Yoga Nidra Exploration

Take a journey through your body and mind, exploring the perfect you that you are. Through regular practice of Yoga Nidra, you may have the ability to balance many areas of your life including the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

Transcript

Welcome to your weekly yoga nidra. My name is Penny and I will be guiding you through your experience this evening. Yoga nidra or yogic sleep is a meditative practice that brings you into a state of deep relaxation and then allows you to become increasingly aware of your body and inner world. You will likely experience yourself in a level of consciousness somewhere between wakefulness and sleeping. You may also drift in and out of sleep, But that is normal and perfectly fine. Your deepest level of consciousness will still be actively listening. Some of what you hear may deeply resonate with you and some may not. Just take what you need and leave the rest behind. To begin, We'll take a few moments, Tensing and relaxing, Working through the different parts of the body, Letting go of anything you might be holding on to. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Engage all the muscles in the right leg, Foot and toes, Perhaps lifting the leg and foot a fraction of an inch, Holding the breath inside. Exhale, Release out through the mouth, Letting go. Inhale now and engage all the muscles in the left leg and foot. Tensing, Tensing and release. Inhale now and engage the right arm, Squeezing the right hand into a tight fist, Vibrating the arm with tension, Holding the breath in. Exhale, Let go. Inhale deeply and fully engage all the muscles in the left arm and hand, Vibrating the arm with tension. Exhale, Release completely. Inhale, Deeply engage the muscles in the chest and abdomen. Exhale and release. Inhale deeply, The back and shoulders squeezing together, The whole back, Every muscle engaged. Exhale and let go. Breathe in deeply through the nose. Squish up your face, Squeezing the eyes shut, Lifting the lips up towards your nose. Exhale and release. Breathe in deeply through your nose. Engage every single body part, Every muscle, Every fiber vibrating with tension. Exhale and release completely. And just breathe. On every exhalation, Let go even more. Remember, This is a practice of letting go. Feel your body beginning to settle and feel your breath settling too. You consciously begin to shift from thinking and doing, From feeling and being. Now I invite you to make any last minute adjustments to your position. Can you be even 5 or 10% more comfortable? As your body settles and releases fully, Become aware of the way your body feels right now. Cultivating a sense of letting go, Of softening, Of deep release. Know that this practice cannot be done wrong. Bring your awareness to the sense of how the air feels on any skin that may be uncovered. And now notice how your covered skin feels. Notice your mouth and sense whether there are any lingering tastes from something you may have eaten or drank before arriving here. Notice if there are any smells you are aware of and just let them be. Bring your awareness to your hearing, Beginning to listen closely to every sound that you can hear. Try to resist the urge to label the sounds or attach likes and dislikes. And instead, Let each sound be an anonymous vibration. As soon as you hear a sound, Let go of it. Find a new one. Begin to listen for the more subtle sounds. Sounds between. Begin to listen for the sounds coming from inside of your own body. Can you hear your heartbeat or perhaps feel its vibration? Listen for the sound of your breath. Begin to feel as though the body is breathing through the soles of the feet. Breath rises to the crown of the head. Exhale from the crown down the length of the body and out through the soles. Breath coming and going, Rising and falling like a wave. At this time, We make a resolve, A heartfelt desire called a sankalpa. A sankalpa is used to support your transport and revelation as a human being in this world, In this body. A sankalpa is made in the present tense. Bring your awareness to your heart. Ask yourself, What is my deepest desire? Take a moment and just listen. Think of your highest goals, Your deepest needs. Use that desire to create a statement of intent, A sankalpa. For example, I am healthy and whole. Or, I am peaceful. Or, It could just be one word like joy or calm or love. Can you imagine how your sankalpa would feel in your body as if it were completely already fully realized? Create a body memory of the fully realized sankalpa as you state it three times to yourself in the present tense. Now give thanks and let this go. Next, I would like you to recall in your mind a favorite place. A vision of and a feeling about a place where you feel safe, Secure, And at ease. A personal safe haven where you experience a sense of overall well-being and peace. For example, This place could be sitting in your favorite place reading. Or, You could be lying on the beach listening to the waves. Any place that is welcoming to you. In Yoga Nidra, We call this place your inner resource. A source of