Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra.
In this practice,
We explore how the breath is a source of vital energy that can bring relaxation,
Ease,
And relief from chronic pain.
To begin,
Find a comfortable position,
Perhaps lying on your back with your legs supported and your head supported,
Your body as symmetrical as possible.
Take a few moments to check for any discomfort or tension,
And adjust or prop your position as necessary.
Prepare your body for deep rest.
Make sure you are warm enough,
You may want to cover with a blanket.
Take a few breaths now and allow the body to settle into stillness.
With each exhale,
Allow the surface beneath you to take the weight of your body completely.
Release your bones,
Heavy and sinking,
Into the earth.
With each breath,
Feel your body completely supported.
Notice all the points of the back body touching the earth,
From the heels to the back of the head.
And with each breath,
Allow these points of contact to release a little bit more into the earth.
Shift your focus now to the front body,
Feel the texture of your clothing,
Notice the temperature of the air against your skin.
Feel the sensation of breath passing through the nostrils.
Now let go of the sensation of touch and listen to the sounds around you.
Extend awareness as far away as possible,
And notice the farthest sound away that you can hear.
Move awareness from sound to sound,
Without lingering too long.
We're trying to identify any source.
Simply listen to sound in all directions,
And bring awareness closer now to sounds within the body,
The sound of the breath,
Perhaps the sound of your heartbeat,
Or even the sounds of digestion in the body.
Now let go of sound,
And become aware of the stillness and silence.
In this silence,
Bring to mind your intention for this practice,
Maybe simply to rest,
To find peace within,
Or whatever your personal intention.
Allow it to rise to the surface,
And take a moment to form it in a short,
Positive phrase in the present tense,
As if it is already happening,
Such as,
I am at ease,
Or I feel rested,
I am complete and whole,
Just as I am.
Repeat your intention silently to yourself three times,
Allowing your intention to fill your consciousness.
Now we'll begin to move conscious awareness throughout the body systematically.
As I name each part of the body,
Simply allow your awareness to travel from part to part.
Imagine refreshing and revitalizing each part of the body without lingering in any one place,
Simply rotating awareness through the body.
We'll begin with the right hand,
Noticing the right thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Pinky finger.
Feel the palm of the hand,
The back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Feel the right armpit,
Right side of the chest,
Waist,
Right hip,
Thigh,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
The sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The whole right foot,
Awareness of the whole right leg,
Feel the whole right side of the body,
Feel energy,
Vibration,
Life force pulsing through the whole right side of the body.
Now shift awareness to the left side of the body and begin with the left hand thumb,
The first finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Pinky finger,
The palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Left armpit,
Left side of the chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Pinky toe,
The sole of the foot,
The top of the foot,
The whole left foot,
Whole left leg,
Feel the whole left side of the body,
Energy,
Vibration,
Life force pulsing through the whole left side of the body.
Now feel both sides of the body together,
Awareness of the front side of the body,
The back side of the body,
Notice buttocks,
Lower back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
Shoulder blades,
And the space between the shoulder blades.
Notice the back of the neck,
The back of the head,
Feel the whole spine from tailbone to where the spine connects to the skull.
Check to see if the mind is still awake and alert.
Begin to shift awareness now to the crown of the head,
The skin of the forehead,
Eyebrows,
Eye sockets.
Notice the right eye,
The left eye,
Eyelids heavy,
And the space between the eyelids.
Sense the bridge of the nose,
Nostrils,
Feel air flowing in and out of the nostrils.
Feel the ears,
Ear lobes,
Ear canals,
Sensation of ears receiving sound.
Become aware of jaws,
Sensing the right jaw,
The left jaw,
Both jaws together.
Sensation of mouth,
Lips,
The space between the lips.
Notice the tongue inside the mouth,
The space above the tongue,
Space below the tongue.
Feel the mouth,
Teeth,
Gums,
Whole mouth together,
Whole face.
