It is now time to practice Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is a highly powerful meditation technique where the body and mind are so relaxed one appears to be sleeping but you're actually in a state between wakefulness and sleep where the consciousness is operating at a much deeper level.
So yoga nidra is sometimes called a yogic sleep or a psychic sleep.
Beginners will get to enjoy deep rest and relaxation,
And those more experienced practitioners will also get to explore the hidden layers of the mind.
Before we begin our Yoga Nidra,
We need to set a Sankalpa,
Or an intention for our practice.
A Sankalpa is a short,
Positive statement of something we'd like to manifest in our life now.
We use present tense language to help to bring it about and we repeat the same Sankalpa each time we practice Yoga Nidra until we see it manifest in our lives.
So for example,
If you'd like to feel like you're coping better with the stress in your life,
You might say,
I cope easily with the stress and demands in my life right now,
Rather than I will cope better with the stress in my life.
So just take a moment now and think about what your sankalpa might be.
Remember it and I'll ask you to repeat it a little later in our practice.
Good,
Let's begin.
So the practice of Yoga Nidra works on the level of hearing and awareness.
There's really nothing you need to do other than lie down,
Relax,
Listen to my voice and follow my instructions.
There's no need to concentrate too hard,
Just relax and don't worry if you miss some instructions.
It's perfectly normal to feel like you drift in and out of consciousness So lie down on your back.
In the pose of rest,
Of relaxation.
Make sure you're really comfy here.
So maybe taking a pillow or a bolster underneath the knees.
Maybe something underneath the head.
And even something to cover the eyes.
I also recommend having a blanket over you to help keep you warm.
Let the arms rest beside you,
Palms facing upwards or slightly inwards.
Let the legs separate and allow the feet to gently roll out.
Close the eyes and start to let go completely into this pose of rest.
That take the attention to your head.
And start to relax the top of the head.
The forehead.
The back of the head.
Let the skin at the corners of the eyes start to soften.
Feel the eyes getting really heavy into their sockets.
Relax the cheeks.
The skin around the mouth.
The lips,
The chin.
And the jaw.
So,
The whole face.
And the whole head.
Is soft and heavy now.
Also let the neck and the throat start to relax.
And wander the awareness into the shoulders.
Tops of the shoulders.
Front of the shoulders.
Shoulder blades.
Feel the whole of both shoulders start to drop.
And to melt.
Relax the upper arms.
Elbows,
Forearms.
Hands,
Even the fingers.
Let all of the arm and the hands get soft.
Then wander the awareness back up the arms and come to the chest.
Relax the chest.
The upper belly.
The lower belly.
And the skin along the back.
Now dropping the attention into the hips and feel them start to melt,
Soften.
And drop.
Thighs are relaxed.
Knees calves.
Feet.
Even the toes.
The whole of both legs.
A soft,
Heavy breath.
And dropping down.
Then wander the awareness gently back up the body to the belly and to the chest.
And start to connect with your breath right now.
Simply noticing the movement of the inhale and the exhale in the body.
And now begin to externalize your awareness.
Start to become aware of any sounds you can hear happening around you.
The sounds might be near or far,
Loud or very soft.
Listen to a sound for a moment or two,
But try to be the witness of the sound.
So hear it without labeling it.
Then move on and find another sound.
Keep sending your awareness out in all directions.
Keep listening to sounds for a few more moments,
Rotating the awareness from sound to sound to sound.
Another moment or two being the witness of any sounds you can hear.
And now letting go of any sounds you might be hearing,
Return to the body and to the breath just for a moment.
Take a nice deep breath.
Full breath in through the nose,
Breathe right down into the belly.
Let the chest fill up.
Then hold the breath.
Hold it.
Hold it.
Open the mouth and now sigh it out.
Take one more just like that.
And as you breathe in,
Feel yourself breathing in a sense of calm.
And breathing out any remaining tensions or worries.
Good,
Now make any final adjustments to the body in order to get completely comfortable.
And then try to remain perfectly still for the remainder of this practice.
Tell yourself,
I will move at the end.
Now is the time we're going to make our Sankalpa,
Our intention for this practice.
Remember to make it a short,
Positive statement in present tense language.
Think of your sankalpa and repeat it three times to yourself with feeling and conviction,
Trusting that it will work.
Now let go of the resolve and lead the seed planted in the fertile soil of your mind.
We will now begin a systematic journey of awareness through the body.
I will be traveling through each body part quite quickly so the mind doesn't get attached and also to mimic the patterns of movement of the brain.
Simply say the name of each body part in your mind and simultaneously try to become aware of it.
Welcome all sensation just as it is.
Please bring to mind the image of your right hand thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist,
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit,
Waste.
Right thigh.
Knee.
Calf ankle.
