Welcome to this practice of Yoga Nidra.
This practice is inspired by Yoga Sutra 1.
7.
PRATYAKSHA PANUMANA AGAMA PRAMANANI Direct perception,
Inference and reliable testimony are the sources of correct knowledge.
This sutra invites us to ask a very practical question.
How do I know what is true?
Very often the mind reacts before it sees clearly.
A sensation arises and the mind creates a story.
A message goes unanswered and the mind imagines rejection.
A memory returns and the past colours the present.
This sutra helps us pause and return to clarity.
What do I directly know?
What am I assuming?
What reliable wisdom can guide me?
In this Yoga Nidra practice,
You will be guided to rest deeply.
Observe the body,
The breath.
Sensations,
Thoughts,
And gently recognize the difference between what is present and what the mind adds.
You do not need to solve everything.
You do not need to force clarity.
Simply Rest.
Listen.
And allow awareness to become steady enough.
To see clearly.
Lie down in a comfortable position.
Traditionally yoga nidra is practiced lying on the back.
With the legs slightly apart,
The feet falling naturally outward.
And the arms resting a little away from the sides of the body.
Also known as the Shavasana pose or the dead man's pose.
Alternatively,
You can also do the practice sitting down.
Make sure your spine is upright,
Your head is well supported.
And you can rest your hands on your thighs or your knees with your palms facing upwards.
Any adjustments you need to make,
Please make them now.
Choose a position where the body can feel safe,
Supported and at ease.
Once you have settled,
Allow the eyes to close.
Let the eyelids soften.
Let the jaw loosen.
Let the tongue rest quietly in the mouth.
Let the shoulders release.
Handsoften.
Belly is softer.
Let the legs become still.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Feel the contact between the body and the ground.
Feel how the surface that you are resting on is already supporting you.
You do not need to hold yourself up.
You do not need to carry anything for the next few moments.
Just let the body be held.
Take a slow breath in.
And breathe out gently.
One more time.
Breathe in.
And breathe out.
Bring your awareness to the body.
Perhaps there is comfort.
Perhaps there is discomfort.
Perhaps there is heaviness.
Perhaps there is lightness.
Perhaps there is stillness.
Perhaps there is restlessness.
Whatever is present,
Simply notice.
This is directly present.
This is known.
No story is needed.
No judgment is needed.
Just direct experience.
We now come to the Sankalpa.
The Sankalpa is the short,
Positive statement of inner intention.
Whatever is your Sankalpa,
Whatever is your intention.
Repeated silently three times,
With attention,
With sincerity,
As though planting a seed in the deeper mind.
Let the Sankalpa settle.
There is nothing more to do with it now.
We now begin the rotation of consciousness through the body.
Move awareness from one point to the next but do not move the physical body.
Simply hear the name of each part and feel it inwardly.
They may not be.
The name of Ed.
We begin with the right hand.
Right Hand Thumb 2nd finger Third finger.
4th finger.
5th finger.
Bob of the Hand.
Back of the hand.
List Lower arm.
Elbow Oppa arm?
Shoulder I'm back.
Right side of the chest.
Light Waste Right Hip.
Right Thigh kneecap Back of the knee.
Garg.
Shin.
Ankle Heal soul of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Light a big door?
2nd Tool Todd.
Forward.
The whole right side.
The whole right side is known.
Move to the left hand.
Left Hand Thumb 2nd finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger 5th finger.
Palm of the hand Back of the hand.
Rest.
Lower arm.
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Left waist,
Left hip.
Left Thigh Kneecap.
Back of the knee.
Gov.
Shin Angel Heal Soul of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Left Big Dough.
2nd Tool Thod.
Fold.
Fifth.
The whole left side.
The whole left side is known.
Now the back of the body.
Back of the head.
Back of the neck.
Right Shoulder Blade Left Shoulder Blade the whole upper back.
Middle back.
Lower back.
Right Buttock.
Left buttock.
The whole spine.
From the base of the spine to the back of the head.
The entire back body.
The back body is known.
Now the front of the body.
Top of the head.
For the head.
The Right Temple Left temple.
Right Eyebrow Left Eyebrow The space between the eyebrows.
Right eye.
Left Eye Right Ear.
Left yo.
Right Cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose,
Tip of the Nose Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Jen?
Drought.
Right Collarbone Left Collarbone.
Center of the chest.
