I Am Yoga Nidra - Deep Rest & Intention | A 40-Minute YN

Welcome to today's Nidra meditation practice.

Before we begin,

Let's just take a moment to remind ourselves we are yet again a beginner today,

And each day is new.

Some days our minds feel very quiet and very calm,

And other days,

Like waves on an ocean,

Our thoughts keep rolling and rolling.

No worries.

It's all good.

It's all working.

Just at the times when you feel yourself drifting away to an emotion,

A thought,

A sound,

A sensation,

Just take that moment to bring yourself back to the practice and back to my guidance.

It doesn't matter how many times your mind wanders.

Just come back gently.

Be kind to yourself.

Now find a comfortable position,

Perhaps bringing a little blanket or your pillow for your head or your knees,

Lying down in whatever position is comfortable for you.

Take an extra moment to make yourself 10 to 20 percent more comfortable.

Our desire in Nidra is to remain motionless,

But yet remain awake and aware.

Closing your eyes,

We'll begin.

Feel yourself in a place you like to be,

A place where you feel peaceful and calm,

Relaxed and quiet.

No concerns about the future or past,

Simply an overwhelming experience of the rightness of things.

Perhaps sitting on a beach,

Watching the waves meet the the scent of the salt air,

The sound of seagulls,

Or a mossy green forest with tall trees,

The smell of wildflowers,

Or a trickling stream.

Trust whatever images arise in your awareness.

Choose a comfortable spot to sit or lie down.

Perhaps the hollow in the sand that holds your shape or a soft bed of moss.

Let go into it.

Surrender the weight of your body completely supported.

No effort or need to hold yourself up.

Breathe in the scent,

Sight,

And sounds of this place.

Let the whole experience permeate your entire being,

Absorbed into each and every cell with each breath in and each breath out.

Feeling through bodily sensations what it is to be safe and at peace,

Surrounded,

Protected by this place where you can deeply rest.

Feel how restful and calm you are.

Feeling more content,

Relaxed,

More grounded than ever before.

Now at this time,

Bring your intention into your awareness.

Repeat your intention silently to yourself three times.

If you do not have an intention,

Just remain silent.

Let spirit who knows what is best for you.

We will move our attention into the body to release trapped energy and move deeper into total relaxation.

If you have any health issues going on and you can't have any undue pressure in your head for any reason,

It's important that you breathe normally as you tense the body.

Beginning with the upper body,

As you inhale,

Make fists and deliberately induce stiffness and tension throughout your shoulders,

Arms,

And fists.

Tighten them.

Tighten even more.

Now let go completely.

Relax.

On your next exhalation,

Let go even more.

Observe and feel a flood of energy in your arms,

Moving your awareness to your lower body.

This time as you inhale,

Deliberately induce stiffness and tension into your hips,

Your glutes,

Your legs,

Your feet.

Tighten.

Tighten.

Hold.

Hold.

Let go.

Let go completely.

Relax.

Observe the flood of energy in your legs,

Moving your attention to the whole body.

This time,

Tighten and tense the entire body as you inhale.

Your hands,

Arms,

Shoulders,

Feet,

Legs,

Glutes,

Face.

Tighten.

Tighten even more.

Holding.

Hold.

Now let go completely.

Relax.

On your next exhalation,

Let go even more.

Observe and feel the flood of energy extending to all of your muscles,

And the cells of your entire body.

Let your whole body melt into the flood of energy.

Let your body go limp like a rag doll.

Relax even more.

Release any holding that you find.

Anywhere.

As we move into a gentle breath holding exercise,

If for any reason holding your breath causes any undue pressure or any contraindication to your health,

Just breathe deeply during the exercise.

Now follow my guidance as we take three deep breaths.

Inhaling together.

Holding the breath in at the top,

Closing off the throat.

When prompted by the inner urging of your body,

Release the breath slow and steady.

Breathe normally.

Second breath now.

Inhaling together.

Holding in the breath,

Closing off the throat,

Allowing the tension to build,

A bit longer but without struggle.

When prompted by your body,

Release fully,

Expelling from the body what it no longer needs.

Deep-seated tensions leaving your body with the breath.

Breathe normally.

And the third breath.

Inhaling together.

