The Infinite Heart | A Cosmic-Earthen Yoga Nidra Journey

This rich Yoga Nidra journey tethers you to the continuous, infinite flow that brings cosmic and earthen realities together. It ignites the spiritual, psychological, and somatic layers of the self, to reconnect all of you with all that is, namely, from your heart center. This practice includes all major elements of a classic Yoga Nidra process (including the sankalpa, rotation of consciousness, awareness of breath, exploration of opposites, and short and long visualizations).

Photo by Rene Böhmer on Unsplash. Music is "Ethereal Relaxation" by Kevin MacLeod (from Incompetech; licensed under Creative Commons by Attribution 4.0 License).

Transcript

Yoga Nidra is a practice of drawing our senses inward to engage in a state of conscious rest.

It is a liminal space between wakefulness and dreaming.

In practicing Yoga Nidra,

You are awakening to the deeper recesses of your mind,

Moving from formless potential to an actualized manifestation of your infinite potential.

Through the practice of deep and total body relaxation,

While simultaneously remaining awake and conscious,

The subconscious mind becomes accessible to your awareness,

Allowing you to explore the internal and often hidden dimensions of your consciousness.

It is important throughout the entirety of this practice that you maintain a relaxed awareness of the instructions and the sound of my voice.

If you are concentrating too intensely,

There will be tension,

And if you have no focus at all,

You will drift into sleep.

Commit to remaining awake while maintaining a relaxed presence throughout the practice.

Now,

If it is comfortable for you,

Allow the body to take the posture of Shavasana.

Lie on your back with your head neutral and in line with the spine,

Perhaps supported by a thin pillow or blanket.

Tuck your shoulder blades underneath the heart for support.

Your arms are away from the sides of the body,

With the fingers resting upwards,

Hands placed above any blankets that might be covering you.

Let the legs separate slightly and allow the feet to fall gently apart.

You are welcome to put a bolster or pillow under your knees for lower back support.

The eyes are softly closed and the facial features are in a state of rest.

Adjust your body and clothing so that you can practice Yoga Nidra with ease.

If the posture of Shavasana is not suitable for you,

Please find a position that is suitable for your body,

Either seated or lying down in another way.

Take a moment to make any last adjustments and then settle your body into stillness.

Commit to keeping the body as motionless as possible throughout the practice as a way of supporting the mind as it reveals itself to you.

Once you are comfortably settled into your posture,

Allow the body to release into its resting state.

Feel the weight of the body as it melts into the support of the surface beneath you.

Let the parts of the body that touch the ground to release their grip and soften.

Release any tension you might be holding in your face,

Your neck,

Your shoulders,

Back,

Abdomen,

Upper legs,

Lower legs,

And feet.

Allow the mind to rest on the waves of the breath,

Noticing where your breathing feels most obvious to you at this time.

Notice how your breath travels through your entire body,

How your very shape changes with every movement of breath.

Now release your focus from your breath and draw your attention to the sounds in your environment.

Bring your attention to the most distant sound you can hear.

Flow from one sound to the next without attaching yourself to the source of any sounds.

Letting go of any resistance or attachment to the sounds you hear.

Now bring your attention to the internal sounds that you can discern within your own body.

See if you can bring your awareness to the heart and listen to your heartbeat.

Perhaps you can hear the flow of blood.

Notice the sound of your breath.

Now let go of your attention to sound and prepare to plant your sankalpa.

Your sankalpa is a simply stated resolve or a vow that affirms your intention to transform yourself in the direction of positive growth and healing.

It should encompass something of immense importance to you at this moment,

Something that can help you grow into the next layer of your flourishing.

A resolve takes the form of a short,

Simple,

Positive statement that begins with the sacred words,

I am.

Some examples include,

I am safe in my body.

I am stable in my mind.

I am healthy and well.

I am trusting of myself and the flow of life.

Take a moment now to discern what your sankalpa is,

Allowing it to emerge organically from the depths of your being.

Keep the same sankalpa every time you practice yoga nidra until it naturally manifests in your life.

Once you have discerned your sankalpa,

State it three times to yourself with strong feeling,

Faith,

And complete awareness so that it may settle into the deepest recesses of your mind.

Now that your sankalpa is planted,

Gently move the focus to rest inside the body.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

We begin the practice with the rotation of consciousness through the different centers of the body.

Your awareness will move from part to part,

Following along at the same speed as my voice.