Light side of the chest.
Left Side of the Chest Upper abdomen.
Navel Lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
The whole front body.
The front body is known.
Now bring your awareness to 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 head.
The face,
The throat,
The chest.
The abdomen.
The pelvis.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body still.
Supported.
None.
The body is present.
Sensation is peasant.
The body is known.
Awareness is here.
Bring your attention to the natural breath.
Notice the breath entering the nostrils.
Notice the breath leaving the nostrils.
Coolness as the breath enters.
Soft warmth as the breath leaves.
Feel the breath moving in the chest.
The chest rises.
The chest falls.
Feel the breath moving in the abdomen.
The abdomen rises.
The abdomen falls.
There is nothing to control.
No need to improve the bread.
No need to make it spiritual.
Simply notice what is directly present.
Breath Entering Breath Living.
Chest rising.
Just falling.
Abdomen moving.
The breadth is known.
We now awaken opposite experiences.
Do not force anything.
Allow each experience to arise gently through memory.
And imagination.
Awaken the feeling of certainty.
A moment when the mind felt sure.
A moment when you believed,
I know what this means.
Feel certainty in the body.
Perhaps there is firmness,
Tightness,
Strength.
Cloth tea.
Or even tension.
Certainty is present.
Certainty is known.
Release certainty.
Now awaken the feeling of not knowing.
A moment when you did not yet have the answer.
A moment when the mind could not fully understand.
A moment of uncertainty.
Feel not knowing in the body.
Perhaps openness,
Restlessness,
Softness,
Discomfort,
Space.
Not knowing is present.
Not knowing is known.
Release not knowing.
Awaken the experience of Reaction.
A moment when the mind jumped quickly to a conclusion.
A moment when a thought became urgent.
A moment when the body reacted before clarity arrived.
Awaken the Experience of Reaction.
Feel the action gently.
Perhaps tightening.
Key.
Speed.
Threshold.
The action is pleasant.
The action is known.
The Lease of the Action.
Now awaken the experience of discernment.
A moment when you pause.
A moment when you looked carefully.
A moment when you did not believe the first story.
A moment when wisdom guided your response.
Feel discernment in the body.
Perhaps steadiness,
Groundedness,
Calm,
Clarity,
Space.
Discernment is present.
Discernment is known.
Release disarmament.
Let all opposites dissolve.
Rest in the awareness that contains them all.
And imagine now that you are standing in a quiet inner room.
A quiet inner room.
The room is spacious and peaceful.
The light is soft.
The air is still.
You are safe here.
You are not here to fight the mind.
You are here to see clearly.
In front of you.
Are tree lamps.
Each lamp represents one correct source of knowledge.
The first lamp is Pratyaksha.
Direct perception.
The second lamp is Anumana.
Careful inference.
The third lamp is Agama.
The liable wisdom.
You walk toward the first lamp.
The Lamp of Pratyaksha.
Direct perception.
What is directly seen,
Directly heard.
Directly felt,
Directly known in experience.
Allow this lamp to glow gently.
Notice your body.
Notice the breath.
Notice sensation.
Notice sound.
This is direct experience.
Before story,
Before judgment.
Before assumption.
Silently ask.
What is directly present.
Perhaps the answer is simple.
Body Sound sensation,
Stillness,
Movement.
Silently Say.
This?
Is directly known.
That the Aksar is known.
Step back.
Return to the quiet inner you.
And walk toward the second lamp,
The lamp of Anumana.
Infidels Careful reasoning,
A conclusion drawn from science and evidence.
Allow this lamp to glow.
Imagine seeing smoke in the distance.
And recognizing there may be fire.
You do not see the fire directly,
But you reason carefully.
From what is present.
This is inference.
Not anxious guessing.
Not catastrophizing.
Not fear pretending to be truth,
But careful,
Careful reasoning.
Silently ask.
What conclusion am I drawing?
Is this conclusion reasonable?
Could there be another explanation?
Let the mind become honest.
Not harsh,
Not suspicious,
Just honest.
And silently say,
This is careful reasoning.
Anumana is known.
Step back.
Return to the quiet inner room.
And walk toward the third lamp,
The lamp of Agama.
Reliable Testimony trusted wisdom,
Guidance from a source worthy of trust.
Allow this lamp to glow.
And imagine the presence of a wise teacher.
All a sacred teaching.
Or a grounded mentor or a compassionate friend.
