Welcome to Nale Yoga the podcast with yoga nidra journeys for deep rest and more.
I'm Ruthie and I'm thankful to be here with you.
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Now let's get started Now let us prepare to begin yoga nidra Lie down on your back with all the supports you need such as a pillow or blanket Align your spine along its natural curvature from the tailbone to the brainstem releasing your weight to the surface beneath you Place your feet comfortably apart with the toes rolled out Place your arms loosely by your sides with the palms facing the sky Tilt the forehead slightly forward to elongate the cervical spine along the back of your neck Arrange yourself in symmetry and stability preparing to remain still for a while Make any adjustments you need to create comfort and safety for yourself Rav Joseph Silevicik once said,
Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible We are now in the end of the month of Tamaz which is oriented around the tikuna restoration of seeing.
During the practice of yoga nidra,
You are invited to look within By pausing from external input and introverting the senses,
Your analytical mind which works so hard each day to ensure your survival gets a chance to rest in the space between sleep and wakefulness From this space beyond the cognitive layers of the brain you have a more open road to connect with the infinite source consciousness From here,
Your most authentic vision can emerge If you feel safe under my guidance,
I invite you to turn your vision inward by closing the curtains of your eyelids for the duration of this practice Let your eyes soften in their sockets turning towards your in sight,
The clear sight within you which is nested in the inner chambers of your consciousness.
During this practice remember that you are the observer of your experience I encourage you to follow whatever shows up for you from the perspective of a compassionate witness without getting too attached to the contents Just try to stay awake You can follow my voice and if your mind wanders in different directions know that my voice will be here for you to return to The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now Let's begin by taking three deep clearing breaths Inhale deeply from root to crown and exhale completely letting go of all the stress Once again,
Inhale deeply and exhale completely,
Releasing any tension you're carrying And one more time,
Inhale deeply from root to crown and let it go exhale effortlessly Feel the air as it fills your lungs and expands the ribs and belly Release any tightness in your hips legs and toes Allow your toes to soften and relax On your next inhale sense the breath rising to your collarbones and spreading across the arc of your shoulders,
Moving down your arms to your fingers And as you exhale,
Notice the breath traveling up through your throat easing the muscles in your face and jaw allowing your features to relax In your mind's eye visualize a pink sunrise A pink sunrise You are exactly where you need to be On your next inhale gather your awareness from the peripheries of your body to the space of the third eye behind your brows in the cone-shaped pineal gland the size of a grain of rice at the center of your head From here you may bring to mind your intention for today's practice,
Your sankalpa in Sanskrit or your kavana in Hebrew This is the resolve that speaks to what drives you most from the core of your being Your intention should be a short,
Positive,
Simple statement starting with I am No one can tell you what intention to set,
But if you're unsure what your intention is,
Consider trying out some of these phrases I am clear I am receptive to the gifts of vision I am seeing the goodness in all things I am whole or just simply,
I am here Hinen Feeling Say your intention to yourself three times in the present tense with feeling Your intention has been set Now let it go,
It will return to you later on in the practice For now,
Just keep breathing up from the toes to the space behind the brows and exhaling down effortlessly letting any stress or tension dissipate into the air We now begin the rotation of consciousness by bringing awareness to different body parts in rapid succession.
