Yoga Nidra - Introduction And Body Scan Exercise

Yoga Nidra helps the body to reach a deep relaxation. The method for doing this is a thorough body scan. Follow along with the practice to help relax the body while keeping the mind engaged.

This practice is meant to be used in preparation for yoga nidra, not as a sleep aid. Do your best to keep your mind engaged with the practice even as the body becomes very relaxed.

Transcript

Please get ready for yoga nidra. Lie down in savasana, Feet slightly apart, Arms beside the body with palms facing up, Head in one straight line with the spinal cord. Gently close your eyes, Adjust your blankets, Clothes and position so that you can practice yoga nidra without moving and with no physical discomfort. Please keep your eyes closed and become aware of the whole body. The whole body from the toes to the tip of the head is to be seen mentally, Felt mentally and relaxed. The practice of yoga nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling. Once the practice begins, Do not move the body. Simply surrender the whole body to the floor. Surrender the whole body to the floor. Observe the body. Mentally check each and every part of the body. If there is anything tight, The clothes, The belt, Please loosen them and relax the body. There should be no tightness in any part of the body which will eventually divert your attention from the practice to the feeling of discomfort. Make yourself totally comfortable. Check each and every part of the body. Loosen all the joints, Loosen all the tight parts, Relax the muscles, Allow the body to flop on the floor. Surrender the whole body to the floor and feel the relaxation getting deeper and deeper and deeper. Do not sleep. As the relaxation comes deep, Sleep will come, But you have to remain awake and alert through the practice of yoga nidra. Say to yourself mentally, I will not sleep. I will not sleep. I will not sleep. Give yourself time to become calm and steady. Take a deep breath in slowly and gently. And as you breathe out, Feel the calmness spreading throughout the body. Now we begin the practice of yoga nidra. Become aware of the sounds in the distance. Become aware of the most distant sounds that you can hear. Let your sense of hearing act like a microphone, Searching out distant sounds and following them for a few seconds. Move your attention from sound to sound without attempting to identify the source. Awareness of the sounds. Be aware of the distant and nearby sounds and do not attempt to identify the source. Become aware of the sounds around you. Sound of cars, Sound of people, Sound of speech, Sound of nature, Sounds inside the body. Become aware of all the different sounds that you can hear. Search out the sounds and follow them for a few seconds. Recognize them, Know that they are around you and you are able to hear them. Become aware of the sounds within the own body, The closest sounds that you can hear, The sound of the heart beating, The sounds of the breath travelling through the body. Know that you are aware of all sounds distant and nearby. Move your attention from sound to sound. Now develop your awareness of the room without opening the eyes. Visualize the four walls of the room, The ceiling, The floor, The body lying on the floor. See your body lying on the floor. Become aware of the existence of the physical body lying on the floor. View your body as if you were standing over top of it. Total awareness of the body lying in perfect stillness. Develop awareness of all the physical meeting points between the body and the floor. Become aware of the contact between the physical body and the floor. Awareness of the points of contact between the body and the floor. Do not sleep. Do not allow your awareness to waver from my instructions. Now observe the natural incoming and outgoing breaths. Observe the flow of breath in the body. Just focus on the natural breath. Become aware of the breath, The spontaneous breath. Just become aware of the breath. Experience the movement. Experience the body moving in response to the breath. Observe the gradual rise and fall of the abdominal muscles at the time of inhalation and exhalation. Observe the expansion of the abdominal muscles at the time of inhalation and the relaxation of the abdominal muscles at the time of exhalation. Become aware of the breath, Which is deep, Natural, And spontaneous. Do not try to alter the rhythm, The flow of the natural breath. Do not try to concentrate on the process of breathing. Just be an observer of the incoming and outgoing breath. See the expansion and relaxation of the abdominal muscles as you breathe in and breathe out, With each exhalation experiencing the deepening of relaxation of the physical body. With each exhalation, Experience the deepening of relaxation of the body. Do not sleep. Do not move the physical body. Say to yourself mentally, I am practicing yoga nidra. Remind yourself that you are practicing yoga nidra. Do not sleep. Do not sleep. Now you have to make a sankalpa. Sankalpa is