Yoga Nidra (30 minutes)
Yoga Nidra is a form of guided meditation also known as “yogic sleep” or “effortless relaxation”. It will guide you to the hypnagogic state, which is essentially a state of consciousness somewhere between wakefulness and sleeping. It's suitable for everyone, even complete beginners! Yoga Nidra takes us into a wonderful state of rest, where we can remain effortless and at peace. In this state, we become more open and receptive to healing, and restoration and are able to access the deeper layers of our inner self. Yoga Nidra can be practiced for a variety of reasons, including stress relief, improved sleep, and increased self-awareness.
Transcript
Hello my name is Sam and welcome to this Yoga Nidra practice.
Let's get ready to begin.
For this you might like to lie down in Shavasana as our goal is to be as still as possible for the duration of the meditation.
Allow your body to settle comfortably,
Sinking into the floor.
Make whatever adjustments you need to feel well balanced.
You might take your feet apart,
Allowing the hips and legs to roll out naturally,
And place your arms out to the sides of the body with the palms face up,
Allowing shoulders to fall back.
If you feel it may get chilly as you relax,
Feel free to cover yourself with a blanket or an extra layer of some sort.
Allow your entire body to relax,
Your head,
Your neck,
Your shoulders,
Arms,
Belly,
Hips,
Legs and your feet.
You might fine-tune your position to release any tight spots such as from your neck or shoulders.
And once you feel ready,
Close your eyes and if possible keep them closed the entire duration of the practice.
Now if during the practice you do become uncomfortable you can of course adjust your position,
But try to do that with as little movement as possible.
And know that you are safe and supported in this practice.
In Yoga Nidra it's very natural to move in and out of conscious hearing.
Do your best to stay awake by listening to the sound of my voice.
And if your mind starts wondering,
Which is completely normal,
Just come back to the sound of my voice.
And know that whatever your experience is today,
It's the experience meant for you.
There's no way to do this wrong.
Now say to yourself,
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
I am awake and I will remain awake till the end of the practice.
I will come out of the practice when I'm asked to do so.
And the practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
Start to become aware of any sounds that may be in your vicinity.
Anything that comes to your ears easily,
Nothing that you might have to strain to hear.
Start with the sounds farthest away and one by one move to each sound that you find.
As you do this,
Simply hear the sound.
There's no need to get caught up in what it is,
How it makes you feel,
Or assigning any labels to the sounds.
Now move your awareness to the sounds within this room,
Hearing what you find until you happen upon the sound of your breath,
Noticing how it moves freely in and out of your nostrils.
Without opening your eyes,
Visualize yourself within the room,
Seeing in your mind's eye the walls,
The floor,
The ceiling,
And where you are in relation to them.
Recall the position you are in on the floor,
What you're wearing or you're covered with,
Your hair,
Your face,
And so on.
See your entire body lying on the mat.
Move your awareness to your breathing,
Your natural uncontrolled breath,
Your unconscious breathing motion that moves in and out of your body without effort.
Notice this natural breath flowing in and out of your nostrils and any feelings it creates as it does so.
It's now time for you to make your sankalpa,
Or resolution.
Choose a phrase that is positive and in the present tense.
For example,
I am healthy and happy,
Or I am able to take time for myself each day,
Or simply I am at peace.
And once you have selected your sankalpa,
Repeat it three times to yourself mentally.
Say it clearly and with faith and focus.
We will now begin a systematic journey of awareness throughout the body.
As you hear each body part named,
Move your awareness and attention to that part of the body,
Allowing your focus to linger there before moving to the next one.
We'll begin with the right side,
Taking awareness to the right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the right hand,
Back of the right hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Right waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
The right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Moving to the left side,
The left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Your left wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
Now moving to the back of the body,
Starting at soles of feet,
The right and left heels,
Right and left calves,
The back of your knees,
Back of your thighs,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
The entire spine,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The space between the eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Your entire mouth,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
The chest,
Upper abdomen,
Navel,
Lower abdomen,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body.