Let your awareness fill into the body part I name and simultaneously feel that part.

There is no physical movement,

Only the movement of your awareness.

Because each part of the body is associated with a part of the brain,

By moving our awareness through different parts of the body,

We are allowing centers in the brain to light up,

Clearing the mind of accumulated mental debris while simultaneously bringing it more fully online.

Throughout this part of the practice,

Rotate your consciousness through the different centers of the body and let your attention move from point to point as you mentally visualize each body part lighting up with a soft golden light as I name it and you become aware of it and feel it.

We begin on the right side.

Bring your attention to the right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Right palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right ribs,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

Bring your attention now to the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Left palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left ribs,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Kneecap,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

Now bring your awareness to the back plane of your body.

We begin with the right and left soles of the feet,

Right and left heels,

Right and left ankles,

Right and left calf muscles,

Back of right and left knees,

Back of right and left thighs,

Right and left buttocks,

Right and left hips,

Whole spine,

Shoulder blades,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right and left eyebrows,

Space between the eyebrows,

Right and left eyelids,

Right and left eyes,

Right and left ears,

Right and left nostrils,

Right and left cheeks,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right and left collarbones,

Center of the collarbones,

Right and left chest,

Center of the chest,

Navel,

Upper abdomen,

Lower abdomen,

The pelvic region,

Right and left thighs,

Right and left knees,

Right and left lower legs,

Right and left feet,

Right and left toes.

Bring your attention to both legs together,

Both arms together,

All your inner organs,

Your entire head,

The entire front side of the body,

The entire back side of the body,

Whole body together,

Whole body together.

Spread awareness to the whole body together.

We now move to an awareness of breath.

Begin to watch the breath serving as a witness to its movement and the sensations it elicits.

Watch the natural breath moving in and out in an effortless and spontaneous way.

Watch the breath as it moves through the nostrils and station your awareness at the gate of the nostrils,

Observing the movement of breath in and out.

Awaken to all the sensations that are present as the breath moves through the gate of the nostrils.

Observe your navel rising and falling.

With awareness of your breathing,

Begin to count your breaths backwards from 27 to 1.

I am breathing in,

27.

I am breathing out,

27.

I am breathing in,

26.

I am breathing out,

26.

And so on like this.

Maintain awareness of your breath and counting.

If you lose track,

Start again at 27,

Counting down to 1.

Now,

Let go of the awareness of breath.

Begin to bring your attention to the following opposing sensations.

We practice bringing attention to opposing sensations as a way of expanding our capacity to experience the ebbs and flows of life.

Elicit the sensation of heaviness within you.

Awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body.

The whole body is heavy,

Heavy,

Heavy.

Every muscle,

Joint,

And bone is heavy.

Imagine the body resting on wet sand as it sinks deeper and deeper into it.

Experience heaviness in the body.

Let the whole body feel heavy.

So heavy,

You couldn't lift your eyelid even if you tried.

Heavy,

Heavy,

Heavy.

Now,

Bring up the sensation of lightness within you.

The body feels so light that it is weightless.

The whole body,

All of its muscles,

Joints,

And bones feel so light.

The body is being lifted as if by water,

Floating off the ground upward.

The body is empty,

Light as a feather floating up from the floor.

Experience lightness in the body as the boundaries of the physical body begin to dissolve and fade away as the inner space merges with the surrounding space.

Lightness,

Lightness.

Remember heaviness.

Remember lightness.

Hold both heavy and light sensations together in your awareness.

Hold both heaviness and lightness in the same moment in time.

Now,

Awaken to the sensation of heat.

Feel the sensations that arise as the body becomes increasingly hot.

Imagine the surface that you are lying on is extremely hot,

Like hot sand on a scorching summer's day.

Your whole body is heating up.

Feel the sensations that arise as the body becomes associated with heat.

Stay relaxed while feeling heat develop in the body.

Awaken now to the sensation of cold.

Let go of hot and feel cold in your body.

Your whole body is becoming colder and colder,

Perhaps even shivering.

Imagine that the surface you are lying upon is freezing cold,

Like ice.

Feel the sensations that arise with feeling cold.

Stay relaxed while feeling cold.

Reawaken sensations of heat,

Then cold.

Hold both the sensations of heat and cold at the same time.

Feel both sensations strongly in your experience as you maintain relaxation.

Now,

Awaken to sensations associated with pain.

What does pain feel like as sensations arising in the body?

Can you sense pain in the body?