Repeat each part I say in your mind and simultaneously feel it in your body Let's start on the right side Right hand thumb second finger,
Third finger fourth finger fifth finger all five fingers the palm of the hand the wrist continuing up to the arm the elbow and the shoulder the entire right arm wrapping around to the armpit continuing down the right side body to the right hip thigh,
Kneecap calf muscle ankle right foot and all five toes of the right foot and now the entire right leg continue bringing awareness to the left hand thumb,
Second finger third,
Fourth fifth,
All five fingers the palm of the hand,
The wrist continuing up the arm to the elbow the shoulder curving down to the left armpit and descending down the left side body to the hip thigh,
Kneecap calf ankle down to the left foot all five toes on the left foot the entire left leg now the top of your head the forehead the eyebrows the space between the eyebrows the eyes,
Both ears the cheekbones the nose the chin the throat the chest the abdomen the navel,
The pelvic region become aware of your upper back mid back,
Lower back the buttocks the spine the whole back together now both legs together both arms together the entire back of the body from the heels to the back of the head the entire front of the body from the toes to the top of the forehead and now just the head now the whole body together the whole body together the whole body all together just feel the whole body in complete stillness and now return awareness to your breath just observe your breathing pattern without manipulating it and now try breathing and counting in the following manner inhale white light up from the pelvic floor to the third eye space,
18 and exhale air from the third eye space to the pelvic floor,
18 inhale light up from the pelvic floor to the third eye space 17 exhale air down from the third eye space to the pelvic floor 17 continue counting in this manner on your own until you reach 1 and if you lose track of your counting just start over from 18 wherever you are you may now stop counting as we transition to awareness of opposites perceive your body lying where it is in the space around you let your awareness zoom out to a high altitude perspective looking down at your body and everything it contains including its emotions and thoughts through the eyes of an eagle like you're flying higher and higher and your body appears smaller and smaller keep seeing it from further and further away until your body is a speck in the distance and observe how you experience yourself from far away notice any sensations or feelings that show up for you as you experience yourself from a telescopic distance and now descend downward hovering closer to your body zooming into the granular details until they appear to blur as if through the large eyes of a toad on the water look through yourself,
Seeing the granular details behind the darkness of your closed eyelids behind your cheeks and jaw,
Your throat chest and abdomen circulating around your whole body and perceiving the interior domain beyond the surface of the skin encounter a close-up of yourself and pay attention to the physical reflection of any emotional or psychological parts of yourself keep approaching and looking into yourself microscopically,
As closely as possible seeing how the details sharpen blur and dissolve and now try to look telescopically and microscopically at the same time letting the distance and closeness merge into one form now let it go and experience yourself through eyes of judgment the eyes of a harsh critic observe what the judgment hinges on where it concentrates and see how it impacts your body and mind see how you're relating to this experience of judgment now let it go and experience yourself through a lens of compassion the eyes of a compassionate witness who cares about you very much notice where the compassion is landing and how it affects your body and mind sense your relationship to the lens of compassion and now alternate between the dance of judgment and compassion finding a harmonious coexistence and now let it go as we move on to visualization I'm now going to see a series of images and I'd like you to repeat each one in your mind and visualize it as vividly as possible experience the image on all levels of awareness including sensations,
Feelings and memory associations a swamp a clear lake looking through the tears a sharp eye eye of the eagle wings of the eagle claws of the eagle the soaring eagle the soaring eagle the soaring eagle the dark sunlight the luminous darkness a hideous beauty a beautiful scar the loud silence the quiet scream the screen of illusion the window to the soul the pupil of the eye the lens of the eye the muscles around the lens of the eye the whole eye resting in its socket the optic nerve starting from behind the eye and connecting all the way like a network of branches to the occipital lobe in the brain from here bring awareness to the third eye center in the middle of the head at the location of the pineal gland just be here and keep observing from the seat of the witness there is nothing to judge,
Nothing to solve nothing to expect just see whatever arrives and witness it with a degree of detachment this is your time to just be I will remain quiet for the next few minutes to give you space to rest in the silence of your being in the silence you can see with the eyes of the soul from this space of conscious awareness shift your gaze inward and upward to find your intention your sankalpa,
Kavana repeat the same intention three times with resolve in its truth and let it seep through every cell of your body like a healing clear ball I see how your intention maps throughout your body and seeps into the cells of the skin and the fibers constituting the vessels and the muscles and the organs and the bones from the surface of your brain deep to the midbrain's limbic system now reconnect with your breathing just follow your breath effortlessly at its own natural pace and rhythm scan your body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and notice how you're feeling at this time notice the feeling of the surface underneath you and the position of your body visualize the surroundings and your space the external environment and take a moment to integrate this practice while you're in a relaxed state,
Allowing it to settle into your consciousness and now start bringing back some small movements to the fingers and toes rotating your wrists and elbows bringing a little more movement to the body perhaps stretch your arms overhead and bringing the clear vision with you may you continue to have clarity peace and harmony and take all the time you need to gradually return to your body returning back to the waking state and when you're sure that you're awake,
You may open your eyes and see the world again and the practice of yoga nidra is now complete thank you for listening until the end if you're still awake please like,
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