Yoga Nidra For A Joyful Life

Make yourself comfortable,

Lying on your back,

And allow your body to rest completely supported by the surface beneath you.

Feel free to close your eyes.

However,

If you notice yourself starting to drift off to sleep,

Just open your eyes,

Reorient yourself,

And then close them back down again.

And if you notice your body starts to feel uncomfortable,

Then you can shift and move.

Do so mindfully,

Noticing what muscles and limbs need to move in order to get more comfortable,

And then come back to a stillness.

So yoga nidra is called yogic,

It will translate to yogic sleep.

There is a part of your brainwaves that starts to,

Part of your brain starts to slow down into alpha brainwaves,

Which is wakeful awareness or restful awareness.

This happens just by closing your eyes,

And it's very restorative in nature.

As you're listening to my voice,

Another part of your,

Of your brain starts to slow down into theta waves,

Which is REM sleep.

But because you have a part of your brain in alpha,

You're always in control of your dream.

This is also very transformative and restorative.

Another part of your brain actually starts to fall asleep and slows down into delta waves.

And it is said that 30 minutes of yoga nidra can be as restful as two hours of sleep.

This is a very transformative practice.

We name a positive affirmation,

It's called a sankalpa,

Just an I am statement.

And today,

This is a yoga nidra for increasing joy.

So I will offer a few joyful types of affirmations.

This plants a seed in your mind to grow and manifest.

It can also process emotions,

Memories,

Thoughts.

Let go of any judgment.

Be okay with whatever arises.

And if something is uncomfortable arises,

Just let me know after class.

I'm very versed in this stuff.

I'm a psychotherapist and hypnotherapist.

Notice your body supported by the support beneath you.

Feel the body beginning to relax.

There is nowhere to go.

Nothing to do.

This is your time to rest.

Restore and receive.

Bring your awareness to the sounds around you.

Without labeling or judging.

Simply listening.

Let every sound be a reminder to go deeper within.

Now become aware of your physical body.

The weight of your body.

The natural stillness.

Allow your whole body to soften.

Feel your body beginning to melt into the earth.

And with each breath,

Allow any tension to dissolve.

Let go of your day.

Let go of the past.

Let go of the future.

And rest in the present moment.

Move your awareness to your heart.

Noticing any sensation or absence of sensation here.

And from your heart,

Draw a long line of energy in whatever color that suits you up to your third eye in between your eyebrows.

The seat of your intuition.

Linking your heart and your wisdom.

Bring to mind your positive affirmation.

Your sankalpa.

Your heartfelt intention.

This is a short,

Positive statement of truth expressed in the present tense.

Some examples may be,

I am joy.

Joy flows freely through me.

Or,

I radiate happiness from within.

Or whatever affirmation pops into your mind.

Usually,

Whatever the first one is,

Is the best one for you.

That's usually when your heart,

Your intuition,

Is talking.

It's expansive,

Feeling,

Content.

Open.

Pleasant.

Silently repeat your sankalpa three times with full awareness and belief.

And with gratitude.

It's already happening.

Let it plant like a seed in the fertile soil of your subconscious.

Now let your sankalpa go.

And bring your awareness to a rotation of consciousness.

Rotating awareness through the body.

As each part is named,

Simply bring your awareness there.

Without moving.

Just feel.

You can even say the body part in your mind.

Bringing your awareness to your right hand.

Right hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Middle finger.

Little finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Forearm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Right armpit.

Right waist.

Right hip.

Thigh.

Right knee.

Calf.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Sixth toe.

Bring your awareness to your left hand.

Left hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Palm.

Back of the hand.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Left armpit.

Left waist.

Left hip.

Left knee.

Calf.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fifth toe.

Bring your awareness to the back of your body.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Lower back.

Mid back.

Upper back.

Back of the neck.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Bring your awareness to the front of your body.

Crown of the head.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Center of the eyebrows.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Nose.

Tip of the nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

Heart center.

Heart center.

Right side of the chest.

Left side of the chest.

Right side of the chest.

Upper abdomen.

Navel.

Lower belly.

Pelvis.

Now bring your awareness to your whole body.

