Welcome.
My name is Susan.
And I will be your guide today.
For nine years,
I have been swimming with a pod of bottlenose dolphins in San Carlos,
Mexico.
And I recently joined a group of lovely people from all over the world.
To swim with pods of dolphins off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas.
Today's healing dolphin yoga nidra practice will take you into a deep state of rest and relaxation.
Yoga nidra means yogic sleep.
Your body will descend into a state of deep rest or sleep while your mind stays awake and aware.
I will walk you through your different koshas or layers of your existence.
This will offer you an opportunity to experience a blissful state of calm and to connect with your authentic self.
Later in the practice,
I will invite you to plunge into the tropical turquoise waters of Bimini.
You will experience a comforting and healing encounter with a pod of wild dolphins.
You will see them,
Hear them,
And sense their uplifting and healing energy.
Dolphins are magical.
Sacred.
And they communicate energy and uplift telepathically.
Expect this time you spend with these sacred and uplifting creatures to melt away any pain or illness you have been experiencing.
It is my sincere hope that this experience will be relaxing and healing for you.
Before you start this practice,
Make sure you feel comfortable visualizing and experience an open water,
Immersed in the Atlantic Ocean on a calm day,
Surrounded by loving dolphins.
Start by finding a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
Lie down on your back.
And make sure that your spine is steady and stable.
And that your head is in alignment with your spine.
You may want to cover yourself with a blanket for warmth.
Or for a sense of safety.
Make any adjustments you need so that you are very comfortable.
The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.
During the practice of Yoga Nidra.
You'll be functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness.
It is important to maintain stillness for the duration of this practice so that your awareness can turn inward.
Relax.
Rest.
Give your body permission to be still and quiet.
Now take a deep inhale.
And as you exhale,
Open your mouth and release a long sigh.
Once again,
Draw in a deep breath.
Feeling the expansion in your lungs all the way down to your belly.
And now sigh that breath out.
Now draw in one more deep breath.
And as you exhale through your mouth.
Feel your body sinking deeper into the posture.
You are letting go.
Allowing your body to relax.
To rest completely.
Bring your awareness to your physical form.
Resting safe and secure on the earth.
And imagine you are lying on a white sand beach.
Feel the weight of your body sinking into the sand.
And sense the meeting points of your body with the beach underneath you.
Feel the soothing warmth of the sand against the backs of your shoulders,
Your arms and hands,
Back,
Buttocks,
Hamstrings and calves.
As you rest in the warm sand along the shore.
A gentle tropical wave washes over your body and up to the top of your chest in slow motion and then flows away,
Releasing all tension from your mind and body.
As these gentle waves continue to wash over you.
Savor the sensation of tropical seawater.
Soothing every muscle.
Every tissue.
Your body is becoming more and more relaxed.
Your body is going to sleep.
Resting completely.
While your mind stays awake and aware.
Become aware of the ebb and flow of your own breath.
Allow it to flow through your body like a rolling ocean wave.
Ride the waves of your breath.
Savoring the experience of moving with flow.
You're descending deep into rest.
Into a formless state of meditation.
Dhyana.
Where you slip into timelessness.
As the outside world fades away.
Your deeper self comes into focus.
In this state of heightened awareness,
Where you are in tune with your true authentic being,
We will state our Sankalpa.
Sankalpa is the vow taken that expresses the path in life we are seeking.
Whatever you so deeply wish for.
Whatever you desire to know and experience and to give.
Lies in your sun cult.
Your sankalpa takes a positive,
Short,
Concise form.
Using the powerful words,
I am.
And the quality that you are so deeply desiring.
If you do not have a sankalpa in mind to work with today,
Simply say to yourself,
I am opening myself up to self-inquiry.
State your Sankalpa now three times with full awareness,
Sincerity,
And faith.
Now leave your sankalpa,
Surrender it from the mind into the inner stillness.
I will now guide you through Anamaya Kosha,
The physical body experience.
I will take you on a guided walk through different parts of your physical body.
Transfer your awareness to each area that I mentioned.
Following along at the same speed of my voice.
Think of the part of the body or see it in your mind's eye.
Whichever you find easier.
But make sure not to move the part of your body being mentioned.
