Yoga Nidra To Overcome Anxiety And Improve Sleep - Rainbow

Yoga Nidra is the science of complete relaxation.
The practice is guided meditation.
During Yoga Nidra, you experience body awareness, bodily sensations, and visualizations.
The brain reaches a delta state, which lies between sleep and awakening. Nidra yoga is a structured practice articulated around an intention called a Sankalpa. Yoga Nidra is a comprehensive method for maximizing health and well-being. It is particularly beneficial for releasing stress and improving sleep.

Transcript

It is time for yoga nidra.

Start to lay down on your back and adjust your posture.

You may support your knees with a cushion or place a small cushion underneath your head and eventually cover your body with a blanket.

Make sure that you are warm enough and that your position is one that will be comfortable enough for the duration of the practice.

It is best that you remain still during yoga nidra to fully relax.

Allow your eyes to close and keep them closed until the practice has ended.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that will guide you to the hypnagogic state,

A state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.

Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

You will be asked to move your awareness to various bodily sensations,

Emotions and images.

No need to concentrate too intensely as this may prevent you from relaxing.

During this meditation please use and absorb what you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.

If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries,

Just come back to the sound of my voice.

Pay attention to all the sounds you can hear in this moment,

Nothing else but what you can hear without strain.

Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear.

Let your sense of hearing radiate outward,

Searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.

Move your attention from sound to sound without labelling the source.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,

Sounds outside the room to sounds inside the room and to the sound of your breath without opening your eyes.

Visualize the four walls of the room,

The ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor or maybe on the bed or on the coach wherever you are.

Visualize the position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your face.

Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.

Now bring attention on your natural breath.

Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.

The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.

There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.

Follow this feeling into your nose,

Your sinuses,

The back of your throat,

Into your lungs.

There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.

The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.

Allow your breath to become longer and slower.

Take a long slow inhalation followed by a longer slower exhalation.

Make your exhale even slower.

Notice the slight pause after the exhale.

Slow inhale,

Even slower exhale and pause.

Feel the urge to breathe in bubble up inside of you.

When you need to inhale,

Please do so.

Long slow inhale,

Longer slower exhale and then pose where the body is neither breathing in nor out.

Please continue breathing in this way.

Now go back to the natural easy breath,

Releasing any control over the inhale or exhale.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

At this moment you should make your sankalpa or resolve.

The sankalpa should be a short positive statement in simple language.

Try to discover one naturally.

Please state your sankalpa clearly and with awareness three times with your inner voice.

The sankalpa you make during yoga nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

Also say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra.

I am awake and relaxed.

We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of the body as soon as you hear them named.

Each time please say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body without making any movement.

The practice begins on the right side.

Right hand thumb,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the 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,

Both lips together,

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 as though your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.

The head is light and weightless,

The limbs are light and weightless,

The torso light and weightless,

The whole body light and weightless.

You are rising higher and higher away from the floor.

Now imagine the body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body,

Each part becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy,

The limbs are heavy,

The back is heavy,

The whole body is heavy,

So heavy that it is sinking down into the floor.

Now awaken the experience of cold in the body,

The experience of chilly cold.

Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing.

You feel this chill permeating your entire body.

Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.

If it helps,

Remember the feeling of heat in summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.

You feel heat radiating onto your skin,

Heat all around the body.

Now recollect the experience of anxiety,

Intense anxiety and worry.

Feel that stress in the body and the mind,

But do not concentrate on its source.

Create the experience of anxiety as clearly as possible.

Notice how anxiety manifests itself in the body and the mind.

Slowly release the efforts and allow the feeling of complete calm to envelope you.

Manifest the experience of calm in your entire mind,

Body and emotions.

You are now relaxed and aware.

You are completely calm.

Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transparent screen as though you were at the movie theatre.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.

Colours,

Patterns and light.

Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue your awareness of this space,

But do not become involved.

Practice detached awareness only.

If any subtle images make themselves known,

Simply notice them without directing the images.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go,

But continue watching the dark space.

Continue this with detached awareness.

Now allow your body to relax and the mind to focus on the calming colour relaxation.

Allow the relaxation to occur naturally.

Allow and observe.

Start to create a picture in the mind of the colour red.

Imagine red colour of all shades.

You might picture red objects,

A red landscape or just a solid colour.

Imagine all the different tones of red.

Roses,

Bricks,

Sunset.

Enjoy the colour red.

Now allow the colour you are imagining to change to orange.

Picture the colour orange.

Infinite shades of orange.

Flowers,

Pumpkins,

Carrots.

Fill the entire visual field of your mind's eye with the colour orange.

Enjoy the colour orange.

Now visualize the colour yellow.

See in your imagination all the various shades of yellow.

Allow yellow to fill your vision.

Lemons,

Flowers,

Fall leaves.

Imagine the endless tones of the colour yellow.

Imagine yourself surrounded with the calming colour yellow.

Immerse yourself.

Enjoy the colour yellow.

Let the colour you are imagining become green.

Fill your imagination with the colour green.

Endless shades and tones of green.

Plants,

Leaves,

Grass.

Imagine being surrounded by beautiful green.

All shades from the lightest to the darkest.

Bright green,

Subdued green.

Enjoy the green colour.

Now see in your mind the colour blue.

Surround yourself with beautiful blue.

Unending shades of blue.

Water,

Sky.

Imagine blue filling your vision.

Enjoy the colour blue.

Allow the colour in your imagination to become violet.

Focus on the multitude of purples around you.

Flowers,

Eggplant,

Sunrise.

Immerse yourself in the colour violet.

Enjoy violet.

Now allow your attention to return to your breathing.

Notice how calm and regular your breathing is now.

Meditate on the calming colour relaxation once more.

Imagine the colours again,

One at a time,

Starting with red,

Orange,

Yellow,

Green,

Blue,

Violet.

Now picture whatever calming colour you wish.

Do you have a favourite right now?

A colour that suits your mood right now?

Imagine whatever colours you like.

Allow the mind to be relaxed,

Focused and calm.

Now it is the time to remember your Sankalpa,

Your resolve.

With full awareness and confidence,

Bring to your mind the same resolve that you have made at the beginning of the practice.

Repeat it exactly as it was three times.

Relax all efforts now.

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your natural breath.

Awareness of the whole body.

Awareness of the breath.

Become aware of the position of the body,

Supported by the earth.

Without opening the eyes,

Visualize the surroundings.

Become aware of all sounds around you.

Slowly deepen your breath.

Lie quietly and keep the eyes closed.

Reconnecting with the fingers and toes,

You can start to move slowly,

Moving the ankles and the wrists,

Sliding the head from one side to the other side.

Take your time to bring back all sensations.

Interlace your fingers in front of your chest and send your arms over the head,

Stretching the entire body from the fingers to the toes.

And slowly bringing the knees toward the chest,

Interlacing the legs with your arms and rolling to one side.

Coming in your fetal position,

Reconnecting with yourself and slowly making your way to the sitting position,

Eyes closed.

The practice of Yoganidra is now complete.

Take the time to slowly open your eyes and let the light come in.

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