Yoga Nidra - From The Inside Out - 38 Minutes

A Yoga Nidra practice created to reconnect, through rest, with our internal world.

So much happens under the surface, on the inside, deep within our interior - and what happens there can’t help but affect our outer, waking worlds of reality. As Yogananda reminds us:
“The outer world is a reflection of the inner world. If you want to change what is outside, you must first change what is within.”

And what better way to begin than through rest.

Remember, the world is as you are inside.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra,

A practice of conscious relaxation,

Of conscious rest.

Lying down,

Your legs can stretch out in front of you,

Slightly wider than hip width,

With your feet falling out naturally.

Arms can be by your sides,

Your neck neutral,

Your head resting.

And begin to open,

To rest.

Find the most comfortable position to you now.

Allow your body to be fully supported.

Bring in pillows,

Props,

Blankets,

Anything at all that can help you find comfort.

Comfort is the ground of this practice.

And remember that nothing is asked of you in yoga nidra other than your attention and awareness.

There's no movement or expectation for you to adopt any of the suggestions given.

This is your time,

Your practice,

To relax and enter a state of deep rest and to experience the power of conscious relaxation.

Taking this time to practice affords you the opportunity to rest and reset,

To give your body and your mind precious time to recalibrate and gain all the benefit of conscious rest.

However your experience unfolds,

It is welcome here.

There is no right or wrong way to rest.

Know that your body is always working toward balance.

All we need do is give our body the time and the space,

The practice,

To get there effortlessly and with ease.

Make a resolve to yourself now that you will remain awake and aware throughout practice.

And then come to stillness.

So much happens under the surface,

On the inside,

Deep within our interior.

And what happens there can't help but affect our outer waking worlds of reality.

As Yogananda reminds us,

The outer world is a reflection of the inner world.

And if we want to change what is outside,

We must first change what is within.

And what better way to begin than through rest?

Remember the world is as you are inside.

Feel your connection with the ground.

Be consciously aware of all the points where your body is connected with the ground.

And allow this connection to come from the inside out.

And breathe.

Notice your breath,

The gentle pull of your inhale and the soft release of your exhale.

And notice where the breath arrives naturally.

Perhaps it settles in the chest,

Perhaps deeper into the belly.

Allow the breath to find its own rhythm,

Slow and with ease.

You might now like to take a deep inhale through your nose,

Filling your whole body up.

And then exhale slowly through your mouth,

Letting everything go.

Another long inhale through your nose.

And exhaling,

Imagine all remaining tension melting,

Drifting away,

As though the body itself is exhaling the day.

One last deep inhale through your nose.

And exhale again through your mouth,

Letting your body sink onto the surface.

Landing deeper and deeper onto the soft support beneath.

Then return your breath to its natural rhythmic state.

If comfortable,

Allow your breath to flow in and out of your nose,

With your lips gently closed.

Without any effort or control.

Simply noticing.

Accepting.

Simply being.

Become aware of the connection now to the covers or blankets that are over you.

The texture of your clothes.

The contrast of covers to your open skin.

Become acutely aware of the sensation of air that touches your skin.

And then of texture from your covers or clothes.

Now bring your awareness to your eyes,

Your lids closed,

Like curtains drawn to the outside world.

And take solace in this quiet behind your closed eyes.

This invitation to rest in your internal world.

Here you can let go of everything on the outside.

Here there is nothing for you to do.

Become aware now of the sounds around you.

Go beyond the sound of this voice and listen intently to the sounds around you.

Above you.

Below you.

Open your ears wide and be aware of all sound.

Then let all these sounds dissolve away,

Holding on only loosely to the sound of this voice as it guides you through your practice.

Breathe here,

Enjoying this quiet,

This stillness and space.

From the inside out.

What we cultivate within shapes what we experience without.

In this stillness,

Let your Sankalpa rise quietly.

Hold it softly,

Yet surely as though it is already true.

And repeat it now silently three times.

Rotation of consciousness.

We begin at the right hand and at the right hand thumb.

Bring your full awareness and attention to your right hand thumb.

And now your first finger.

Second finger.

Third finger and little finger.

The palm of your right hand.

The back of your hand.

Your right wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Your right waist.

Your hip.

And your thigh.

Lower leg.

Your shin.

Ankle.

Heel.

The sole of your right foot.

The top of your foot.

Your right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe and little toe.

The whole of your right foot.

The whole of your right foot.

Moving your awareness and attention to your left hand now.

Bring your full focus to your left hand thumb.

First finger.

Second finger.

Third finger and little finger.

The palm of your left hand.

The back of your hand.

Your left wrist.

Lower arm.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Your left heel.

Your left waist.