Anywhere that you focused in the body.
Energy begins to flow.
Stay aware of the pranic flow through your physical body during this experience.
Become aware of the right hand.
Right hand thumb.
2nd finger 3rd finger 4th finger 5th finger palm.
Back of the hand… Wrist… Forearm… elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the body.
Waste.
Right thigh.
.
.
Knee.
.
.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
5th toe Become aware of the left hand.
Left hand thumb.
2nd finger.
Third finger.
4th finger.
.
.
5th finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Left wrist… Forearm.
Elbow,
Upper arms.
.
.
Shoulder.
.
.
Armpit left side of the body.
Waste.
Left thigh.
.
.
Me.
Lower leg.
Ankle sole of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Moving on to the back of the body.
Become aware of the right heel.
Left heel.
Right calf.
Left calf.
Right hamstring.
Left hamstring.
Right buttocks.
Left body.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The whole of the spine and back together.
Bring awareness to the back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Crown of the head.
Moving to the front of the body.
Take your awareness to the forehead.
Then move to the right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow center point.
Bright eye and eyelid.
Left eye and eyelid.
Right cheek.
Black tea.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Hopper lit.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Middle of the chest.
Navel abdomen.
Pelvis.
Pelvic floor.
Now bring awareness to the whole of the right leg.
The whole of the left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole back of the body.
The whole front of the body.
Feel the whole body together on the floor.
Remaining awake and aware.
Feel your whole physical body lying on the floor,
Completely still and relaxed,
Softening and sinking.
Visualize your whole body relaxed on the floor.
We now move on to pranamaya kosha.
The breath awareness layer of your consciousness.
Bring your attention to the flow of your breath.
As you remain awake and aware,
Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest,
Ribcage and abdomen with each slow breath.
And feel the nourishing energy of the breath flowing through you.
Begin to visualize the breath flowing into your nostrils.
And rising into the pineal gland inside of your head.
Visualize the breath flowing out of the pineal and back out through the nostrils.
Continue to follow.
This breath pathway.
Now listen to the soft sound of your breath and how it sounds like the mantra SO HUM.
You can hear the SO sound when you inhale and the HUM sound when you release the breath.
Hear and sense your Soham breath.
And feel it moving through you easily without effort.
Now let go of your concentration on the mantra.
And return to visualizing the breath being drawn in through your nostrils to the pineal.
And flowing back out through the nostrils.
And as you do this,
Begin to count your breath descending from 18 to 1.
Inhale,
Breath in through the nostrils,
18.
Exhale,
Breath coming out through the nostrils,
18.
Inhale.
17 Exhale.
17.
Continue on with your breathing.
Maintaining awareness of the count and the breath pathway.
If you lose track of your counting,
Begin again at 18.
If you finish counting to 1 before I give further instructions,
Simply go back to 18 again.
And start counting down a second time.
Now cease the practice of counting.
We enter into Manamaya Kosha,
Awakening opposite sensations in the body.
By subjecting yourself to different conditions when you remain relaxed and calm.
You can find more equanimity in daily life,
Even under shifting circumstances.
Begin by awakening the sensation of heat in the body.
You are outside on a scorching hot sunny day,
Standing under direct sunlight.
Feel the sweat running down your body,
The intense heat on your skin.
Your clothes are so hot from the blazing sun.
They seem to scorch your skin.
Now allow the sensation of heat to fade away.
And experience the sensation of intense cold.
Imagine you are standing in a bank of snow with bare feet.
Wearing only shorts and a t-shirt.
Visualize the goose pimples rising on your skin,
Your whole body shivering.
Now allow the sensation of cold to fade away.
Awaken the sense of complete quietness.
You're sitting outdoors in a quiet place before dawn and you don't hear a single noise.
No cars,
No birds,
No machinery.
Only intense silence and the sound of your breath.
Now awaken the sense of noise.
You're walking through a busy airport.
People are having hairy conversations on cell phone.
The speaker system projects loud voices making announcements about flights and airport security.
People tow luggage across the tile.
We hear the beep of carts carrying people with mobility issues.
Now allow all these noises to fade away.
Concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids,
The screen of the mind we call Chittikasha,
The space of consciousness.
