Welcome to this Yoga Nidra,
Finding joy.
My name is Tina Maat.
Find yourself a comfortable place to lie down on.
Have a pillow to support the back of your head or a bolster for underneath your knees,
A blanket to stay warm and a shawl or an eye mask to cover your eyes.
Take time to create the space that you feel most comfortable in,
Burn a candle or some incense,
A space where you can truly relax.
As you are comfortably lying down,
Let your feet fall out to the side.
Place your palms up to the sky,
Away from the body.
Feel your heels and your hips and your shoulder blades and the back of your head connecting to the surface you are lying on,
Connecting to the ground.
Feel the ground on the back of your hands or the texture of your blanket you are covered with.
Listen to the sounds in your environment.
Allow them to be part of your practice today and see what's behind your eyelids,
Are there colours or a light or is it dark?
Bring your awareness to the cold air coming into your nose and the warm air coming out of your nose.
Is there a smell in the room?
Bring your attention to where the tongue is in your mouth.
Bring it down to the bottom of your mouth and taste whatever is left in your mouth from the last thing you ate or drank and with every breath you are taking rest a little deeper into the surface you are lying on.
Imagine that that surface is a warm,
Soft beach,
The sand is warm and the sun is beaming on your face,
Your body and your arms and legs and feet.
Feel the sun warming up your heart,
Placing a beautiful golden light in your heart and you hear the ocean waves coming in and smelling the salt of the water and you're feeling surrounded by this beautiful light from the sun and the support of the sand on the beach.
We now begin the practice of Yoga Nidra.
As you're laying down so comfortably on the beach in the warm sun,
Find your sankalpa.
Your sankalpa is your intention or your resolve for this practice.
Trust yourself in what comes to you.
It might be a soft whisper or a clear word or a vibration in your body or an emotion.
When you find your intention,
Use positive and present moment language that starts with the pronoun I.
An example is I am joyful.
I am happy.
I am free.
Repeat your intention a few more times as so it already is.
Believe that this is your heart's truest desire.
Now bring your awareness to the right side of your body.
Bring your awareness to the right thumb.
Only the right thumb.
There is a soft light in the right thumb.
In the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger and in the palm of your hand.
The light is in the back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Right side of the ribcage and lung,
Waistline,
Thigh,
Knee,
Lower leg,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole of the right foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Baby toe.
Feel the entire right side of your body in your awareness and light.
The whole right side of your body is lit up with soft light.
Fill your whole right side of your body with awareness now.
Move your awareness to the left hand.
Bring your awareness to the left thumb.
Only the left thumb.
There is a soft light in your left thumb.
In the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger and in the palm of your hand.
The light is in the back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Shoulder,
Underarm,
Left side of the ribcage and lung,
Waistline,
Thigh,
Kneecap,
Shin,
Ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Sole of the left foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Baby toe.
Feel the entire left side of your body in your awareness and light.
The whole left side of your body is lit up with soft light.
Fill your left side of your body with awareness now.
Now explore the back of your body,
Moving from right to left fairly quickly,
Soft light moving from one part to the other.
Feel the sole of your right foot,
The sole of your left foot,
The soles of both of your feet together.
The back of your right heel,
The back of your left heel,
Both heels together.
The right calf,
The left calf,
Both of your calves together.
Back of your right knee,
Back of your left knee,
The backs of both knees simultaneously.
Right hamstring,
Left hamstring,
Both sets of hamstrings together.
Right buttocks,
Left buttocks,
Both sides of your buttocks together.
Back of your pelvis,
Lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back.
Feel your right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Both shoulder blades together.
Right arm,
Left arm,
Both arms together.
Back of the head,
The crown of the head.
Feel your entire back body filled with warm,
Soft light.
Feel the light on the crown of the head,
Light travelling to the forehead,
Your right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Both brows together,
Brow centre,
Right eyelid,
Left eyelid,
Both eyelids together,
Right eyeball,
Left eyeball,
Both eyes together.
Feel your right nostril,
Your left nostril,
Both nostrils together.
The bridge of your nose,
Tip of the nose,
Your whole entire nose.
Feel your upper lip,
Lower lip,
Both lips together.