It may be physical pain,

New or old injuries,

Overuse of muscles and joints,

Inflammation,

Or aches.

Feel pain sensations in the body,

Or remember a time in your life when you felt emotional pain.

Feel it as if it is happening right now,

While you are detached and experiencing the pain in a relaxed way.

Experience the raw sensations of pain as you maintain the relaxation of the body.

Experience the opposite sensation of pain,

That of pleasure.

Let your awareness now drift to pleasure sensations in the body.

What does pleasure feel like in your physical body,

Or in your emotional body?

Physical pleasure,

Emotional pleasure.

Feel this intensely now.

Remain in relaxation as you increase your sensitivity to pleasure sensations in the body.

Remember a time in your life when you felt immense pleasure,

Physical or emotional.

Feel it now as if it were happening now.

Remember pain.

Remember how pain feels in the body and the heart.

And remember pleasure,

And how pleasure feels in the body and the heart.

Hold pain and pleasure sensations together in a relaxed way.

We now release these opposing sensations,

As I 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 were able to create it.

Allow the incredible creative power of your mind to cultivate an experience at will,

Without actually having it manifest in its outer form.

Visualize a bumblebee pollinating a flower.

A black serpent shedding its skin.

The sun at its highest point in the sky.

The sun at its highest point in the sky.

The sun at its highest point in the sky.

A rose blossoming open.

A calm pool of water in nature.

The silver crescent of the moon.

The silver crescent of the moon.

The silver crescent of the moon.

A heart surrounded by flames.

A red-tailed hawk flying with its wings spread out.

A comet streaming across the sky.

A comet streaking across the sky.

A comet streaking across the sky.

A comet streaking across the sky.

A wave crashing upon the sand.

A mountaintop piercing through the clouds.

An eclipse.

An eclipse.

An eclipse.

Now let all of these images fade into the background of awareness and settle your attention within the heart space as we enter into a longer practice of visualization.

Sink your awareness into your heart space.

And visualize a stream of golden light emanating from your heart.

Watch it as it moves upwards towards the heavens.

Once it reaches the stars,

Envision it looping back down and meeting itself again at your heart.

And then continuing to move through the back plane of your body.

Deep into the earth.

Eventually returning upward towards your heart space in a loop pattern.

The band of light forms a figure eight or an infinity loop pattern.

Connecting you to the heavens and the earth with your heart as its center.

See the light stream flowing into and through you along this path of infinity.

Coursing through your heart,

Through the heavens,

And through the earth beneath you.

Allow this stream of golden light to serve as a conduit for any insights that wish to be received by you at this moment.

Open yourself to any messages,

Sensations,

Or realizations that the heavens,

The earth,

And your heart wish to reveal to you at this time.

Hold your awareness on this sacred pattern of infinite golden light,

While also maintaining an awareness of your heart space,

Which serves as the receptacle of wisdom.

Rest in silence here for the next few minutes.

Now,

Gently release the pattern of infinite light.

Allowing the golden light to rest in your heart space.

Extend gratitude to the heavens,

The earth,

And your heart for any insights that arose from this experience.

Remind yourself now of your resolve,

Your sankalpa,

From the beginning of this practice.

Plant your sankalpa deep within your being once again,

Now that the mind is even more ready to receive it fully.

State the same sankalpa you made at the beginning of the practice three times to yourself,

Planting it with strong feeling,

Faith,

And awareness into the depths of your being.

Now that your sankalpa is planted,

Bring your awareness back to the body,

To the quiet breath.

Become aware of your physical self.

Notice the air in your nostrils,

And observe the subtle movement of the body as the breath moves in and out of you.

Observe the temperature of the air around you on your skin.

Feel the clothing in contact with your skin,

And the places of contact between your body and the surface beneath you.

Remember where you are in space,

Including any surfaces,

Objects,

And walls that might be around you.

Let your mind become more and more externalized,

Taking in all the sounds around you while continuing to lie here motionless.

Allow yourself to be undisturbed by everything around you.

Remaining quiet and relaxed in the midst of life.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Haryam tatsat,

Haryam tatsat,

Haryam tatsat.

When ready,

Begin to make soft,

Gentle movements of the body,

As though you are experiencing the movement of your fingers and toes for the first time.

Gradually move the body a little more until you are able to roll onto your right side.

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

Inquire into the quality of your mind.

Slowly,

Come up to a seated position and sit quietly for as long as you wish.