Nidra Pravassa

Want to indulge in psychic sleep? That's what Yoga Nidra is here for. Even if you've never meditated, this can help. Get a blanket, an eye pillow (or t-shirt to cover), a pillow over your belly for a weight. Make sure you are warm. Turn off your phone and lock the door to your room so you will not be disturbed. This practice has been shown to greatly reduce pain and suffering, providing an escape from the physical and greater connection to the metaphysical.

Transcript

Full moon evening.

See what it is in your life where you have fullness.

Feel into where you can empty a little bit to create more space.

And feel in to where you want to celebrate your fullness.

And allow something there to become an intention for your practice this evening.

A yoga nidra psychic sleep practice.

Begin to inhale and bring the shoulders up to the ears,

Shrugging them up.

And on your exhale allow them to fall back and down.

Notice your draw as you do this.

Inhaling,

Shoulders shrug up.

Exhaling,

Rolling back and down.

Arms,

Elbows relaxed,

Hands relaxed.

Continue to make shoulder circles.

Forward,

Up to the ear.

Exhale,

Back and down.

Do two more in this direction before changing directions.

Exploring this body today.

Guided by the symphony of sound outside and the fullness of your own breath.

Fast round to the other side.

Allow the chin to fall to the chest.

The back of the neck stretches long.

Take a deep inhale into the back upper lungs.

Expansive.

Roll the right ear over to right shoulder.

Feel length in left side neck.

Depress left shoulder a little bit more,

Jaw loose.

On an inhale bring the top of the head up to the sky and exhale left ear over to left shoulder.

Breathe into the length along the right side neck.

And then roll chin into chest,

Head to center,

Bow forward with the head to stretch the back of the neck.

You can continue the other way,

Pulling left ear up to left shoulder,

Right side of neck long.

And on your next inhale bring the head up to the center and right ear over to the right.

Left side neck long.

Roll chin to center once again,

Down and forward.

And then inhale and from the center of the chest lift chin up to the sky whenever you're ready.

We'll do one more time.

Chin into chest this time round out through the entire spine.

Concave hollow belly,

Back reaches behind you.

C shape of the spine.

Allow this to melt you down all the way as if the navel were being pulled through the spine to the earth until you lay down upon the mat.

Take your time to arrive.

You'll clear away anything in the way.

You'll spread the towel over the body as a blanket.

You'll place a pillow over your abdomen.

There is no rush.

As you find your way to the earth through the floor you can reach for your eye pillow and place it upon your eyes.

Make any last adjustments you need to make to become comfortable to practice yoga nidra.

Know that at this time of intensity that is the full moon,

The most intense reflection of light from the sun.

That it's in this intensity that we go within.

We calm.

And we trust that all the answers appear.

Make any last movements you need to make before maintaining absolute stillness.

Yoga nidra,

Psychic sleep is an act of moving through the body with awareness.

The body may feel as if it went to sleep but the mind stays active and alert.

I'll guide you through.

In yoga nidra you function on the level of listening.

Let go of the body and realize that you exist beyond and as the body relaxes the mind stays active.

Make any last movements before maintaining stillness.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that will guide you to a 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.

Try not to concentrate too intensely as it 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.

Become aware of any 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 outwards searching out these distant sounds and following them for a few moments.

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

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds,

To sounds outside this building,

To sounds inside this building,

To sounds inside the room.

Eyes closed visualize the four walls of this room,

The ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

The position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your face.

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

And become aware of your breath,

The natural breath.

A natural and spontaneous breath 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 bubbles up inside of you.

When you need to inhale,

Do so.

Long,

Slow inhale.

Longer,

Slow exhale.

And then pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.

Continue breathing this way.

And then return to a natural easy breath,

Releasing any control over in or exhalation.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

At this moment,

You can make your sankalpa or your resolve an intention for your practice.

It should be a short,

Positive statement in simple language.

Try to discover one naturally.

Please state your sankalpa clearly and with awareness three times.

This intention that 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 now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

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

Please say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body but do not move any part.

The practice begins on the right.

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,

Thumb pit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Side of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth,

Fifth,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Arm pit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Third,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Now 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 blades,

Left shoulder blades,

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,

From the top of the head,

The forehead,

Down the front of the face,

Down the front of the chest,

All the way to the upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right groin,

Left groin,

Pelvic floor,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Feel your body all at once becoming very,

Very heavy,

Heaviness all over the body,

Heaviness within the body,

Each part grows heavier and heavier.

And then begin to feel lightness,

Feel lightness from your body as if you were a balloon rising away from the floor.

Begin to now feel lightness.

Take in this experience in the body.

And then begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transport screen as though you were at the movie theater.

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

Concentrate on the screen and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it,

Colors,

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 these images.

If thoughts occur let them come and go but continue watching this dark space.

Continue with detached awareness.

And now it's time to repeat your sankalpa.

Please repeat the same statement that you made at the beginning of this practice three times mentally now.

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

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of this physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the floor.

Feel the container of your skin and the clothes and props that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests upon the floor and take your awareness into all the points that you are touching on the floor.

The back of your heels,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands,

And feet.

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

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

Lie quietly until you feel ready to move.

But by slowly moving your hands and feet,

Take your time.

There is no hurry.

And slowly when you're ready you can begin to wiggle fingers and toes.

Inhaling whenever you're ready,

Reaching the arms over the top of the head.

Take your time.

Slowly coming over to the left side.

And then slowly moving fingers and toes.

Moving over to side.

And taking your time before coming to sit up.

And then slowly coming to sit.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tatsa.

As you sit here feel free to linger a moment in meditation.

Otherwise under the fullness and grace of this lunar cycle.

I feel like the sun will shine through the Styles template.