Welcome,
It's great to have you here.
My name is Stefano,
And I'll be guiding you through Yoga Nidra,
A meditation that mirrors the physiological process of sleep.
It will help you relax at the level of the physical body,
The breath,
The mind and through deeper aspects of your being.
Yoga Nidra is a form of NSDR,
Non sleep deep rest.
There is nothing to do or achieve now.
Just follow along and allow all tensions and worries to melt away.
Find a comfortable position lying down in Shavasana,
Shavasana,
The corpse pose,
Using yoga mat or your bed or any comfortable surface with support under your knees and maybe a pillow for the back of your head.
For the corpse pose,
Simply lie down on your back.
Allow your legs to separate and let go of all holding your legs.
You don't need to keep them straight.
Just allow your feet to fall open to either side.
Bring your arms alongside your body.
Slightly separate them from your torso at a 30 or 60 degree angle.
Whatever feels most comfortable.
And turn your palms to face the sky without trying to keep them open.
Maintain a position that allows your fingers to curl inward.
Tuck your shoulder blades onto your back for support.
Without strain.
Once you have set up your limbs,
Release any effort from holding them in position.
Allow your whole body to relax,
Dropping any expression from the face and allow your whole body to feel heavy.
It's recommended that you have a blanket,
Maybe an eye pillow if it feels more comfortable.
Don't worry if you fall asleep or if your mind wanders.
Gently guide your attention back and follow the instructions to the best of your abilities.
If you can,
Remain as still as possible.
But if there's any discomfort or pain,
Notice it for a few moments.
And if it goes away,
Continue with the guidance.
And if it doesn't,
Gently readjust yourself so that you can be five or even 1% more comfortable.
Allow yourself to completely relax during the practice.
And if you need to,
You can always assume a comfortable meditative posture in the seated position,
Making sure that you have a straight spine,
Allowing your neck to be tall,
Keeping your chin tucked in,
Chest forward,
And making sure that your hands are going to be on your lap with palms facing upward,
Allowing yourself to maintain this posture with ease and without strain.
Typically,
We practice yoga nedra with the eyes closed.
But if for any reason,
This is not accessible to you,
Know that you can practice with your eyes open while maintaining a very soft gaze to the distance.
Just make sure you have enough space to practice comfortably.
Pick a setting where you won't be distracted or disturbed.
So a cool,
Dark,
Quiet room would be optimal.
See what is available to you in the moment and go with that.
The practice we'll do today is I am yoga nedra,
The integrated amrit method of yoga nedra.
And take a mental note of how you're feeling now in body and mind.
When you're done with the practice,
Notice any changes,
However subtle,
That you may experience.
Now,
We'll begin the practice.
Any sounds or music in the recording will gently fall away,
Maintaining this inner awareness.
Gently begin rubbing the palms together.
To the degree that you feel comfortable,
Place your fingertips on your eyelids,
The entire surface of the palms touching your face.
Start now by massaging the face,
The fingers working from the eyebrows up to the hairline,
Moving out to the temples,
Circling the fingers at the temples,
Moving down to the joints of the jaw,
Along the jawline to the chin.
Massage around the parentheses of the mouth,
Up to the bridge of the nose,
Around the orbits of the eyes,
Moving to the ears,
Massaging in front of and behind the ears,
And maybe even a gentle pull on the earlobes,
Feeling tensions and holding melt away.
Squeeze the back of the neck and maybe even the shoulders.
Now,
Place the entire surface of the palms on the face,
Fingertips on the eyelids.
Drop all expression from the face.
Take a deep breath in and let go.
Take another deep breath in and let go even more.
Release your arms to your sides.
You may cover your arms and place an eye pillow over your eyes if you like.
Feel the impact flooding the whole body and the entire being.
Bathe in the sensations.
I will guide you in the next phase to enter deeper and subtler levels of relaxation through the bumblebee sound and breath.
Use your thumbs to gently close your ears,
Just tight enough so that you can still hear me.
Rest the remaining fingers on either side of the forehead.
In a moment,
We will take a deep breath in and with closed lips,
We will begin to hum the sound of the bumblebee.
Keep the teeth lightly touching or slightly apart,
Whichever is most comfortable.
Tongue towards the front and roof of the mouth.
Raise and lower the pitch of the buzzing sound as we hum to maximize the vibratory sensation felt in your skull and create a felt sense of complete absorption.
Now,
Take a breath in and follow me.
