Yoga Nidra For Cultivating "I AM" Awareness

Welcome to this yoga nidra practice.

Begin by finding a comfortable position,

Resting on your back with the knees slightly bent and supported,

Making sure that you're warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable for the duration of the practice.

We'll invite stillness into the body so that the whole of your physical body,

The body and mind,

Have the opportunity to fully rest.

While it's best that you remain still during yoga nidra,

If you do become uncomfortable,

Please feel free to adjust your position as your body guides you.

Now allow your eyes to gently close and to remain closed until the end of the practice.

During this meditation,

Please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.

If your mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,

No problem.

Gently,

With kindness,

Return to the sound of my voice.

In this practice,

We'll move gently through the body,

Inviting relaxation and ease and connect with the I AM presence,

The core of your being.

When we connect to the I AM presence within,

We become more grounded,

More present,

And naturally choose actions that are aligned with our higher intentions.

We break free from our patterns and reactions of fear and judgment.

The I AM presence is the eternal part of us.

It's love,

Wholeness,

Perfect balance,

And ease of being.

When we're connected to the I AM presence,

We return to love,

We return to joy.

So let's begin.

Inhale through the nose and gently exhale through the mouth,

Allowing yourself to sink into the support of the earth beneath you.

Each inhale,

Gently expanding through the diaphragm.

Each exhale,

Softening further into the support beneath you,

Feeling fully supported.

Now become aware of any sounds that you can hear in this moment.

Simply becoming aware of what you can hear without straining.

Noticing the most distant sounds,

Allowing your sense of hearing to radiate outwards,

Following each sound for a few moments,

Moving your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.

Gradually,

Bring your attention to the sounds closer to the body.

The sound of your breath,

The sound of your heartbeat.

Feeling behind the closed lids of your eyes,

Visualize the space that you're in.

Imagining the ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying comfortably on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

Seeing your clothes,

Your face.

Becoming acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor,

Fully supported.

Allowing your attention to move through your head and face,

Including the top of the head,

Forehead,

Eyebrows,

Eyes,

Cheekbones,

And nostrils.

Be aware of the breath at the nostrils for several breaths.

Allow your attention to become aware of the mouth,

Jaw,

Chin,

Neck,

Throat,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Elbows,

Wrists,

Hands,

Fingers,

And fingertips.

Feel as though you're inhaling from the tips of the fingers up to the shoulders,

And then exhaling back to the fingertips.

Do this several times.

Inhaling from the tips of the fingers up to the shoulders,

Exhaling back to the fingertips.

Remove your attention from the fingers back through the hands,

Wrists,

Lower arms,

Upper arms,

Shoulders,

Upper back,

And chest.

Bring your awareness to the center of the chest,

Inviting a long and gentle exhale,

Followed by a natural,

Fluid inhale.

Exhale and inhale completely,

Several times here at the center of the chest.

Become aware of the stomach,

Abdomen,

Lower back,

Hips,

Thighs,

Knees,

Calves,

Ankles,

Feet,

And toes.

Exhale as if your whole body is exhaling.

Inhale as if your whole body is inhaling.

As you exhale,

Releasing all tensions,

Worry,

Anxiety.

Inhale as if you are inhaling new energy,

As well as a sense of peace and relaxation.

Exhale and inhale with your whole body several times now.

Now move your attention from the toes to the feet,

The ankles,

Calves,

Thighs,

Hips,

Lower back,

Abdomen,

Stomach,

And chest.

Bring your awareness to the center of the chest,

Holding your awareness at the center of the chest and inviting a long and gentle exhale,

Followed by a natural,

Fluid inhale.

Exhale and inhale completely,

Several times here.

Exhale and inhale with your whole body several times now.

Surveying the upper back,

Shoulders,

Upper arms,

Lower arms,

Wrists,

Hands,

Fingers,

And fingertips.

Feel as though you're inhaling from the tips of the fingers up to the shoulders and exhaling back to the fingertips.

Doing this several times,

Inhaling from the tips of the fingers to the shoulders,

Exhaling back to the fingertips.

Move your attention from the fingers back through the wrists,

Lower arms,

Upper arms,

Shoulders,

Neck,

Throat,

Chin,

Jaw,

Mouth,

And nostrils.

Be aware of the breath at the nostrils for several breaths.

Move your attention to the cheekbones,

Eyes,

Eyebrows,

Forehead,

And the top of the head.

For about one minute,

Allow your attention to be aware of the smooth,

Slow,

Serene flow of the breath.

Allow your mind to make a gentle,

Conscious effort to guide the breath so that it is soft and long,

Fluid and steady,

Calm,

Easy,

Gentle.

At this moment,

You state your sankalpa.

Your intention or resolve.

A short,

Positive statement in simple language that infers your intention,

A quality or experience that you intend to invite into your life.

For example,

You might say,

I am open to receive what I need.

I care for myself in every way,

Every day,

Or simply,

I am.

Please state your sankalpa to yourself clearly and with awareness three times now.

We'll now begin a rotation of consciousness simply following the guidance of my voice.

Please bring your awareness to the point between the eyebrows,

The third eye center.

And deepen that space between the eyebrows.

Sense a point of light like a luminous star,

A star-like point of light at the point between the eyebrows.

