Yoga Nidra For Opening

Yoga Nidra meditation practice, also known as Yogic Sleep, puts the nervous system into deep relaxation. This allows us to soften — letting us get to know the parts of ourselves that are hidden away or protected out of fear. With practice, we can open to deeper places within ourselves that want to be expressed in the world. We can shine as more authentic versions of ourselves. We can become who we are meant to be: true to our purpose, more aligned with the true desires of our hearts, sharing the voices of our highest selves. Take this opportunity to open your heart.

Transcript

My name is Marina Harmon and this is a yoga nidra practice.

Begin by lying down and making yourself extremely comfortable.

You can use any props,

Pillows or blankets to make yourself into a cozy cocoon.

Rest the arms by the sides with the palms face up if that's comfortable for you.

Let the toes fall open to the sides finding a position of open receptivity.

Allow the body to relax down into the surface that you're lying on.

Feel grounded into the earth with a sense of support and deep comfort.

Completely at ease allowing relaxation to flow through the body.

Feel into any tension in your face or around the eyes and allow the face to become soft.

Release the muscles of your jaw,

Your neck and shoulders,

Your arms and hands.

See if you can rest deeper into a sense of well-being and ease.

Even just a sense of okayness.

What does it feel like to be okay right now in this body?

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

We do the practice of yoga nidra to truly know ourselves.

To get to know the parts of ourselves that are hidden away or protected out of fear.

To open to a deeper place within ourselves that wants to be expressed in the world.

With practice we can learn to open.

We can learn to shine as more authentic versions of ourselves.

We can become who we are meant to be.

That requires deep vulnerability and the most quiet,

Attentive listening.

So as the body falls asleep through this practice,

Make a commitment to yourself to stay present and aware.

Following the sound of my voice.

Bring the awareness to the center of the chest,

Deep inside the center of the heart.

Feel into the most subtle chamber in the center of your heart.

Make your heart right now what it is in your life that needs to heal or how you wish to grow.

This is your sankalpa.

If you have a sankalpa already,

Begin repeating it to yourself now.

If you're not familiar with sankalpa,

It is your tool for transformation.

This is a statement phrase in the positive present tense beginning with the words I am.

So for example,

If you're struggling with unworthiness,

Your sankalpa could be I am enough or I am lovable.

If you're feeling disconnected or alone,

Your sankalpa could be I am connected or I am supported.

When you find the words of your sankalpa,

Begin repeating them to yourself from the space of your heart.

Feel what it would be like if your sankalpa were true right now.

Allow this feeling to fill your entire experience,

Sending this feeling state through your body.

Let your body soak in this feeling.

Bring your awareness to the right thumb.

Send all of your attention there,

Feeling only the sensations of the right thumb.

Now move this awareness to the right index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger.

The palm of your hand,

Back of your hand,

The whole hand.

Now feel the right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

Feel the right underarm,

Ribs,

Right side waist,

And hip.

Bring your attention to the right thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Sole of the right foot,

Top of the right foot,

And all five toes.

Now feel the whole right side of the body,

Whole right side of the body lit up with sensation.

Whole right side.

Now bring the attention to the left thumb,

The left thumb.

Now move this awareness to the left index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger,

Palm of the left hand,

Back of the hand,

The whole left hand.

Now feel the left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

Feel the left underarm,

Ribs,

Left side waist,

And hip.

Now feel the left thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the left foot,

And all five toes.

Now feel the whole left side of the body with complete awareness.

Whole left side lit up in awareness.

Whole left side.

Now bring the awareness to the soles of both feet.

The soles of both feet.

Now feel both heels,

Both calves,

The backs of both knees,

Both hamstrings,

And both sides of your buttocks.

Now feel the back of the pelvis,

The low back,

The mid back,

The upper back,

And shoulder blades.

Now feel the backs of the arms,

The back of the neck,

The back of the head,

The crown of the head.

Now feel the forehead,

Both eyebrows,

The space between the eyebrows,

Both eyes,

The bridge of the nose,

The whole nose,

The cheekbones,

The hinges of the jaw,

The chin,

Both lips,

The tongue,

The whole mouth,

The whole face,

The whole face.

Feel both ears,

Deep inside the ears to the center of the head,

And feel the space between the ears.

Travel from the center of the head to the center of the throat,

And feel the spaciousness at the center of the throat.

Travel down the throat to the center of the chest,

And explore the space of the heart and the whole chest.

Notice the spaciousness you can find here.

Feel the upper abdomen and inner organs,

The lower abdomen and its inner organs,

The pelvis and the organs that live there.

And bring the awareness to the fronts of both thighs,

Both kneecaps,

Both shins,

The tops of both feet,

And all ten toes.

Now feel the whole right leg and the whole left leg.

Now feel both legs together.

Keep the legs in your awareness and add the whole torso.

Add the right arm from shoulder to fingertips,

And the left arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Feel both arms,

The torso,

And the lower body all together.

Now add the neck,

The throat,

The head and face so that your whole body is in your awareness.

Whole body lit up with sensation.

Whole body.

Notice the whole body being breathed.

Feel the body being filled by the space around you,

And exhaling back into the space around you.

