Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,
Entering the mountain temple.
So go ahead and get ready for this practice.
Lie down in shavasana on your bed or on the floor to make yourself as comfortable as possible.
Let your arms be alongside your torso a little further away from the body with your palms turned up to the sky so that your shoulders can completely relax.
Let your legs be a little wider than your hips.
Let your feet fall to the side so your hips can completely relax.
Then adjust your blanket or your clothes so that you can further be in this practice without moving and with no physical discomfort.
When you're ready please gently close your eyes and keep them closed for the entire practice.
This practice of yoga nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.
These are the only two important factors.
In yoga nidra you function on the level of awareness,
Level of listening.
In dreams we have no control.
In yoga nidra you are the creator of the dream.
Please say to yourself mentally,
I will not sleep.
I will only listen to the voice.
Please repeat to yourself internally,
I will not sleep.
I will not sleep.
Simply give yourself some time to become calm and steady and settle into further stillness knowing there is no need for movement.
If that feeling does arise then simply just watch it,
It will probably go away.
If it doesn't and you need to then simply make whatever movement you need to with utmost awareness.
Then once again settle into the state of zero desire for movement.
Let's take a deep breath in and as you inhale feel calmness spreading through the body.
As you exhale say to yourself mentally,
Relax.
Let's take another long slow deep inhale.
This time really expanding the lungs,
The ribs,
The chest and belly in all directions.
Then exhale very gently,
Exhale just allowing any worries and cares to simply dissolve away.
Now become aware of the sounds in the distance.
Become aware of the most distant sounds that you can hear.
Let your sense of hearing operate like a radar beam,
Searching out distant sounds and following them for a few seconds.
Remove your attention from sound to sound without attempting to identify the source.
And gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,
To sounds outside the building,
Sounds inside the building.
And start to develop your awareness of the room in which you are lying.
Without opening your eyes,
Please visualise the four walls,
The ceiling,
The floor and your body lying on the floor.
See your body lying on the floor.
Become aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness.
Your body is lying on the floor.
Simply start to develop your awareness of all the physical meeting points between your body and the floor.
Become aware of the natural breath.
Become aware of the deep and natural spontaneous breath,
Moving in and out of the body.
Just know that you are breathing.
This practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Say mentally to yourself,
I am practicing yoga nidra.
I will not sleep.
Now is the time for you to make your sankalpa,
Your simple heart's resolve in simple positive language.
Please state your resolve clearly with total feeling and conviction for its fruition.
State it three times internally.
Now simply allow it to be planted even deeply into the body-mind to take place as the seed of manifestation,
For it is bound to come true.
We will now begin with the rotation of consciousness through different centers of the body.
As quickly as possible allow the awareness to jump from point to point.
Please mentally repeat the name of each part and simultaneously become aware of that part.
This practice begins with the right hand.
Right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
Hip.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole.
Top of the foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Now bring your awareness to the left side.
Left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Lower arm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Waist.
Hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Calf muscle.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole.
Top of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Now bring your awareness to the back.
Right shoulder.
Left shoulder.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
Right buttock.
Left buttock.
The spine.
The whole of the back together.
Now bring your awareness to the front of the body.
Top of the head.
Forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
The eyebrow centre.
Right eyelid.
Left eyelid.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose.
Tip of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Jaw.
Throat.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right chest.
Left chest.
Middle of the chest.
Navel.
Abdomen.
Lower abdomen.
Now bring your awareness to the whole right leg.
Whole left leg.
Both legs together.
Whole right arm.
Whole left arm.
Both arms together.
Whole of the back.
Whole of the front.
Whole of the head.
Together.
Legs.
Arms.
Back.
Front.
The whole of the body together.
The whole of the body together.
The whole of the self together.
Now bring your awareness to the whole body.
Become aware of the space occupied by the whole body.
Become aware of the body and the space that is occupied by your whole body.
Body and space.
Become aware of the whole body.
The floor.
The whole body in relaxation on the floor.
At the same time,
Become aware of the meeting points of the body and the floor.
Become aware of the subtle physical points between the body and the floor.
Feel the meeting points between the back of your head and the floor.
The shoulder blades in the floor.
The elbows in the floor.
The back of the hands on the floor.
The buttocks on the floor.
The calves on the floor.
The heels on the floor.
Awareness of all the meeting points between the body and the floor.
The sensation of all the points simultaneously.
Evenly.
Continue to feel these points clearly and distinctly.
Please do not sleep.
Now switch your attention to the eyelids.
Feel the narrow line of meeting between the upper and lower eyelids.
Feel the sharp points where they meet.
Intensify your awareness between the eyelids.
And then the lips.
Center your attention on the line between the lips.
The space between the lips.
And now from the lips we go to the breath.
Please bring your attention to the natural in-going and out-going breath.
Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the throat on the inhalation it rises.
From the navel to the throat on the exhalation it descends.
From the throat to the navel.
To the navel.
To the throat.
Be completely aware of the respiration.
