Okay,
So you are about to practice Yoga Nidra,
Which is a journey through the different layers of consciousness to expand your awareness in order to wake up to your full potential beyond the limitations of the mind.
We will travel through the physical body,
The energetical,
The mental,
The wisdom,
All the way up to your soul body,
The bliss.
So making sure you're laying down,
Your back is relaxed in a comfortable position on the floor.
Your palms are facing up and your feet are falling gently out to the side.
Positioning your head comfortably with your head and neck in neutral position with your forehead level or slightly higher than your chin.
Feel free to place a blanket under your head or a bolster under your knees,
Whatever you need to feel comfortable and at ease in this relaxed posture.
If your eyes are not already closed,
Then soften and close your eyes,
Allowing your body to slowly relax and settle into the posture.
We can shift and move around right now to find a comfortable place for your whole body because as soon as we begin Yoga Nidra,
We want to be perfectly still without any movement.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.
Where in meditation you always have one point of focus.
In Yoga Nidra,
Yoga Nidra is the practice of surrender with no focus at all.
These are the only important factors.
They function on the level of awareness plus the level of listening.
Take a deep breath in with contentment and comfort that at this time nothing else matters.
Everything is just right.
You have nowhere to be and nothing to do.
Just allow yourself to be here,
To be now and to simply feel your body and listen.
Do not worry or become troubled if you do not hear everything I say.
It is natural to flow in and out of conscious hearing.
Just that the deepest part of your core self is always listening.
In whatever you experience today in this practice,
You will still receive the benefits.
There is no wrong way to practice Yoga Nidra.
Simply listen without trying too hard.
You are in a safe environment and protected natural space.
A held space.
Say to yourself mentally now,
I shall not sleep.
I shall only listen to the voice.
Repeat to yourself,
I will not sleep.
Coming to a place of stillness and try to remain still throughout the practice.
If you notice discomfort anywhere in your body at any time,
First observe.
If it continues to bother you,
Make any necessary adjustment and then come back to a place of stillness as soon as possible.
Just throughout this practice,
Know the importance of stillness.
Honouring this time for deep rest and deep nourishment.
Take a deep breath in and as you exhale,
Let go of all worries and distracting thoughts.
Allow your mind to relax completely and just follow the sound of my voice throughout the practice.
Being awake and aware.
Now allow the sound and easy rhythm of your breath to further relax your body.
Allow each breath to relax you even more.
Take a deep breath in and as you breathe in,
Allow calmness to spread throughout your body.
And as you're breathing out,
Repeat this in your mind's eye.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
The practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Say mentally to yourself,
I am going to practice yoga nidra.
I will not sleep.
I am going to practice yoga nidra.
We will begin a rotation of consciousness experience.
Transfer your awareness swiftly to different parts of your physical body while remaining completely still.
Allow your mind to quickly transition from part to part.
Please stay alert,
But do not strain to follow my script.
This should be a relaxing journey through the different parts of your body.
Think of the part of the body or see it in your mind's eye in front of your closed eyes,
Whichever you find easier,
But make sure not to actually move the part of your body being mentioned or actively relax it.
Just bring your awareness to it.
Become aware of your right hand.
Now draw your awareness to your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Rest.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Right side of the body.
Waist.
Hip.
Right thigh.
The knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Right side.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the right foot.
Top of the right foot.
The big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Become aware now of your left hand.
Your left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm.
Back of the hand.
Left wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the body.
The waist.
Hip.
Left thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Heel.
Sole of the left foot.
Top of the left foot.
Big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Moving on to the back of your body.
Become aware of the right shoulder blade.
The left shoulder blade.
The right glute.
Left glute.
And the whole of your spine.
And back together.
Move to the front of your body.
Draw your awareness to the top of your head.
And move it to your right temple.
Left temple.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow centre point.
The right eye and eyelid.
Left eye and eyelid.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Chin.
Throat.
Right side of the chest.
Left side of the chest.
Middle of the chest.
The navel.
The stomach.
Pelvis.
And the pelvic floor.
The whole of the right leg.
Whole of the left leg.
Both legs together.
The whole right arm.
The whole left arm.
Both arms together.
The whole of the back of the body.
The whole front of the body.
Feel the whole body together on the floor.
Remaining awake and aware.
Feel your whole physical body resting.
Completely still and relaxed.
Softening and sinking.
Visualise your whole body relaxed and resting on the earth.
Develop awareness of the whole body and become aware of the space occupied by the body.
Become aware of the body and the space that is occupied by the space of your body.
Body and space.
Become aware of the whole body and the floor.
The whole body in relation to the floor.
And at the same time become aware of the meeting points of the body and the floor.
