Yoga Nidra For Veterinary Professionals

Experience deep relaxation with this specialized Yoga Nidra meditation crafted to support veterinary professionals in finding profound rest and rejuvenation. Yoga Nidra, often referred to as "yogic sleep," is a guided meditation that systematically induces a state of conscious relaxation. In this practice tailored for veterinary professionals, soothing imagery and affirmations are used to release the accumulated stress of caring for animals, promoting mental and emotional well-being while fostering a sense of inner calm.

Allow the gentle guidance of this meditation to guide you into a state of profound relaxation, replenishing your energy and promoting overall balance in your busy life.

Trigger Warning: This practice may include references to death, dying, and the departed.

Transcript

Come into your Savasana,

A comfortably relaxed position on your back with your arms down by your side and your palms turned upward towards the sky.

Let your legs and feet fall apart to the sides of your mat and softly close your eyes.

You might choose to support the underside of your knees with a blanket or bolster if your lower back feels uncomfortable.

And as we come into this practice of deep relaxation,

Your head and back body will become quite heavy and your body temperature will drop.

So support your head with a cushion or blanket and ensure that you're feeling warm and held by the blanket,

Props and space that you are in.

Please take a moment for any last adjustments to your body or clothing layers,

Then let your body become completely still.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

As you settle in,

Set the intention to remain awake,

Alert and in tune to my voice throughout the entire practice.

This practice allows the mind and body to still and if you remain focused on the instructions provided to explore the deep recesses of your subconscious.

So as you settle into Savasana,

Begin to bring your awareness to each of your senses,

Which allow you to perceive the environment you are in right now.

Feel the temperature in the room and on your skin.

Notice all the sounds including those far away from you as possible.

Feel the energetic presence of others with you in the room.

Hear the vibration and tone of my voice.

Notice any smells and the quality of the air and atmosphere all around you.

Then start to move your attention to one inch around your body,

Noticing all of the sensations that you pick up there.

Hear the beating of your heart within your chest.

See the color on the backs of your eyelids.

Hear the sound of blood rushing in your brain within your skull.

Feel the quality of your tongue against the roof of your mouth and teeth.

Feel any currents of energy or electricity moving through the nerves within your whole body.

Notice the sensation of air moving in through your nostrils,

Swirling through the back of your throat,

Into your trachea,

And down into your lungs.

Start to relax into the effortless joy that arises by noticing that life is living within you right now.

There's nothing you need to do to keep your heart beating,

Your breath moving,

And your energy radiating.

There is nothing you need to manipulate to make sure that your life force continues.

Begin to relax into the ease of watching your own life force and remind yourself that there is nowhere else that you need to be right now except here.

Relax completely.

Now let your attention come away from the breath and prepare to state your sankalpa.

Your sankalpa is also referred to as your resolve,

A personal affirmation that should be concise,

Chosen,

And positive.

This sankalpa will take the form of a short,

Simple statement made in the present tense beginning with I am.

When the mind is relaxed,

The seed of your sankalpa is ready to be planted onto the blank canvas of consciousness itself until it naturally manifests in your life.

State your sankalpa to yourself in your head three times with courage,

Sincerity,

And conviction now.

Also state I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am awake,

And relaxed.

We now transition the practice to rotation of consciousness through the different centers of the body.

Your awareness will move from each part of your body at the same speed as my voice.

Let your awareness fill each body part that I name as you simultaneously feel the body part,

Mentally repeat it,

And relax it.

During this rotation of consciousness,

Name and feel that part of your body,

But don't move it.

The practice will begin on the right side of the body.

Bring your awareness to your right hand,

Right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Right forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Right armpit,

Right side ribcage and waist,

Right hip,

Upper leg,

Right knee,

Lower leg,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Now bring your awareness to your left hand,

Left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side ribcage and waist,

Left hip,

Upper leg,

Left knee,

Lower leg,

Left ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Now we will move our consciousness from the soles of both feet up to the crown of the head using the back of the body.

Bring your awareness to the soles of both feet,

Right and left ankles,

Both of your calves,

Both of the knees,

Back of the right and left thigh,

Moving into the buttocks.

Then shift your awareness into your lower back,

Upper back,

Whole spine including all vertebrae from the sacrum into the cervical spine.

Then move your awareness into the right and left shoulder blades and both shoulder blades together,

Into the back of your neck,

Back of the head,

Crown of the head,

Then into your forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Center between the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eyeball and left eyeball,

Both the right and left cheeks,

Right and left ear,

Right nostril and left nostril,

The tip of your nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Your chin,

Your whole face and your throat.

Now bring your awareness to the body in parts.

Let your awareness fill your entire right arm,

Then your entire left arm and then both arms together.

Now let your awareness fill your entire right leg,

Your left leg and both legs together.

Then bring your awareness to the right side of your torso,

The left side of your torso,

The entire front of your body and the entire back of your body and now your whole head,

Whole body,

Whole body,

Whole body.

Maintain and hold awareness of the whole body.

