Hari Om Tat Sat Please get ready for the practice of Yoga Nidra Lie down in Shavasana Spend a little bit of time checking the position making sure that the body is completely comfortable Make all the necessary adjustments right now Check that the feet are slightly apart Arms a little away from the body with the palms facing upwards The head,
Neck and trunk in one straight line Take a few deep breaths now and begin to settle into the posture Feel the body relaxing with the out breath Feel a sense of letting go on a physical and mental level Feel the contact of the body between the floor There is a thin line of contact between the body and the floor Sense this thin line of contact and simply feel it from the heels all the way to the back of the head and everything in between Feel the body in contact with the floor And now shift the attention to the lips The two lips touching each other and in the same way observe the thin layer of contact between the lips The lips And now the eyelids In the same way observe the contact between the upper and lower eyelids Shift back to the body and the floor once again feeling the contact of the whole body against the floor The lips,
Once again the lips The lips The eyelids Feel the contact between the eyelids and the body and the floor Feel the whole body The body is becoming still and steady and begin to notice within that stillness there is the movement of breathing Without interfering just step back and watch as if someone else is breathing Spontaneous movement of breathing within the body Notice the rise and fall of the abdomen as a consequence of this natural breath Feel the touch of the cool air on the skin now The touch of the clothing Begin to notice the sounds that are happening around you Take all the attention outside and begin to observe sounds Like a radar detect even the most distant sounds Listen for a few moments and then move on to a different sound and like this move from sound to sound Don't let the attention introvert If thoughts come acknowledge them and then take the awareness back out and hold the attention with the sounds Begin to draw the awareness now closer to the sounds that are happening just inside the building or inside the room Come closer still now and detect the faint sound of breathing The friction of the air as it touches the nostrils and the throat and detect the slight change of temperature between the inhalation and the exhalation A sense of coolness on the in-breath and warmth on the out-breath Just watching and feeling the change of temperature on the in- and out-breath Now is the time to make the sankalpa Repeat the sankalpa mentally three times with feeling and awareness Leave the sankalpa The next stage of yoga nidra is the body rotation As parts of the body are named simply feel that part and then move the awareness on to the next part Begin with the right hand thumb Feel and bring all the attention to the right hand thumb and just touch the awareness there And now move to the index finger The middle finger Ring finger Little finger Palm of the right hand Back of the hand Wrist Lower arm Elbow Upper arm Shoulder Armpit Side of the waist Hip Feel the upper right leg Knee Lower right leg Ankle Heel Sole of the right foot Top of the foot Big toe Second toe Third toe Fourth toe Fifth toe Feel the whole right side of the body Now take the attention to the left side of the body and beginning with the left hand thumb Feel the left hand thumb Index finger Middle finger Ring finger Little finger Palm of the left hand Back of the hand Wrist Lower arm Elbow Upper arm Shoulder Armpit Side of the waist Hip Upper left leg Knee Lower left leg Ankle Heel Sole of the left foot Top of the foot Big toe Second toe Third Fourth Fifth Check the attention Remaining alert Remaining awake Moving to the back of the body now Beginning with the right buttock Feel the right buttock Left buttock Lower back Middle back Upper back Spinal column Run the awareness from the bottom to the top Feel the whole spinal column Back of the neck Back of the head Crown of the head The front side of the body Feel the forehead The right temple Left temple Right eyebrow Left eyebrow The eyebrow center Feel the eyebrow center Right eye Left eye Right ear Left ear Right cheek Left cheek Bridge of the nose Nose tip Right nostril Left nostril Upper lip Lower lip The meeting point between the two lips Teeth Tongue Throat Right collarbone Left collarbone Right chest Left chest The center of the chest Upper abdomen Navel Lower abdomen Pelvic floor Whole right leg and foot Whole left leg and foot Whole right arm and hand Whole left arm and hand Whole trunk Front,
Back,
Sides The whole face and head Now feel the whole head Both arms Both legs The trunk The head The arms The legs The trunk The whole body Have an experience,
A feeling of the whole body all at once Whole body awareness Whole body awareness Within the stillness of the body begin to observe once again the process of breathing Step back and witness this process It's effortless,
It's spontaneous As if someone else is breathing Without interfering,
Just let the breath happen quite naturally Notice how the body is breathing And begin to focus on the abdominal area now The rise and fall of the abdomen And begin to count this breath From the number 9 back to 0 Breathing in 9 Breathing out 9 And like this keep counting and watching the breath Keep checking the attention Let there be a sense of total relaxation But keep a small window of the mind active Observing and counting the breath Shift the attention now to the nostrils And in the same way Counting and observing the breathing within this space Starting from the number 9 If the count is lost or number 0 is reached Simply start again Keep checking the attention Counting with the awareness at the nostrils And now leave the awareness of the breath Leave the count Leave all that Take the attention to the space behind the closed eyes Chidakash The space of the mind Where dreams are experienced And as if sitting back in a comfy chair Just watch this space Like slides being projected onto a screen And let the following images roll onto the screen With absolute ease Imagine blue sky Blue sky With white drifting clouds Slowly moving through the sky Blue sky A forest with tall trees A bonfire on a beach The sound of waves crashing on the beach A horse racing A tall mountain A field of sunflowers A candle in a cave Raindrops The symbol of Aum The symbol of Aum Crescent moon at night Crescent moon on a starlit night A raging fire A raging fire A candle flame Jyoti,
A candle flame And keep watching the space of Chidakash The space of the mind With the attitude of a witness now Without interfering Without any sense of hope or repression Just let whatever needs to be,
Be And be the witness For the next minute or so Just be a witness and allow All the thoughts,
Feelings,
Whatever it is that's there To come up and just let them go And within the space of the mind Now repeat the sankalpa Three times mentally With feeling and awareness Repeat the sankalpa three times Allow the sankalpa to take root In the deeper levels of the mind And now bring your awareness Back to your physical body Remember where you are And what you've been doing Begin to deepen the breath Take a slightly deeper breath in Feel the contact of your body against the floor Feel the arms,
The legs in contact with the floor Remember where you are Visualize the room you're laying in The walls,
The color of the floor Take the attention now outside And begin to listen to the sounds That are happening around you Let them remind you where you are And what you've been doing In the time of day And then slowly bring the attention back in Back into your body Back into the here and now Begin to wriggle the fingers The toes Move the head from side to side Hari Om Tat Sat Hari Om Tat Sat Hari Om Tat Sat The practice of yoga nidra is now complete Stretch the body however you need to And open the eyes
