Yoga Nidra For Everyone

Yoga Nidra practice for total relaxation of the physical body, mental body, and emotional body. This idea will leave you feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and clear. Yoga Nidra has many benefits, some of which include: stress reduction, reduction of chronic pain, reduction of PMS symptoms, improved sleep, and improved memory & concentration. Enjoy your practice and have a wonderful day!

Transcript

Or two and we'll begin in a position of lying on our backs on the ground or on a mattress.

You can take a pillow place it underneath your head for comfort.

If you have another pillow and your back feels sensitive you can place it under your thighs.

Place the blankets over top of your body.

During the practice the body will become very relaxed and as a result of that relaxation the temperature of the body will drop.

So take a moment or two to adjust your props that you may be using.

Pillows to your comfort,

Clothing.

Make sure that your clothing is nice and loose and comfortable.

Your blankets are placed in a way that feels appropriate.

Adjust yourself for the practice of yoga nidra.

This practice will last about 20 minutes or so.

For these 20 minutes we want the body to be still and relaxed.

If during the practice you do need to move the body you can but then return back to stillness.

Last moment to adjust what you need and then start to settle.

Adjust what you need and then start to settle.

We settle first by softening into the legs.

We let the feet fall open.

Soften into the arms and let the hands fall open.

Let your head,

Neck and trunk be in one alignment.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice where we are mentally relaxed,

Physically relaxed and emotionally relaxed.

It releases tension on the physical,

Mental and emotional states.

It's not a practice of concentration.

It's just a practice of being aware,

Perceiving,

Feeling and letting go.

Let's feel now all the places where your body is meeting the floor.

Feel into the contact places where your body is meeting the floor.

Let the body's weight melt to the ground through these contact points.

Surrender the body's weight to the ground.

Let go of the holding and let the mind be free of the body as you relax the body's weight to the ground.

Feel that the head is relaxed,

The scalp relaxed,

The scalp soft and free of tension.

The forehead is widening.

The space between the eyebrows feels now spacious.

And the eyes relaxing behind the closed lids releasing back into the sockets.

The temples free of tension.

The cheeks,

The skin on the cheeks is relaxed and smooth.

The jaw unhinged and soft.

Front of the neck free of tension.

Chest,

Lungs are open.

Arm bones,

Shoulder heads are heavy.

The belly is relaxed,

Free to move.

The hips are free of tension as the leg bones are heavy and settled.

Feel your body now is a complete unit.

From the head down to the toes in this relaxed position.

See to yourself now,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

The body is now relaxed.

The thinking mind can take a rest while the higher mind or awareness can now come in the foreground.

In your mind's eye now,

See this room that you're in,

Vivid as you can,

As bright as you can.

See the ceiling,

The walls,

See the floor,

See the ceiling,

The walls,

See the floor and then on the floor see your body.

From your head down to the toes,

See your body.

Maybe in one glance see your body from your head down to the toes.

You are now practicing yoga nidra and you will remain awake throughout the practice.

Become aware of a far distant sound now.

Listen for a far distant sound.

Become aware of another sound in the distance.

Become aware of closer sounds,

Sounds outside of your home or office.

Listen for other sounds outside of your home.

Move the awareness from one sound to the next without identifying where the sound is coming from or what is making the sound.

Just simply listen to the sound.

Keep moving the awareness from one sound to the next,

To the next,

And to the next.

Listen for closer sounds,

The ones inside the room.

Maybe there is a background sound that is continuous.

Perhaps there are sounds that are coming and going.

Listen now for inner sounds of the body,

Sounds of the digestive system,

The quiet sound of the breath.

Now is the time to rotate the awareness throughout the body.

As the awareness rotates throughout the body,

It becomes prana or energy nourishing each part of the body by relaxing the body part,

Sensing and perceiving the body part,

And maybe even visualizing the body part.

As the awareness moves through the body,

The body remains still.

Only the awareness touches the body.

The body.

We begin with the right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Finger,

Little finger,

Palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Under arm,

Side waist,

Hip,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe.

Stay awake.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm,

Palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Under arm,

The side waist,

Hip,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And fifth toe,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Eyebrow center,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Inner ear,

Left ear,

Inner ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Tip of the nose,

Right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Chin,

Front of the neck,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

The hollow between,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Heart center,

Upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Pelvic region,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Low back,

Mid back,

Upper back,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

And top of the head.

Feel now the whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

Torso,

Neck,

And head.

Feel now both legs together,

Both arms together,

Torso,

Neck,

And head.

Feel the whole body,

The whole body,

And the whole body.

Feel the up and down movement of the breath.

Feel the breath moving like a wave from the belly to the throat,

And like a wave from the throat to the belly.

The breath moving up from belly to throat,

Down from throat to belly.

As the breath is moving this way,

Track the breath by counting the breath backward.

Begin with 30,

Count down to one.

Moving up from belly to throat,

30,

Down from throat to belly,

30,

Up from belly,

Up from belly to throat,

29,

Down from throat to belly,

29,

And so on,

Counting down.

Stay with the up and down movement from belly to throat,

Throat to belly.

If the count is lost,

Begin again counting down and backwards from 30.

And let the awareness drift up and down with the breath.

So,

Let go of the breath now and let go of the count.

Become aware of inner sounds now,

Inner sounds of the body,

The sound of the breath,

Perhaps the sound of the digestive,

Listening for inner sounds.

Extend the sense of hearing a little farther out and become aware of sounds around you,

In the room that you're in.

Become aware of the closer sounds and then farther sounds.

Broaden the sense of hearing even farther,

Become aware of sounds outside of the room,

Outside of the home.

Listen to external sounds outside,

Moving the awareness from sound to sound to sound,

Extending the awareness far and wide.

Connect with the inner sight in your mind's eye now.

Picture the room that you're in.

See it brightly lit in your mind's eye.

See the ceiling walls and see the floor.

On the floor,

See your body again,

Colorful and vivid.

As you see your body on the floor,

Begin to feel your body and get a sense of touch and feel of the body.

The body's weight against the ground.

Sense into the warmth coming from the blanket and clothing.

Sense into the touch and flow of the breath.

Maybe even the sense of smell.

Maybe even touch of taste in your mouth.

Getting familiar with your senses now.

As you become familiar with your senses,

You can feel the sense of touch and flow of the breath.

As you become familiar with your senses,

Place your attention in your heart center and just stay a moment there.

As you stay a moment there,

You can say to yourself,

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

As I deepen my breath now,

I can begin to move my body.

Deepening the breath and moving the body.

Maybe giving yourself a nice stretch,

Reaching out to the sides and overhead.

This practice is now come to a conclusion.

Take your time coming out of this practice.

Maybe take some time journaling or just some quiet time before you reconnect with your activities for the day.

Thank you and namaste.