To begin,
Lie down on a bed that feels comfortable and supportive.
Let your body find its place,
Adjusting until you feel aligned so that there is no pressure on your head or your neck.
You are lying in shavasana,
The corpse pose,
Feet relaxed,
Ankles soft,
Dropping gently to the sides,
Arms resting by your sides,
Arms turned upward,
Open to receive.
Take a few quiet moments to settle here,
Finding the posture that feels most natural,
Most effortless.
When you feel ready,
Give yourself complete permission to let everything go.
There is nowhere to be,
Nothing to plan,
Nothing to remember.
This is a time to empty out,
To rest deeply in stillness.
Yoga nindra means yogic slip,
A deep rest where body slips and awareness of being remains.
The thinking mind will soften on its own.
And awareness can simply rest,
Spacious and clear,
Resting in itself.
We begin by bringing awareness gently through the body.
You don't need to visualize or strain to imagine.
Simply feel the pure sensations of each area as attention moves there,
Allowing relaxation to happen naturally.
Bring your awareness to your right thumb,
To your right index finger,
The middle finger,
The ring finger,
And the little finger.
Notice the palm of the right hand.
The back of the hand,
The wrist,
The forearm,
The elbow,
And the shoulder.
Feel the whole right arm now,
Heavier,
Softer,
Completely relaxed.
Move to the left thumb,
The left index finger,
The middle finger.
The ring finger,
And the little finger.
Palm of the left hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Shoulder.
Let the whole left arm release its weight,
Becoming still,
Open,
And quiet.
And now bring attention to the throat,
Softening all the small muscles here,
And let awareness flow downward to the upper chest,
The collarbones,
The right and the left sides of the chest,
The middle of the chest,
The ribcage,
The soft belly.
Feel this front body from throat to pelvis,
Melting as if warm oil were gently pouring downward,
And coating every cell.
There is no need to feel anything in particular.
If a place feels blank,
Just rest in awareness there,
Softly,
Without pressure.
So now move awareness into the back of the neck.
Let any tightness there drain away.
Feel the upper back,
The right shoulder blade,
The left shoulder blade,
Both sinking deeper into the support beneath you.
Let attention drift down the middle back,
Gently down to the lower back,
Along the spinal column.
Now each vertebra resting,
Releasing,
The whole back body growing heavy.
Grounded and calm.
Bring your soft awareness to the right buttock,
Then the left buttock.
Bring this soft awareness now to the right thigh,
The front and the back of the upper leg,
The right knee,
The calf,
The ankle,
The top of the foot,
The sole,
And each toe,
One by one.
Feel the whole right leg heavy and relaxed,
As if the earth itself were holding it.
Then move awareness to the left thigh,
The front and the back,
The knee,
The ankle,
The top of the foot,
The front and the sole,
And all the toes,
One by one.
Let the whole left leg surrender,
Draining any tiredness out to the soles of the feet.
Now bringing your attention to the forehead,
Soften the skin here.
Let the temples ease,
The eyes and eyelids rest,
The cheeks,
The lips,
The nose,
The jaw.
Let all tension melt away.
Notice the mouth,
The tongue,
Even the teeth.
All relaxing released.
The chin,
The ears,
The scalp,
The crown of the head.
Imagine warm light pouring through.
Here,
The crown of the head,
Warm light pouring through here,
Bringing ease and quiet to every cell.
Now the whole face is soft.
The head is resting in still awareness.
It has been tended to.
Every part is known,
Softened,
Cared for.
Now sense the whole body as one filled of quiet,
Sensation.
Resting upon the bed,
Breathing effortlessly.
Let the breath be natural,
The awareness wide and open.
If thoughts drift in,
Let them float by like clouds across a vast sky.
No need to follow or resist.
They come and go.
An awareness you remains.
Notice the stillness beneath everything.
A bright,
Still knowing that doesn't need effort.
That just is.
This is the heart of yoga nindra.
The body asleep and just awareness is.
Here,
The body and mind rest together in harmony,
Balanced,
Peaceful and whole.
Here,
The whole body rests.
An awareness slips gently into dreams,
Carried by peace,
By stillness.
By the quiet hum of life holding you.
May your sleep be easy.
May your rest be complete.
May you awaken renewed,
Calm,
Open and whole.
