Yoga Nidra: Nothing, Anything, Something

How often do we turn "nothing" into "something" and then hang onto it for days, weeks, months and sometimes even decades. Don't you think it's time to let go of all the things that hold you hostage and move towards your True Nature? With this intention-based practice, you can let go of that which no longer serves you, moving towards inner freedom, finding peace within.

Please note: This track was recorded live and may contain background noises.

Transcript

So good morning everyone.

Welcome back for meditation class.

So this morning's topic for contemplation as we head into our yoga nidra is something quite simple,

Only we as human beings make it complicated.

And this morning I was,

My husband and I were having a conversation about some things with kids and work and normal stuff.

And we brought one of our favorite teachers in to reflect with it on how to be with the challenges that come with parenthood and all those happy things.

And our teacher,

His name is Muji.

I don't know if you've ever heard of Muji,

But it's M-O-O-J-I.

And he's a Jamaican gentleman who became enlightened,

Literally struck by lightning.

And the next day he became an enlightened teacher.

He opened an ashram in Rishikesh,

India.

He travels and he lives in Portugal most of the time.

But he had something profound and so simple,

Which is,

Nothing is anything until we make it something.

Nothing is anything until we make it something.

And in reflecting on those words,

Again something so simple is we make things so complicated.

Don't we?

Something happens,

We take it personally,

Or we want to control it,

Or change it,

Or manage it.

And as soon as we get involved,

It becomes something.

And that something is something that we then can chew on for weeks,

Months,

Years,

Decades.

So the purpose behind meditation,

Even behind yoga,

Is to create that space between us and our reaction.

And our reaction is what makes the anything something.

So as many of you have gotten used to practicing being at peace with myself as I am,

Hearing the sharings this morning,

Prior to starting class,

I think you're beginning to notice your ability and how empowering it is to choose peace.

When you begin to feel yourself going from nothing,

Anything,

And that I'm at peace with myself,

Has the ability to keep us from making things into something,

And then carrying that burden for a long time.

So in today's practice,

Perhaps bringing into your awareness something that you have been carrying mentally,

Emotionally,

For a while.

And perhaps use today's practice to experiment a little bit,

Play with the opportunity to dissolve the emotional attachment that you have to that something.

It could be major,

It could be minor.

That's not for me to say.

That's for you to know.

Making this practice completely about you.

The real you.

The true I am.

Not the one who's defined by the some things in our lives.

But the divine.

The grace.

The love.

Tapping it to that wellspring of vitality.

As we begin.

Our exploration of breath.

So we begin to shift.

Your awareness inward.

Connecting with your breath.

The sensations in your body.

Unwinding.

Relaxing.

Letting go of the tension.

As you begin to deepen your inhalations and your exhalations.

Those slow deep.

Belly breath inhalations.

The navel point rising towards the ceiling with the inhalation.

The navel point relaxing towards the floor with your exhalation.

And to encourage the deep breath.

Let's add in the element of count.

Begin to empty the lungs completely.

And then inhale 1234.

Exhale 1234.

Inhale 1234.

Exhale 1234.

Inhale 1234.

Belly rising.

Exhale 1234.

Belly falling.

Inhale 1234.

Belly rising.

Exhale 1234.

Belly falling.

Inhale 1234.

Close the throat and pause.

Exhale 1234.

Pause.

Inhale 1234.

Close the throat and pause.

Exhale 1234.

Pause.

Inhale 1234.

Close the throat and pause.

And then with your next exhalation constrict the throat to give you the sound of the ocean in the skull as you exhale to 6.

Inhale 1234.

Close the throat and pause.

Constrict the throat exhaling 123456.

Pause.

Continue at your own pace counting 4 in,

6 out.

Gently witnessing the sensations in your body as your breath expands the belly.

And then as your breath contracts the belly.

And then witnessing that belly rise towards the ceiling.

And then settle back towards the floor as you exhale.

Take a nice deep breath in.

Inhale.

And let go with the sigh.

And just feel yourself letting go even more.

One more time.

Nice deep breath in.

Inhale.

Let go with the sigh.

Release all thoughts.

Worry and tension.

And allow your mind to melt and merge with your breath.

As all holding dissolves from the body.

All holding physical,

Mental,

Emotional.