Feel your chin,
Feel the right side of your jaw,
The left side of your jaw and feel both sides of your jaw together.
Feel your whole face lit up by this soft,
Warm light and awareness.
Feel the right side of your head,
The left side of your head.
Now feel both sides of your head together.
Feel the right side of your throat,
The left side of your throat and feel your whole neck and throat together.
Feel your right collarbone,
Your left collarbone and both collarbones together.
The right side of your chest,
The left side of your chest,
Both sides of your chest together.
Your whole chest all filled with warm,
Soft light.
Feel the area of your abdomen from your ribs to your belly button,
Your lower belly,
Pelvis,
Root of the pelvic floor,
Both thighs,
Both kneecaps,
Both shins,
Both ankles,
The top of both of your feet.
Feel your right leg from your toes to your hip filled with awareness and soft,
Warm light.
Feel the left leg from your toes to your hip filled with soft,
Warm light.
Feel the entirety of both of your legs together.
Feel your right arm from your fingertips to the shoulder filled with awareness and soft,
Warm light.
The left arm from fingertips to the shoulder filled with soft,
Warm light.
Now feel both arms together.
Keep your arms and your legs in your awareness and add your entire torso and your head to your feeling experience now.
Feel and sense your entire body lit up with this soft,
Warm light.
Your whole body together lit up in warm,
Soft light.
Whole body awareness.
Feel your body resting so deeply and allow the light that is in your heart to grow larger and larger with every breath you take in and out.
Bring your awareness to the light inside your heart and as you breathe in this light just grows a little bigger and as you breathe out it surrounds your entire torso and as you breathe out it surrounds your entire body.
The light is surrounding you on your left side and on your right side.
The light is beneath you and above you.
A big circle of beautiful,
Warm light is surrounding you.
It keeps you warm,
It protects you and it feels safe.
Feel the energy in your body that this light creates.
Energy of peace,
Energy of love and energy of joy and calm.
As you are in this safe space and energy explore if there is any worry in your body.
Is there any sorrow you are holding on to?
Allow this light that you are surrounded by shine on that place wherever it is in your body.
Allow the light and the energy to remove this worry or sorrow.
Let the energy take it away from your body and have it make room for joy.
In this safe,
Warm,
Beautiful light bring your awareness to wherever your body is sharing some discomfort,
Telling the story of worry or sorrow.
Allow the worry to be taken away from your body by this beautiful,
Warm light and give the sorrow to this beautiful,
Warm light.
Make space for joy,
For love and for peace.
As the joy is finding its place in your body bring a small smile to your lips.
Welcome this energy of joy and love and peace inside you.
Listen to the waves rolling in onto the beach and as they roll back into the horizon allow them to take all the worry and the sorrow away from you.
Bask in this beautiful light,
This warm,
Healing light.
The ocean peacefully comes in and out and give it all the worry and the sorrow you've Embracing this beautiful feeling of ease,
Love and joy in your heart.
Allow the sun to shine even deeper into your heart,
Warming your heart now filled with joy.
Embrace the space you're surrounded by the energy of love.
Embrace this big circle around you as if it's around you always.
And that you can find this beautiful space of love and joy at any time when you feel sad or when your body is giving you signs of worry or sorrow.
Find this sparkle of warmth and light in your heart and embrace the joy it brings to you at any time,
Anywhere,
In the middle of the night,
During the day.
You are always surrounded by this beautiful loving warm light.
It is within you always.
Return to your sankalpa,
To the intention of your practice.
Repeat it silently three more times and embrace and remember your intention,
I am.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Slowly bring your awareness back to your body and to the room that you are in.
Move your fingers ever so slightly and follow with your toes.
Roll your head from left to right.
Move your eyeballs from left to right.
Maybe lift one shoulder at a time.
Slowly stretch your body back to being awake.
Slowly roll over to your right side and give yourself a big hug.
Embrace the gratitude for taking time to practice today,
For taking time to take care of yourself.
When you're ready in your own time,
Come to a seated position.
Bring your hands to your heart,
Your fingertips touching.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Thank you for sharing your love and your light.
Aryom Tat Sat
