Prepare for the practice of yoga nidra by lying on your back in shavasana.
If shavasana is not appropriate,
You can sit on a chair or sit on the floor with your back against the wall.
Find an effortless position for this guided relaxation practice and say to yourself mentally I am practicing yoga nidra.
Take a deep breath in and on the exhale think joy.
Do this a few times and if the word joy doesn't land right then find the appropriate word for you tonight.
Just taking a deep breath in and on the exhale either mentally or aloud just repeating this word joy.
And then on the end of the next exhale,
The next repeating of the word,
Begin to soften the body.
Relax the feet,
Legs,
Buttocks.
Let go of the stomach,
Let the body,
Let the belly be soft.
The chest.
Soften the chest.
The shoulders.
The jaw,
Let the jaw be soft.
Perhaps even you let the lips come apart.
Maybe placing the tongue at the roof of the mouth.
Letting the body relax.
And then the eyes.
They can be open with a soft gaze.
Or closed.
And then the forehead.
Let the forehead relax.
Let the forehead relax.
Begin to listen in all directions for sounds.
Listen for distant sounds.
Maybe it's traffic.
Maybe it's traffic.
And then mentally move inward and listen for sounds outside the room.
What are the sounds outside of the room?
And listen for sounds inside the room.
Where I'm at,
I hear a clock ticking.
Tick,
Tick,
Tick.
I hear the refrigerator humming.
And then listen for sounds of the body.
Often when the body relaxes,
The stomach starts to digest and gurgle.
And then listen for the sound of the breath.
Moving in and out of the nose or mouth.
Don't have to change anything,
But just listen for it or even feel that breath moving in and out of the nose or mouth.
And then listen for or feel the heart beating.
And in the heartbeat,
Hear the heart's desire.
In Yoga Nidra,
It's called the Sankalpa.
It's a resolve,
A mission statement for your life and intention.
Could be an affirmation.
If you don't have something specific that you're working with,
Your own personal Sankalpa,
Maybe for tonight you use a statement like,
I'm open to joy.
Or I'm becoming more joyous.
Or I meet life with humor and joy.
Using one of my statements or your own statement,
Repeat it three times mentally with full awareness and the confidence that it will come true.
And now we'll move on to the rotation of consciousness through the body.
The body scan.
A body part will be named and either repeat the name of the body part mentally.
Bring awareness to the body part.
Or visualize a warm healing light touching the body part.
So there's opportunity to do any of those things.
My cueing will be for the warm healing light.
But it's also possible just to bring awareness to the body part or repeat the name of the body part mentally.
Nothing needs to move.
This is a complete mental exercise.
And we'll start as always on the right side of the body beginning with the right hand thumb.
Feel or see a warm healing light touching the right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
And pinky finger.
See that light thing in the palm of the hand.
Right hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrists.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Arm pit.
The side of the right rib cage.
Right waist.
Hip.
Upper leg.
Knee cap.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
The right heel.
A heat at the instep.
The top of the foot.
The sole of the foot.
And then a magnificent light across the right big toe.
First toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And fifth toe.
Bring that light to the left side of the body.
And feel or see this healing light across the left hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Ring finger.
And pinky finger.
A ball of healing light in the palm of the hand.
Touching the back of the hand.
Wrists.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Warm healing light on the shoulder.
Arm pit.
Side of the left rib cage.
Left waist.
Left hip.
And then feel the heat,
Feel the warmth.
At the upper left leg.
Knee cap.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Feel.
Heal.
In step.
Healing light at the sole of the foot.
The top of the foot.
And across the left big toe.
First toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
And fifth toe.
Now,
Stay aware and bring that light,
That light of positivity,
Of optimism,
Of joy to the top of the head.
Forehead.
The right temple.
The left temple.
Feel the rays of light on the right eyebrow.
The left eyebrow.
And at the eyebrow center.
Healing light on the right eyelid.
The left eyelid.
The right ear.
The left ear.
The right ear.
At the bridge of the nose.
Tip of the nose.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
The upper lip.
Lower lip.
Warm healing light at the chin.
The right collarbone.
The left collarbone.
The hollow between the collarbones.
The hollow between the collarbones.
A warm healing light at the right chest.
The left chest.
And a ball of healing light at the heart center.
The heart center.
Take the light to the upper abdomen.
Navel.
Lower abdomen.
Pelvis.
Buttocks.
And feel the heat at the lower back.
Middle back.
Upper back.
A healing light at the right shoulder blade.
The right shoulder blade.
The left shoulder blade.
The back of the neck.
The back of the head.
And the top of the head.
And then bring the attention to the third eye.
The eyebrow center.
And here at the third eye,
Feel an inner joy.
Visualize a peaceful scene.
A peaceful scene.
Yourself smiling.