Give yourself permission to completely let go.

Now allowing my words to be your words.

Repeat silently after me.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

Allow the intention to go to the deepest levels of recognition with no hesitation.

Planting the intention in the center of your heart.

Flourishing in the domain of grace that lies within.

Make a commitment that during this practice you will participate wholeheartedly in the process.

And let go of any issues that stand in the way of your fullest realization and actualization.

Let go of any struggle or effort to make anything happen.

Stay in touch with my guidance at all times.

Allow any distractions,

Internal or external,

To be the vehicle that deepens your relaxation.

Allow the distractions to bring you fully back to your center.

Your self exploration.

As you feel yourself drop into a deeper state of tranquility,

Stillness and peace.

Let your mind melt and urge and shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Again shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Do absolutely nothing from now on.

Simply relax.

Trust and let go.

Hand over all fear,

Apprehension and anxiety about anything that you want to change,

Control or manage.

Allow nothing to be nothing.

Now shift your awareness back to your breath once again.

And begin to deepen your inhalations and exhalations.

Create no struggle around breath.

Allow your full attention to be captivated by your breath.

Fill your lungs completely as if filling a water bottle from bottom to top.

Empty your lungs completely as if emptying that water bottle from top to bottom.

Continue with these slow deep breaths until they ask you to stop.

Simply observe your abdomen rise as you inhale and fall as you exhale.

Let your breath be slow and steady.

Calming the body.

Soothing the mind.

Your breath has the ability to release the innate healing wisdom of the body.

Allowing the body to heal from within.

Stay completely in tune with your breath.

Allow your something to dissolve.

Drifting away into a space of neutrality.

Shifting from something to anything and now nothing.

Simply witness the sensations of breath of the body.

The cooling whisper of your inhalations on the nostrils.

And the release of tension in the body.

Allow your breath to flow in a steady,

Uniform and unbroken stream.

If thoughts are pulling you out of your dance with your breath,

Come back to counting.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4.

Exhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4.

Exhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4.

Exhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Completely captivated by your breath.

Your breath becomes the space where reaction dissolves.

Continue with the slow,

Deep breaths until I ask you to stop.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Inhaling 1,

2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Now allow your breath to return to normal and witness the energetic impact your breath has on your body.

Calming your heart,

Soothing the tension,

Dissolving the mind.

Now follow my guidance as you move your awareness through different parts of the body.

As I name the body part,

Bring your awareness fully to that body part and notice without judgment or comment.

Your awareness has the ability to release the trapped energy in the meridians and connected organs in order to carry out healing from within.

Again,

No judgment,

No comment,

Pure awareness.

We will begin by bringing your undivided attention to the brow center.

Head in the throat,

Right shoulder,

Right elbow,

Right wrist,

Right palm,

Right thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Right palm,

Right wrist.

Right elbow,

Right shoulder,

Head in the throat,

Left shoulder,

Left elbow,

Left wrist,

Left palm,

Left thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Left palm.

Little finger,

Left palm,

Left wrist,

Left elbow,

Left shoulder,

Head in the throat,

Middle of the chest,

Right lung,

Middle of the chest,

Left lung,

Middle of the chest,

Navel point,

Middle of the pubic bone,

Right hip,

Right knee,

Right ankle,

Sole of the right foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Sole of the right foot,

Right ankle,

Right knee,

Right hip,

Middle of the pubic bone,

Left hip,

Left knee,

Left ankle,

Sole of the left foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Sole of the left foot,

Left ankle,

Left knee,

Left hip,

Middle of the pubic bone,

Navel point,

Middle of the chest,

Head in the throat,

Back to the brow center.

Gather your awareness in the brow center and let the non-date presence fully manifest.

It is here that you observe the vast stillness and silence.

Suspended in this vastness,

Allow whatever comes into your awareness to be present without judgment or comment.

Be witnessed as if watching clouds move across the horizon.

Resting in this vastness.

Witnessing.

Move with my guidance as you bring to mind the images and experiences that I make.

Respond fully to what comes in the form of images,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Experiences.

Touch nothing.

Remain unconditionally open and present to all that passes in the field of your awareness.

Snow-capped mountains.

The flame of a candle.

A hive of honeybees.

Torrential rain.

Swimming pool.