Bring your attention to the front of your body,
From your face all the way down by the chest,
Torso,
To your legs and feet.
Let your whole front body rest into the back of your body.
Let there be a feeling of weight in the body as your front body settles downward,
Feeling heavy in the back of the body and allowing yourself to sink into the support beneath you,
Letting go with this feeling of weight and heaviness.
Now imagine your body floating up into the front body,
The whole body becoming light,
Airy and effortless.
Let your whole body feel light as though you're resting weightlessly,
Light as a feather.
Let yourself wander between these two opposites,
Feeling the heavy weight of the body,
Then transforming into lightness and there's no rush.
Take your time to enjoy feeling the body heavy and feeling the body light and so on and continue on your own.
How might you feel the sensations of weight and heaviness at the same time as the lightness?
Can you feel those opposites simultaneously?
How does it feel to try and merge the sensations of heavy and light within your whole being?
Can you rest deeply somewhere between the two,
Neither heavy nor light,
The essence of both without striving or grasping?
Simply resting deeply in between the two,
Heavy and light.
Gently move your awareness to the breath now,
Noticing once more the natural flow of your breath in and out of your nostrils.
The breath is normal and spontaneous without any effort.
Maintaining awareness of the breath,
Continue to breathe through the belly.
With every inhalation the abdomen is expanding,
With every exhale the navel is drawn in towards the spine.
Now as you breathe in,
Mentally say the number nine in your head and as you breathe out,
Mentally repeat nine to yourself.
Then breathe in,
Say eight to yourself and as you breathe out,
Repeat eight to yourself.
Continue this way,
Counting backwards from nine to one with every inhale and exhale.
And if you lose track of the count midway,
Then just begin from nine again.
I will now call out a number of different things and invite you to visualize them on the level of emotion,
Memory and imagination as it resonates with you.
Jump from image to image and do not linger on any image for long.
Beginning with cool clear water,
A vibrant sunset,
Tall mountains,
A horse running,
A good night's rest,
A deep breath,
Gold medal,
A beautiful garden,
A delicious meal,
A relaxing afternoon,
Starry night,
A cat stretching,
A warm hug,
The signed contract,
Your reflection in a mirror,
A meditating Buddha,
The sound of my voice,
Your body lying on the floor.
It's now time to repeat your sankalpa or your resolution.
Repeat it three times with focus,
Clarity and determination.
Visualize your sankalpa taking shape.
Feel it bearing fruit,
Becoming successful.
Let's start to gradually come back to the breath,
Revisiting the feeling of the natural breath flowing in and out of the nose,
Maintaining your awareness of the breath.
Start to also become aware of your physical body,
Observing how it's relaxed and lying on the floor.
Notice the different parts of your body and take into awareness all the points that are in contact with the ground,
The back of your heels,
Your thighs,
The back,
Your shoulders,
Your arms,
Hands and head.
Shift your attention to the sounds within this room,
The sound of your breath,
The sounds around your mat,
The sound of my voice.
Now move your attention to the sounds outside the room,
Sounds you can hear without strain.
Move your awareness back to the room and visualize the room.
Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects around you.
Lie quietly until you feel ready to move and then start by slowly moving hands and feet,
Taking your time.
There's no hurry.
When you're sure that you're fully awake,
Bend your knees and roll over onto your right hand side.
Spending a few moments here,
Revisiting the practice,
Feeling safe,
Secure,
Calm and peaceful and eventually you can use your left hand to press yourself up from the floor and slowly sit up in any comfortable posture.
Stay seated in stillness for a couple of moments.
Take a deep breath in and exhale out completely.
Bring your palms to your heart center and rub them together,
Transferring the warmth of your palms to your eyes and then rub your palms together once more,
Generating heat and place them on any part of the body that may need comfort or healing.
Bring your palms in front of your eyes finally,
Opening your eyes and looking into the darkness of your palms and very slowly crack open your fingers to allow the light in and blink your eyes open.
Thank you for joining me.
Your practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