peace and happiness that exists within you and cannot be truly disturbed. It can be a real or imagined place. So feel free to use as many images and details as you need. What does it look like? How do you feel when you're there? Do you notice any sounds or smells? Notice how your body feels when you're there and notice where you're sensing it. You will use this inner resource to return to at any time during practice. For example, If you fall asleep and wake up feeling lost, Simply return to your inner resource. This place where you sense fullness and peace that exists in this moment. Bring your awareness to my voice. I will be guiding you to notice and feel the physical sensations, Your breath, Emotions, Thoughts and feelings of well-being or joy. And to experience yourself as a witness to all of those comings and goings. Whatever you experience is fine, Just as it is. There's no right or wrong. Simply rest at ease and listen to my voice. Feel your whole body. Become aware of your whole body lying on the floor. Feel this whole body as one thing. Be aware of your whole body, The whole body. Acknowledge every part of your body. All of the body is alive. Every part of the body is a part of this experience. Tell yourself, I'm aware that I'm going to practice yoga nidra. Become aware of your breathing. Maintain the awareness of your breath. Maybe you can hear your breath. Maybe you can become aware of the breath entering and leaving your nostrils. Maybe you feel the air when it hits the back of your throat. The body is breathing. Feel the breath. Follow the process of your breath without interfering or controlling. Simply experience the breath. Be aware of the breath. Let your breath be as it is and follow the normal flow. Bring your attention to the space in front of the eyes. Gaze into it, Observing any colors or shapes that may arrive. And prepare now to visualize images in this space as I name them. Visualize a comet shooting across the night sky, Lighting it up. Casting a wide net into the deep ocean. Walking through a dense, Dark forest at sunset. Imagine torrential rain cleansing the earth. Clouds gathering in a blue sky. A snake shedding its skin. Sowing seeds of new beginnings. Upward pointing blue triangle. Single luminous pearl. Deep blue cloudless sky. Wise old woman. Standing at a crossroads. Gazing up at the infinite night sky. Resting back in the spaciousness. At this time the awareness will go on a journey through the body parts. As each body part is named, Feel into it. Sense the presence of energy within. Visualize the part is encircled by a golden light. Beginning on the right side of the body, Bring all of your awareness to the right hand thumb. Feeling the thumb, Visualizing it. Golden light. Keep going like this. Index finger. Middle finger. Ring finger. Pinky finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Right elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Armpit. Right side of the chest. Waist. Hip. Thigh. Right knee. Shin. Ankle. Soul of the right foot. Top of the foot. Right big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Right pinky toe. The whole right side of the body. Golden light. Guide the attention now to the left side. Left hand thumb. Index finger. Middle finger. Ring finger. Left pinky finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Left elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Armpit. Left side of the chest. Left side of the waist. Hip. Thigh. Knee. Shin. Ankle. Soul of the left foot. Top of the foot. Left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Left pinky toe. The whole left side of the body. The whole left side of the body. Golden light. Bring your awareness now to the whole right leg and foot. And the whole left leg and foot. Both legs, Both feet together. The whole right arm and hand. The whole left arm and hand. Both arms and both hands together. Trunk of the body. Front, Back, And sides. Trunk of the body, Neck, And head. The whole right side. The whole left side. The whole back body. The whole front body. The whole body. The whole body. Your whole body. Bring your awareness to your breath. Move your awareness to the in and out of your breath. Developing awareness of each breath. Begin to experience that you are not only breathing through your nose, But through each and every pore and cell of your body. Begin to breathe through the whole body. Feel your whole body breathing as one unit. Experience the whole body breathing. All the pores of your skin are taking in breath. Imagine they are opening and closing as you breathe in and out. As you breathe in through every pore, Try to experience that the whole inner space of your being is expanding outward in every direction. The whole inner space from head to toe is increasing in size. As you breathe out through every pore, Experience this inner space contracting evenly on all sides. Breathing in, Expanding. Breathing out, Whole body contraction. Use the power of your imagination to try to actually feel your whole body breathing and see it expand and contract. As you breathe in, The breath is entering through every pore and