Yoga Nidra For Perspective

By grounding into the present moment, this yoga nidra guides you to a place of mental clarity and kindness. It cultivates perspective on your life’s path. Note: You may practice this lying down on the floor with props or in bed. If you are doing this before bed, feel free to drift into sleep.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Victoria Chang and welcome to this yoga nidra practice.

This practice today is intended to help lend some perspective to allow you to surrender to the flow of your life.

Lay your body down with care and arrange yourself so that you are completely supported by the ground.

You can use props.

Wrap yourself in a blanket to stay warm or place a pillow underneath your knees or head.

Whatever feels best for you and allows for maximum stillness and relaxation.

Allow your legs and feet to roll slightly outward and relax away from your body.

Sensor your arms and legs softening into the ground beneath you.

Snuggle your shoulder blades underneath your heart so that your rib cage and chest are free to breathe and full expansiveness.

It is easy to fill our days and fill our lives with so much doing that we lose time to reflect,

To check in with how we are doing right now.

During this practice,

I invite you to enjoy the space that you are creating for yourself to pause,

To lovingly experience whatever comes up for you.

Every part of you,

Every feeling or sensation,

Whether you understand it or not,

Has its place and purpose right here and right now.

The practice of Yoga Nidra now begins.

Start to draw your senses inward so that the sounds of the room fade away.

As you become more aware of everything that is going on inside of you,

Sensations,

Sounds,

Begin to tune into the ebb and flow of your own breath on each inhale and each exhale.

On your next inhale,

Breathe all the way down into the bottom of your pelvic floor,

Into the deepest parts of your torso.

And as you exhale,

Trace the breath out through the top of your head.

Inhale,

Sink into the bottom of yourself.

And exhale,

Rise up and out of your crown.

Notice without trying to change it,

The different parts of your breath,

How it first fills the deepest parts of your belly and expands into your chest and finally rises into your collar bones.

Observe the exhale emptying your body in the same receding wave.

Continue watching the waves of your breath return and leave.

If it feels comfortable,

You can gently extend the count of your exhale by a few beats,

Noticing the point of emptiness when you have completely surrendered your exhale.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is anchored in an intention or sankalpa.

Every sankalpa should be phrased as a short,

Present tense,

Positive statement starting with I.

For example,

If you are anxious about the future,

You might say,

I trust.

Or if you're having trouble saying no to things,

You might say,

I stand in my own truth.

Be sure to phrase this as if it has already taken place.

For example,

I am healed.

I am awakened.

Take a few moments to listen to what that resolve is for you and feel what resonates in your body.

Once you hear your sankalpa,

Allow your breath to fill your entire body with this intention.

As you breathe deep,

Draw your sankalpa into your belly so that it is part of your wise gut intuition.

As you exhale,

Send it out and into your limbs,

Into the tips of your fingers.

On your next inhale,

Allow your breath to carry your sankalpa,

This time into your chest,

So the message is like a hug to your heart.

And exhaling,

Take it out through the very top of your head and bottom of your toes,

Stretching in both directions.

And repeat your sankalpa to yourself one last time,

Allowing it to wash over you completely.

You will now be guided through a scan of your physical body or rotation of consciousness.

I will name a body part and you will feel it with your full awareness.

Try not to linger or get stuck on a specific part.

And if you lose your place,

Simply come back to the sound of my voice.

Begin to sense your right thumb.

Send all of your attention into your thumb and notice how you are aware of it,

How you feel it without necessarily needing to touch it or move it or see it.

You are aware through your own sensation.

And now move that focus to your right pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky finger.

Feel all five of your fingers,

The palm of your hand,

The back of your hand,

And your wrist.

Sense your forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

Now feel your entire right arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Sense your right underarm,

Rib cage,

Waist,

And hip.

Become aware of your right thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of your foot,

Top of your foot,

Your big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And fifth toe.

Now feel your whole right leg from hip to toes,

Your whole right leg.

And expand that awareness now to the entire right half of your body,

Including your arm,

Legs,

And side body.

The whole right half of you in your awareness completely absorbed by your attention right now.

The whole right side.

Now shift that focus into your left thumb,

Left pointer finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And pinky.

Sense all five of your left fingers,

Palm of your hand,

Back of your hand,

Wrist.

Feel your forearm,

Left elbow,

Upper arm,

And shoulder.

Sense your entire left arm from shoulder to fingertips.

Left underarm,

Rib cage,

Waist,

And hip.

Sense your left thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Left ankle,

Heel,

Sole of your foot,

Top of your foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third,

Fourth,

And fifth toe.

Feel your entire left leg from hip to toes.

And now the entire left half of your body,

Including your left arm and your left side.

The whole left half of your body now is lit up by your complete and focused attention.

The left side.

Now move up the back plane of your body,

Alternating between right and left sides.

Beginning with the right sole of your foot,

Left sole of your foot.

And now both soles of your feet.

