Namaste,
Welcome to today's practice of Yoga Nidra.
Take a few deep breaths and allow the body to settle down.
Get ready for the practice by lying down in Shavasana.
Keep your feet apart,
Allowing the ankles to flop out,
Arms away from the body at a Keeping the armpits open,
Palms facing up,
Shoulders moving down away from the ears,
Head and neck in line with the spine.
Make sure the whole body feels balanced and symmetrical and if necessary adjust so that it is.
Now set yourself mentally.
Now I'm going to do the practice of Yoga Nidra.
I will stay awake and aware with the instructions.
I will be still.
I will avoid thinking and analyzing.
I will focus instead on relaxing,
Experiencing and enjoying the whole practice.
And then take your awareness outside.
Listen to all the sounds happening around you.
Without thinking of the source of the sound,
Simply listen to these sounds as if you're mentally imitating them.
Stretch your awareness out like a radar,
Listening to even the softest and farthest away sounds.
Picking up every sound that you come across,
Observing and acknowledging each sound.
And if the mind begins to wander away and think of other things,
Realize that it's okay,
It's normal.
But as soon as you realize,
Gently bring your mind back to listening,
Listening very carefully to each and every sound around you.
Listen even to the gaps between the sounds and the sound of silence behind all these sounds.
Now notice how you feel after listening to the sounds.
Notice the effect it has on your mind.
Now feel the body resting against the floor.
Observe the different contact points between the body and the floor.
Back of the heels.
Back of the legs.
Buttocks.
Back of the hands.
Back of the shoulders.
And back of the head.
Feel the entire back body pressing against the floor.
Surrendering to the force of gravity.
Surrendering to the earth to nourish and protect the body.
Now notice how you feel in the state.
Notice how you feel after letting go of all control over the body.
And now from the depths of your being,
Mentally repeat your sankalpa,
Your positive intention or resolution for the practice of yoga nidra.
Using the same words each time.
Repeating it with full faith and conviction.
Repeating it with a will to manifest the sankalpa.
Repeat the sankalpa three times to yourself.
And now we make a mental rotation around the different body parts.
As each part is named,
Take your awareness to that part.
Feel it from within.
Relax and let go of any tightness or heaviness from that part of the body.
Starting from the right thumb.
First finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the right hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Chin.
Upper arm.
Armpit.
Shoulder.
Right side of the chest.
Right side of the waist.
Right hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Chin.
Ankle.
Heel.
Top of the right foot.
Sole of the right foot.
Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
The right little toe.
Check that you're awake and aware.
And sweep your awareness up and down the entire right side of the body.
Awakening and refreshing the entire right side.
Complete awareness of the entire right side of the body.
And now over to the left side.
Observe the left thumb.
First finger.
Middle finger.
Ring finger.
Little finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Back of the hand.
Wrist.
Forearm.
Elbow.
Upper arm.
Left shoulder.
Armpit.
Left side of the chest.
Left side of the waist.
Left hip.
Thigh.
Knee.
Shin.
Ankle.
Heel.
Top of the left foot.
Sole of the left foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
The left little toe.
Check that you're awake and aware.
And sweep your awareness up and down the left side of the body.
Awakening and refreshing the entire left side.
Now going up the back of the body.
Start at the back of both heels.
Back of the calves.
Back of the knees.
Thighs.
Buttocks.
Lower back.
Mid-back.
Upper back.
Back of the arms.
Back of the shoulders.
Back of the neck.
Back of the head.
Top of the head.
Head.
Forehead.
Right eyebrow.
Left eyebrow.
Eyebrow center.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Let both your eyes gently sink back into their sockets.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Let the cheeks go loose and soft.
Right ear.
Left ear.
Left ear.
Both ears together.
Right nostril.
Left nostril.
Top lip.
Upper jaw.
Bottom lip.
Lower jaw.
Inside the mouth.
Base of the tongue.
Tip of the tongue.
Chin.
Now let all the muscles of your face go loose and soft.
Now spread your awareness to the whole body.
Feeling the whole body at once.
The whole body becoming relaxed and comfortable.
Notice how you feel in this state.
Notice how the body feels after letting go of any tightness or heaviness.
Observe the whole body from top of your head all the way down to the tips of the toes.
Now let's go a little deeper to the movement of the breath.
Simply watch your breath without changing it.
Just let it continue in its natural rhythm.
Focusing fully on the movement of the breath in and out of the body.
Notice which parts of the body move as you breathe in and out.
Gently bringing the focus onto the stomach.
Observe the movement of the stomach as you breathe in and out.
Now begin to count your breath as you focus on the stomach.
Count backwards from 18 with each breath you take.
Matching the counting to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Breathing in and out 18.
Breathing in and out 17.
Breathing in and out 16.
Continue this way till you reach zero.
If you lose track,
Start again at 18.
Maintaining your complete awareness on the breath.
Do not let a single breath escape the count.
Now notice how you feel after focusing on the breath.
Now from the depths of your awareness,
Mentally repeat the Sankalpa.
Repeat it with full faith and conviction.
Knowing that the Sankalpa made in Yoga Nidra will become a reality.
Is already becoming a reality.
Repeat the Sankalpa three times to yourself.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is over now.
Slowly wriggle your toes and fingers.
Gently move your head from side to side.
Lengthen and even your breathing.
Stretch your arm up over your head.
Give yourself a big stretch to wake the body up.
Hug your knees to the chest.
Turn to the right.
Spend some time there with the experience of the practice.
And in your own time when you're quite ready,
Slowly come up to seated.
Keep your eyes gently closed.
And notice how you feel after the practice.
Notice how you feel in the upright position.
Rub both palms together.
Create a gentle warmth and place it over your eyes and face.
Look into the palms as you gently open the eyes.
Take a moment here to reflect on the experience of the practice.
Before you go about the rest of your day.
Give thanks to yourself for taking this time off to be mindful.
And I'll see you again soon on the mat.
Have a wonderful day and a good night's sleep.
