Yoga Nidra is a practice to relax your mind and body,
And Nidra means sleep.
The rules for Yoga Nidra are that you find a place that you can be very comfortable laying down without movement.
The body rests.
The mind rests.
The mind remains alert.
So come laying on your back,
And please take time to grab any props that you might need,
Perhaps a blanket over you,
Perhaps a little towel or pillow under the back of your head,
So that you'll be relaxed and have no desire to move.
Adjust your clothing.
You're allowed to cough or sneeze,
But if you need to scratch or itch a little thing,
Do that now and then be still.
To start the Nidra practice,
Draw your awareness to your breath and make sure that your eyes are closed.
You are now relaxing in Shavasana,
The corpse pose on your back,
Sensing the breath coming in through the nostrils,
A quiet,
Natural breath,
Sensing the movement of the breath,
And allowing that breath to help you relax and let go.
We will chant one OM together.
So let's do that now,
Laying on your back.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Let the breath out.
We're going to take one breath where you get to move your body.
You're going to contract your entire body,
Just tense it up.
So inhale.
Hold that breath in and tighten your entire body.
Tension,
Tension,
Tension.
And now exhale.
Release all the tension.
Bring your awareness back to that breath.
And then draw into your mind an affirmation,
Which we call a sankalpa in Yoga Nidra,
That you're going to repeat to yourself mentally three times.
Something that you'd like to accomplish in your life.
Perhaps something like,
I am a more peaceful person,
Or I take better care of myself,
Or I'm kind to others.
Choose yours and repeat it to yourself now mentally three times.
And now we're going to do a little body scan to relax your physical body.
So as I mentioned the part of your body,
Draw your attention there.
Do not move your body.
And when you draw your attention there,
Have the intention to relax that part of your body a little bit more.
You can also think about sending the energy of the breath to that part of your body.
And so now relax your right hand,
Including all of the fingers,
Starting with the thumb,
To the second finger,
To the third finger,
To the fourth finger,
And the little finger.
Relaxing the right hand,
The right wrist,
The right lower arm and elbow,
The right upper arm and shoulder.
And now do the same thing with your left hand.
Draw your attention to your left hand with the intention of relaxing it,
And the fingers starting with the left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
And the little finger of your left hand.
Relax your left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
And left shoulder.
And now draw your awareness to the right foot,
Relaxing the right foot and relaxing the toes.
Starting with the big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe of the right foot.
Relax your right ankle,
Lower leg,
Knee,
Upper leg.
And then draw your attention over to the left foot,
Including the toes,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Little toe.
Left ankle,
Lower leg,
Knee,
Upper leg.
Relax both arms and both legs.
And now relax your entire back body,
Including your right buttock,
Your left buttock,
Your right lower back,
Your left lower back,
Your right mid-back,
Your left mid-back,
Your right upper back,
Left upper back.
Relax the entire shoulder girdle.
And as you relax the front of your body,
Relax the right hip groin,
The left hip groin,
The entire belly,
The right chest,
The left chest.
Relax your throat,
The right side of your neck,
The left side of your neck,
The back of your neck,
Your right jaw,
Your left jaw,
And your chin.
Lower lip,
Upper lip.
Relax your tongue,
Relax your teeth,
Right cheekbone,
Left cheekbone,
The muscles underneath your cheekbones,
Right eye,
Left eye.
Relax your eyelids and your eyebrows.
As you relax the space between your eyebrows,
Imagine it as a very vast space.
Right temple,
Left temple,
Entire forehead,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Entire head.
And now relax your entire body,
Front and back,
Top to bottom.
Bring your awareness back to your breath.
And now count your breath.
See if you can bring your breath in for about eight counts.
And as you do so,
See if you can allow your belly to rise up with the breath,
To fill with the breath.
And as you breathe out,
Count back from eight,
Letting the belly empty.
Then decrease the count and inhale for seven.
And exhale,
Counting back from seven.
And then six on your own.
Stop your counting.
I'm going to name a few objects and invite you to see them in your mind's eye.
A double rainbow.
A sunrise.
A pink rose.
A small golden egg.
Yellow clouds in the sky.
A vast ocean.
A sandy bank of a wide river.
A tall palm tree.
An elephant.
And now imagine yourself walking in a beautiful jungle.
Anything that you see,
Anything that you smell,
Anything that you feel.
Perhaps a humidity in the air.
And now bring your awareness back to your body laying on the floor and to your breath.
And then bring your awareness back to your affirmation,
Your Sankalpa.
And repeat it again to yourself mentally three times.
And once you've repeated your affirmation three times,
I'd like you to think about the first thing that comes into your mind when I mention the word gratitude.
What is the first thing in your life that you're grateful for?
Sense that first in your heart and let it spread through your body.
Let it spread through your entire being.
And then draw your awareness back to your quiet,
Natural breath.
Sense yourself lying on the floor in stillness.
And know that you can carry this experience of stillness with you throughout your day.
And start to gradually get ready to come out of Yoga Nidra.
Wiggle your fingers and toes a little bit.
Rotate your wrists and ankles around a little bit.
Move slowly.
Draw your knees into the chest.
Take a nice inhale.
And as you exhale,
Roll onto your right side for a moment and continue to relax there.
And then get ready to bring yourself up,
Keeping your eyes closed.
Maintaining that internal focus for a few more moments.
Using your left hand and arm to bring you up.
And let your head be heavy so your neck remains soft.
And do that now.
Inhale,
Bring yourself up.
And exhale,
Just sit for a moment in whatever position is comfortable for you.
Have a sense of your spine.
Have your spine as straight as you can.
Have a sense of your breath.
Have a sense of yourself.
And draw your palms together.
And bring the thumbs gently into the center of your chest.
We'll complete your Yoga Nidra practice with Om,
Followed by Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Which means peace.
Let this bring peace to you in your practice,
In your day,
And so that you may bring peace to others.
Inhale.
Om,
Shanti,
Shanti,
Shanti.
Yoga Nidra is now complete.