Golden spider web.

A swan gliding on a placid lake.

A phoenix rising out of its own ashes.

A moonless night.

Rolling hills.

Your breath.

A sunflower.

A crescent moon.

Sunrise on the desert.

A tiger.

A clown in the day.

The North Star.

Morning dew.

A laughing child.

A cocoon.

A soaring eagle.

Butterflies.

A bonfire at night.

Waves crashing on the shore.

A deer.

A six-pointed star.

And now be still.

Suspended in the black space behind the forehead.

And observe what passes.

Witness unattached to all that passes.

And if nothing appears,

Simply be aware of that.

Completely present.

Absorbed.

Captivated.

Now bring your attention to the center between the eyebrows.

And drop into the deepest level of relaxation now.

Here there remains nothing to do or achieve.

You have entered the domain of grace.

It is here where integration happens.

Where you're witness of all that's happening.

But doing nothing to make it happen.

Hand over all fear,

Apprehension,

And anxiety about all that you want to change,

Control,

Or advantage.

Completely let go of all doing.

Allow your something to dissolve.

Replace the doing with faith and trust in your higher power.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

As you remain empty and free from all doing,

Feel yourself as that time-transcendent presence.

Let your mind melt and merge into that presence and enter the sanctuary of silence now.

It is here in the sanctuary of silence,

Your domain of grace,

Where your intentions and affirmations are actualized and fulfilled with effortless ease.

Bring your intention back into your awareness once again and repeat silently after me three times.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

Allow your intention to go to the deepest levels of recognition with no hesitation.

And know that your higher self recognizes,

Honors,

And accepts the intention.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

Have faith and trust that it has been heard and is being acted upon by a higher power,

The source within you.

There is no need for you to do anything about it.

Now bring your intention back to the center between the eyebrows and feel all the energies of your body from all meridians activated,

Purified,

Balanced.

All channels are open.

Your life force flows freely.

Healing your body.

As you open your heart and feel content.

Now allow your entire self to respond spontaneously and effortlessly to what I say.

I relax so completely and let go so fully that the inner healing blueprint of my body functions freely and optimally.

My health is restored.

Every cell in my body is filled with a radiant healing light from within.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

Establish self firmly in faith and trust to receive the grace,

Protection,

And guidance of the higher self within you.

The more often you go to your source,

The easier it will be to return there and the longer you can stay.

With today's practice,

You have prepared the basis for where you can carry out interactions with life and interpersonal relationships.

And do so with the healing power of love from the source within.

You are an emissary of light and love.

Carry this everywhere you go and share it with everyone you meet.

Now slowly,

Slowly coming back to familiar surroundings,

Bringing the room back into you.

Begin to deepen your inhalations and exhalations once again.

And then when you're ready,

Gently begin to move the body as if waking from a restful sleep.

Wiggling the fingers and toes.

And if it's available to you,

Stretching your arms overhead.

Nice spine lengthening stretch.

And when you're ready,

Drawing your knees to your chest,

Rocking from side to side.

Gently waking up that lower back.

And then when you're ready,

Rolling over to your right side and curling into that fetal position,

Bringing your attention back into your awareness once again.

I'm at peace with myself as I am.

As you stay in tuned with your body,

Noticing the shift in where you were to where you are.

Planting your intention in your heart,

Allowing it to flourish in the domain of your grace.

Believing your something.

Coming back to that state of balance.

Back to that well-spreading peace.

And then I want to share again this morning the wise words of Swami Kapalu.

Each time you judge yourself,

You break your own heart.

You stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.

Your time has come.

Your time to live,

To celebrate and to see the goodness that you are.

You,

My child,

Are divine.

You are pure.

You are sublimely free.

You are God in disguise and you are always perfectly safe.

Do not fight the dark.

Just turn on the light,

Let go and breathe into the goodness that you are.

As those words sink to the cellular level of your awareness,

Gently begin to return to a seated position,

Keeping the eyes closed and staying completely connected to your experience this morning.

And then bringing your palms together in front of your heart,

Grateful for the opportunity to play with the letting go of the somethings.

Remember when you are in the midst of a something,

Replace that with your intention.

Dissolving the reaction with something,

Returning you to a state of peace.

May peace prevail.

Namaste and Jagat Pune.

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