Yoga Nidra Deep Relaxation: Gifts of the Shadow

Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.

Find a comfortable position,

Laying on your back,

Or in a way that your body feels completely supported so that you can relax fully.

Perhaps supporting your head with a pillow and placing a bolster under your knees.

A blanket for warmth is helpful too.

Allow the body to become heavy now.

Feel the back of your head sink into the pillow below as your eyes soften and your forehead widens.

Feel heaviness in your jaw,

Your neck,

Your shoulders.

Your shoulder blades relax as your arms and hands naturally fall open.

Your heart rests back onto your spine,

Supported by the earth as it rises up to meet you.

Feel softness in the belly,

The hips,

The groin,

The upper legs,

Knees,

Lower legs and feet.

Allow your feet to relax completely.

Feel your body become even heavier.

Yoga Nidra is a system of relaxation that will guide you on a journey of expanded consciousness through the five sheaths of self.

Physical,

Energetic,

Mental,

Wisdom and bliss.

As our brain activity begins to slow,

We shift into deep relaxation in the seat of the observer.

We move from the external to the internal and open to the full experience of our expanded consciousness.

The deep relaxation offered by Yoga Nidra creates a quiet and receptive brain state,

Which is fertile ground for revealing and releasing deeply held limiting beliefs,

Also called samskaras.

Through use of a sankalpa or personal resolve,

The practice provides space to rework the inner programming we create through our lives.

With Yoga Nidra,

When we see that we hold beliefs that are limiting,

We can offer them up for change,

So that we operate from a more open and honest way of being.

Maintain awareness of my voice throughout the practice.

Trust in my guidance as I lead you through the layers of consciousness.

Steadying the body into a state of stillness,

We begin the journey inward.

We'll start with the practice of pratyahara,

Sense withdrawal.

Notice the sounds furthest from you,

Outside of the room that you're in,

Outside of the building.

Be aware of the sounds without identifying them.

Allow your consciousness to move from sound to sound.

Now draw your attention to the sounds within the room,

Those closer to you.

Again,

Watch without attaching to them.

Now bring your awareness to the sounds within your own body.

The thumping of your heart,

The movement of blood and fluids throughout your body,

The breath moving in and out of your lungs.

Feel the temperature of the air on your skin,

The touch of your clothing.

Notice the cool temperature of the air as it enters your nostrils on the inhale and the warmer energized breath on your exhale.

Draw focus now to your breath.

Observe the breath as it fills your chest,

Expanding your ribs and gently lifting your belly.

Feel the breath move through the entire body,

Touching all of the edges of your physical self and bringing with it the pranic energy of life.

See the energy flow through the body gather back in the lungs as the breath naturally flows out.

Feeling a sense of relaxation and internal stillness as the breath cycle comes to completion.

Releasing attention at the breath,

We will prepare to plant our sankalpa,

Your personal resolve and deepest desire for growth.

Your sankalpa is stated in a way similar to an affirmation,

In a personal,

Positive and present statement.

Your sankalpa begins with the powerful words,

I am,

And is completed with your heartfelt longing.

You will keep the same sankalpa as long as you are working on it,

Allowing for the time and natural transition of shifting self.

In this relaxed state of mind,

Your sankalpa holds immense power.

Moving easily past the layers of externalized self,

We are able to plant our resolve in the subconscious.

This deep acceptance will translate into natural manifestation as your belief and reality align.

State your resolve now three times to yourself with focused attention,

Meaning and clear awareness.

We now begin the practice of yoga nidra.

Next,

We explore 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,

Mentally repeat it and relax it.

There is no physical movement,

Only the movement of your awareness.

Bring your awareness to settle in the right hand.

Right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the rib cage,

Hip,

Upper leg,

Kneecap,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the rib cage,

Hip,

Upper leg,

Kneecap,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

All five toes together.

Draw your awareness now to the soles of your feet.

We will move our consciousness from the soles up to the crown of the head using the back of the body.

Right sole,

Left sole,

Both soles together.

Right ankle,

Left ankle,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Back of the right knee,

Back of the left knee,

Back of the right thigh,

Back of the left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Low back,

Upper back,

Whole spine,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Both shoulder blades together,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Center of the eyebrows,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Nose,

Tip of the nose,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Chin,

Whole face,

Throat,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Whole chest,

Belly,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right kneecap,

Left kneecap,

Right shin,

Left shin,

Right foot,

Left foot.