Feel your right heel,

Your left heel.

And now both heels with equal attention,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Both calves,

Right back of your knee,

Left back of your knee,

Both backs of your knees.

Right hamstring,

Left hamstring,

And both hamstrings.

Right glute,

Left glute,

And both glutes.

Feel the back of your pelvis,

The curve of your lower back,

Mid back,

And upper back.

Feel the backs of both of your shoulder blades.

The curve of your neck,

The back of your head,

The crown of your head.

Feel the bridge of your nose,

The bridge of your nose,

The bridge of your nose,

The bridge of your nose,

Both nostrils,

The tip of your nose,

And now your entire nose.

Feel both cheeks,

Both right and left sides of your jaw,

And the point of your chin.

Feel your lower lip,

Your upper lip,

And both lips.

Feel the lower row of your teeth and gums,

The top row of your teeth and gums,

And then your tongue inside your mouth.

And now feel your whole mouth and both lips.

Sense your right ear,

Your left ear,

And feel the space between them.

Locate where center is between your ears and your head,

And then follow that down into your throat.

And the very center of your throat,

Sense out to both right and left sides,

Front and back.

And continue traveling down this central channel into your chest.

Notice your right lung breathing and expanding inside the right rib cage,

Your left lung and rib cage,

And then your heart slightly left of center.

Feel your entire chest,

Including your lungs and rib cage and heart expanding and contracting with your breath.

Feel your upper abdomen and the organs that live there,

Your lower abdomen and the organs there,

And then the bottom of your pelvic floor.

Now feel your entire torso from your throat all the way down to the bottom of your pelvic floor,

Your whole torso filled with your awareness.

Feel your entire right leg from hip to toes,

Your whole left leg from hip to toes,

Your entire right arm and your entire left arm.

And maintain attention on your legs and your arms and expand it and connect it into your torso so you feel your entire body completely lit up by your attention.

And now include your head and face so that from the very top of your head out through the tips of your fingers and toes,

You are aware of every sensation,

Your whole entire body,

Your whole body.

As you are aware of your entire physical body,

Notice that there is an energy,

Almost an electricity that courses through you.

You may feel this energy as a vibration or hum.

Maybe you even feel it slightly beyond your body,

On the surface of your skin or slightly above it.

Begin to consciously expand this energy outward so that you reach out further than your physical form.

What does it feel like to send your vibration into the space around you?

Then begin to pull that energy back in and toward yourself,

Into your very center.

Compress everything in so that you are as small and tight as possible.

How does it feel to hug into or fold in upon yourself and condense?

And then move in the other direction,

Expanding outward again,

This time grow even bigger,

Larger,

Touch more,

Perhaps into the room or world beyond.

How far can you go?

Start pulling inward again,

Contracting into yourself so that you deliberately control your energy and feel tiny.

Bring that energy into your very core,

Withdrawing so that the vibration is only something that you can experience.

And now release that feeling of contraction and find a neutral place between feeling large and small,

Where you are neither expanded nor withdrawn,

But relaxed and at ease within your own body.

Breathing into the mental emotional body,

Bring your attention to the point between your brows,

The Chittikasher Third Eye Center.

This is the home of the past,

Present,

And future,

Where your awareness of everything and nothing all at once lives.

As you shift your awareness into the mental emotional realm,

I will name pairs of opposites,

And you will allow yourself to feel the sensation of what is named.

Heaviness.

How does heaviness feel in your body?

As if your bones were filled with lead and you felt gravity pulling on you more intensely,

Sinking into the ground with heaviness.

And now replace that with a feeling of lightness,

To be buoyant,

Effervescent,

Almost to be able to float away because of a lack of mass or substance.

What are the qualities of lightness that come to mind?

And now release any sensations and return back to the Chittikash at brow center.

And recall a feeling of rushing,

Of moving quickly and feeling like there's so much to do,

A sense of urgency or hastiness,

To rush.

And now instead remember the sensation of taking your time when your pace is relaxed and things are happening exactly at the right time.

You can have as much space mentally or emotionally as you need to take your time.

And then let that dissolve and return back to the Chittikash,

This place of neutrality.

Remember the feeling of grasping when you long for or strive for something,

Reach for what you don't have to grasp.

And shift now to the opposite of receiving.

What does it feel like to allow yourself to accept something?

To make space to be given what you need?

How does it feel to make yourself available to receive?

And then let that fall away and come back to a neutral point.

Let your awareness settle into this space.

And sense now your complete wholeness,

All parts of you perfectly imperfect,

Exactly as you are in this moment.

This acceptance of your whole self moves you into alignment with your highest self,

Your wise,

Creative self.

Prepare to settle deeper into your intuition.

A number of images will be named and you will allow yourself to visualize whatever appears.