Awareness of all the meeting points of the body and the floor.
The sensations of all points at the same time evenly.
Feeling those clearly.
Please do not sleep.
Continue.
Now slowly switching your attention to the eyelids.
Feel the narrow line of meeting between the upper and lower eyelid.
Feeling the sharp points where they meet.
Intensify your awareness between the eyelids and then the lips.
Centre your attention on the line between the lips.
The space between the lips.
From the lips we go to the breath.
Begin to notice your breath.
Your natural breath flows through you.
Feel the in breath and note the out breath.
So as you exhale imagine a wave passing downwards through your body carrying away tensions.
And as you inhale a fresh wave flows upward through your whole body bringing a sense of calm to every cell.
Then exhale waves flowing downwards through your body carrying away fears.
And inhaling,
Refreshing waves upward bring serenity.
Be completely aware of the breath.
Do not try to force it.
Just awareness.
Maintain your awareness and at the same time start counting your breath backwards as follows.
I am breathing in 54.
I am breathing out 54.
I am breathing in 55.
I am breathing out 55.
I am breathing in 56.
I am breathing out 56.
And so on.
Continue to count until you get to 100.
Count yourself mentally as you follow the rise and fall of your breath.
Total awareness of breathing and counting.
The breath is slow and relaxed.
Please continue counting.
Start to imagine your body becoming heavy.
Start to imagine your body becoming heavy.
Feel the heaviness in all parts of the body.
Each part is becoming heavier and heavier.
The head is heavy.
The limbs are heavy.
The torso is heavy.
The whole body is heavy.
So heavy that it is sinking down into the floor.
Now imagine the whole body becoming light as though your body could float away from the floor and towards the ceiling.
The head is light and weightless.
The limbs are light and weightless.
The torso is light and weightless.
The whole body light and weightless.
The legs are rising higher and higher away from the floor.
Awaken the experience of cold in the body.
The experience of chilly cold.
Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing.
You feel this chill permitting your entire body.
Cold,
The experience of cold.
Now awaken the experience of cold in the entire body.
Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.
Remember the feeling of heat in summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.
You feel heat radiating onto your skin.
Heat all around the body.
Awaken the experience of heat in your entire body.
Now begin to notice the area in front of your closed eyes.
Noticing any shapes or colours.
And bring into your thought an animal.
Paint a vivid picture of your animal,
Your protector,
Your supporter.
Noticing what comes up in front of your closed eyes.
What animal manifests.
Feeling held,
Feeling safe.
Feeling loved and supported.
And as you keep this animal in your mind.
Remembering it's there.
Drawing your attention back to your breath.
Each inhalation and exhalation.
Each breath.
Each wave throughout the body.
Inviting in calmness and serenity.
Giving away tension,
Any heaviness.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Breathe naturally.
And as you continue to breathe,
Begin to count the breath.
Starting from one to ten.
I am breathing in one.
I am breathing out one.
I am breathing in two.
I am breathing out two.
Continue to breathe,
Continue to count.
And as you continue to breathe,
Continue to count.
Develop your awareness now of your whole body.
Becoming aware of the whole body and the floor.
Become aware of the meeting points of the body and the floor.
These are very subtle physical points between the body and the floor.
Feel the meeting points between the back of your head and the floor.
Shoulder blades and the floor.
The elbows and the floor.
The back of the hands and the floor.
The glutes and the floor.
The calves and the floor.
The heels and the floor.
Awareness of all the meeting points of the body and the floor.
The sensation of all points at the same time evenly.
As you gently invite in awareness of any sounds around you.
The ones further away.
And the ones in the same room as you.
And develop your awareness of the room that you're in.
With all of the sounds.
And without opening the eyes,
Visualizing the four walls,
The ceiling,
The floor.
And your body lying on the floor.
Becoming aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.
Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness.
Become more aware of the sounds and become more aware of all the items around you.
The sounds,
The items and the sensation of your body on the floor.
Inviting in slowly deeper breaths.
More controlled breaths into the body.
As the breath becomes a little bit deeper.
A little bit longer.
Very slowly and mindfully begin to gently move the fingertips.
The toes.
Gently moving the ankles and the wrists.
Please take your time.
Do not hurry.
Gently inviting in any small and gentle movement that feels good in your body.
And only when you're sure that you are fully awake.
Gently then stretch your hands over your head while taking a deep inhale.
Exhaling through the mouth release.
Pulling your knees towards your chest and rolling over to your favorite side.
And staying on your side for a few more breaths.
And with the least amount of muscle involvement slowly lifting yourself up from the floor.
Letting your head come up last.
And you're on time setting up.
And then slowly beginning to open the eyes.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