As I take you into the layer Vijnanamaya Kosha.
Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of any colors,
Patterns or light you may see on this screen in front of your closed eyelids.
Whatever you see manifested by your mind.
Continue to be aware of this space.
Now I invite you to open up your imagination and take a journey to a world of dolphins near the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.
Begin by picturing the scenes presented to you,
And then allow your whole body to immerse in the experience,
Awakening all your five senses to everything happening.
You are sitting on a comfortable cushion on the bow of a white catamaran.
On the boat with you are friends and family members that you love dearly and enjoy being around.
A captain and crew that you trust are keeping you safe on this journey.
The catamaran is gliding away from the island of Bimini.
The vast Atlantic Ocean glistens like a turquoise gemstone under the sunlight.
You notice the subtle ripples on the surface of the water and how the shade of blue darkens in the deeper water.
Puffy cotton ball clouds drift across the azure sky.
The sun feels warm on your skin.
You feel at peace.
The water is so clean and clear,
You can see the bottom.
All the long wavelength colors have been absorbed,
Leaving your eyes to savor what is left to see,
That brilliant,
Calming blue.
Just looking at that blue ocean relaxes you.
Your heart rate calms.
Every muscle in your body is relaxed.
Life feels idyllic out here on the boat.
As the catamaran sails on.
You spot a green turtle waving its flipper through the water,
Like water wings,
Slowly,
With grace and power.
Look over there.
You point toward the turtle.
Enabling others on the boat to see and appreciate it.
It feels so supportive and nurturing to be out on the water.
You feel connected to the natural world,
Like you are a part of it now,
Instead of being pulled away from it by all the chaos of city living.
You draw in a deep breath of Atlantic Ocean air.
And release a long sigh of satisfaction.
Bimini grows smaller and smaller in your field of view.
The flat expanse of waving palms and structures begins to fade into a distant haze.
Soon all evidence of human activity will disappear.
You're surrounded by water.
The dolphin's world.
Your lips turn up in a smile,
And gratitude swells in your heart.
Being on this boat is such a gift.
Being surrounded by this beautiful turquoise ocean is such a gift.
A crew member calls out that a pod of spotted Atlantic dolphins is approaching.
You see the excitement in his eyes,
Hear the joy in his voice.
You jump up from your chair and gaze out over the stretch of blue water in front of you,
Where Lou is pointing.
One dolphin leaps into the air with tremendous power before splashing back down into the ocean.
And then another dolphin jumps.
You are awed by their tales.
Two pointed lobes with a notch between them.
So beautiful,
You think.
These tails,
Known as flukes,
Are symbolic of the power these beautiful swimmers display.
All around you,
You see splashing and dolphin tails.
The boat nears this pod of 20 or more dolphins.
They are only meters away.
You have waited for this moment for so long.
To have an experience where you can connect deeply with another species.
With dolphins that you've read about and seen from a distance and always wanted to see up close.
You stand at the bow and watch as the dolphins approach.
The boat slows down.
The captain doesn't want to harm them.
Several dolphins swim just in front of the boat.
They glide along seemingly without effort.
They barely make a wake as they glide sleekly through the water.
You're fascinated by them.
You've come all this way to see the dolphins,
To get close to them,
To feel a connection with them,
And try to understand them.
Spots speckle most of their bodies.
The juveniles with tiny pectoral and dorsal fins have gray bodies.
As they grow older,
We are told,
They will gain their spots.
Leona says all of us can swim with the dolphins now.
Your shout of excitement mingles with the joyful voices of the others on the boat.
You skip toward the place where you've stored your mask and fins and walk to the back of the boat.
Once you're geared up,
You climb down the ladder into the water.
The clear tropical waters feel warm and supportive.
You float away from the boat,
Gently kicking with your fins,
Gazing down at the sandy bottom through your mask.
A school of brilliant blue damselfish swim in unison,
Darting away from you.
A lone trumpetfish with its elongated silver body skims along near the surface.
And everywhere you can see there are swimming dolphins.
Corkscrewing into the sand to find buried eels and clams.
Leaping from the water.
And interacting with each other.
You and the group swim in a unified formation.
Never chasing the dolphins.
The dolphins,
Recognizing everyone as safe,
Swim nearer to assuage their curiosity.