a resolve. A simple positive resolve. A simple positive sankalpa. Please repeat your sankalpa clearly with feeling and awareness three times mentally. Sankalpa or resolve is a positive wish which you may make in life. The sankalpa should be heard mentally three times and it should be clear and simple, Concise, Reflecting your cherished wish which you wish to attain in life. Please repeat the sankalpa mentally three times. Anything in life can fail, But not the sankalpa made during the practice of yoga nidra. Now we are going to rotate the consciousness through different parts of the body. Rotate the awareness through the different centers of the body as quickly as possible. The awareness has to move. The awareness has to jump from point to point, From one part of the body to the next according to my instructions. I will be giving names of the different parts of the body. For example, If I say right hand thumb, Then mentally visualize in your mind the right hand thumb. See the right hand thumb in front of the closed eyes. Repeat mentally right hand thumb. Become totally aware of the right hand thumb and completely relax the right hand thumb. All of this will happen spontaneously and quickly. When I take the name of the second part of the body, Move your attention immediately to that point. In this manner, We will rotate our consciousness, Our awareness, Through the different parts of the body, Starting on the right side, Then the left, Then we will go through the back and the front. Right hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger, All five fingers on the right hand, Palm of the right hand, Back of the right hand, Wrist, Lower arm, Right elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Side of the torso, Waist, Right hip, Thigh, Kneecap, Calf, Shin, Ankle of the right foot, Sole of the foot, Top of the foot, Right big toe, Right second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, Fifth toe, All five toes of the right foot. Become aware of the entire right side, The entire right side, Aware of the entire right side of the body. Now move the awareness to the left side of the body, Left hand thumb, Second finger, Third finger, Fourth finger, Fifth finger. Become aware of all five fingers on the left hand, Left palm, Back of the hand, The wrist, Lower arm, Elbow, Upper arm, Shoulder, Armpit, Side of the left torso, Waist, Hip. Travel the awareness through the left thigh, Kneecap, Calf, Shin, Ankle, Sole of the foot, Top of the foot, Big toe on the left foot, Second toe, Third toe, Fourth toe, And fifth toe. Aware of all five toes on the left foot. Become aware of the whole left side of the body, The whole left side of the body. Now we move to the back body. Relax the right buttock, The left buttock, The right lower back, The left lower back, Right shoulder blade, Left shoulder blade, Aware of the spine, Aware of the whole back, Aware of the whole back side. Gently relax the whole back side. Become aware of the top of the head, The top of the head, The forehead, The right side of the forehead, The left side of the forehead, The right eyebrow, The left eyebrow, The temples of the forehead, The eyebrow center, The right eyelid, The left eyelid, The right eye, The left eye, Right cheek, Left cheek, Aware of the right ear, The left ear, The tip of the nose, The right nostril, The left nostril, The upper lip, The lower lip, The teeth, The tongue, The mouth, The jaw, The back of the throat, The front of the throat, The right side chest, The left side chest, The center of the chest, The right ribs, The left ribs, The gap between the ribs. Become aware of the upper abdomen, The navel, The lower abdomen, The whole front, The whole front side of the body, Aware of the whole front of the body, Aware of the entire right leg, Aware of the left leg, The right arm, The left arm, The torso, The whole head, Relax the whole head, Relax the right leg, The left leg, The whole right arm, The whole left arm, Both arms together, The back of the body, The front of the body, The whole body together, The whole head, Relax the whole body, Complete awareness of the whole body, The whole body, Relax the whole body completely. Relax the whole body completely. And now, Gradually bring your attention to the environment, Become aware of the sounds, The sounds which you can hear, Sounds which you can hear around you in the distance, Inside the body. Externalize the consciousness, Externalize the consciousness, Become aware of the immediate environment, Do not move, Do not open the eyes, Be aware of the whole body, Aware of the room surrounding the body. Once again, Repeat the sankalpa, Your resolve. Repeat your sankalpa mentally three times. Keeping the eyes closed, Begin to slowly move the toes, The feet, The fingers, Hands, Arms, The head side to side. Slowly move the whole body, Stretch the whole body long, And keeping the eyes closed, Gently sit up. When you are fully aware that you are awake, You may gently open the eyes. The practice of yoga nidra is over. Hari Om Tat Sat.