Yoga Nidra.
Unwind.
And now prepare for Yoga Nidra.
Lie down and make yourself comfortable.
You may wish to place a pillow under your head and knees to ensure comfort in the body.
Adjust the head,
Neck and shoulders so that they are in line with your spine and allow your arms and legs to splay outwards with palms facing up.
Make any last adjustments so that the body can remain completely still throughout the practice.
However,
If any discomfort prevents you from following the practice,
There is no harm in adjusting the body.
During Yoga Nidra,
We focus on the act of hearing and feeling,
Heightening our awareness.
And the only thing to remember is to follow the voice of the instructor with feeling and your complete attention.
Now close your eyes,
Allowing them to soften and sink towards the back of the head.
Bring your awareness to the breath in the body.
Take a big inhale.
And in the next exhale,
Let your body fall completely heavy.
And again,
Big inhale.
Completely letting go.
Let your body fall heavy.
Sinking deeper and deeper.
Just letting go.
And now become aware of the sounds outside the room,
One by one.
And now bring your awareness to the sounds inside the room,
One by one.
And now bring your awareness to the entire physical body,
Lying on the floor,
In complete stillness.
From the top of the head to the tips of the toes.
Feel the body become heavier and heavier.
The legs fall heavy.
The head falls heavy.
And say silently within,
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
I am awake and alert.
And now we will begin to rotate the consciousness to different parts of the body.
We will move quickly from one part to another.
And all you have to do is bring your awareness to each part of the body by either imagining or simply bringing your awareness there.
Or you may wish to repeat the name of the part of the body after the voice.
And so now we begin.
Bring awareness to the fingers on the right hand.
Palm of the right hand.
Right wrist.
Right elbow.
Right shoulder.
And right armpit.
Bring awareness to the right waist.
Right knee.
Right ankle.
Sole of the right foot.
Bring awareness to the toes of the right foot.
Remaining awake and alert.
And now bring awareness to the fingers on the left hand.
Left elbow.
Left shoulder.
Bring awareness to the left waist.
Left knee.
Sole of the left foot.
Bring awareness to the toes of the left foot.
And now bring awareness to the back of the body.
Both shoulder blades.
Bring awareness to the top of the head.
Both eyebrows.
Space between the eyebrows.
Bring awareness to both eyes.
The nose.
Tip of the nose.
Both nostrils.
Bring awareness to the lips.
Jaws.
Remaining awake and alert.
Now bring awareness to the chest.
The heart center.
And the belly.
Bring awareness to both legs at the same time.
Both arms at the same time.
Back of the body.
Bring awareness to the whole body.
Remaining awake and alert.
And now bring awareness to the rise and fall of the breath in the body.
Bring awareness to the breath as it rises and falls from the heart center.
And now maintaining awareness of the breath rising and falling from the heart center.
Begin counting the breaths from 8 to 1.
The breath rises 8,
Falls 8.
It rises 7,
Falls 7.
It rises 6,
It falls 6.
It rises 5,
It falls 5.
And now continue from 4 to 1.
And now stop your counting.
Bring awareness to the rise and fall of the breath in the body.
And imagine lying in a field of emerald green grass.
Wild flowers strewn about with their fragrant smell filling the air.
The warmth of the sun caresses the skin.
Listening to the magical sounds of sweet singing birds.
Above is a vast blue sky as far as the eyes can see.
Feeling expansive.
And now bring your awareness back to the breath as it rises and falls in the body.
Feel the weight of the body on the floor.
And bring your attention to the sounds outside the room.
Now lie quietly,
Keeping your eyes closed.
Noticing the effects of the practice.
Making a commitment to bring these benefits into the rest of your day.
Gently begin to awaken the body with small gestures of your fingers and toes.
And perhaps your head side to side.
Rub your hands together creating heat.
And then place them on your eyes.
And begin to gently massage your face.
And now bring your knees to your chest and roll over to the right side.
Gently bring yourself into an upright position.
Spend a moment to acknowledge the beauty inside.
Giving thanks to that which you feel grateful.
Practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
