Today,
We will be practicing Yoga Nidra,
And Yoga Nidra is a way of refreshing and reviving.
I often use this meditation practice for a nap in the middle of the day,
And yet you're not going to go to sleep.
You are going to stay awake during this practice and simply relax.
Yoga Nidra is called yogic sleep.
It is a beautiful way to rest during your busy day and to revive and refresh your mind and body.
We will take a journey from outside the body to the depths within you and then back outside again so that you can continue to move throughout your day.
So take a moment to get into a comfortable position,
And Yoga Nidra is typically done on your back in Shavasana pose,
Corpse pose.
So find a surface,
A bed,
A couch,
A mat on the floor where you can lay flat and be comfortable.
If laying down isn't possible for you,
Stay in your chair.
That's okay too.
Just make sure you have support so that you can fully relax.
As you get into that comfortable position,
If you're in Shavasana,
You want to lie with your legs straight out and a little bit apart.
You might rest a soft or low pillow under the knees if that's comfortable for you.
Getting into a comfortable position that you can stay for a little while.
Adjust your clothes as necessary.
You want to loosen your belt or fix a blanket over you so that you can fully relax and be warm in your body.
Yoga Nidra is about hearing,
Noticing,
And feeling.
This is not sleeping,
But deep relaxation in which you have complete control.
Say to yourself,
I will not sleep,
I will practice Yoga Nidra.
Take a moment to stretch and squeeze all of the muscles in your body.
And now take a deep breath in and as you do,
Feel calmness spreading throughout your body.
As you breathe out,
Say mentally to yourself,
Relax,
Relax,
Relax.
Let your eyes gently close and listen to the most distant sounds around you.
Don't try to identify them,
Just notice they're far away,
Like distant music.
Move your attention from sound to sound,
Not lingering on any particular sound.
Now slowly bring your awareness to sounds that are closer to you,
Maybe just outside the room you're in.
Again,
Moving from sound to sound,
Simply noticing that those sounds exist,
But not concentrating on any particular sound.
Now listen to the sounds that are as close as possible to you as you become aware of the room that you're in.
Visualize yourself laying down in this room,
Seeing your body resting perfectly still in Shavasana.
Notice where your body meets the ground or the surface below you and become aware of all the points of your body touching the surface beneath you,
Grounding you into your body.
And as you do,
Simply breathe naturally.
Don't try to control it,
Just observe your breath as it flows in and out of your body,
Just noticing it flow naturally,
Gently.
This is all you need to do right now.
Just keep listening to my voice and be aware that you are breathing.
And as you relax,
Say to yourself in your mind,
I will not sleep.
I am practicing Yoga Nidra.
Now it's time to state your Sankalpa silently in your mind.
Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word for intention.
San means to become one with and Kalpa means time and subconscious mind.
We use Sankalpa as a way to set an intention to connect with your heart's deepest desire.
It may be as simple as,
I am light,
Or I am courage,
Or I am deserving of my own love and care.
Take a moment to choose your intention,
Your Sankalpa,
And then repeat it to yourself three times.
Feel into your Sankalpa and feel that you believe it with every fiber of your being.
We'll now move our consciousness quickly around the body to bring light awareness to each part.
We'll go quickly,
Not lingering,
Just moving our consciousness around the body.
You may repeat the part of the body in your mind as you briefly become aware of that body part.
We'll begin the practice with our right hand.
Right hand,
Thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Half muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Left side,
Left hand,
Left thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Half muscle,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Moving to the back,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
The spine,
The whole back together,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Nose,
Tip of the nose,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Left collarbone,
Middle of the chest,
Navel,
Abdomen,
Lower abdomen.
Now notice the whole of the right leg,
The whole of the left leg,
Both legs,
The whole of the right arm,
The whole of the left arm,
Both arms together,
Whole of the back,
Whole of your front,
Your head,
All of it together,
Whole of the body together,
Whole of the body together,
Your whole body.
Become aware of your whole body.
Become aware of the space your body is occupying.
Become aware of the whole body.
Become aware of the whole body and the floor or the surface you're on.
At the same time,
Become aware of the meeting points where your body meets that surface.
These are very subtle meeting points between your body and the floor or the surface and feel them all.
Can you feel your head on the floor or the ground or the bed,
Your hands?
Can you feel your heels or calf muscles connect to the floor?
Become aware of all these meeting points simultaneously.
Feel these points distinctly.
Stay in your yogic sleep,
Relaxed and aware,
And actively feel these points.
Now focus on the meeting points where your eyelids meet.
Feel the upper and lower eyelids.
Feel them meet.
Switch your attention to your lips.
Can you feel how your lips meet?
Focus on the line between your lips.
From the lips we move to our breath.
Become aware of your natural breath going in and out.
Become completely aware of the respiration from navel to throat to nose.
How the breath is moving up and down your body,
Don't concentrate on it.
Just be aware.
Observe the natural flow of your breath.
Now silently in your mind,
Begin to count backwards as you breathe.
We'll start at 20.
20 in,
20 out.
19 in,
19 out.
18 in,
18 out.
17 in,
17 out.
16 in,
16 out.
15 in,
15 out.
14 in,
14 out.
13 in,
13 out.
12 in,
12 out.
11 in,
11 out.
10 in,
10 out.
9 in,
9 out.
8 in,
8 out.
7 in,
7 out.
6 in,
6 out.
5 in,
5 out.
4 in,
4 out.
3 in,
3 out.
2 in,
2 out.
1 in,
1 out.
Feel yourself growing heavy,
Sinking into the ground below you.
You're deeply relaxed and still awake.
Switch to absolute lightness.
You're light as a feather,
Floating so light the wind could carry you.
Now imagine you're in a beautiful park and you hear birds chirping.
It's dawn.
There's a little light enough to see the gorgeous trees around you and you feel blissful.
In the distance,
You notice a glowing light and as you come closer to it,
You see that it's a small temple.
You walk inside the temple and notice a fountain,
Decorations of Buddhas and saints,
Flowers and offerings and you sit on a cushion on the floor and close your eyes.
Incredible stillness,
Silence and peace fills your entire being.
Every cell within you is experiencing the deepest peace and joy.
Dwell in this peace and joy for a few moments.
Now it's time to leave the temple.
Even while you carry this sense of peace and joy out with you,
You walk out the temple doors and notice the infinite space around you as you radiate peace and tranquility.
Silently,
In your mind,
Repeat your sankalpa,
Your intention,
Again three times.
Feel the echo of your sankalpa reverberating through your entire being.
And so it is.
Now,
As we prepare to bring this yoga nidra practice to a close,
I'll count down from five.
When we reach one,
You'll be completely awake and refreshed.
Five.
Become aware of your breathing again as it moves in and out of your body.
Four.
Become aware again of your body.
Feel it on the floor or mat or bed.
Three.
Become aware of the room you're in,
The temperature of your skin,
The sounds around you.
Two.
Come back into the room,
Moving from within back out into the world around you.
Take a deep breath and begin to move your hands,
Your arms,
Your fingers,
Your legs,
Your feet,
Your toes.
Stretch and breathe and take your time opening your eyes.
And one.
Now you are fully awake,
Revived,
Refreshed,
With renewed energy as you move into the next part of your day.
Our yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you for your practice.