Navel to throat.
Throat to navel.
Now simply allow whatever awareness of breath to simply dissolve away back into the vast ocean of awareness.
And this time we will bring our awareness to the polarity of opposites.
Please awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body,
The feeling of heaviness.
Become aware of the heaviness in every single cell of the body.
You are feeling so heavy that you are sinking into the floor.
Awareness of heaviness.
Awareness of heaviness.
And now awaken the feeling of lightness.
Awaken the feeling of lightness.
The sensation of lightness and weightlessness in all cells of the body.
The body feels so light that it seems to be floating away from the floor.
Awareness of lightness.
And now experiencing cold.
Please awaken the experience of bitter cold in every cell of the body.
Imagine you are walking on a cold floor in winter.
Your feet feel very cold.
You feel cold all over.
Awareness of cold.
Awareness of cold.
Awaken the sensation of heat.
Awaken the experience of heat.
The whole body is hot.
The whole body is hot.
You feel hot all over.
Please sense the feeling of heat in summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.
Heat all over the body.
Heat all around the body.
Awareness of heat.
And now experience of pain.
Please concentrate and try to remember the experience of pain.
Any pain you have experienced,
Mental or physical.
And simply remember the feeling of pain.
Please sense the feeling of pleasure.
Any kind of pleasure,
Physical or mental.
Please remember this feeling and relive it.
Make it vivid.
Imagine the feeling of pleasure.
Do not sleep.
Make sure you are not sleeping.
Say to yourself,
I am awake.
Now withdraw your mind and concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyes.
Please imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.
A space that extends as far as the eyes can see.
Please concentrate on this dark space and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within.
Whatever you see is the manifesting state.
Please continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.
Simply practice detached awareness only.
Please imagine that this is a very early morning.
Still dark and you are walking through the hills.
Coming up towards some mountains.
You are alone.
As you walk to the east and look back,
You see a crescent shaped moon low in the sky.
Soon the sun will rise over the mountains ahead of you.
And far below in a valley,
The lights of a small town twinkle through an early morning mist.
The track twists back and forth on the side of a steep slope.
It winds between huge boulders and over bridges suspended across deep chasms.
A gap between two hills gives a glimpse of a huge snow covered mountain ahead.
The pale sky behind it heralds the dawn.
As you continue to climb up through the snow,
It makes a crunching sound as you break the surface and sink beneath it.
A glacier lies across your path.
There are creeks and groans of moving ice as you move quickly across.
As you come closer to the top of the mountain,
It becomes very cold.
The winds are howling around your body and snatch at your clothes.
Snow and ice are clinging to your shoes.
You reach the top of the mountain and a magnificent scene reveals itself before your eyes.
To the east a vast range of snow covered peaks and dark valleys.
To the west hills leading to rolling plains in the sea.
Intensify your imagination now and visualise this scene.
See the sun rise like a golden ball in the east,
Scattering rays of golden light off snow that dazzles your eyes.
Sweep your eyes around the sky,
To the west it's still grey.
Above you is blue.
In the east a delicate pink sun begins to appear.
Simply watch the sunlight strike off the tops of the mountains and move down the sides.
Deep valleys emerge as the shadows retreat.
You sit with your legs crossed and contemplate this grand scene,
The dawn of a new day.
Simply allow yourself to experience this for some time.
Let your mind flow freely with this experience.
And once again bring your awareness back to the dark space in front of your closed eyes.
Simply explore a little as you shift your gaze slightly upwards.
Watch the darkness that you see before you carefully with detachment and do not become involved.
Simply rest your mind in this warm and friendly darkness.
And if any subtle phenomena manifests,
Colours or patterns,
Simply take note and continue with your awareness.
If thoughts occur then gently let them come and go,
But continue to watch the dark space.
Continue with this detached awareness.
Now is the time to remember your resolve,
Your sankalpa.
Please mentally repeat the same resolve you made at the beginning of this practice in the same words with the same attitude.
Please repeat your resolve now three times internally with total feeling of gratitude for its fruition.
And now once again return to the world of embodiment,
The world of this time space dimension.
Become aware of your breathing,
Become aware of your natural breathing.
Simple awareness of breathing and awareness of relaxation.
Start to develop awareness of your physical existence.
Become aware of your arms and legs,
Your body lying stretched out on the floor.
Become aware of the meeting points between your body and the floor.
Develop awareness of the room,
The walls,
The ceiling,
The noises in the room and the noises outside.
Be aware of the temperature of the air on your skin,
Any smell or taste.
And simply lie quietly for a few moments longer and keep your eyes closed.
You can begin to make whatever movement with your hands,
Your feet.
Gently stretching yourself as the body becomes wide awake,
Wide awake.
Gently float open your eyes for just a moment taking in form and then close them again.
Gently bring a smile to your face.
This time floating open your eyes,
Taking in the whole of your surrounds as if for the very first time.
This one and precious life.
This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Hari Om Tat Sat,
Hari Om Tat Sat.