Heal sole of the foot.
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe,
The whole right foot,
Now become aware of the left side of your body.
The left thumb.
Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit,
Waist,
Hip,
The whole pelvis.
Left thigh.
Me.
Calf muscle.
And cool.
Heal sole of the foot.
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe,
The whole foot,
Now bring the awareness to the back of the body.
Become aware of the right heel.
Left heel,
Right calf,
Left calf,
Right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right buttock,
Left buttock.
Lower back middle back I'll put 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 eyebrow left eyebrow.
Eyebrow center right eye Left eye.
Right here.
Left ear.
Right cheek,
Left cheek.
The nose,
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip,
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Chin,
Jaw.
Throat,
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest.
Stomach.
Lower abdomen,
The whole pelvis.
Now concentrate on your body as if seeing it from the outside.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole face.
The whole head.
The whole torso.
Right leg Left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole body.
The whole body.
The whole body.
Now awaken the feeling of lightness in the body as if the body is made of cotton wool.
Imagine your body floating away from the floor.
Head is light.
Arms and legs are weightless.
Torso is light.
Whole body is light,
Weightless and you feel yourself rising higher and higher from the floor.
Now awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body,
As if the whole body is made of lead.
The whole body suddenly very heavy.
Feel yourself sinking further and further into the floor.
Now awaken the sensation of heat in the body.
The experience of heat.
The whole body has now become very hot as if out in the sun on a hot summer's day.
Now awaken the sensation of cold in the body.
Experience cold in the body.
The whole body suddenly become chilly cold.
Now try to remember the experience of pain in the body,
Mental or physical.
Feel the stress in your mind but do not concentrate on its source.
And now feeling the sensation of pleasure in the body.
Relive it.
Make it as vivid as possible.
And now bring your whole awareness to the space you see in front of your closed eyes.
Let your awareness rest there and try to bring to mind the following images.
Visualize the images on the level of feeling,
Awareness and emotion.
Let each image appear like a slide on a mental screen.
Make the screen high and wide as the eyes can see.
Gently focus on this mind screen and observe anything that comes up.
Try to visualize the image of a candle flame.
Candle flame.
Flickering flames of a fire Flickering flames of a fire starlit night starlit night still deep water still deep water fish swimming in the water.
Fish swimming in the water,
A red rose,
A red rose,
A desert,
A desert.
Tall trees,
Tall trees.
Green grass.
Green grass.
A garden of flowers,
A garden of flowers.
Waves crashing in the ocean.
Waves crashing in the ocean.
Torrential rain.
Torrential rain.
A dark forest.
A dark forest.
A deer running in the forest.
A deer running in the forest.
A foggy morning.
A foggy morning.
Black horse galloping.
Black horse galloping.
A cat stretching.
A cat stretching.
White clouds in a blue sky.
White clouds in a blue sky.
An eagle flying in the sky.
An eagle flying in the sky.
Sun rising over a lake.
Sun rising over a lake.
Snow-capped mountains.
Snow-capped mountains.
Sunset over the mountains.
Sunset over the mountains.
A warm embrace.
A warm embrace.
Laughing with friends.
Laughing with friends.
A beautiful garden path.
A beautiful garden path.
Your body lying on the floor.
Your body lying on the floor.
Now letting go of the images,
Become the witness of your awareness.
Not the body,
Not the senses,
Not the mind.
Detached awareness.
Do not become involved.
Simply watch.
Be conscious of anything that might manifest in this space.
Become aware that you are observing yourself and try to remain the witness,
The one looking at your body lying on the floor.
Now once again,
Repeat your sankalpa from the beginning of practice.
Repeat it in the same words three times.
Now let go of your resolve.
And start to become aware of your whole body lying on the floor or in bed,
The whole physical body lying completely relaxed.
A state of total rest.
Feel the heaviness of your head.
Your arms,
Torso,
Legs and feet.
Awareness in all the points that meet the ground.
Now start to externalize your mind and body,
Becoming aware of your surroundings,
Where you are in the room.
So visualize the room and where you are in it.
See the walls?
The ceiling.
The floor.
Where your body is lying in the room.
The position of your body.
Close Home.
Face.
And now become aware of any sounds you can hear around you.
Lie quietly for a few moments longer with your eyes closed,
Becoming more alert and aware of your surroundings.
And now start to slowly awaken the body,
Taking a few deep breaths right down into the belly.
Opening the mouth and sighing them out.
And now taking a full stretch,
So reach the arms above the head,
Reach through the fingers,
Point through the toes,
Full stretch now.
And when you're ready,
Gently roll over onto your right side,
Curling up into a little ball and enjoying the coziness here for a few moments longer.
When you are sure you are awake,
You can slowly start to sit up.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Namaste.