Thigh.

Shin.

Heel.

The sole of your left foot.

The top of your foot.

Your left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe and little toe.

Your whole left foot.

Your whole left foot.

Moving your awareness and attention to your left hand thumb.

Bring your awareness now to your back body.

To your heels right and left.

To your calves right and left.

And to the space behind both your knees.

The backs of your thighs right and left.

And your glutes right and left.

Your lower back.

Your middle back.

Your upper back.

Your whole back.

Your whole back.

And your neck.

Your head.

Your whole head.

Resting here.

Let go of the weight of your head.

Moving your awareness and your full attention to the crown of your head.

Your forehead.

And your temples right and left.

Your right eyebrow and your left eyebrow.

And the space between your eyebrows.

Your right eye and your left eye.

Your right cheek and your left cheek.

Your nose and the tip of your nose.

Your lips.

Your teeth and your tongue.

Your whole mouth.

Your jaw feeling heavy and loose.

Your right collarbone and your left collarbone.

Landing in the little valley between your collarbones.

The whole of the right side of your chest.

The whole of the left side of your chest.

The whole of your right leg and the whole of your left leg.

The whole of your right arm and the whole of your left arm.

Both your arms.

Both your legs.

Your whole chest and your head.

Your whole body.

Your whole body.

Your whole body held now in one field of awareness.

Whole.

Complete.

From the inside out.

Bring your attention back to your breath again and watch it move in and out of your body without any effort needed.

Your breath knows exactly what to do.

Simply watch it from your mind's eye.

Watching as if you are watching another resting here.

And with your next inhale you might like to travel with your breath following it from the centre of your being.

Traveling with awareness as it expands outward.

And then on your exhale travel back with your breath as if riding a wave back inwards to your centre.

You might like to bring in a sensation of light or warmth as you stay focused on your breath.

Perhaps sunlight pours out from your centre on your inhale filling your entire being on your exhale.

Or a golden warmth spreads throughout your body with your inhale and seeps deep into your bones and cells on your exhale.

Perhaps both.

Perhaps none.

Remember this is your practice so follow what feels right for you today.

And then come to notice the still point where your breath dissolves at the very end of your exhale.

This might appear as a pool of clear still water inside your centre.

A place where as the exhale ends it dissolves into stillness.

The pause of space before your inhale begins.

Allow your exhalation to extend as you explore this still point welcoming what your body and breath offers without any control or effort grateful that your body knows best.

Notice the body just as it is lying here in this space.

And invite a sense of lightness to spread through you an inner lightness spreading through your entire body out towards the world.

And then a sense of heaviness a soft weighted heaviness.

Allow this to spread throughout your body from the still centre inside from the inside out.

And move between these two states of being lightness and heaviness heaviness and lightness.

Now notice what remains the centre of your being stays untouched everything around it fluctuating changing but the centre of your being remains untouched.

Bring your awareness behind your closed eyes without effort trust what unfolds what comes in this space.

Now imagine a still flame in your heart radiating light from the inside out.

Breathe into this.

Now a quiet moon within casting its golden glow throughout the body.

Breathe into this.

And above all a vast inner sky expanding without end.

Breathe into this from the inside out.

Rest here in awareness itself the awareness aware of itself the eternal presence the unwavering quiet the endless source of peace within.

Breathe into this.

As within so without as above so below.

From the inside out you are whole within you shines the vast quiet power of the universe as Rumi reminds us everything in the universe is within you ask all from yourself.

Bring your Sankalpa back to mind sensing it as already alive within you trust it as a seed of light radiating from the inside out ready to be made real in your life and repeat it silently three times now for thought word and deed.

Start to deepen your breath and begin your return.

Start to feel the support beneath you once again becoming aware of the sounds around you call to mind the image of you lying in this space the covers and clothes over you as you make your return to the here and now to your outer world meeting it now with the richness you have touched within.

And perhaps notice a quiet sense of gratitude gratitude for this time for taking the time to practice gratitude for your body for your breath for your life and all the richness you have in your life and remember to keep practicing to keep delving into the inside to keep bringing your goodness out as Marcus Aurelius said look within within is the foundation of good and it will ever bubble up if thou wilt ever dig so keep digging keep returning within there the treasures are endless and when you're ready taking all the time you need invite small movements into your fingers and toes maybe taking a stretch or a yawn and in your own time gently ever so gently open your eyes carrying all the benefits of this practice with you from the inside out.

Welcome back to your world.

May the peace which passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in the knowledge and presence of love.

This practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Om Tat Sat.

Thank you.

Reviews

Listened on a rainy Saturday morning. Feeling peaceful, grateful and optimistic for a great day.