Now bring your attention to your breath,

Your natural and spontaneous breath.

This breath that is breathing you,

Becoming increasingly aware of this natural force of life.

Follow the breath in through both nostrils,

Filling up the lungs evenly and symmetrically.

As this breath becomes the primary focus of your attention,

Feel the cells of your body start to vibrate more fully with every inhale as energy moves into the body.

Then feel the cells of your body begin to rest with every exhale as energy moves out of the body.

Continue to observe your breath as it brings energy in and out of the body.

Listen to the sound of the breath as it moves.

Now check that you are alert and continuing to engage in the practice of yoga nidra.

Now let go of your awareness of breath and shift your awareness into your whole body.

Notice your entire body and see it as an object lying on the floor.

Your head,

Arms,

Chest,

Legs,

Clothing,

See everything.

Now begin to awaken the feeling of cold in your body.

Imagine that you are experiencing being very cold,

Chilly cold as if you were outside on a winter day without enough cloisonne.

You feel this chill permeate through your entire body,

The blood moving to your core and a numbness that develops in your fingers,

Toes and nose.

Your entire body is cold,

Cold,

Cold.

Warmth,

Warmth,

Warmth.

Feel the cold melt away from your body as the sensation of warmth spreads over you.

Recall the feeling of heat on a warm summer day when you're out in the hot sun with no shade.

You feel the heat radiating on your skin and all around your body with sweat dripping from your face,

Your palms and down your back.

You feel the heat move through your entire body as your heart rate increases to pump warm blood to your limbs.

Your entire body feels warm,

Warm,

Warm.

Now bring into your mind an experience of failure.

The first thing that enters your mind when you think of a mistake or a disappointment.

Feel the failure in your mind and in your body,

But don't concentrate on its cause.

Notice the sensations that arise in your body and the thoughts that come up in your mind.

Create this experience of failure as clearly as you can.

Now imagine a large safety deposit box.

You have the key to this safety deposit box in your hand.

You use the key to open the safety deposit box and lift the lid.

Inside of this safety deposit box,

You put your experience of failure.

Now close the lid and turn the key.

The box is locked and your experience is safely put away.

Now allow the feeling of success to envelope you.

Embrace this experience as the sensation of success watches through your entire mind and body.

Your mind and body,

Including your thoughts and emotions,

Are full of positivity.

You are success.

You are aware and you are completely relaxed.

I will now direct you towards rapid image visualization.

Each time you hear me name something,

Imagine,

Feel,

See,

And direct your attention entirely towards creating that visualization.

And then let it go as quickly as you are able to create it.

Notice that while we do this,

Your mind's incredible creative power as you are able to quickly cultivate an experience or image at will and then let it go.

Making snow angels after a fresh snowfall.

Sipping a cold drink in a lounging chair.

Sinking into a hot tub by a pool.

Eating corn on the cob at a barbecue.

Watching a cat chase a laser beam.

Seeing a dead cat lying on the side of the road.

Looking into the eyes of someone you love.

Noticing a full moon on a cloudless night.

Hearing the sound of birds chirping.

Watching a dog dreaming while it sleeps.

Tasting sour milk when you didn't expect it.

Running through a fountain on a summer day.

Smelling burnt popcorn in a microwave.

Feeling the softness of a chinchilla.

Listening to a crowd cheering at a football game.

Entering an empty classroom.

Putting your feet up after a long day.

Sankalpa,

Sankalpa,

Sankalpa.

Plant your Sankalpa deep within.

Your mind is ready to receive your Sankalpa.

State the same Sankalpa you made at the beginning of the practice three times to yourself.

State it with strong conviction,

Feeling,

And awareness.

Now bring your awareness back to the body and to the quiet breath.

Become aware of your physical existence and of the sensation of complete relaxation.

Notice that your body is heavy and lying on the floor.

Feel your clothes and the props that are touching you.

Notice the sensation of air around your body and feel the breath moving in and out of your nostrils.

Note that the air moving in feels cooler and drier than the warm humid air moving out.

Bring your awareness to the subtle movement of the chest and body with every breath.

Next feel the areas of your body that are in contact with the floor.

The back of your heels,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands,

And head.

Do not open your eyes yet,

But visualize the surrounding room.

Let your mind become externalized,

Taking in all sounds in your environment.

Notice the sounds within the room and outside of the room.

Stay lying motionless,

Undisturbed by everything around you.

Feeling quiet,

Calm,

And relaxed.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Begin to take some soft,

Gentle movements in the body.

Move almost as though you are experiencing the movement of your fingers and toes for the very first time.

Gradually move your fingers and toes,

Then your wrists and ankles,

Taking larger movements until you're able to roll onto your right side.

Take a moment here to feel the subtle effects that this practice has had on your entire body.

Notice the quality of your mind and the sensation of relaxation within your body.

Now slowly and quietly move into a seated posture,

Keeping your eyes gently closed and bringing your hands to heart center.

Namaste.