continue silently.
If you lose the count,
Simply the turn to 27.
There is no mistake.
Or leave it turning.
This is Abhyasa.
Not perfection.
The turning.
Again and again.
Breathing.
And counting.
The dawning and the resting.
Now let go of counting.
Let the breath return to its own natural rhythm.
No need to hold the number.
No need to complete anything.
This is Vairagya.
The leasing,
The grip.
Let the bread Breathe itself.
Let the body rest.
Let the mind soften.
Now we awaken opposite experiences.
Do not force anything.
Allow each experience to arise gently.
Through memory and imagination.
And let each one be known in awareness.
Bring into awareness the feeling of effort.
A gentle effort.
The feeling of trying.
But that is saying.
Showing up.
Returning to Something That Matters.
Feel effort in the body.
Perhaps there is steadiness,
Focus,
Direction,
A quiet commitment.
Effort is present.
Effort is known.
The least effort.
Now bring into awareness the feeling of letting go.
The body is softening.
The breath releasing,
The grip loosening.
Nothing to force.
Nothing to prove.
Nothing to hold.
Letting go is present.
Letting go is known.
The Lees letting go.
Now effort and letting go together.
The quiet effort to the tone.
The gentle willingness to release.
Both are needed.
Both are known.
Now bring into awareness discipline.
Not harsh discipline,
Not punishment.
A Kind Discipline A devoted returning,
A steady yes to the path.
Feel discipline in the body.
Perhaps a brightness.
Groundedness inner strength.
Discipline is present.
Discipline is known.
Release discipline.
Now bring into awareness spaciousness.
Loom to breathe.
Room to be imperfect.
Zoom to begin again.
Room to not control every result.
Feel spaciousness in the body.
Spaciousness is pleasant.
Spaciousness is known.
Release spaciousness.
Now discipline and spaciousness together.
Commitment and freedom.
Direction and softness.
Practice and non-attachment both known.
Now bring into awareness Clinging.
Choose something gentle.
A small sense of holding on.
A desire for the particular outcome,
A need to be seen a certain way.
A wish for certainty.
A grip around how things should be.
Feel clinging gently in the body.
Perhaps tightness.
Holding.
Contraction.
Urgency.
Clinging is peasant.
Clinging is known.
The leaves clinging.
Now bring into awareness Freedom.
Not freedom from caring,
Freedom from being ruled by clinging.
A spacious heart.
And open hand.
A soft dub then.
Feel freedom in the body.
Freedom is this.
Freedom is known.
The lease for the Eden.
Now clinging and freedom together.
The mind may claim.
Awareness Can See.
The heart may care,
The hand can open,
Both are known.
Now let all opposites dissolve.
And rest in the awareness that contains them all.
Effort and letting go,
Discipline and spaciousness,
Clinging and freedom all arise.
All bars.
Awareness remains.
Now bring awareness to the inner space behind the closed eye.
Chidakasa,
The screen of the mind,
The quiet inner sky.
You may notice darkness,
Color,
Light,
Shapes,
Images,
Thoughts,
Memories.
Or perhaps nothing at all.
Whatever appears,
Allow it to appear.
Whatever fades,
Allow it to fade.
Do not follow.
Do not resist.
Simply notice.
A thought may arise,
A memory may arise,
An image may arise,
A feeling may arise.
And each time something appears,
Gently the turn.
Return to awareness.
Return to the bed.
Return to the body.
This returning is practice.
And each time something passes,
Let it pass.
No need to hold it.
No need to push it away.
No need to make it stay.
This the leasing.
Is non attachment.
Now silently hear the Sutra.
Abhyasa.
Vaidhya Abhyam TAN NADODAH The stilling of the movements of the mind.
Is brought about through practice,
And non-attachment.
Let the meaning settle gently.
Black discs.
And letting go.
The Darn Name.
And releasing.
Steadiness.
And freedom.
Now imagine you are standing at the beginning of a quiet path at dawn.
The air is fresh.
The light is solved.
The ground beneath your feet is steady.
The path stretches ahead of you.
Simple and clear.
You do not need to see the whole path.
You do not need to know every step.
You only need to return to the next step.
This part represents Abhyasa.
Practice the dawn.
Steadiness,
Devotion.
You begin walking slowly.
One step.
One with it.
One moment.
Again.