Holding the breath in,

Closing off the throat.

Holding even a little longer now but without strain.

When prompted by your body,

Release the breath.

Breathing it all out.

Letting it all go until there is nothing left.

Until you are completely empty,

Open.

Breathe normally.

Simply allow the breath to rise and fall on its own rhythm.

The breath becoming progressively quieter and more still,

Until it is almost impossible to detect.

Feel yourself descending down into the stillness beneath the mind.

Feel what is present without labels or comments.

Feeling more,

Thinking less.

Release any expectation to make anything happen.

Allow the commentary of the mind to dissolve into sensation.

Maintaining this inner stillness.

If you'd like,

You can gently cover yourself if you need to,

Or place an eye pillow on your eyes.

Just adjusting your body to be as comfortable as possible,

But do not fall asleep.

Throughout this entire period,

Remain relaxed and motionless,

Alert and conscious.

Stay in touch with my guidance at all times.

Allow any disturbances external or internal to draw you deeper within.

In yoga nidra,

You enter the subconscious energy field,

Known as prana.

Let your mind merge and melt into the energy body and go beyond the boundaries of the body and mind.

Now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being.

Do absolutely nothing from now on.

Simply relax.

Drop into the deepest state of tranquility,

Stillness and peace.

Now your consciousness is in direct communication through your energy body.

Breathing in through your nose,

Fill your lungs fully and completely without straining.

Now start to exhale through softly pursed lips,

Exhaling as though you were blowing through a straw with your lips.

Let the exhale be prolonged,

A steady stream of breath emptying your lungs completely.

Now breathe in completely through your nose and breathe out through pursed lips as though blowing through a straw.

Each time you exhale,

Empty your mind of all anticipations and empty your body of all tensions.

As you inhale through your nose,

Fill your heart with joy.

Continue this breath practice with constant attention but detached awareness.

Each time you inhale,

Drop into a deeper level of silent awareness and experience the balancing and relaxing impact of the nervous system.

Breath is calm,

Mind is silent,

Body is relaxed,

Heart is unconditionally open.

Now return to your normal breathing and turn your attention inward.

Allow your mind to melt and merge into this stillness.

Move your undivided attention to the center just between your eyebrows,

We call the third eye,

And drop into the deepest level of silence,

Peace and harmony.

Drop into that silent space where all doing stops.

Enter an effortless state of being.

As I name a part of the body,

Bring your total attention accompanied by a feeling of heaviness,

Sinking like a stone in water,

Both feet heavy like stones,

Calves and knees heavy,

Sinking deeper,

Thighs and hips heavy like lead,

Abdomen,

Chest and back,

Gravity pulling you down deeper,

Shoulders,

Arms and palms very,

Very heavy.

Feel your entire head heavy like a stone.

Give your body completely and totally to the omnipresent field of gravity.

Now experience your whole body heavy like a rock.

Feel your whole body sinking deeper and deeper.

Let go into gravity.

Let go into stillness and silent awareness.

Now shift your attention as I name a part of the body and let all heaviness drain away.

Let your body be buoyant,

Light,

Like a fluffy cloud,

Both feet light and limp,

Calves and knees empty and free.

Feel it.

Thighs and hips hollow,

Weightless.

Abdomen,

Chest and back light and empty.

Shoulders,

Arms and palms floating.

Head hollow,

Empty.

Feel your whole body empty,

Light and hollow.

Sense the emptiness of your body and the silence of your mind.

Enter the power and protection of your energy body.

Embrace its feathery lightness.

Feel completely safe and secure.

Feel yourself getting lighter and lighter until you begin to float in the air.

Give yourself permission and freedom to float out of your physical body.

Release your energy body from your physical body.

Experience the freedom of this new dimension.

Released and freed from identification with your body and mind.

Free of all inhibitions and boundaries of your body,

Mind,

Past and future.

Observe your body completely at peace,

Resting in stillness.

Recognize that you are the spirit separate from the physical body.

The innate healing wisdom of the body,

Liberated and functioning optimally.

Now settle back into the physical body as you remain deeply established in your connection with spirit in faith and trust.

It is dark.

Imagine that you are walking through a forest.

You are carrying a backpack.

In it are your most treasured items.

