Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra with coherent breathing.
So first of all,
Taking some time to allow the body to find a comfortable position.
And lying down is recommended.
Having a small pillow beneath the head.
And perhaps a cushion or a couple of bed pillows beneath the knees which allows the lower back to adjust really settle.
Maybe putting on some socks.
And grabbing a blanket as the body can cool down quite quickly during this practice.
And once the body is comfortable and warm enough allowing the body just to settle down.
The ideal state for the body during this practice is zero desire for movement.
Should the need to move arise in the next few minutes.
And then,
The next step is to take a deep breath.
Should the need to move arise in the mind during the practice.
I invite you firstly just to observe that.
You'll probably go away.
But if it does return,
It may be a sign that you do need to move.
So doing so with awareness and returning to that state of zero desire for movement.
And we'll start to bring in our coherent breathing.
So breathing in time with the clicker ticking.
Inhaling,
Feeling the belly rise.
And exhaling,
Belly phase.
Inhaling,
Belly rises.
Exhaling,
The belly phase.
And keeping this way of breathing throughout the practice.
Making sure that we're breathing in and out of the nose the whole time.
Not looking for a full breath or a deep breath.
Just a low breath.
So right down in the belly.
And a couple of ways we can enhance this way of breathing is by introducing what we call in yoga the jai breath.
The breath of victory.
So it's a very gentle constriction at the vocal cords.
Just like a sigh in breath.
You might call it a baby smell.
And this way of breathing makes the sound a little bit like the ocean.
And one third away we can enhance the breath.
As if we bring the index finger and thumb tips together.
As if we're making an okay sound.
And then from here sliding the tip of the index finger down the thumb so the index fingers are resting at the base of the thumbs.
And then bringing the middle fingers to rest in the centre of each palm.
So we're making a very light fist.
Not gripping on,
Just keeping the hands in that position.
It allows the diaphragm to be free of the breath.
And you may or may not notice that there's a pulse in the centre of each palm.
And allowing the eyes to close if you haven't already.
Feeling all of the points of contact between the back of the body and the surface beneath.
And the air upon the skin.
A touch of the clothing on the body,
Perhaps noticing how it moves with the breath.
Noticing any taste in the mouth.
Any smell that can be detected through the air moving in and out at the nostrils.
Becoming aware of any sounds that are audible right now.
Starting with the sound closest to you,
The breath.
Any sounds from within the room.
The sound of the metronome,
The sound of my voice.
Any sounds coming from outside the room.
Just allowing any sounds that are audible just to come to the ears.
And all sounds are welcome.
And setting an intention for the practice today.
Bringing to mind some quality that you might like to cultivate in your life.
So phrasing this intention in the present tense in a positive way as if it's already happening.
So using the words,
You are.
An example might be,
You are peaceful,
You are taking deep breaths.
So choosing an intention that resonates with you today and repeating it three times in the mind.
And then letting that intention go.
And next we'll allow our consciousness to rotate around different parts of the body.
We don't need to move those parts,
Just allow the light of our conscious awareness to rest upon them.
We're starting with the space between the index finger and the thumb on the right hand.
So we're making that baby fist and there's a very small space between the index finger and the thumb.
Just resting the mind at that point and giving it a colour of your choosing.
And then moving the awareness across to the same point on the left hand.
And giving it a colour,
It might be the same colour or a different colour.
And now feeling those two points at the right and left hand,
Equally and evenly.
Imagining there's a coloured line running between those two points,
Just standing on the line feeling the two points evenly and equally.
And the third point that we'll bring to mind is the place where the tongue meets the teeth.
And now we have a triangle shape,
Formed between the two points at the hands and the points at the tongue.
Imagining that triangle has a colour and that you're standing in the centre of the triangle,
Feeling all three points evenly and equally.
And then bringing the awareness to both of the big toes simultaneously.
Feeling the space that the big toes occupy.
And joining these two points with the first three to make a five pointed coloured shape.
Perhaps a pentagon or a star.
Again,
Giving it a colour of your choosing.
Imagine that you're standing in the centre of the shape,
Feeling those five points equally and evenly.
And bringing the awareness back to the two big toes.
And now we're in a smoothing back up to the triangle,
Formed by the right and left hand.
And now we're in the middle of the tongue.
Resting the awareness now at that point where the tongue meets the teeth.
And now we're resting the coloured line.
And then down the centre of the body between the right and left hands.
Awareness resting on the line.
And gently moving the awareness to that point at the left hand.
That little space between the index finger and the thumb,
Remembering the colour that we gave to that point.
Awareness moving across to the same point on the right hand.
And calling the colour that we gave it a long.
And next imagining that we're dissolving the whole of the body into a clear light.
From the crown of the head,
To the soles of the feet,
The front and back of the body,
And both sides of the body.
The whole body dissolving now into clear light.
Coming away off the whole body once again.
And with every exhalation,
Experiencing the body as extremely heavy.
And with every inhalation,
Experiencing the body as very light,
Almost as if it could float up off the mat so light.
And alternating between these two states with every breath.
Exhaling heavy and inhaling light.
And seeing if it's possible to experience both heaviness and lightness at the same time.
And then gently letting that go.
Just allowing the awareness to rest upon the flow of breath in and out at the nostrils in time with the metronome.
And then bringing to mind once again the intention that we set at the beginning of the film.
And then just practicing.
Repeating it in the mind three times in the present tense as if it's already happening using the words,
You are.
And then letting that intention go.
And then the points of contact between the back of the body and the surface beneath.
And then the touch of the clothing and the blankets upon the body.
Noticing the cool air on any parts of the body that are uncovered,
Perhaps the face.
Noticing any taste in the mouth.
Any light that might be detectable through the closed eyelids.
Noticing the temperature and the texture of the air as it flows in and out at the nostrils.
And just becoming aware of any sounds that can be heard right now.
Sounds from within the body.
Sounds from within the room.
And sounds from outside the room.
Not hunting the sounds,
Not labelling the sounds,
Just allowing them to come to the ears.
And starting to deepen the breath a little.
Bringing some gentle movements to the fingers and the toes.
Starting to wake the body up very gently.
Perhaps circling the wrists and the ankles.
And taking any stretch or movement that feels needed right now.
And perhaps hugging the knees into the chest.
And rolling over onto one side and just pausing there.
And eyes open wide awake.
Eyes open wide awake.
And just pausing in this position as long as is needed.
This practice of yoga nidra with coherent breathing is now complete.
Thank you for listening.