They weave in and out and around everyone.
Four dolphins come near you and you glide alongside them,
Unified near the surface.
You suddenly realize you feel completely healthy.
All discomfort has left your body.
You feel energetic and alert and youthful.
Your mood rises.
You feel elated and free and transformed.
You know it is the dolphin's energy.
They are sharing something special with you.
They are allowing you to rise higher.
To awaken.
To what is innately you.
A friend dives down deep to almost 30 feet below the surface.
Kicking with her fins.
And then float slowly up.
A dolphin swims over and glides right up next to her.
Her face is so close to the dolphin's body,
It looks like she could kiss it.
Their bodies continue to glide slowly upward.
Slants of sunlight through the clear water reflect off of them.
You decide to try a dive.
You clear your nose and then slowly kick your way down toward the sandy bottom.
You have been instructed not to move too much.
And to relax.
So that it will be easier to stay down for a couple of minutes.
A dolphin spirals around as you descend.
And then blows bubble rings.
You hear an underwater sound like a trumpet.
And realize that the dolphin has made this call.
You see its eyes and recognize from the slits underneath her body that she's female.
You know that she's speaking to you.
You're beautiful,
You say.
And slowly move your hand to wave.
The dolphin acknowledges you with what looks like a nod and swims away.
You dive down again.
And this time,
A group of three dolphins approach,
Spiraling around you as you slowly ascend.
They're so close you could touch them.
You feel their loving energy.
Hear their sounds as they communicate.
Trumpet calls,
Squeaks,
Clicks.
Some sounds are emitted for echolocation.
Bouncing sounds off nearby objects help them know how far away they are from them.
I know they will never run into me.
They proficiently swim close,
And with one flick of a fin,
Move away.
You study their shapes whenever they glide close by.
They're rostrums or long noses.
The way their mouths are turned up in what looks like a perpetual smile.
They're powerful flukes and dorsal fins,
And they're often scratched up pectoral fins that are used like hands for social interactions with other pod members.
The trust they display around you brings warm gratitude to your heart.
You lose all sense of time swimming with the dolphins.
It's just dolphins and water and this incredible feeling of freedom and connection and gratitude.
That they greeted your group so welcomingly today that they chose to swim with you.
When a staff member tells you it's time to return to the boat,
You slowly kick along,
Saying thank you out loud to the dolphins and to the universe for bringing you and the others together today.
You know that you will never be the same after this experience.
The dolphins have transformed you.
Helped you awaken to a higher state of consciousness,
A more elevated sense of being.
Now allow these images to dissolve back into the eternal landscape of your consciousness.
And shift into a deep state of meditation.
Sankalpa.
Sankalpa Sankalpa Concentrate on your sankalpa now.
Hold the vow of your sankalpa within your awareness,
The same one you used at the beginning of the practice.
Repeat it to yourself now three times.
Now sense the energy of your Sankalpa spreading through your entire body and beyond your body through your energy field and beyond the energy field into the cosmos.
Now surrender it and let it be.
For it is done.
And bring awareness to your unique existence.
You have been created with a special purpose by a divine being.
Recognize your uniqueness and that divine good lives in you.
Allow yourself to experience your highest essence,
Your true self that can never be touched by circumstance or duality of experience,
That has deep understanding,
Creativity,
And focus,
That has full awareness of how to live a life of balance,
And is innately compassionate and loving to all beings.
Experience all that you are.
And now return your attention to the rhythm.
And soft sound of your natural breath.
Feeling its flow in and out of the nostrils.
Allow your breath to transport you back to present moment time.
And as you allow your thoughts to flow along with your slow,
Easy breaths.
Develop your awareness of the physical outline of your form.
Noticing the shape and density of your body as it rests on the earth.
Sense your physical body as you return to the three-dimensional reality of space and time and form.
Notice the parts of your body that are touching the floor.
Your head and upper back.
Your elbows and hands,
Your glutes,
Your calves and heels.
Begin to notice sound vibrations.
Temperature information.
Visualize the floor.
The windows and walls and the ceiling in the room where you are resting.
Become more aware of the external world around you.
While maintaining a strong awareness of your own existence.
And the divine in you that is always present.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