Notice how in this space the borders of your skin dissolve.

How you merge with the space around you.

Become aware of the spaciousness in all directions.

Traveling into the space to the left of the body,

Traveling back through the body and into the space to the right of the body,

Back into the body and into the space above the body,

And down into the space below the body.

Now feel into all directions simultaneously.

Aware of the space in all directions.

Left and right,

Above and below,

Multi-directional and expansive.

Notice how far into the spaciousness you can reach.

Just in this state of pure being.

From this place of spacious neutrality,

You'll now explore pairs of opposite emotions.

Allow each emotion to travel through your experience while knowing yourself as the background.

Knowing yourself as this backdrop of spacious awareness in which emotions arise,

Travel through and dissolve.

What does it feel like to control?

To grip onto something so tight,

Wanting to control the outcome.

Letting go of any stories that arise and instead feeling into the sensations.

What does it feel like in the body to control?

And what does it feel like to let go?

To accept that you aren't in control and to completely surrender.

What does it feel like to truly let go and rest into pure being?

Now release that and feel into the background.

Consider yourself as the space between emotions.

Neutrality and spaciousness.

Now what does it feel like to be closed?

To be closing yourself off from something or someone,

Perhaps protecting yourself.

Maybe closing off from a part of yourself.

What does it feel like to remain small and closed off?

Knowing what this is like in the body.

Now what does it feel like to be open?

To be open and expansive.

Unafraid to open your heart and be yourself.

What does it feel like to operate from this place of openness?

Who are you when it's safe to be yourself?

Feel again into the space behind these emotions.

What does it feel like to be the spaciousness in which emotions travel through?

Rest into this backdrop of space,

Awareness,

Nothingness.

From this spaciousness,

You see a figure walking towards you.

You recognize the silhouette of someone you deeply love approaching you.

This person comes to you holding a large bowl full of something that looks like honey.

The bowl looks ancient and holy and you realize you're being given a sacred gift.

You lie down and the person you love stands guard over your body.

You lay in a position of receptivity,

Knowing you are protected and safe.

As you rest here,

Your loved one begins to pour this warm,

Honey-like substance into the space of your heart.

You become aware that it's some kind of protective healing ointment.

Your loved one pours it across your collarbones,

Spreading it down your arms and into your hands.

Your loved one gently massages the substance onto the skin of your face,

Into your temples,

The space between your eyebrows.

Then pours it over your scalp,

Down the back of your neck and shoulders,

Down your back.

Your loved one pours the substance down your torso,

Down your legs and feet,

Covering your entire body.

You feel the substance coat every part of your skin,

Penetrating through your layers and sending ripples of healing through your body.

It absorbs into your muscles,

Your bones and tissues.

It travels through your organs,

Recalibrating and nourishing forgotten places.

It swells through your internal systems,

Through your spinal cord and brain,

Supplying everything you need to return to perfect balance.

You soak in this nourishment,

Feeling the body hum with perfect health and wholeness.

In the middle of the chest,

This healing ointment has penetrated all the way to the very center of your heart space.

It's found its way to the infinite source of loving energy that resides at the center of the heart.

You allow for this opening.

The substance becomes a conduit for love to travel outwards,

Through and around your entire body.

Pure love travels upward from your heart,

Running like electricity through all the places the honey has touched.

You are encompassed by this love,

Wrapped in pure love.

From this space,

You hear the words of your sankampa.

It washes through you as you know its truth.

Rest in a moment of gratitude for your sankalpa and the time you spent on your own healing.

You thank your loved one for this gift and say your goodbyes.

Finally you begin to awaken,

Wiggling a finger or a toe,

Or take a deep,

Long stretch.

Take your way over to rest on one side.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Thank you.

Reviews

One of the best yoga nidra. So spacious and soothing. Highly, highly recommend. Thank you, Marina. Peace to you 💜

Absolutely loved this practice, thank you! Deep relaxation, bliss, and release

A very effective practice, best nidra I’ve done in ages. Loved it thank you 🙏❤️

Brought deep relaxation and a feeling of warmth

🙏

This is a practice I have returned to again and again. Much gratitude! ✨

An amazing, beautiful meditation . Thank you! 💐❤️🙏

Amazing I listen to it every night

🙏very pleasant soothing voice, discret low vol backingsound

Thank you so much. Very relaxing and supportive. 🌻

Had such a deep relaxing experience which took me to another level.just beautiful

So nourishing and lovely. Thank you. I’m recovering from surgery and this was perfect. 🌸🙏🏼

Good pace, some silent space, and pleasant, easy voice. I really was present in the practice. Thank you

Thank you for this lovely healing meditation

Absolutely wonderful 🌟. It had a profound effect on me.
Namaste 🙏

Really lovely pace and visualisations. Jjst what I needed. Thank you ❤

That was absolutely amazing. I feel so connected and open right now. This nidra was the best thing I could have done on a day like today. Thank you for sharing your gift.

That was amazing. Thank you so much. I will definitely be coming back to it regularly.💖🙏😀

A. Beautiful awakening. Thank you.

Very calming, fell into a deep sleep right as it ended. Thank you 🙏🏻

So gorgeous! Thank you 🙏🏼