One step.
One but that.
One moment.
As you walk.
Thoughts May Arise.
Am I doing this correctly?
How long will it take?
Will I succeed?
Am I progressing?
Should I be further ahead?
Each thought appears like a small leaf falling onto the path.
You see it?
You do not need to follow it.
You return to the step.
You return to the Buddhahead.
You return to the path.
Silently Say.
Aye,
They done.
Once again.
I return.
This is Abhyasa.
The willingness to come back,
Not with harshness.
Not with self-judgement,
But with devotion.
Now you continue walking.
And you notice you are carrying something in your hands.
Perhaps it is a stone.
Perhaps a small bundle.
Perhaps a symbolic way.
This is something the mind has been holding.
An outcome.
And expectation.
A story,
An identity,
A fear,
A need to control.
Notice what it feels like to hold it.
No judgment,
Just noticing.
Perhaps the grip is tight.
Perhaps the arms feel tired.
Perhaps the body has become used to carrying it.
Now ahead of you.
Beside the Path There is a clear flowing stream.
The water moves gently,
But I don't.
Clean Peaceful.
You walk toward the stream.
You sit beside.
You breathe.
You look at what you are holding.
And gently ask,
What am I clinging to?
What am I clinging to?
What am I afraid to release?
What am I afraid to the least?
What would soften if I opened my hand?
What would soften if I opened my hand?
Now?
Only if it feels right.
Imagine placing this object beside the stream.
Not throwing it away,
Not rejecting it,
Simply settling.
And down.
Simply setting it down.
You can care.
Without clinging.
You can practice without gripping.
You can love without controlling.
You can act without making your peace depend on the outcome.
Let the object rest beside the stream.
Feel your hands becoming lighter.
Feel the shoulders softening.
Feel the breath becoming easier.
Silently Say.
I release.
I release.
I,
The leaves.
This is Vairagya.
Not coldness,
Not indifference,
Freedom from being ruled by clinging.
Now stand again.
Return to the path.
The path continues.
The stream flows beside you.
Practice and letting go.
Bye.
And stream.
They turn and release.
With each step.
Inwardly here.
The dawn.
With each exhale inwardly here.
The lean.
Step.
The dawn.
Exhale.
The leaves.
Step.
The Don.
Exhale,
Release.
Now the path leads to a quiet open space.
In the centre is a still lake.
The surface of the lake is calm.
A gentle flame burns beside the water.
The flame is steady,
Not forced,
Not rigid,
Simply steady.
This flame represents the mind becoming quiet through practice and non-attachment.
It is not a flame held by pressure.
It is steady because the winds have softened.
You sit beside the lake.
You watch the flame.
Thoughts may still arise.
Feelings may still arise.
Memories may still arise.
Desires may still arise.
But now you know the rhythm.
The dawn.
The leaves.
The dawn.
The lead.
Now bring to mind a gentle situation in your life.
Where you may need more abhyasa.
More steady the dawning.
Do something simple.
Perhaps a meditation practice or a creative practice or a relationship pattern or a daily habit.
Let it appear lightly.
And ask gently.
Where do I need to the turn?
What small step is asking for my practice?
Can I return without self-judgement?
Now silently say,
By the dawn gently.
Eye the dawn gently.
Now bring to mind a gentle situation where you may need more vairagya,
More release,
More freedom from clinging.
Perhaps an outcome.
An expectation,
A goal,
A self-image,
A need for approval or certainty or control.
And ask gently.
What am I holding?
Too tightly.
Can I care without clinging?
Can I act?
Without making my peace depend on the result.
And now silently say,
Either leaves or trash.
Idealize with trust.
Now let both situations dissolve.
Let the lake dissolve.
Let the path dissolve and bring to bind your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your resolve,
The same one you made at the beginning of the practice.
And repeat it silently three times with complete feeling and awareness.
Let the Sankalpa settle into the deeper mind.
Let it become a quiet reminder in daily life.
Now begin to the tone.
Bring awareness to the physical body.
Feel the body resting on the surface beneath you.
Notice the natural breath.
Become aware of the room around you.
The Temperature of the Air the touch of your clothing.
Start making small movements with the fingers,
With the toes.
Stretch the body in any way that feels natural.
And when you are sure that you are wide awake,
You can open your eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
ADIOM TAT SAT
