Welcome back to this series of Yoga Nidra designed to help naturally restore your sleep patterns.
You will find a course entitled Yoga Nidra for Sleep under my courses menu,
Which links to the series of practices.
This particular Yoga Nidra is 30 minutes in length.
The content is a little different from the first exposure in that I go more in depth on the rotation and follow the traditional head to toe scan and focus specifically on the acupuncture points as recommended by Swami Satchinanda Saraswati.
To recap,
This practice is most effective when used 1-2 hours before bedtime as it allows your nervous system to gradually transition into a sleep ready state.
Remember again that when we practice Yoga Nidra,
We aim to remain conscious and aware throughout the practice.
To help in this,
You will hear some soft gongs and tones at the transition points to help bring you back to awareness.
If you do drift off to sleep,
Then determine to remain awake the next time you practice Yoga Nidra.
It is true that the body will often take what is needed if given the opportunity,
So do not be too hard on yourself if this happens.
Let's begin.
Choose an environment in which you can regularly carry out this practice,
A quiet room with a door you can close and windows with drapes that you can draw.
Prepare your environment so that it is inviting for you and brings you peace of mind.
Make yourself comfortable lying down on the floor on a yoga mat.
Support your head with a thin pillow and place a small cushion or bolster under your knees if needed to take the strain off your lower back.
Lie in Shavasana pose with your arms resting slightly away from your body,
Palms in surrender up to the ceiling.
Check that your spine is straight and relaxed and soft.
Check that your hips are parallel.
Stretch your legs out through your heels and let them release naturally out to the side.
Take a moment to adjust your position until you feel completely supported and safe.
Allow yourself to be present as you are,
Here and now,
Knowing that sleep is your body's natural state that emerges of its own accord as needed,
Breathing softly and naturally from your belly.
Notice your body becoming soft as you relax more.
Bring your attention now to the thin sheath of contact between your body and the ground.
Notice where your body touches the ground,
The weight of your heels,
Your calves,
Your thighs,
Your lower back,
Shoulders and head.
Invite a gentle releasing,
A letting go,
Letting the surface of the earth fully support you,
Feeling gravity embrace you.
Begin to let all tensions ease into the earth.
Now become aware of your natural breath.
There's no need to change anything about your breathing.
Accept the natural breath as it comes and as it goes.
Notice the gentle rising and falling of your chest and your belly.
Notice that as you relax more deeply that the rhythm slows down and your breath becomes naturally deeper.
Follow your breath in and out.
We will now begin our rotation of awareness around the body.
Focus your awareness at the point between your eyebrows at the third eye,
Then sink your awareness to the midbrain area.
If you can,
Imagine a ball of gently pulsating golden light that brings healing and peace to the area it touches upon.
Notice too that this ball of energy moves upon your direction wherever your mind directs.
Gently pulsating,
Radiating,
Healing,
Peaceful energy.
As it moves from point to point,
Become aware of your consciousness outlining the body.
Be intently focused on one point.
Do not let your attention waver to any other task.
Move the ball of energy between the eyes,
Back of the right hand,
Tip of the thumb,
Tip of the forefinger,
Tip of the middle finger,
Tip of the ring finger,
Tip of the little finger,
Center of the right palm,
Middle of the wrist,
Right shoulder,
Throat,
Middle of the wrist,
Back of the left hand,
Tip of the left thumb,
Tip of the forefinger,
Tip of the middle finger,
Tip of the ring finger,
Tip of the little finger,
Palm of the left hand,
Middle of the wrist,
Left elbow,
Left shoulder,
Heart center,
Right chest,
Heart center,
Heart center,
Solar plexus,
Right knee,
Right ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Tip of the big toe,
Tip of the first toe,
Tip of the second toe,
Tip of the third toe,
Tip of the fourth toe,
Sole of the right foot,
Right knee,
Right hip,
Pubic area,
Left hip,
Top of the left foot,
Tip of the big toe,
Tip of the first toe,
Tip of the second toe,
Tip of the third toe,
Tip of the fourth toe,
Sole of the left foot,
Left knee,
Pubic area,
Navel,
Solar plexus,
Heart center,
Heart center,
Heart center,
Third eye,
Return your point of awareness to the center midbrain area and consciously dwell there,
Floating in awareness.
As your body settles into deep relaxed awareness,
Notice that your thoughts have slowed down,
Notice that the emotional content has calmed down,
Notice that there's now space between thoughts.
Each time your mind wanders,
Gently return to the sensations of heaviness and warmth in your body.
As you breathe,
Let each exhalation carry you deeper into relaxation,
Simply resting in awareness of your entire body now.
Notice the subtle pulsations of life flowing through you,
Notice the calm serenity,
Notice that thoughts appear and without giving them attention,
They disappear.
Notice your deep calm being,
Expansive like the blue sky beyond the clouds,
A great expansive being,
An unlimited awareness,
Existing infinite space,
An infinite awareness,
A deep expansive peace.
Now bring your awareness gently back to your environment.
Notice the sounds in your environment,
The smells,
Become aware of the feeling the warmth in the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.
Slowly stretch out your legs through your heels.
Take a deep breath and raise your arms for a long stretch above your head.
Open your eyes slowly and take some time to readjust the environment of your room.
To finish this practice,
Bring to mind three things that you are grateful for in your life.
Offer a blessing of love.
Be well.