Becoming aware of the point between the eyebrows,

The throat center,

Right shoulder,

Inside of right elbow,

Inside of right wrist.

Point of light,

The right thumb tip,

Right first finger tip,

Right second finger tip,

Right ring finger,

Right pinky tip,

Inside right wrist,

Inside right elbow,

Right shoulder,

Throat center point of light,

Left shoulder,

Inside left elbow,

Inside left wrist,

Left thumb tip,

Left first finger tip,

Left center finger tip,

Left ring finger tip,

Left pinky tip,

Inside left wrist,

Inside left elbow,

Left shoulder,

Throat center,

Heart center point of light,

Center of right chest,

Heart center,

Center of left chest,

Heart center,

Navel center,

Pelvic center,

Right hip,

Inside right knee,

Right ankle,

Right big toe point of light,

Right second toe,

Right third toe,

Right fourth toe,

Right fifth toe,

Right ankle,

Inside right knee,

Right hip point of light,

Pelvic center,

Left hip,

Inside left knee,

Left ankle,

Left big toe point of light,

Left second toe,

Left third toe,

Left fourth toe,

Left little toe,

Left ankle,

Left knee,

Left hip point of light,

Pelvic center,

Navel center,

Heart center,

Throat center,

The point between the eyebrows,

Becoming aware of the point between the eyebrows.

We now move on to the sensation of opposites.

Now imagine the whole body becoming light,

The whole body light as though your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.

Your head is light and weightless.

Your limbs are light and weightless,

The whole body light and weightless as you're rising higher and higher away from the floor.

And now imagine your body becoming heavy,

The whole body feeling heavy,

Feeling heaviness in all the parts of the body.

Each part becomes heavier and heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy,

The limbs are heavy,

Your torso is heavy,

The whole body so heavy that it's sinking down into the floor.

And now recall the experience of separation,

Of distance,

A feeling of aloneness.

Feel the separation in the mind and the body without concentrating on the source.

Noticing any emotions and feeling tones in the body associated with the experience of separation.

Connecting with the experience of separation as clearly as possible.

And now allowing the feeling of complete connection,

A feeling of unity and belonging to envelop you.

Manifest the experience of connection and oneness in your entire mind,

Body and emotions.

Sensing and feeling connection,

Belonging and oneness.

You are relaxed and aware.

You are completely calm.

You belong.

You are connected and whole.

You are love.

Now begin to notice the space in front of your closed eyelids.

And allow yourself to rest your attention here on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagining before you a transparent screen much like the screen you might find in a movie theater.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see and you rest your attention here.

And gently become aware of anything that manifests on it.

Colors,

Patterns,

Light.

Whatever you see is manifesting the state of your mind.

Continue to hold your awareness on this space.

Practicing detached awareness,

Simply witnessing the mind screen.

Now a number of different things will be named.

Convision these on the level of emotion,

Memory and imagination as best you can.

Allow your mind to jump from image to image as soon as you hear it.

A bird's nest.

A sunset.

A busy street.

Red star.

A photo album.

The ocean at night.

Your reflection in a mirror.

An ornate key.

The sun shining overhead.

A wooden bridge.

A sky.

Holding hands.

A snowy field.

A temple on a mountain.

A rose blooming.

A path in the woods.

Dew on a blade of grass.

A silver box.

A sound of my voice.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your body lying on the floor.

Your breath flowing fluidly and easefully.

As you bring your attention to the point at the center of your chest,

Your heart center.

Becoming aware of this inner space,

The inner space you sense inside your heart center.

And as you breathe in here,

State in your mind,

I.

And as you exhale,

Am.

Inhale,

I.

Exhale,

Am.

Feeling your heart space fill with this I am presence.

Inhale,

I.

Exhale,

Am.

Develop your awareness of this presence.

The infinite I am space that extends beyond the body,

Beyond the mind.

I am.

I am.

Be aware of feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present,

Sensing what's present and experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is arising.

I am pure awareness.

I am pure awareness.

Watching,

Witnessing with no involvement.

I am.

Continue breathing and connecting with this I am presence in this heart space the next three minutes until you hear the sound of my voice.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

I am.

It's now time to repeat your suncalpa.

The same words repeat your suncalpa mentally three times now.

Returning to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Feeling your awareness of breath and at the same time developing your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.

Fully supported,

Safe and at ease.

As you feel your body relaxed and lying on the floor,

Begin to feel the clothes and blankets that are touching you.

Notice the points of contact that your body has with the floor,

The back of your heels,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

Returning your attention to the sound of your breath as you become aware of the space around you.

Holding your eyes gently closed,

Visualize the room surrounding you.

Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are here in the space around you,

With you.

Lie quietly here until you feel ready to move.

There's no hurry.

Start by slowly inviting movement into your hands and feet,

Inviting a stretch if that feels welcome to your body.

As you allow a gentle sigh to escape from your lips.

Inviting any additional small movements that you feel called to invite into the body.

And when you feel fully awake and alert,

Gently blink open your eyes and roll over to one side.

And stay here on the side for a few moments.

And when you feel ready and not a moment sooner,

Use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head come up last.

Pausing here.

Carrying the I AM with you as the practice of yoga nidra is now complete.