Move awareness to the throat,
The chest,
Sensing the lungs,
The heart,
Awareness of the ribs,
Left and right.
Feel the navel center,
The abdomen,
Pelvis,
Pelvic floor,
And feel your root,
The base of the tailbone.
Become aware of the whole torso,
Front and back,
Arms,
Legs,
Neck and head,
Whole body.
Awareness of the whole body as a field of sensation.
Now become aware of breath,
Feel the breath of the nostrils,
Sensation of breath at the top lip as you breathe.
Notice the temperature of the breath,
The coolness of the inhalation,
And the slight warmth of the exhale.
Follow the natural flow of the breath from beginning to end,
And begin to follow the flow of one breath into the next one and the next one.
On the next inhalation,
Imagine the breath entering the left nostril and flowing up towards the eyebrow center.
On exhalation,
Imagine the breath flowing down from eyebrow center through the right nostril.
On the next inhalation,
The breath enters through the right nostril all the way to the eyebrow center.
On exhalation,
The breath exits through the left nostril,
Completing the breath cycle.
Continue like this with alternate nostril breathing.
Become aware of the inverted V shape of the flow of breath as you breathe.
Breathing remains natural,
In through one nostril,
Out through the other.
Simply become aware of the breath flowing in and out through alternate nostrils.
Now let go of alternate nostril breathing.
Begin to experience the breath,
Not only through the nose,
But through every single pore of the body.
In fact,
Through every cell.
Begin to feel the whole body breathing as one unit.
Experience every pore of the skin,
Every cell of the body breathing.
Imagine breathing only through the pores of the skin.
Imagine the pores opening and closing as you breathe in and out.
As you breathe in through every pore,
Feel the whole inner space of your being expanding outward.
The whole inner space increasing in size.
And as you breathe out through every pore,
Experience this inner space contracting evenly on all sides.
Use the power of your imagination to feel the whole body breathing.
Expanding on inhale,
Contracting on exhale.
Continue for some time like this,
Breathing through every pore and cell of the body.
Feel the whole inner space of the body expanding.
Breathing out slowly,
Sense the inner space contracting.
Experience the growing and diminishing of body and breath.
Resting here in the sense of expansion and contraction.
Now imagine the breath in the form of light pervading space.
With each breath in,
The body is filled with this white light expanding in all directions.
Begin to see the body filled with light as you inhale.
Body expanding and filling with light.
And as you exhale,
Body releasing into greater ease and peace.
Full awareness of the experience of light within you.
Expanding and filling the body with each breath.
This field of light,
This prana,
Fills the body,
Nourishing every cell in the body.
Continue to experience light and life force moving through the body,
Flowing in and out with the breath.
Now as we prepare to end this practice of yoga nidra,
Leave the visualization of the body.
Let go of the experience of breathing through the pores.
Leave the awareness of empty space in the body and come back to sense the gross physical body.
In your mind's eye,
Begin to trace the edges of the physical body.
Noticing where your body ends and the space around it begins.
Bring your focus to the tip of your nose.
Feel the breath here entering and leaving the nostrils.
Feel the breath in your heart and your lungs.
Take a moment to recall the intention that you set at the beginning of the practice.
Perhaps repeating it again silently to yourself.
Realizing that the seed of this intention has been planted in your heart.
Become aware of the sound of your breathing.
Begin to hear the sounds in the room around you.
Sounds in the distance.
Feel the sensation of the clothing on your body.
The temperature of the air on your skin.
Notice sensation of your feet touching the surface beneath you.
And your hands at your sides or in your lap.
As you feel ready,
Gently begin to wiggle your toes and your fingers.
Maybe gently turning your head from side to side.
Slowly move and stretch in any way that feels good.
When you feel completely awake and aware,
You can slowly come back to a seated position.
Pausing here,
Perhaps bringing your hands to your heart.
Offering a moment of gratitude to yourself for sharing this practice and for anything else in your heart.
Opening your eyes when you're ready.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
Thank you.