The whole body together.

The whole body.

Feel your entire body as one.

Radiant and whole.

Now bring your awareness to the breath.

Without control.

Without needing to change it in any way.

Just observe.

Allow your breath to be as it is.

Without needing it to be other than it is.

Notice the breath as it enters through the nose.

Cool and fresh.

And as it leaves,

Warm and soft.

Now visualize that with each inhale,

You are breathing in light,

Warmth,

And joy.

And with each exhale,

Release any heaviness or dullness.

Inhaling joy.

Exhaling release.

And soft.

Allow each breath to feel like a gentle wave washing through you.

Inhaling joy.

Exhaling release.

Letting it all go.

Inhaling joy.

It could be an intention,

A feeling,

Or a visualizing.

Perhaps you're visualizing inhaling joyous yellow light.

Notice what comes to you as you inhale joy.

And exhale release.

And begin a gentle count with the breath in your mind.

As you inhale,

One.

Exhale,

One.

Inhale,

Two.

Exhale,

Two.

Continue until ten and then begin again.

If your mind drifts,

Gently come back to the breath and start back at one and keep on counting.

Now let go of the counting and just rest in the feeling that every breath fills you with softness,

Ease,

And joy.

Allow your whole body to breathe.

Let your whole body smile.

Now in your mind's eye,

See or feel or visualize or just intend for any images or the visualization to come up.

Whatever is your dominant inner sense.

Some people can see pictures in their mind.

Some people just feel that they are there.

So just allow whatever naturally to come up for you.

Now imagine yourself walking through a golden meadow.

This could be a meadow you've seen before,

You've been to before,

Or something that just pops up into your mind.

The sun is shining gently overhead.

The light is warm and soothing and you feel completely safe and relaxed.

You walk barefoot on soft grass,

Feeling the earth beneath you.

With every step,

Your heart feels lighter.

Joy bubbles up from within.

You come to a small hill.

At the top is a radiant tree of light.

This tree glows with the colors of joy.

Golden yellow,

Soft pink,

Sky blue.

You sit beneath this tree and the light from its branches begins to shower you like warm sunlight.

It touches your skin,

Soaks into your heart,

And fills you completely.

You begin to glow with joy.

Joy that is not dependent on anything or anyone.

Joy that is your birthright.

A lightness,

A bliss,

A deep inner smile.

Feel this joy expanding in all directions,

From your heart,

Through your whole body,

Out into the world.

You are radiating joy,

Upliftment.

Now imagine someone you love standing before you.

Whoever is the first person that pops into your mind is the perfect one.

Share this joyful light with them.

Radiating your loved one with joy.

Now see or feel or imagine your home.

Your community.

The entire world bathed in this golden joy.

The world shining a little brighter because of your radiance.

Rest here for a few moments,

Absorbing this feeling deeply.

And now allow the visualization to fade away from awareness.

And bring your awareness back to your heart.

Draw a line of energy connecting your heart with your intuition,

Your third eye,

Your pineal gland.

Connecting your most powerful sankalpa,

Positive affirmation that you created in the beginning of class.

And say it silently to yourself three times,

With gratitude like it's already happening.

With full awareness as though it is already true.

Let it be nourished by the joy and light you feel.

And let it go.

That or something better is coming to you.

As you let go of the affirmation and let it flourish.

Now slowly begin to return to your body.

Become aware of the surface beneath you.

Notice the air on your skin.

Visualize yourself laying on the floor in this room.

Picture the four walls.

Notice any sounds inside the room.

Notice any sounds outside of the room.

Notice the sensation of breath as you breathe in and out.

As you deepen your breath,

Bringing in more movement.

And then begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes,

Bringing in more movement.

Begin to circle your wrists and ankles,

Good for circulation.

And then circle in the other direction.

Gently move your head from side to side.

Inhale your arms above your head,

Point your toes,

Give yourself a nice stretch.

Feel free to bring your hands to heart center.

Bringing up a sense of gratitude.

Gratitude for your body.

Gratitude for the joy that lives within.

And may joy permeate everything you do.

Have a beautiful evening.

The light in me honors the light in you.

Namaste.