cell of your body, The whole inner space expanding like a bubble. As you breathe out, Every pore, The inner space contracting. From within the stillness of the body, Become aware of the gentle and natural rhythm of the breath effortlessly coming and going. Notice where the breath is felt most within the body and glimpse the awareness of this location, Finding the breath within the body, Watching it come, Watching it go. Feel the body breathing. Feel the natural flow of the natural rise and fall of the breath. There's no need to change the breath. Just notice. Notice the feeling of the breath in the nose, The throat, The chest, Rib cage, And abdomen. Notice any sensations that come with the breath. Breathing moment to moment, In and out. Allow yourself to immerse in the awareness of your breath, Experiencing whatever arises, The field of awareness of all that is. On the next exhalation, Feel that the body is growing heavy, As heavy as a huge boulder. Deepen this experience of heaviness with each and every exhalation. Feel the body heavier and heavier. A sense of density, Weightedness. On an inhalation, Release heavy and experience its opposite, Spontaneously arising, Lightness with every inhalation. Feel as if the body is filled with air and nothing else. The body feels like a fluffy cloud. Create a sense that the body could easily lift, Float upwards, Take flight. On your next exhale, Bring the body back to its natural weight. Imagine a sensation of heat forming in your body, Your belly full of warm soup or a hot cup of tea in your hands. Recreate that feeling of warmth as fully as you can, Spreading it through your whole body. Warmth. Letting that go now, Calling to mind an experience, A sensation of coolness in the body. Whether it's cold tiles underneath your bare feet or the chill of a winter morning on your skin. Recreate that experience as much as you can, As fully as you can through your whole body. Now, Can you move from one to the other, Remembering the warmth, The heat, Feeling it in the body, And then cold, A chill in the body? Explore the two sensations from one to the other, Back and forth. Warmth. Cold. Is there a moment where both are equally true, Where you can feel both at the same time? Next, Bring your awareness to what it feels like to be in a quiet place. How does it feel to be in a quiet place? Now, Can you imagine what it sounds like to be in a loud place? What does that feel like in your body? Now, Can you go back to the quiet again and remember what that feels like? And now remember what it feels like to be in a loud place. Now, Go back to the quiet and then back to the loud, Noticing anything about them and welcoming both of the feelings at once. Perhaps noticing blurry edges with a sound or lack of sound combined or blend. Now, Can you imagine a feeling that is present in your body, Any feeling that comes to mind? Or perhaps recalling a memory that invites a particular feeling into your body, Welcoming the feeling as sensation in your body. Now, Can you find the opposite of that feeling in your body? Can you imagine the opposite of that feeling, Welcoming sensation into your body? Now, Can you go back to the original feeling and remember how it felt to feel that? And now go back to the opposite feeling and what that feels like in your body. Can you go back and forth between the two, Noticing anything about these two feelings that may overlap or blend anywhere? Is it possible to welcome both of the feelings at once? And I want you to recall your sankalpa, Your heartfelt desire. Notice if you can feel your sankalpa resonating in your body in any way. In this space you have created for yourself, Your sankalpa takes root and grows. How does that feel to you now? Has anything changed or has your mind shifted? Feel back into the part of you that is aware of all of this. In other words, Be aware of being aware. Can you feel the air in the clothing touching your skin? Can you hear any sounds inside or outside the room? Notice your breath and feel it moving in and out of your nose. Notice if there are any tastes in your mouth. Now bring your attention to your eyes. Should you wish to stay asleep or to go to sleep, You may simply stay where you are and rest peacefully. Should you wish to arise, Rub your palms gently together and place them lightly over your eyes. When you are ready, Gently open your eyes. There is no rush. Take your time transitioning to your alert state of wakefulness. Your yoga nidra is now complete. Can you experience a feeling of gratitude for taking the time to practice yoga nidra? Welcome and offer love to yourself as a timeless, Open and spacious well-being that is perfect just as you are. And your whole self as whole, Healthy and perfect just as you are. And the understanding that you always know the perfect response to each moment as you take the time to welcome your deepest knowing. Thank yourself one more time for taking the time to practice yoga nidra. Sensing everything around you. Rise slowly when you are ready. There is no rush. Thank you for practicing yoga nidra. It has been my honor to be your guide. Namaste.