Yoga Nidra — Calm In The Midst Of Chaos

Hello,

And welcome to Meditations with Hanya.

Today's practice will be a Yoga Nidra practice.

I will be guiding you through this practice to calm your body and your mind in the midst of a busy season.

Although the name Yoga Nidra means yogic sleep,

You will remain awake and relaxed as we experience the practice together.

Allow my voice to be an anchor for your awareness,

A guide into this journey on your mat.

Begin by finding a comfortable position laying down on your back.

You might use props like a bolster under your knees,

A blanket over you to support you.

Close your eyes and keep them closed for the duration of the practice until you hear me to tell you to open them.

Allow your body to settle.

Let your body feel supported,

Grounded,

Heavy.

Feel your whole body begin to completely relax and let go.

During this meditation practice,

Commit to being still.

When sensations arise,

Simply notice and feel what's there without trying to change,

Adjust or fix anything at all.

It is like that feeling just before you sleep.

You might say to yourself,

I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.

I am going to stay aware and awake.

I will not sleep.

Start to bring awareness to the sounds that are in the distance,

The sounds furthest away.

Maybe you hear cars passing,

Plane overhead or distant people's voices.

Maybe it's something even further.

Notice the sounds in the external world without any judgment.

You are a witness hearing the faraway sounds.

Draw your attention closer and bring awareness to the sounds in your room.

The humming of the lights,

The music in the background,

My voice.

Now bring awareness to the inner sounds within your own body.

Your breath as it rises and falls,

Your heartbeat.

Let go of any judgments and just simply listen deeply to the subtle sounds.

Now we'll set an intention or desire for this practice.

This is called Asankalpa.

It can be a very simple hope or inclination.

It could be just to stay awake or it could be to relax.

An example could be,

I am creating space for my body,

Mind and spirit.

Or I am at ease in my life.

Once you set your intention,

Repeat it to yourself three times.

Feel your intention with your body,

Your mind,

Your consciousness.

We now will begin rotation of consciousness.

Here we take a trip through all the different parts of the body.

We will move our awareness quickly from one part to the next.

Become aware and repeat that part that I say in your mind.

It is important to keep yourself alert,

But don't strain.

Let the concentration be relaxed.

Now become aware of your right hand.

Your right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of the palm of your hand,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The right waist,

The right hip,

The right thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left side.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Ring finger,

Pinky finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The left side waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now to the back.

Become aware of the right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The right buttocks,

The left buttocks,

The spine,

The whole back together.

Now go to the top of the head,

The top of the head,

The forehead,

Both sides of the head,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid,

The right eye,

The left eye.

The right ear,

The left ear,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

The nose,

The tip of the nose,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The chin,

The throat,

The right chest,

The left chest,

The middle of the chest.

The navel,

The abdomen,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together.

The whole of the back,

Buttocks,

Spine,

Shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and the front together.

The whole of the head,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together.

Please do not sleep,

Total awareness,

No sleeping,

No movement,

The whole body on the floor,

Become aware of your body lying on the floor.

Your body is lying on the floor,

See your body perfectly still on the floor in this room.

Visualize this image in your mind.

Now become aware of your breath,

Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.

Do not try to change the rhythm,

The breathing is natural,

Automatic,

You are not doing it,

There is no effort.

Maintain awareness of your breath,

Continue,

Complete awareness of the breath.

Now concentrate your awareness on the movement of your navel area,

Concentrate on your navel movements.

Your navel is rising and falling slightly with each breath,

With each and every breath it expands and contracts.

Concentrate on this movement in synchronization with your breath.

Go on practicing,

But be sure that you are aware.

Now start counting your breaths back from 27 to 1,

Like this.

27,

Navel rising.

27,

Navel falling.

26,

Navel rising.

26,

Navel falling.

25,

Navel rising.

25,

Navel falling.

And so on.

Say the words and numbers mentally to yourself.

And as you count your breaths,

Be sure that you don't make a mistake.

If you do,

You go back to 27 and start again.

Now wherever you are,

Stop your counting of the navel breath and shift your attention to your chest.

