Namaste.
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice inspired by Yoga Sutra 1.
4 At other times,
The seer identifies with the movements of the mind.
This Sutta reminds us how easily a thought,
Emotion,
Memory or story can feel like the whole of who we are.
In this practice,
You are invited to rest deeply and gently create space around the movements of the mind.
You do not need to fight your thoughts or push anything away.
Simply notice what arises and remember.
This is present.
This is known.
This is not the whole of me.
Allow the body to rest,
The breath to soften and awareness to become spacious.
So let's get ready for Yoga Nidra.
Lie down in a comfortable position.
Traditionally,
Yoga Nidra is practiced lying on the back.
The legs resting slightly apart,
The feet falling outward and the arms resting a little away from the sides of the body.
You can let the palms face upward.
If you are doing this practice sitting down,
Make sure your spine is upright.
And you can rest your hands on your knees or your thighs with your palms facing upward.
Make any adjustments you need to make.
Make sure your body is well supported and feels safe.
And if lying on the back is not comfortable.
You may lie on your side or choose whatever position gives you this.
Allow the eyes to close.
Allow the eyes to close and let the body become still.
Feel the surface beneath you.
Notice the points of contact.
Feel how the ground receives you.
You do not need to hold yourself up.
You do not need to carry anything for these next few moments.
Let the body be held.
Take a slope that thin.
And breathe out gently.
One more time.
A slow breath in.
And a long easy breath out.
Now allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
There is no need to control it.
No need to deepen that.
Simply notice the breath is happening.
The body is resting.
Awareness is present.
Now bring awareness to the body.
The whole body from the crown of the head.
Do the tips of the fingers.
To the tips of the toes.
Perhaps there is comfort.
Perhaps there is discomfort.
Perhaps there is heaviness,
Perhaps there is restlessness.
Whatever is present,
Simply recognize.
This is an experience.
This is known.
Silently the Peep I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
Either mean awake and aware.
We now come to the Sankalpa.
The Sankalpa is a short,
Clear statement of inner intention.
And it is planted gently into the deeper mind.
For this practice,
You may use I observe the movements of the mind without becoming them.
Or choose any other Sankalpa,
Your own simple statement in positive language.
Whatever your Sankalpa,
Repeat it silently three times,
With full attention.
With quiet sincerity,
Repeat your Sankalpa three times.
Let the words settle into the deeper layers of awareness.
There is nothing more to do with them now.
We now begin the rotation of consciousness through the body.
Move awareness from one point to the next.
Do not move the physical body.
Simply hear the name of each part.
And feel it inwardly.
They've been a week.
The men are bad.
We begin with the right hand.
Right Hand Thumb 2nd finger Third finger.
4th finger 5th finger Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
This.
Lower arm.
Elbow Upper arm.
Shoulder armpit Right side of the waist.
Right Hip.
Light Thai.
Kneecap.
Back of the knee.
Gov.
Shin.
Angle Heal.
Soul of the right foot.
Top of the foot.
Like a big dog.
2nd toe.
Third door.
Forward.
Feel the whole right side.
The whole right side is known.
Now 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.
I'm back.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Left thigh.
Kneecap Back of the D.
Caw.
Shin.
Ankle Heal.
Soul of the left foot.
Top of the foot.
Left a big dole.
2nd Toe Third door.
For dough.
Fifth door.
Feel the whole left side.
The whole left side is known.
Now the back of the body.
Back of the head.
Right Shoulder Blade Left Shoulder Blade the whole upper back.
Middle back.
Lower back.
Right buttock Left buttock.
The whole spine.
The whole spine from the base of the spine to the back of the neck.
The entire back body.
The back body is known.
Now move to the front of the body.
Top of the head.
For the head.
Right Temple Left temple.
Thight Eyebrow Left Eyebrow The Space Between the Eyebrows Right eye.
Left eye.
Right.
Yo.
Left Yaw.
The right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose,
Tip of the Nose Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin.
Growth.
Right Collarbone Left collarbone.
Right side of the chest.
Left Side of the Chest center of the chest.
Upper abdomen.
Navel Lower abdomen.
The whole front body.
The front body is known.
Now bring 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 torso,
The arms,
The legs,
The whole body.
Still Supported.
No.
The body is present.
The body is experienced.
But you are aware of the body.
The body is known.
Bring your attention to the natural breath.
Notice the breath entering the nostrils.
Notice the breath leaving the nostril.
Coolness as the breath enters.
Gentle warmth as it 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 folds.
The breath changes from moment to moment.
Some breaths are long.
Some breaths are short.
Some breaths are deep.
Some breaths are subtle.
Each breath arises.
Eat Bread Bosses.
Each breath is known.
We now awaken opposite experiences.
There is no need to force anything.
Allow memory and imagination to bring each experience gently into awareness.
Identification Recall the feeling of being completely caught in a thought or emotion.
Perhaps a moment when worry felt like reality.
A moment when anger took over.
When shame became heavy,
When a story in the mind felt absolutely true.
Do not choose anything overwhelming,
Just touch the feeling of being caught.
The body may tighten.
The breath may change.
The mind may not feel the experience of identification.
Notice.
Identification is present.
