We will now prepare for our practice of Yoga Nidra.
Get comfortable lying on your back with your arms resting by your sides,
Palms facing up.
Let your feet flop naturally outwards,
About hip-width apart.
Use whatever supports you need to make yourself comfortable,
A rolled-up blanket or bolster under the knees,
A pillow or blanket under the head,
And additional blankets over the body.
You will cool down as you practice Yoga Nidra.
Relax your body and release any tension you are still holding.
Let everything go.
Imagine you are melting into the earth and the supports beneath you,
And that they are rising up to hold you.
As you settle in,
Notice the feel of the fabrics in the air around you touching your skin.
Notice the feeling of your breath whispering over your upper lip as you breathe.
Feel the places where your body and the floor meet.
Your heels,
Your back,
Your arms,
The back of the head.
You have nowhere else to be,
Nothing else to do right now but to be here in this space.
You have nothing to do but to listen to my voice.
In Nidra,
We aim not to fall asleep.
However,
If you do,
Know that this is what your body needed.
It is normal to go in and out of consciousness during practice.
If you do drift away,
Simply come back to my voice.
Know that there is no way to do this wrong.
We will now begin our practice of Yoga Nidra.
Notice the sounds in the space around you.
Start by hearing the most distant sounds,
Those outside your environment.
Move to those sounds that you hear now in your space.
Now move your awareness to the sound of your breath,
The sound of your breath flowing freely between your nostrils.
Now visualize yourself within this room,
The ceiling,
The floor,
The walls.
Visualize your position in the room,
Your body lying on the mat,
The parts of your body touching the mat,
Your clothes,
Your hair,
Your face,
Your entire body lying on the mat.
Become aware of your breath.
Inhale and allow the belly to expand.
Exhale through the mouth with a sigh and relax the whole body.
Do this two more times at your own pace.
Body breathing,
Body supported.
Think of a time or a place where you felt completely safe.
This place could be real or imaginary.
Bring to mind this place,
What it looks like and how you feel when you are there.
Know that this place is always there for you to return to during this practice or any other time it is needed for you to feel safe.
Now it is time to think of your sankalpa or intention.
This could be something you are working on in your life or a heartfelt desire for your future.
Or sometimes something may just come to mind without effort.
Your heartfelt desire is already present,
Waiting to be seen,
Heard,
And felt.
We make a sankalpa using the present tense as if it is already happening.
For example,
Instead of saying,
I want to be more compassionate,
Your sankalpa might be,
Compassion is my true nature.
Whatever is required of you to make this sankalpa a reality is already within you.
Repeat your sankalpa to yourself three times in the present tense.
If nothing comes to mind,
Simply use,
I am at peace or let your mind rest.
Know that your intention is already becoming a reality.
I will now take your attention around to different body parts as I name them one at a time.
You can sense,
Feel,
Or visualize the body part as it is named.
If you like,
You can imagine filling each body part with a warm,
Golden,
Nurturing light.
You do not need to concentrate or analyze,
Just let your mind move freely.
To each part,
Beginning inside the mouth,
Floor of the mouth,
Inside right cheek,
Inside left cheek,
Roof of mouth,
Back of the mouth,
Teeth,
Tongue,
Bottom jaw,
Top jaw,
Whole inside of the mouth,
Sinuses,
Right eye socket,
Left eye socket,
Point between the eyebrows,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
Forehead,
Nose,
Points where the lips touch,
Face,
Whole of the head,
Base of the throat,
Right shoulder,
Right upper arm,
Right elbow,
Right forearm,
Right wrist,
Right palm of the hand,
Right back of the hand,
Right thumb,
Right first finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
The whole of the right hand,
The whole of the right arm,
Right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right side of the waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Right knee,
Right shin,
Right ankle,
Right top of the foot,
Right bottom of the foot,
Right big toe,
Right second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Whole right foot,
Whole right leg,
Whole right side of the body,
Whole right side of the body,
Base of the throat,
Left shoulder,
Left upper arm,
Left elbow,
Left forearm,
Left wrist,
Left palm of the hand,
Left back of the hand,
Left thumb,
Left first finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
The whole of the left hand,
The whole of the left arm,
Left shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left side of the waist,
Left hip,
Left thigh,
Left knee,
Left shin,
Left ankle,
Left top of the foot,
Left bottom of the foot,
Left big toe,
Left second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Whole left foot,
Whole left leg,
Whole left side of the body,
Whole left side of the body,
Base of the throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Heart center,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
Pelvis,
Both legs together,
Both arms together,
The whole front side of the body,
The whole front side of the body,
Right heel,
Left heel,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
The whole back of the body,
The whole back of the body,
The front of the body,
The back of the body,
The whole body lying on the ground,
The whole body lying on the ground.
