Sweeping Breath With Yoga Nidra

This is a classic relaxation practice beginning with sweeping awareness through our physical body, through our energy and chakras, and resting in the stillness in the heart center in yoga Nidra. Imagine that you are standing in a warm tropical waterfall allowing all the stress in your body to sweep away.

Transcript

Allow your body to be in your awareness and to be supported by the environment If you're lying down or laying back,

You'll be supported through the whole of your back body and notice that let yourself settle into that support And if there's anything in your body that it feels uncomfortable or that you could do to adjust a little bit You've always got the opportunity to do that as well And then as we're more comfortable,

We're more likely to be able to be still in the practice Which is helpful in this particular practice It's helpful not to move your physical body around too much And if you need to move then just move and then come back into stillness Notice the whole of your back back of your head and neck behind your shoulders the large muscles of the upper back Now through your mid and lower back back of your arms back of your legs and notice the whole of your front forehead and eyebrows mouth and jaw Touching in to bring our whole body into awareness Notice your chest your stomach the front of your arms and legs and then imagine That you're allowing your awareness to flow From the top of your head all the way down through to your toes Sometimes people might if you have a visual mind you might do this as a practice of Imagining that you're standing under a warm tropical waterfall for instance And when we stand under warm water,

We can feel the pathway of that Comes to the top of our head down through the back of the neck and shoulders down through our arms and legs Over the face and now through our chest and stomach allow yourself to experience that flow of relaxation or softening and then begin to be aware of your breath Each time you breathe out Allow your awareness to flow with your breath starting from the top of your head through your eyebrows Maybe hold there for a breath or two and then go from the eyebrows and eyes down through to the mouth and jaw Let the water kind of continue to flow but Pausing there with your breath your face soften and then coming down into the neck and shoulders As you're breathing out allow the sides of the neck to soften through your face and throat to the collarbones From the back of your head down through the back of your neck into your upper back And each time you start an exhalation start from the top of your head Let your awareness flow down through your body the front and the back of your body the sides For a few breaths bring your awareness along the sides of your neck over your shoulders and down into your arms And let that stream that flow of awareness Carry away any pain or tension or tiredness out of your arms Drain out through your hands fingers fingertips Each time you breathe out start from the top of your head Allow your awareness to flow over the neck and shoulders down through your hands Letting your arms and hands release any tension bring your attention to the back of your body Let your awareness flow along the back of the head neck and shoulders the large muscles of the upper back Down through your mid and lower back the back of your arms back of your legs so that this flow Coming from the top of your head down through the whole of your back body down through the back of your legs Allow your legs to relax and soften And coming back to the front again from the face mouth and jaw the collarbones down through the large muscles of your chest Through your stomach area lower belly Down through your legs your whole body head to toes aware of your physical body the front back sides And also the interior of your body let your awareness flow A little bit more in the center of your chest and your lower back And the top of the head through the brain mouth jaw down through your neck and you can pause anytime you want I'm just going to take a breath or two there and then continue down through your chest your heart center Stomach area now through the lower belly Through the hips down into the legs and now bring your awareness in from your physical body Remain aware of your breath.

Now.

We're going to go from point to point from the top of the head the crown chakra Exhale just to the eyebrow center the agnya chakra just behind the forehead inhale back to the crown of your head Allow your awareness to flow with your breath Exhaling from the crown chakra to the eyebrow center And then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head And then we're going to go to the crown of your head and then we're going to go to the crown of your head Inhale from the crown chakra,

Eyebrow center,

Throat center to the heart center And then smooth turn around at the heart center right back up Let your awareness flow gently up from the crown To the heart center,

Heart center to the crown This unbroken continuous breath and flow of awareness And then on your next exhalation allow your awareness flow down through to the manapura chakra,

The navel center Inhale back up through that same channel to the crown And as you're exhaling and inhaling let that flow of awareness be smooth Continuous Crown of the head through that channel to the navel center inhale back to the crown And as soon as you're reaching the top of your head you're finishing your inhale And then turning it around let your awareness flow back down Your mind be awake alert And then on the next exhalation allow your awareness to flow from the crown of the head to your root chakra,

Maladhara Inhale back to the crown Even though there's this longer distance Don't rush with your mind.

Take your time Exhale and inhale let your awareness be soft and flowing And now let your awareness pause and rest in the ajna chakra,

The forehead,

The eyebrow center Imagine that you're breathing in and out through the eyebrow center And then bring your awareness to your throat center,

The shudhi chakra And imagine that your breath is flowing in and out through the throat center Keep bringing your attention in from other times other places just focusing on the throat center right now Aware of the breath and then on the next exhale let your awareness flow down into the heart center And imagine that you're breathing in and out through the heart center You might be aware of your physical body,

The chest,

Front and back of the heart center Bringing your attention from that into the heart chakra Anahata chakra.

Let go of even the breath Bring your awareness into stillness No thoughts,

No breath.

Let your awareness rest in the stillness in the heart center No thoughts,

No breath.

Let your awareness rest in the stillness in the heart center Your mind awake And alert.

If thoughts come into the mind let them move away to the background Focusing on the stillness in the heart center.

No thoughts,

No breath Maintain that stillness,

The awareness of the stillness,

The alertness in your mind Let your awareness rest If you've fallen asleep or if your mind has gotten engaged with something,

That's okay Just bring yourself back into alertness into this moment into the practice Engage with your attention resting in the heart center.

Let your awareness move towards the stillness No thoughts,

Not even awareness of breath.

Just resting in stillness.

In a moment,

We're going to come out of the practice Bring a little bit of awareness back into your breath And then as you're breathing in begin to let your awareness flow from the heart center Upwards through the throat center and the eyebrow center to the crown of the head.

Exhale back through to the heart If your mind has gone to sleep bring yourself back to awake If your mind has wandered off bring it back again to this flow of awareness Now begin to let your awareness flow from the crown through the eyebrow center to the base of the nostrils Letting it flow through this asumna channel from the base of the nose Breathing in to the eyebrow center exhale from the eyebrow center to the base of the nose And then to come out of the yoga nidra practice,

Especially if you're lying down And if you're sitting up as well,

Let's take a couple of minutes to do that You could bring a little bit of movement into your fingers and toes Take a few deeper breaths and roll over onto your left side support your head with your arm bend your knees And begin to notice the energy in the whole right side of your body and notice the flow of air in your right nostril And then over the next minute or so bringing yourself back up to sitting If you've fallen asleep wake yourself up come back to the room

Reviews

I loved so much about it - your voice, the lovely silences, the chakra flow… but when told not to think of breathing, like not thinking about a pink elephant, I couldn’t not think about breathing. 😁