Bring awareness to the body in parts,

The whole right arm,

Whole left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole right leg,

Whole left leg,

And both legs together,

The right side of the body,

Left side of the body,

Front of the body,

Back of the body,

Whole head,

Whole body,

Whole body,

Whole body together.

Maintain awareness and hold awareness of the whole body.

Draw attention now to your breath.

On your in-breath,

Visualize a white light moving with your breath to fill your lungs.

Observe the energy of your inhale as it lights up your entire chest and spreads out to fill the whole energy body,

Offering the light of pure awareness through the movement and flow of breath.

The exhale takes with it the completion of the energy flow,

A natural expression and offering of completed breath to the universal dynamic of energetic life.

The inhale expands and strengthens the glow of circulating energy in your pranic consciousness,

And the exhale offers space for integration,

Bathing in the healing light of creation and energy movement.

Watch the internal light now while releasing awareness of the breath.

Drop any focus and allow the light to settle.

Notice the stillness.

Feel the calm.

As you release attention up the light,

You begin to notice the presence of darkness,

A vast engulfing spaciousness,

Inky black,

Sinking heaviness.

In this space of quiet,

We will explore the cleansing nature of darkness,

The gift of our shadow.

The shadow holds our fears,

Our unexamined beliefs and places of non-acceptance.

In order to fully step into the truth of who we are as beings of unconditional love,

We must learn to embrace our shadow and listen to the teachings offered within.

The shadow shows itself in moments of need,

When we are failing to pay attention to something that is necessary for our highest well-being.

There are no abstractions or long-winded explanations in the dark.

Only raw emotion and pointed reminders exist there.

Darkness holds the ultimate freedom,

That of unconditional acceptance.

Turn your attention now to the seemingly unlovable and open to its whisperings of truth.

What comes up for you?

Feelings of anxiety,

Self-doubt,

Disappointment or fear of loneliness?

There's no pretend with your shadow.

She knows you too well.

Share everything with honesty,

Even the parts that you prefer to keep hidden.

They're just for you.

Let in all that you've been holding at arm's length,

Trusting the strength of your darkness to cleanse and purify.

Breathe now into the heaviness,

Into the dark,

Gripping space.

Let go and allow your darkness to work its alchemical magic.

Silence.

Receive the gift of love.

Feel a softening begin in your heart.

Listen to the voice of truth.

Feel the warmth of love spread through your body and mind.

Allow yourself to be breathed.

Feel the support of your shadow.

Know your true nature now as love and unconditional acceptance.

Return to the quietness of your spacious self,

The clean space of consciousness that observes as we move through the practice of rapid visualization.

I will name images as you mentally project the image from the quiet into the space of potentiality.

The rough brown bark of a pine tree.

Fresh smell of a bubbling stream.

The bright luminous light of the full moon.

Purple rain.

Smooth coolness of an icicle.

Warm orange of a crackling fire.

A yellow rose.

The warm feeling of gratitude.

Releasing the sensations and visual projections into the space from which they arose.

Rest your consciousness in this space.

Watch the images fade as to the open warmth of gratitude.

Sense your heart full with appreciation and complete acceptance.

Sit in this space and feel your radiant being.

San Calpa.

Remember the personal resolve you stated at the beginning of your practice.

Return to this heartfelt desire and plant the seed of your creation deep within your conscious being.

Your mind is ready to receive your San Calpa.

State your San Calpa three times to yourself once again.

Plan to resolve with focused attention,

Meaning and clear awareness.

Bring your awareness now back into the body.

Hear the breath.

Feel its warm touch in your nostrils as you exhale.

Observe the natural movements of your body as the breath flows in and out.

Remember the position of your body in space.

Feel the air temperature on your skin.

Visualize the walls around you.

Take in sounds of your external environment.

Maintain stillness with external awareness.

Notice quiet.

Feel relaxation.

Begin to make some small movements of the body.

Wiggling your fingers and your toes.

Stretching your arms up overhead.

And gently fluttering the eyes open.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Adi om tat sat.

Thank you for watching.