And find this joy,
This smile,
This positive feeling.
Gather this energy of bliss.
And let it travel down and around the body.
And let the smiling energy flow like a stream down to your nose and wash over your lips.
And raise the corners of your mouth slightly to make a very subtle and sublime inner and outer smile.
And as the lips are smiling,
Soften your eyes.
Relax your jaw.
Perhaps you swallow.
And feel the throat open and relax as you smile.
Smile to your voice box.
And thank the voice box for the ability to speak.
Visualize the thymus like a flower.
And smile to it and thank it for its ability to heal.
And the immunity that it releases.
And then let the smile radiate to the heart,
Which many believe is the seed of happiness.
And feel the heart soften.
And fill it with love.
And let go of any cruelty or harshness or impatience.
And send a smile like a love letter to your heart.
And thank the heart for compassion and kindness,
Joy and circulation.
And then gather energy from the heart and let it flow to the lungs.
And let every cell relax in the lungs.
And let the lungs absorb joy and love and courage.
And thank them for oxygenating the body.
And smile to the lungs.
And then move mentally to the liver.
And let the liver be soft and open.
And smile to the liver and let it absorb kindness and forgiveness and acceptance.
And thank the liver for its role in assimilation and the metabolism and purification.
And then smile,
Let the smiling energy go to the stomach and pancreas and spleen.
And let them relax and feel fairness and present-minded consciousness.
And thank these organs for maintaining healthy digestion,
Immunity,
Balanced blood sugar levels.
Smile to them.
And then keep the body relaxed and send smiling energy to the kidneys.
And fill them with soothing security,
Wisdom and calm.
Thank the adrenals for filtering blood,
Balancing water,
Releasing stress.
Thank the kidneys for giving the body willpower to act on its convictions.
And then smile to the pelvis,
Appreciating the pleasure and power it gives.
And thank it for producing hormones that nourish the mind and body.
And then smile to the spine for allowing the body to move.
Smile to each vertebrae,
To the nervous system,
The bone marrow,
Bones,
Muscles,
Skin and hair.
Let the smiling energy cover the whole body.
Let the whole body together be filled with this energy of a smile.
The whole body together smiling and also acknowledging the gift of a smile.
The whole body together.
The whole body together.
The whole body together.
Relaxed and a smile.
And then let go of that body rotation,
The body scan.
And bring awareness to the breath.
Bring awareness to the breath.
And notice the rise and fall of the breath at the belly.
And maybe you bring your hands to the belly.
And mentally or aloud,
Say ho,
Ho,
Ho.
Perhaps your hands are on the belly.
Either way,
Mentally or aloud,
Repeat ho,
Ho,
Ho.
Ho,
Ho,
Ho.
And do this with the energy of a smile or a laugh.
Ho,
Ho,
Ho.
Ho,
Ho,
Ho.
Do this a few more times on your own.
Repeating ho,
Ho,
Ho.
Then bring the hands or the energy to the chest.
And begin mentally repeating this triad.
He,
He,
He.
He,
He,
He.
And play with that in a joyous way.
Those words of a laugh.
He,
He,
He.
Mentally or aloud,
Work with that practice of he,
He,
He a few times.
And then let go of the he,
He,
He.
And then we'll work with ha.
Take a deep inhale.
And on the exhale,
With the tongue hanging out,
Say ha.
Deep inhale.
And on the exhale,
With the tongue hanging out,
Mentally or aloud,
Ha.
And one more time.
Deep inhale.
Mentally or aloud,
Release the tongue out.
Ha.
Come back to the breath.
And the last breathing exercise is we'll take a deep inhale.
And on the exhale,
Just laugh.
Ha,
Ha,
Ha.
A few times.
Deep inhale.
Exhale.
Ha,
Ha,
Ha.
A few more times.
Your deep inhale.
And on the exhale,
A laugh.
And then let go of that laughter yoga practice.
And just come back to the breath.
Notice once again the rise and fall of the breath.
And as you breathe,
Notice any cool air coming in and out of the nose or mouth.
And connect to any other places the body is cool.
Maybe it's the exposed skin on the fingers or toes.
Maybe the tip of the nose.
Find a place where the body is cool and spread that sensation across the entire body.
Let the body be cool.
Know the body is coolness.
The body is cool.
Then let go of the coolness and come to the opposite sensation of warmth.
Find a place of warmth in the body.
Perhaps it's under the blankets or clothing.
Maybe at the core of the body.
Find a place that's warm and spread that warmth across the entire body.
Let the body be warm.
Know the body is warmth.
The body is warm.
And let go of the warmth and return to the opposite sensation of coolness.
Again,
Connect to a place on the body that's cool.
And once it's found,
Spread that coolness across the entire body.
Feel the entire body cool.