In the far distance you see a bonfire burning.

As you approach the bonfire you see that no one is around.

You know that this bonfire has been made for you so you feel safe and take off your backpack.

Slowly you unpack your backpack one by one arranging your most treasured belongings neatly alongside the fire.

Look at your belongings.

Notice what is most important to you.

Just behind you you notice a flickering light from the bonfire illuminating a well.

You walk over.

The well is dark and deep.

A tunnel into the depths of the earth.

There is a bucket on a chain.

You lower it into the well.

It disappears into the darkness of the well.

You can feel the bucket but you cannot see it.

Now pull the bucket up.

Notice what it feels like as it begins to come closer and closer to the surface.

As the bucket comes to the surface you tilt it towards the light so you are able to see what is inside.

Become aware of spontaneous thoughts and feelings arising without needing to do anything about them.

As you look at what has surfaced bring it back up with you towards the heat of the bonfire.

You have a choice.

If what has surfaced is helpful,

A treasured part of you,

You may choose to keep it and place it alongside your other most treasured items.

If it is not helpful you have the choice to throw it into the bonfire and watch it dissolve and disappear.

If you choose to burn your item throw it into the fire now.

Watch it curl up into the flames.

Watch it disappear.

You're unburdened,

Free and clear of that thing.

If you choose to keep your item place it alongside your other items.

Allow this part of you to take its rightful place.

Notice how you feel more whole,

More complete as you recognize,

Honor and accept this part of you.

With this resolved you allow yourself to deeply rest and integrate by the fire.

Recognizing the choice you have made affects you on every level of your being.

Feel it reshaping and changing your entire energetic structure to reflect this shift you have made.

As light begins to dawn and the fire burns low it is time to move on.

Reverently you begin to place your most treasured items one by one into your backpack.

Placing the backpack on your back you once again continue on your journey.

Pausing for a moment to look back at the well and the smoldering fire that have helped you come to this place.

Come to a resolution this night.

Give yourself the permission to enter the deepest level of relaxation right now.

Let go.

Nothing to do or achieve.

Dissolve and disappear into stillness.

Open.

Empty of all doing,

All past,

All future.

Merge into this space and be empty.

Sensations,

Thoughts,

Images floating by like clouds on a clear blue sky.

Letting it all gather and dissipate.

Come and go.

Be the space in which it is all happening.

Now bring your intention into your awareness.

Repeat your intentions silently now three times.

If you do not have an intention just remain silent and let spirit,

Who knows what is best,

Do it for you.

At this time feel the presence of any guides,

Mentors,

Or family members that you feel connected to.

You may sense this as a universal force or energy surrounding you,

Guiding you.

Know that this presence surrounds you always.

You can draw on this presence at any time.

If there's any guidance to be received at this time either as a felt sense,

Words,

Or images allow yourself to receive it now.

Otherwise simply rest back in the grace and protection of presence.

Now begin to become aware of the rising and falling of the breath.

Slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness.

Sense the body resting on the floor,

The quality of the air as it touches the skin.

Gradually you can move as if you were waking from a restful sleep.

If you'd like you can bend your knees and pull them closer into your chest,

Perhaps rocking sideways gently.

Take your time.

Do not hurry.

Then turn to one side,

The right or the left,

Whatever is most comfortable for you,

And curl into a fetal position.

Feel the safety,

Comfort,

And protection of the womb of existence.

Bring your intention into your awareness again.

Repeat your intention three times to yourself silently.

Change nothing.

Every time you find yourself in reaction you are empowered to replace it with your intention.

Now you can gradually move and begin to sit up,

Keeping your eyes closed.

Continue to stay deep in this deep inner experience.

Regardless of what you consciously recognize that has or has not changed,

Know that something deep within you has shifted to connect you with your intention.

Become aware of your body.

Bring a deep sense of peace and contentment with you as you bring your attention back to the body.

Notice how relaxed the body is,

How soft the breath is,

How silent the mind is,

How quiet the heartbeat is.

Be still and be grateful.

Know that you can easily enter here again and again.

Now at your own pace,

You may gradually open your eyes.

This is the practice of Yoga Nidra.

Thank you for joining me in this meditation.

Namaste.