Try Softer - Yoga Nidra

A traditional Yoga Nidra that moves you through breath and body awareness and relaxation. From this state of calm and relaxation, you will be lead through experiencing opposing emotions to release subconscious tensions and finally to a relaxing visualisation before gently coming out of the practice.

Transcript

Welcome to Yoga Nidra.

I'll be guiding you through the deeply relaxing yet very powerful stages of Yoga Nidra.

Practicing Yoga Nidra is done in Shavasana,

Lying on your back,

Feet hip distance apart.

Let the feet gently fall out to either side.

Arms stretched alongside your body with your palms facing upwards.

Open and relaxed fingers.

Begin to get yourself comfortable in this position.

Close down the eyes and relax.

It's best not to move during the practice.

Nidra is different to normal rest,

Relaxation or sleep because we go through a number of stages to actively relax body and mind and then move deeper into the subconscious mind to release tensions there.

Often when we sleep or rest our mind remains active and we don't feel rested or having slept well after many hours.

Yoga Nidra allows us to address these tensions that exist and find better relaxation and sleep.

At the beginning of each session of Yoga Nidra we make what is known as a Sankalpa.

This is a resolve of something we want to do or achieve in our lives.

Something that can't be left up to chance or coincidence.

Something that only through our determination and focus we can achieve.

Figure out a short sentence that would describe your sankalpa or resolve.

When you have decided upon this sentence gently and subvocally repeat it to yourself three times.

Now bringing an awareness to your breath,

Just noticing it as it is.

Feeling it enter through the nostrils,

Past the throat,

Chest and into the lungs.

Noticing the rise and fall of your abdomen.

Visualizing the flow of air in and out of your body.

Give the inhaled air one colour and the exhaled air another colour.

Watch as the colour of your inhale enters the body,

Moves down into the lungs and transforms into your exhaled colour.

And watch the path of the exhale out of the body.

Continue watching these colours as they move around your body.

Count how many seconds your inhale lasts for and then how many seconds your exhale lasts.

Add two or three seconds now to your exhale.

This longer exhale will allow your body to move deeper into relaxation,

Reassuring your body and mind it's safe and secure.

Now focusing on the environment around you.

Listening out for some of the sounds within the room.

The creaks in the floorboards.

The sound of your breath.

Any appliances.

Then bringing your awareness to sounds occurring further afield outside of your room in your house or sounds from the street.

Tuning your ears to these sounds and gently resting your attention on them.

Without movement we are going to bring sensation or feeling to different parts of the body.

Each part that I name you should just focus on any feelings or sensations happening in this area.

It could be blood flow,

Tingling,

Tiny movements and just becoming aware of what's happening in each part of your body.

Starting with the right thumb.

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Baby finger.

The palm of your right hand.

Wrist,

Forearm.

And bring your awareness to your elbow.

Upper arm and shoulder.

Cross to the collarbone on your right side.

Then the rib cage to the right side of your abdomen.

Right hip bone.

Upper part of your leg.

Knee.

Come down the shin bone.

Top of your right foot.

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Bringing your awareness back to the tips of your right fingers and just bringing a wave of sensation from the tips of the fingers all the way up the arm to the shoulder and down the whole right side of the body ending at your toes.

Moving your awareness now to the left thumb.

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Baby finger.

The palm of the left hand.

Wrist,

Forearm.

Elbow and upper arm.

Your left shoulder.

The collarbone on your left side and down to the ribs.

The left side of the abdomen.

Hip.

Upper part of the leg.

Knee.

Shin.

Top of the left foot.

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Bringing your awareness back to the tips of your left fingers.

And just washing sensation over your left arm up to your shoulder and down the left side of the body to your toes.

Feel this sensation move back and forth between those points.

Now bring your awareness to your heels.

Feel the sensation between them and the ground.

Your calves.

The soft area behind the knees.

Hamstrings,

Buttocks.

Lower back.

Move up through the spine.

Feel your shoulder blades against the floor.

Small of your neck.

The back of your head.

Take your awareness back to your heels now and then bring a wave of sensation from the heels all the way along the back of your body to the back of your head.

Move your awareness up and down over this area.

Now bringing your awareness to your forehead.

Eyebrows.

Eyelids.

Nose.

Lips.

Then inside your mouth.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Tongue.

Moving back outside to your chin.

Throat.

Chest.

Abdomen.

Pelvis.

Knees.

Ankles.