Pyramids in the desert,

A waning crescent moon,

A raging river swaying in a hammock,

Green clouds overhead,

The feeling of a breeze on your skin,

A green bear,

A green bear,

A field of lavender,

A roaring campfire,

A woman weaving at a loom,

A flock of geese,

A vibrant sunset,

Swaying in a hammock,

Swaying in a hammock,

Feel yourself lying in a hammock,

Gently swaying between two trees.

As you look up,

You see the branches of trees overhead sheltering you.

You feel a gentle breeze on your skin.

You close your eyes as the hammock continues to softly sway.

And after a few moments,

You open your eyes.

As you peek over the edge of the hammock,

You see that you have been brought into your past and you observe a scene with a past version of yourself.

How far back have you gone?

Where are you and what are you doing?

As you watch your younger self,

Your gaze meets and the younger you waves at the you that has traveled in the hammock to come over.

You watch their facial expression and remember what it felt like to be this past version of yourself.

When you get close enough to speak,

The younger you tells the current you about everything on their mind.

You listen and acknowledge what you've heard.

You get a chance to respond and reassure this younger you.

Take a moment to decide what you want to share.

What do you say?

What do you tell this version of yourself to offer kindness and support?

After you finish your conversation,

You give the past you a goodbye and return to the hammock.

You climb in and again let the gentle sway rock your eyes closed.

After a few moments,

You sense the landscape has shifted again.

This time you are taken to a moment in your present life.

You stay in the hammock,

Observing from the outside looking in.

What do you see?

What is the environment that surrounds you?

With this perspective,

What factors can you see conspiring for you?

What influences are you perhaps not aware of but already in motion to support your growth and evolution?

After observing for another moment with more clarity around the broader circumstances that have led you to this exact moment,

You recline back again supported by the hammock and allow the weight of your body to swing you back and forth.

Without any hurry,

You eventually lift your gaze again.

This time the hammock has transported you to a future version of yourself where you are radiant and fulfilled.

Without leaving the hammock,

You watch.

Where have you traveled to?

Notice the location and circumstances that surround you.

What do you see in this best version of your future life?

Once you are satisfied with this glimpse into the future,

You relax back into the hammock and close your eyes.

A breeze rustles by and you hear the wind whisper your sankalpa.

With each sway,

Let the words drift over you.

Continue to repeat your sankalpa to yourself a number of times with complete conviction.

As you do so,

Recognize your whole self here and remember that who you are in this moment is a product of everything that has already happened in the past.

There was a time when everything you have and are grateful for in your current life were mere ideas or hopes.

Likewise,

Know that everything that you will become stems from who you already are in this moment right now.

Embrace that you are whole and complete even as you shift and evolve.

Slowly begin to deepen your breath and notice the edges of your physical body.

Feel into the outer boundaries of your skin and notice the whisper of your breath through your nose and across your lips.

As you feel ready,

You can bring tiny movements into your fingers and toes.

You can allow that small movement to grow into a bigger stretch.

Allow your hearing to open back up into the world around you.

And with your eyes closed,

Take a moment to curl onto one side or the other and bring your knees closer to your chest so that you can give yourself a hug.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Using your hands to support yourself,

You can come into a seated position.

Pausing here,

Observe the quality of your breath,

Of your nervous system right now,

And allow your body to remember this energy so you can return to it.

Sense a connection to the part of you that is always constant.

Thank you for joining me in this practice.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Namaste.

Reviews

This was a lovely experience!
Something stirred within.
I will repeat this meditation until it surfaces.
🙏🏼Thank you! ✨💞💫

So lovely. I really enjoyed the past, present, and future visualizations. Thank you 🙏

I like the music free background, even though there is a bit of hiss in the recording. Lots of attention to the the face, mouth head and bilateral body alternating. There was something I especially liked toward the end. Can’t remember what it was. Will listen again. Not for sleeping. Wake up instructions at end. 2/7/24

Perfect. Thank you 💕

Outstanding! Should be classified as 'essential yoga nidra' for everyone!

I feel whole and ready to meet my day. Thank you!!!🌞♥️

Today was the first time I stayed awake the whole way through. Absolutely terrific.

Very nice for a morning Nidra. Feel ready to take on the day!

Wonderful meditation. Feeing clear and at peace. Thank you ⛄️

Lovely and powerful yoga nidra. Thank you 🙏🏻

I enjoyed the imagery, very meaningful. Thank you. 🦋

Thank you so much Victoria.. This was Lovely. A very nice journey into Life... Thanks xxx

Lovely meditation. TY & namaste.

Lovely, thank you.

Grateful and buoyed
Bookmarking this well timed and effective practice
Namaste

Peace and perspective. Ahhh.

I have been using yoga nidra to help me through a big change in my life. This particular yoga nidra is very helpful. It is well constructed and I like her pacing as she speaks. I will continue to use it in my practice.

Really nice! Thank you!

I loved the wording and transporting yourself to different stages of your life. Great yoga nidra for all the changes I’m going through and to put perspective and reflection to it all! Thank you!

Wonderful!!!♥️♥️♥️