Feel the quality of reliable wisdom.
It is steady.
It is not loud.
It does not force.
It does not flatter the ego.
It does not frighten the heart.
It points you back to clarity.
Silently Say.
This is the liable wisdom.
Agama is known.
Step back and return once more to the quiet inner loop.
The tree lamps shine before you.
That the Exxon Anumana Agama direct perception,
Careful inference and reliable wisdom and together.
They illuminate the path of clear seeing.
Silently the Pete I see clearly.
I reason carefully.
I listen wisely.
Rest in the light of the tree lamps.
Now imagine that you are walking through a quiet forest.
The air is cool.
The ground beneath your feet is steady.
The trees stand tall around you.
There is a deep silence here.
Ahead?
You see a small pool of water.
A clear fool.
Still Reflective.
Resting quietly beneath the trees.
You sit beside the pool.
At first,
The surface is slightly disturbed.
A few ripples move across the water.
Leaves float on the surface.
Small patterns of light shift and change.
This pool.
Represents the mind.
When the surface is disturbed,
Reflection becomes unclear,
Shapes become distorted.
A tree may look broken,
The sky may look scattered,
The light may appear fragmented.
But the tree is not broken.
The sky is not scattered.
Only the surface of the water is moving.
In the same way.
When the mind is disturbed,
Perception can become distorted.
We may not see clearly.
We may see true fear.
True Memory.
True Assumption,
True Hadi.
Now imagine the ripples beginning to soften.
The leaves drift gently to the edges.
The water becomes clear though.
The surface becomes still.
As the pool settles.
The reflection becomes more accurate.
The trees are reflected clearly.
The sky appears whole.
The light becomes steady.
Feel this in your own mind.
The mind does not need to be forced into clarity.
It settles when awareness becomes steady.
Now look into the clear pool.
And see tree reflections in the water.
The first reflection is the body.
This is direct experience,
Pratyaksha.
The second reflection is a path through the forest.
This is careful reasoning.
Anumana.
A path followed step by step.
The third reflection is a small flame.
Like a lamp held by a wise guide.
This is reliable wisdom,
Agama.
Body,
Bye.
Lamb.
Direct perception.
Careful Reasoning the liable wisdom.
Silently repeat.
What is directly present?
What is the careful conclusion?
What wisdom can guide me?
The pool remains clear.
The mind becomes steady.
Aubanus seized.
Now bring to mind one current thought.
Concern or Situation Choose something gentle enough to observe,
Not the most overwhelming issue in your life.
Something that you can hold with awareness.
Let it appear.
Notice the words.
The Images The feeling in the body.
Now ask softly.
What do I directly know?
Let the facts become simple.
What has actually happened?
What was actually said,
What is actually present.
What do I directly know?
Now ask.
What am I assuming?
What meaning has the mind added?
What story has formed?
What conclusion has appeared?
What am I assuming?
Now ask.
Is this conclusion reasonable?
Is there enough evidence?
Could there be another explanation?
Is fear speaking as certainty?
And now,
Us.
What reliable wisdom can guide me?
What would a wise teacher the mind be?
What would compassion say?
What would Cladity say?
What would the yoga path invite here?
And silently the beat.
I do not need to believe every conclusion of the mind.
I can pause.
I can see clearly.
I Can Respond From Awareness.
Let the situation dissolve.
Return to the body.
The dawn to the bed.
The turn to Simple Awareness.
And bring your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your resolve,
The same one that you made at the beginning of the practice.
Bring that Sankalpa back into awareness.
And repeated silently three times.
Feel the Sankalpa settling into the deeper mind.
Let it become a quiet reminder in daily life.
And become aware of the physical body.
Feel the body resting on the surface beneath you.
Notice the natural breath.
The rise and fall of the abdomen.
The movement of the chest.
The air entering and leaving the nostrils.
Become aware of the area that you are practicing Yoga Nidra in.
The Temperature of the Air The Touch of Clothing the surface beneath the body.
Start making small movements with the fingers,
With the toes.
Take a deep breath in.
And release.
Stretch yourself if it feels right.
And notice the quality of the mind.
There may still be thoughts.
There may still be emotions.
There may still be uncertainty.
And that is alright.
The practice is not to remove every thought.
The practice for now is to see more clearly.
And once you are sure that you are wide awake.
Gently open your eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hadi om tat sat.