Identification is known.
Release identification.
Now awaken the opposite experience,
Spaciousness,
The feeling of space around a thought.
A moment when you could pause.
A moment when an emotion was present.
But you did not have to act from it.
A moment when you recognized this is happening,
But this is not the whole of me.
Feel spaciousness in the body.
Space around the chest.
Space around the mind.
Space around the breath.
Spaciousness is present.
Spaciousness is known.
Release spaciousness.
Bring awareness now to the inner field of the mind.
The inner field of the mind.
Do not search for silence.
Do not try to create a blank mind.
Simply observe.
Perhaps a thought appears.
Notice a thought is present.
A thought is known.
Perhaps an image appears.
An image is present.
An image is known.
Perhaps a memory appears.
A memory is present.
A memory is known.
Perhaps an emotion appears.
An emotion is present,
An emotion is known.
Whatever appears,
Whatever appears,
Silently say,
This is a movement in the mind.
This is a movement in the mind.
It is not the whole of me.
It is not the whole of me.
You do not need to argue with the mind.
You do not need to correct it.
You do not need to suppress it.
Simply see the movement as movement.
A wave as a wave.
A cloud as a cloud.
A thought as a thought.
This seeing is the beginning of freedom.
Now imagine that you are walking through a quiet hall.
The hall is spacious,
Softly lit.
There's no hurry.
The flow beneath your feet is steady.
The air is calm.
Along the walls of this hall,
You see many masks.
Each mask.
Represents a role,
A thought,
A feeling,
Or the story you may have identified with.
One mask may say,
The Vanu must always be strong.
Another Missy!
The one who is not enough.
Another may say the one who has failed.
Another may say,
The one who must please everyone.
Another may say the one who is afraid.
Another may say the one who must be in control.
Walk slowly through this hall.
Notice the mass without judgment.
Notice the masks without judgement.
Some may feel familiar.
Some may feel old.
Some may feel heavy.
Some may once have protected you.
You stop before one mask that feels familiar.
Again,
Choose gently.
Do not choose anything overwhelming.
Simply notice one identity or one story that you have carried.
Look at the mask.
See its color.
It's she.
Its expression.
Notice the feeling it creates in the body.
Now silently say,
This is a form the mind has taken.
This is not the whole of me.
You may acknowledge the mask.
Perhaps it tried to protect you.
Perhaps it formed during a difficult time.
Perhaps it helped you survive.
There is no need to hate it.
There is no need to fight it.
There is only the possibility of seeing it clearly.
Now imagine gently removing the mask from your face if you have been wearing it.
Or taking it from your hands if you have been holding it.
And place it on a small table before you.
You can see it.
But you are no longer wearing it.
You can acknowledge it.
But you no longer need to become it.
Notice the space around your face.
The openness in the breath.
The softness in the body.
And silently the peach.
I can see this stodhi.
I do not need to become it.
I am the awareness that knows it.
Continue walking through the hall.
The masks remain on the walls.
They are no longer hidden.
They are no longer ruling from the dark.
They are seen,
And because they are seen,
They begin to lose their grip.
At the end of the hall,
You see an open doorway.
And beyond the doorway is a wide sky.
Step through the doorway.
Feel fresh air.
Feel open space.
Feel the body standing beneath the sky.
The Hall of Mass is behind you.
The open sky is around you.
And awareness is your rest in this openness.
And now bring to mind one thought.
Or one identity that you sometimes mistake for who you are.
Choose gently.
Once again something simple enough to observe without overwhelm.
Perhaps I am not enough,
Or I am always responsible,
Or I must be in control.
I am alone,
I am behind,
I cannot change.
Allow the phrase to appear in the mind.
Do not force emotion,
Simply notice the words.
And now,
Recognize.
This is a thought.
This is a movement in the mind.
This is known.
Now imagine placing the words on a leaf floating on water.
The leaf rests on the surface of a slow-moving stream.
Read the words once more.
Acknowledge that they may have felt true.
Acknowledge that they may have shaped choices.
Acknowledge that they may have been carried for a long time.
And now silently say,
This thought has been present.
But it is not the whole of me.
I can let it move.
And watch the leaf begin to drift along the stream slowly,
Gently,
Not forced,
Not rejected,
Simply allowed to move.
The words become smaller as the leaf moves further away.
The stream carries it onward.
The awareness that saw the thought remains.
The space that held the thought remains.
You remain.
Less.
And bring your Sankalpa back into awareness,
The same intention that you planted at the beginning of the practice.
If you chose,
I observed the movements of the mind without becoming them.
Or whatever was your Sankalpa,
Repeat it silently three times.
Allow the Sankalpa to settle deeply.
Let it become a quiet reminder in your daily life.
And become aware of your physical body.
Feel the body resting on whatever surface it is practicing yoga nidra on.
Notice the natural breadth.
The rise and fall of the abdomen.
The Movement of the Chairs the air entering and leaving the nostrils.
Become aware of the area around you.
The Temperature of the Air The Touch of Clothing the surface beneath the body.
Invite small movements into the fingers.
Into the toes.
Stretch yourself if it feels right.
And when you are ready.
Gently open your eyes.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Adiom.
That's sad.