Bring your awareness back to the breath,
Observe its natural rhythm,
The rise and fall as you breathe.
When you breathe in,
Imagine drawing energy up through the soles of the feet,
Along your legs,
Hips,
Upper body,
All the way to your shoulders.
And as you exhale,
Energy moves in the opposite direction,
From the shoulders all the way down and out through the soles of your feet.
Inhale from the soles of your feet to your shoulders,
And exhale from the shoulders to the soles of the feet.
Continue at your own pace.
This breath is like a soft wave that gives you energy and washes away anything that you don't need.
Now imagine your body is feeling heavy,
Heavy,
Sinking down into the earth beneath you.
Heavy like stone,
Body filled with the sensation of heaviness.
Limbs can barely be lifted,
They are so heavy.
Whole body,
Heavy on the earth.
Now let go and release the sensation of heaviness.
Imagine your body is feeling light,
Feeling up with lightness and space,
Body becoming lighter and lighter,
Feeling so light you are almost floating above the ground.
Whole body light as air.
Now let go and release the sensation of lightness.
Imagine your body is both heavy and light at the same time.
Heavy and light at the same time.
Stone and air together down onto the earth and floating above the ground.
Whole body feeling both heavy and light.
We will now take a journey.
Know that you can return to your body or your safe place anytime.
You are walking at night through a vast open desert.
You have never done a night hike before and you are eager to try this new adventure.
This special area is only open for night hikes on rare occasion and you feel lucky to be able to take advantage of the opportunity.
You have a flashlight but you do not need it as the stars are shining brightly in the sky and the moon is nearly full.
The ground is dry,
Sandy and dark.
The area is nearly barren from the lava that previously washed through this land and looks and feels like a place out of time or from another world,
Like a beautiful strange moon.
You see signs of life around you as small rugged plants make their way through cracks in the cool lava and small trees poke off of rocks.
You are reminded that beauty and strength make their way even in the face of adversity.
The path unfolds before you as you continue to walk.
The air is cool and dry and you feel comfortable and relaxed as you walk.
You can smell a hint of sulfur in the air but it is not too strong or unpleasant.
You can see some areas of steam rising ahead under the bright sky.
A couple of other hikers pass you going the other way.
They seem peaceful and smile as they go by.
You know you are getting closer to the destination.
You turn on your flashlight and swing the light around in front of you and you see a small sign with an arrow painted in bright fluorescent paint pointing ahead to the right.
In the distance you see some stone stairs rising up into the night sky.
As you approach the stairs you start to feel a pulse of excitement and nervousness for this new experience.
You are not sure whether it will be as expected.
You climb the stairs slowly.
As you get higher you notice more clouds in the sky blocking some of the moonlight.
You see some dark shadows above other hikers who've already made this journey before you.
As you arrive at the top of the stairs you step out onto a platform overlooking the ocean.
Because of the clouds everything is dark and you cannot see anything in front of you.
For a moment you feel disappointed that this experience is not what you had hoped.
You hear quiet voices around you.
You decide to wait for a while on the platform in hopes that something might change.
After some time passes suddenly the big clouds move away for a moment and a magical view unfolds.
Below you you see red glowing lava streaming down the side of the overlook flowing across the beach and going right into the darkness of the ocean.
You have never seen anything like this before.
So unusual and so beautiful.
You spend a few moments just taking in the power and wonder of nature.
Then as quickly as the view appeared the clouds come through again leaving you once more in the calm quiet dark night.
You descend the stairs and head back towards the start of the hike.
You feel peaceful and appreciative to have experienced a special moment and know that the memory of this night hike will inspire you for many years to come.
As the stars glitter again in the night sky you see a small fern growing in the most improbable place inside a rock glowing green against the dark ground.
You smile and head forward along the path.
Now bring your awareness back to your heart center.
Recall the sankalpa you sat at the beginning of practice.
Repeat the sankalpa to yourself three times using the present tense.
Know that this statement is already deeply planted in you where thoughts become realities.
Slowly bring your awareness back into your space.
Become aware of your body resting on its support.
Feel the points of contact of your body against the earth.
Become aware of your breath and the rise and fall of your body to the rhythm of the breath.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Start to make small movements with your hands and feet gently coming back into your body and into your space keeping your eyes closed.
Slowly roll over to your right side in a fetal position with your arms supporting your head.
When you are ready make your way to an upright seated position and open your eyes.
Take your time returning back to your space.
Namaste