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your mind merge and melt into the energy body and go beyond the boundaries of body and mind now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being do absolutely nothing from now on simply relax drop into the deepest state of tranquility stillness and peace at the brow center now your consciousness is in direct communion with your energy body now direct your full attention to your breath create no struggle around breathing use your breath to release any tensions slowly deepen your inhalations and exhalations let your breath flow in a steady uniform unbroken stream continue until asked to stop let your attention be totally connected to your breath as it flows in and out bring all of your attention to the expansion and contraction of your abdomen as you breathe deeply in and out with each exhalation release all tension held in your body let go breathe out any holdings in the body use your breath to progressively enter a deeper level of stillness silence we will continue with 10 more slow deep breaths count them like this 10 I am breathing in 10 I am breathing out 9 I am breathing in 9 I am breathing out and continue until asked to stop be absorbed in the sound of your own breath let yourself be more relaxed and peaceful with each breath now allow your breath to return to normal feel the energetic impact of the breath in the form of pulsations in the body your attention allows the energy field in the body to grow and expand experience it energy follows attention let your mind melt and merge in the river of energy flowing throughout your whole body let go let go even more experience silence extending everywhere follow my guidance as we move through different parts of the body let your attention rest on each body part as I name it without comment or judgment all ten toes both ankles both knees pelvis abdomen chest arms hands throats face back of head shoulder blades spine buttocks calves heels soles of the feet since the whole body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes whole body whole body in awareness feel the whole body contained in vast spacious awareness give yourself the permission to enter into the deepest level of relaxation right now let go nothing to do or achieve dissolve and disappear into stillness open empty of all doing all past all future merge into this space and be empty sensations thoughts images floating by like clouds on a clear blue sky letting it all gather and dissipate come and go be the space in which it is all happening here your intention and your affirmations are actualized and fulfilled with effortless ease if you have an intention bring it into your awareness three times in the form of words images or as a felt sense if you do not have an intention just remain silent and let spirit who knows what is best to it for you allow this intention to go to the deepest levels of recognition of no hesitation know that your higher self recognizes honors and accepts your intention have faith and trust but it has been heard and it's being acted upon by higher of the source within you there is no need to do anything about it bring your attention back to the center between the eyebrows and feel all the energies of your body from all meridians activated purified balanced all channels are open the life force is flowing freely healing the body calming the mind open your hearts and feel content just experience at this time feel the presence of any guides mentors teachers or family members you feel connected to you may sense this as a universal force or energy surrounding you guiding you know that this presence surrounds you always you can draw on this presence at any time if there is any guidance to be received at this time either as a felt sense words or images allow yourself to receive it now otherwise simply rest back in the grace and protection of presence begin to become aware of the rising and falling of the breath slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness sense the body resting on the surface beneath you the quality of the air as it touches the skin gradually you can move as if you're waking from a restful sleep bend your knees and pull them closer to your chest rock sideways gently take your time do not hurry then just turn onto your right side and curl into a fetal position feel the safety comfort and protection of the womb of existence bring your intention into your awareness again change nothing every time you find yourself in reaction you are empowered to replace it with your intention now you can gradually move and begin to sit up with your eyes closed continue to stay deep in this deep inner experience regardless of what you consciously recognize but has or has not changed know that something deep within has shifted to connect you with your intention become aware of your body and bring a deep sense of peace and contentment with you as you bring attention back to the body notice how relaxed the body is how relaxed the body is how soft the breath is how silent the mind is how quiet the heartbeat is is notice how relaxed the body is how soft the breath is how silent the mind is how quiet the heartbeat is be still and be grateful know that you can easily enter here again and again now you may gradually open your eyes thank you for practicing yoga nidra with me today if you found today's practice beneficial please consider following me here on insight timer if the meditation provided you with an experience that allowed you to go deeper within i would greatly welcome your review and if you feel compelled your donations and contributions would greatly help me continue to produce yoga nidras to share the benefits of these guided meditations with others if you have any questions or if you would like to share your intention for your practice please share below also it would be nice to know where and when you started your practice today you can check the description of the video for additional information about the practice of yoga nidra as well as this individual recording and you're invited to also check out other yoga nidras depending on what you need most right now if you've enjoyed this practice today please consider sharing the video with others who would benefit from it as the community grows i'll include more and more styles of nidra for people to explore the different benefits that can be obtained from this practice not just for sleep not just to reduce stress and anxiety but also for developing equanimity and self-realization as well as many practical applications to increase focus and energy and vitality thank you again for practicing with me today enjoy by one may the spirit be victorious or victory to the spirit