And then let go of the coolness and go to that opposite sensation of warmth.
Find a place of warmth in the body.
And spread that warmth across the entire body.
Let the body be warm.
Feel the warmth.
The body is warm.
And now let go of warmth and come back to coolness.
And right away add in warmth.
Attempt to be both warm and cool simultaneously.
Perhaps the inside of the body is warm and the outside is cool.
Or maybe the front of the body is cool and the back of the body is warm.
No matter how or where,
Attempt to be both warm and cool at the exact same time.
Attempt to be both warm and cool simultaneously.
And now let go of warmth and let go of coolness.
And come back to the breath.
Then remember an experience of being very serious.
Very serious,
Somber.
And see that moment of seriousness,
Of strictness,
Somberness,
As if it were happening right now.
See the self serious and somber.
The self is serious.
The self is somber.
And then let go of that experience,
That memory of seriousness.
Come to an opposite experience of humor or laughter.
See a time,
A moment of the self laughing,
Filled with humor.
Remember that experience as if it were happening right now.
See the smiles.
See the laughter.
See the lightness.
And spread that across the entire body.
Know the body.
Know the self as filled with humor.
Filled with laughter.
And then let go of that laughter,
That humor.
And return to that opposite experience of seriousness,
Strictness,
Somberness.
See the whole self serious.
Know the self as serious,
As somber.
And then let go of that seriousness and come back to that humor,
That laughter,
The joy.
And remember that experience.
And spread that feeling of humor,
Of laughter across the entire body.
Know the self is humorful and humorous and laughing.
And then let go of the humor and come back to that seriousness and add in the humor.
Attempt to be both serious and humorous at the exact same time.
Maybe the mind is humorous but the body is laughing.
Attempt to hold on to seriousness and humor simultaneously.
And then let go of the humor and let go of the seriousness and come back to the breath.
Just notice the state of the breath.
Shift the awareness to the Chittakash,
The mind space in front of the closed eyes.
Shift the awareness to the Chittakash,
The mind moving.
Shift the awareness to the Chittakash,
This mind space in front of the closed eyes.
And in this space visualize the most beautiful setting.
It could be mountains or by a lake,
The ocean.
And put that place in the Chittakash,
The mind space in front of the closed eyes.
And see this paradise.
Notice the colors and the patterns.
Connect to the smells.
Maybe there's smells of trees like pine or flowers.
The salty smell of an ocean.
What are the smells?
Find the smells of this beautiful place living in the Chittakash.
And then taste this beautiful place.
What does it taste like?
What are the foods that are eaten in the personal paradise?
Bring awareness to the taste of this joyous scene.
And what do you hear there?
Are there birds chirping?
Waves crashing?
What are the sounds?
How does the self feel in this place?
Is there a smile on the lips?
A lightness?
See the self in this scene of joy,
Lightness,
And beauty.
Experience the bliss of the space created in the Chittakash.
Then bring the awareness back to the Chittakash,
The mind's eye,
And let go of the visualization practice.
Let it go as you come back to the breath.
And in the breath,
Hear the whisper of the sankalpa,
The short positive statement that was made in the beginning of the yoga nidra practice.
And repeat it again three times mentally with full awareness and the confidence that it will come true.
Connect to the heartbeat.
Feel the breath moving in and out of the nose or mouth.
Listen for the sounds in the room.
Listen for sounds outside the room.
Find the furthest sound that you can hear outside the room.
Then remember the room.
Remember the walls.
Remember the color or texture of the walls.
Remember the ceiling.
What's that ceiling look like?
Remember the floor.
What's the floor made of?
Remember your place in the room.
Are you in bed or on the couch or lying on the floor?
Remember how you're positioned.
Come back to the breath.
Make each inhale deeper and deeper.
Make each exhale fuller and fuller.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply and fully.
And say to yourself mentally,
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Keep the eyes closed,
But begin to wiggle the fingers and the toes.
So we're coming out.
And if you want to come out,
You'll follow the instructions.
And if you don't want to come out,
Don't follow the instructions.
And then start to roll the wrists and ankles one way.
And then the opposite direction.
And take any kind of intuitive movement the body is asking for.
Maybe you stretch your arms overhead.
Maybe you twist from side to side.
Wiggle,
Wiggle,
Stretch,
Stretch,
Roll.
And then once you're finished,
Notice which nostril is most open.
And roll over onto that side in a fetal position.
Take some slow deep breaths here in a fetal position.
Maybe you connect back to your sankalpa.
And if you wish,
You can push yourself up to a comfortable seated position with the hands at the heart center.
This was a practice on hasya,
On joy.
One of the nine emotions.
Everything that's joyous in me bows down to acknowledges and admires everything that is joyous in you.
Haryam Tatstat.
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Ashe.