Please shift your attention to your chest.

Your chest is rising and falling slightly with each and every breath.

Become aware of this.

Continue concentrating on the movement of the chest and start counting backwards from 27 to 1.

In the same way you did before.

27,

Chest rising.

27,

Chest falling.

26,

Chest rising.

26,

Chest falling.

25,

Chest rising.

25,

Chest falling.

And so on.

Again,

Repeat the words and the numbers mentally to yourself as you count.

If you make a mistake,

You must go back and start again to 27.

Continue counting 27 to 1.

Keep on with the practice,

Counting and awareness.

Awareness and counting.

Wherever you are,

Cease your counting of your chest breaths and move your awareness to the throat.

Please move to the throat area.

Become aware of your breath moving in and out of your throat.

Become aware of this.

Concentrate on the movement of the breath and start counting backwards from 27 to 1.

In the same way as before.

Complete awareness of counting and of the breath.

No sleeping,

Please.

Just total awareness that you are counting.

Now stop counting and go to the nostrils.

Become aware of the breath moving in and out of the nostrils.

Concentrate on the movement of the breath in and out of the nostrils.

Start counting as you did before.

27,

Breathing in.

27,

Breathing out.

Continue counting,

No mistakes.

Keep on the practice.

Continue.

Now stop your counting and leave your awareness of your breath.

Open your breathing body and visualize yourself walking along a wooded path on a crisp fall day with a soft breeze.

There are two paths in front of you,

Both equally worn and dimly lit.

But you follow your instincts and choose the entrance on the left.

As you take each step up the dark wooded hill,

You feel your feet gently crunching the leaves beneath you.

The earth smells of soil and roots.

It helps you to keep your focus as you watch your feet take one step at a time.

The peak of the hill is not yet in sight,

And you fear the trail might be long and arduous.

But you stay the course with patience and steadiness of mind.

You remember that no matter how dark or difficult the path may be,

The first step is just as important as the last.

You hear a great horned owl within the treetops greet you as you continue to hike the trail in silence,

Passing all kinds of fungi and moss,

Making intricate patterns on the bark of the trees.

Halfway up the mountain,

You pause for a moment and look up at the mighty oak to see the most beautiful quality of golden light streaming through the leaves.

In that moment,

As the light caresses your face softly,

A warmth comes over you,

As if the golden light filled you from the inside out.

You carry the light with you as you continue your journey to the peak.

Still feeling the weight and the worry of the path you have chosen,

Your doubt softens as you notice a break in the trees ahead,

An indication that you are so close to your destination.

The leaves softly crunching under your feet,

The smell of the earth,

The sound of the birds and the squirrels dizzying around.

The light gets brighter and brighter as you reach the top,

Where the blue sky feels like it opened up just for you.

The destination is here.

You have reached your goal.

So you find a smooth rock to sit on and watch each cloud come and go.

You imagine that each cloud holds your worries and stresses of your life.

You find gratitude for the breeze that carries each cloud away.

The hardships that you've carried up the mountain,

They seem to have dissipated with that peaceful breeze.

You breathe in to receive the sky in all its glory and breathe out to let go of anything left within you that's too heavy to hold.

You breathe in the air of the top of the mountain and you breathe out a deeper sense of trust.

Now you are ready to turn around and take the journey back down.

Feeling lighter,

Feeling freer with a newfound purpose and warmth in your heart.

Come back to your sankalpa,

Your resolution or your intention that you made in the beginning of practice.

Don't change it.

Repeat the resolve three times with total awareness and with feeling.

Relax your whole body and your mind and become aware of your natural breath.

Keep your awareness on your breathing body.

Your body is lying totally relaxed on the floor and there is an ease to your breathing.

Become aware of the ground supporting you and the position of your body on the earth.

Visualize the room around you and start to become aware of your surroundings.

Now take your time and stretch your arms over your head and point your toes to feel your body get long.

When you feel like you are fully awake,

Begin to sit up slowly and open your eyes.

Bring your hands to your heart.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

HANOM TAT SAT