Yoga Nidra For Self-Development & Awareness - 5 Elements

Yoga Nidra is the science of complete relaxation. Including body awareness, bodily sensations, and visualizations.

The brain reaches a delta state, which lies between sleep and awakening. On a basic level, Nidra is a comprehensive method for maximizing health and well-being. It is particularly beneficial for releasing stress and improving sleep. On a deeper level, it is a profoundly spiritual practice and somewhere in between, the most profound and accessible way to reshape the unconscious.

Transcript

Lie down in Shavasana,

The dead man's pose,

And make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Keep your feet apart and let them flop a little sideways,

Arms slightly away from the body with the palms of your hands upwards.

Adjust your clothes and position so that you can practice Yoganidra without moving and with no physical discomfort.

Please close your eyes and keep them closed during the practice.

The practice of Yoganidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.

These are the only important factors.

In Yoganidra,

You function on the level of awareness plus the level of listening.

In dreams,

You have no control.

In Yoganidra,

You are the creator of the dream.

Just say to yourself mentally,

I will not sleep.

I shall only listen to the voice.

Now,

Give yourself some time to become calm and steady.

Take a deep breath and as you breathe in,

Feel calmness spreading throughout the body.

As you are breathing out,

Say to yourself mentally,

Rely.

Just by bringing your awareness to your flesh and bones,

You can bring the earth element in the body into balance.

Feel the stability that comes when the earth element is in balance.

You feel very grounded and rooted like a tree,

Able to withstand all the challenges life brings your way.

Take another deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Become aware of the blood rushing through your veins.

About 80% of your body is made up of fluid.

Just by bringing your awareness to the fluids in the body,

You can bring the water element into balance.

Feel the flexibility that comes when the water element is in balance.

That flexibility will help you to navigate all the concerns of your day.

Take another deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Become aware of the warmth in your body.

By bringing your awareness to the warmth in your body,

You can bring the fire element in the body into balance.

Feel the energy that comes when the fire element is in balance.

You feel alive,

Creative and able to find solutions to your problems.

Take another deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Become aware of the air moving out of your lungs.

By bringing your awareness to your breath,

You can bring the air element in the body into balance.

Feel the harmony that comes when the air element is in balance.

You feel loving,

Compassionate and friendly.

Take another deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Become aware of the space in your mind.

Just by bringing your awareness to the space in your mind,

You can bring the space element in the body into balance.

Feel the peace that comes when the space element is in balance.

You feel anchored in the present moment.

Take another deep breath in and let go.

You are part of the same five elements that exist in nature.

Experience the feeling of being in harmony with nature within and around you.

It is the time to define your Sankalpa.

The yogic practice of Sankalpa Shakti gives a tool to shape meaningfully intentions and guide the journey towards inner transformation.

When the mind is relaxed,

The Sankalpa or the intention can be written on the subconscious.

A Sankalpa practice starts from the understanding that you already are who you need to be to fulfill your life dharma,

The mission in life.

You are enough,

Loved and perfect as you are right now.

All you need to do is to connect to your most heartfelt desires and channel the divine energy within.

Even a desire that might be interpreted as simple or shallow can lead you to the heart's desire.

Forget any limitation,

Any conditioning.

Follow the heart's desire.

It will take you to the essence of your being.

Now turn inward and connect with your heart's highest intention to define your Sankalpa,

Making a positive and simple statement tuned into an intention for your life.

If you can't find any Sankalpa,

Just take the intention to deeply relax during this practice.

Formulate your intention with your inner voice and repeat it three times.

Now let the sound of my voice be your guide and support you in experiencing sensations throughout your body.

As I will go through a body scan and name each area of the body,

Bring your awareness to these specific parts.

Observe the sensations as a witness.

Bring your attention to the right hand thumb.

No movement is required.

Just bring your attention to your right hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Right armpit.

Waist.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the right foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Bring your attention now to the left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the left hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Right armpit.

Waist.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Left knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the left foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Now go to the back of the body.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf.

Left calf.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back.

The entire spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Top of the head.

Forehead.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Middle of the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Jaw.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Right side of the chest.

Left side of the chest.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower abdomen.

Right groin.

Left groin.

The pelvic floor.

The whole right leg.

Whole left leg.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

The whole face.

The whole head.

The whole torso.

The whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

Now imagine the whole body becoming light.

Let the sensation of lightness starting from your toes,

Going through your legs,

All the way up to your knees,

Your thighs and your hips.

Let it spread through your torso,

Starting from your pelvic floor up to your abdomen and back,

Up to your shoulders.

Feeling the torso becoming so light and delicately leaning on the mat.

The sensation of lightness now rising up to your shoulders,

Going to your arms,

Your elbows,

Up to the tip of your fingers.

Your neck starts to feel light and now all your head can benefit from this sensation of lightness.

Each breath makes the body lighter and weightless.

Now imagine your body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body,

Each part sinking down into the mat.

The head is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

The torso is heavy.

The whole body is heavy.

So heavy that it is becoming almost impossible to move your limbs.

The body is like an anvil that sinks to the floor.

Now bring to your mind the feeling of anger.

You can bring to your mind a past situation that triggered anger in you.

Imagine this emotion and intensify this feeling in the body.

Sense how anger manifests in your body.

Notice where do you feel the anger precisely.

Is there a color associated with what you experience now?

Maybe a shape or just the temperature in your body which is changing.

Become the witness of any manifestation.

Now recollect the memory of stillness.

Stillness in your mind.

Stillness in your body.

Invite and experience complete stillness and calm.

Notice the shift inward.

Observe how stillness feels.

Contemplate on the sensation of stillness and experience the feeling of calm.

Observe the signs within you telling you that you are still and calm.

Now imagine yourself in a park in the early morning.

The sun has not risen yet and the park is deserted except for yourself.

It is a beautiful park,

Calm and peaceful.

You walk across the springy grass.

You listen to the birds whistle and call as they welcome in the new day.

There are gardens of flowers,

Roses,

Yellow,

Pink,

Red,

Purple.

Smell their fragrance and notice the early morning dewdrops on their petals.

You walk between trees,

Beautiful trees,

Bare trees and trees with leaves,

Wide spreading trees and tall stately trees.

There is a clearing between the trees.

In the clearing is a small hut with an aura of light around it.

Go to the door of the hut.

It is cool inside.

The smells of the place remind you of great memories.

You can hear the sound of someone playing music in the distance.

You sit down on the floor.

Close your eyes for a moment.

A sense of deep peace and harmony envelop you as the sounds outside fade into the distance.

Stay there for some time until peace and harmony pervade.

It is now time to remember your sankalpa,

The intention you've made at the beginning of the practice.

Just repeat the same statement that you've made three times mentally.

Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Maintain your awareness of the breath and connect with the sound of your breath.

Expand your awareness to the sounds of the room and the sounds outside of this room.

Slowly coming back to the sounds of your breath,

Develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body relaxed,

Lying down on the floor.

Feel the contact of the floor with your body.

Notice the heaviness of the body as it rests on the floor.

Do not open your eyes yet but visualize the surrounding room.

Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects and persons that are around you.

Lie quietly until you feel ready to move,

Starting by slowly moving your hands and feet,

Taking your time.

There is no hurry.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

You can slide your head from side to side,

Making any movement that your body needs,

Before rolling over to your right side into a fetal position.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Just take the time to wake up.