The soles of your feet.

Moving awareness back to your forehead.

And then bringing these waves of sensations all across the front of your body,

Finishing on the soles of your feet.

Moving back and forward.

Now we will experience some opposing emotions that are often thought of with attachment or aversion.

We'll experience these emotions in order to become more familiar with the sensations they bring to our body.

When we feel these emotions or feelings arise,

We'll understand them better.

Understand that they are impermanent.

They will come and go,

Pass by.

By understanding these emotions and feelings better,

We can move to a place where we become fearless of them.

We're not held under them.

We're not afraid of them anymore.

We'll start by feeling the emotion of hate.

Become aware of what the word hate brings up in your body,

Where it manifests,

The feelings it brings,

The sensations it brings.

Let's move away from hate and now bring the sensation of love to your body.

That's it.

Moving on from love to the feeling of sorrow.

Bring to your mind feelings of sorrow where sorrow has existed in your life and feel the sensations associated with it.

Moving away from sorrow,

Let's experience joy.

Bring joy into your mind and let the feelings and sensations of joy be experienced all over your body.

Now bring the feeling of pain into your mind.

What sensations and feelings does pain bring about?

Moving away from pain,

Let's experience pure pleasure around every part of our body.

Let's bring tear-jerking pleasure into your life.

Now let's bring the feeling of heaviness to each and every part of our bodies,

Letting our limbs feel heavy,

Arms and legs.

Feel the connection between our body and the floor increasing.

Let the feeling of heaviness dissipate and transform into a great feeling of lightness.

Feel your body raise from the floor.

Feel your limbs become light and easy.

Feeling this same lightness,

Visualize yourself walking across a deserted beach.

Barefoot,

You are feeling the sand under each footstep.

Feeling how the foot falls heel to toe.

The difference in pressure between the bony parts and the fleshy parts of the foot.

Feeling how the sand moves between your toes.

Looking up,

You gaze out at a calm ocean gently lapping against the beach.

Walking further,

You become closer to the water.

You can feel the warm parts of the sand and the cooler parts where the water has washed over.

Feeling the difference in texture between dry and wet sand.

The splash from small waves starts to move around your feet and you feel the refreshing coolness of the ocean's water.

This coolness travels up through your body mixing with the warmer blood kept warm by the gentle sun.

You notice the different colors in the ocean.

The sandy parts of the water.

The clear parts.

The rocky areas.

Areas with seaweed below.

When the sun is getting closer to the horizon,

Its colors changing.

The colors of the sky changing along with it.

As the sun starts to drop below the horizon,

You walk up the beach to the soft dry sand and gently lie down on your back.

Feeling how your body finds a level with the sand.

Your hips sinking deeper,

Your shoulders moving into the sand and your head resting gently.

The clear blue sky starts to give way to the night sky and the first of the stars start to appear.

As the sky gets darker and darker,

The more stars are illuminated.

Enjoying the emergence of each one.

You feel humble with your place in the universe and satisfied and relaxed enough to close your eyes and just think about everything that's happened on the beach,

The ocean,

The sunset and the stars.

Becoming aware once more of your physical body.

Feeling your heartbeat.

Feeling any subtle movements associated with your breath.

Feeling the colors you gave to your breath at the start of the practice and watching them once again move throughout your body.

Feeling each breath in is bringing oxygen to be delivered around the body to keep things working.

And each breath out is removing carbon dioxide that's no longer needed.

Acknowledging the beauty and complexity of everybody.

Visualizing that warm setting sun again and taking those rays of light and energy and moving them around your body.

Finding any point of pain,

Discomfort or tension and directing these rays to that part.

Guiding the oxygen rich blood to this area.

Knowing that the pain or feeling in this area will pass.

Returning now to your Sankalpa.

Remembering why you chose this short statement to sum up something you want to do or achieve.

And repeating this statement to yourself three more times.

Keeping your eyes closed,

Begin to reconnect with your body by gently moving your fingers and toes.

Gently move your feet side to side and move your shoulders.

Move out of any discomfort that may have arisen.

Gently open your eyes,

The practice has now ended.

Reviews

Excellent….thank you so much 🙏🏻😊

Beautiful! Felt a definite improvement between before and after. Thank you.

I love all of Sean's meditations and live classes he's fabulous. I look forward to workshops and other opportunities to work with him. He truly understands what it's like to be in pain and has information that I've never heard anywhere else!