Yoga Nidra Awakening

YOGANIDHRA AWAKENING Prepare for the practice of Yoganidhra,

A journey beyond the senses.

Let go of the five senses you always use and depend on in your waking life.

Seeing,

Smelling,

Hearing,

Tasting and touching.

Turn your attention from the outside world to the inner world.

This is the journey of Yoganidhra.

Embrace your inner vision,

Your inner sound,

Your inner fragrance.

In this journey get a taste of the nectar within you.

Touch the depth within your heart.

Find a sense of inner refuge as we begin this inner voyage.

Trust that you will be deeply restored at the end of this practice.

Tap into your limitless pure potential.

Let your thoughts dissolve now as you listen to the sound of my voice.

Lie down in Shavasana.

Settle your body on the ground so you are as comfortable as you can be.

If you need extra support under the head or knees,

Please take the time to add that extra cushioning now.

Separate the heels,

Letting the toes open up to the sides.

Move the arms away from the body with the palms facing up.

Take three slow deep breaths and with each exhalation let go of any stress that has built up today.

Let go everywhere.

Feel the eyes close.

Let the eyelids become heavy and let the eyes gently rest inwards.

Feel your gaze directed towards your inner self.

Tell yourself silently,

I am practicing Yoganidhra.

I will stay awake and alert.

During the practice of Yoganidhra,

It is advised to remain still.

If you must move,

Make the adjustments mindfully with the least amount of effort and then return to stillness.

Be aware of the contact points where your body touches the floor.

Find a point on the back of the head where all the weight of the head can rest down effortlessly.

Let the head feel supported and allow the neck to soften and relax.

With each exhalation,

Feel the full weight of the body being held by gravity and being supported by the earth.

Become aware of the space occupied by the whole body and its space in your surroundings.

Be aware of the space within you and the space all around you.

Realize your body as if you are seeing it from the outside.

See your whole body lying perfectly still in Shavasana.

Feel your facial muscles soften,

The eyes soften,

The cheeks soften.

Feel the skin on your face softening,

The lines on your face softening.

Allow the jaw to soften.

Let the body continue to settle with each exhalation.

Scan the body from head to toe to see which areas have tension or pain.

Let the breath gently flow into those areas and massage that space from within.

With each exhale,

Let go of the pain.

Let go of the tension or tightness that you no longer need to hold on to.

Let the whole body relax.

Cultivate the feeling of inner stillness.

Be aware of sensations,

The weight of the blanket on your body,

The weight of your clothes on your skin.

Feel the air touching exposed areas of your skin.

Now listen for sound.

Expand the awareness to find the most distant sound that you can hear right now.

Be aware of that sound and then find another sound,

Letting the awareness move from sound to sound.

Be aware of the sounds outside your building,

The sounds inside your building.

Be aware of the sounds inside your room.

Be aware of the sounds closest to you,

Sounds of the body.

Let the awareness move from sound to sound.

Listen to the sound of your breath,

Your heart beating.

Now let that sound dissolve.

Now feel the breath flowing through the body like a slow motion wave from the crown of the head to the toes and back up again.

Feel the settling of the body and the softening of the breath.

Let the breath become more and more refined as the awareness turns inwards.

Observe the flow of energy,

The flow of awareness.

Contemplate your sankalpa or resolve.

Reflect on what positive change you wish to bring in your life,

Either physical,

Mental or spiritual.

Create a short simple affirmation that you can repeat.

Choose your words with precision and clarity.

Repeating this resolve is like planting a seed in the soil of your subconscious mind.

Your resolve is bound to come true if you repeat it with sincerity and intention.

Repeat your sankalpa now three times mentally with total faith and conviction,

Holding those words in your heart center.

Now let go of the sankalpa.

Rotate the awareness through the body.

As each body part is mentioned,

Bring full attention to that area and visualize that body part.

Sense it and feel it from within.

This is like a meditative massage inducing deep relaxation.

Let the awareness move quickly from body part to body part.

Feel this dance of prana,

The vital current within you.

Only the awareness moves,

The body remains still.

The practice always starts on the right side with the right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Feel the space between the fingers.

Palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Right shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side body,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Right ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feel the space between the toes.

Be aware of the whole right side of the body which is completely relaxed.

Move the awareness now to the left side.

Stay awake and alert.

Left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger.

Feel the space between the fingers.

Palm,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Left shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side body,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Left ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Feel the spaces between the toes.

Be aware of the whole left side of the body which is completely relaxed.

Move the awareness to the top of the head.

Stay with the practice.

Remain alert and awake.

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Eyebrow center,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Mouth,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Teeth and tongue.

Right side of the jaw,

Left side of the jaw,

Chin,

Throat,

Right side of chest,

Left side of chest,

Heart center,

Right lung,

Left lung,

Abdomen,

Pelvis.

Be aware of the whole front side of the body which is completely relaxed.

Move the awareness now around to the back.

Stay awake.

Right gluteal muscle,

Left gluteal muscle,

Sacrum or tailbone,

Low back,

Mid back,

Upper back,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

The whole spine,

The whole spine,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head.

Be aware of the whole back side of the body which is completely relaxed.

Be aware of the whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

Front torso,

Back torso,

Neck and head.

Be aware of both legs,

Both arms,

Front and back torso,

Neck and head.

Be aware of the whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Breath awareness,

Stay awake,

Be totally present.

Move the awareness to the breath.

Become aware of the rhythmic flow of the inhale and the rhythmic flow of the exhale.

Let the breath be steady and soft,

Moving with ease throughout the body.

Feel the breath moving through you effortlessly.

Feel the breath flow in and out of the lungs.

Extend the awareness of the breath to every part of the body.

Feel the breath flow freely through the whole body.

Smooth,

Soft inhalation,

Smooth,

Soft exhalation.

Now move the awareness to the eyebrow center.

Feel the breath moving in and out of the third eye at the forehead,

Right above the eyebrow center.

Watch the rise and fall of the breath at the third eye.

Hold the awareness of the breath at the third eye and count backwards from 36.

Inhale and exhale,

Count 36.

Inhale exhale,

Count 35 and so on,

Counting backwards from 36 to 1.

If the count is lost,

Begin again at 36.

Counting backwards,

Breathe into the third eye.

If one is reached,

Begin again at 36.

Count backwards to 1.

Breathe in and out of the third eye.

Find awareness on the breath and on the count.

Let go of the counting.

Let go of the counting.

Keep the awareness on the breath.

Feel the breath flowing freely throughout the whole body.

As you experience the opposites of heaviness or lightness,

Do not let yourself be attached to any extreme.

Let your mind completely let go after you have experienced the extremes of these opposites.

Create the sensation of heaviness in the whole body.

With each exhalation,

Feel the body growing heavier and heavier.

The whole body becomes heavy.

Feel the heaviness in the eyelids.

The head is heavy.

The torso is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

So heavy that you cannot lift them from the ground.

Allow the whole body to feel heavy,

Like it is made of stone or lead.

The whole body is heavy.

With each exhale,

Feel the body sinking into the earth.

Feel the weight of gravity pulling the body to the earth.

Experience heaviness through the whole body.

The whole body is heavy.

Let go of the heaviness.

Create the opposite sensation of lightness in the body.

With each inhalation,

Feel the body get lighter and lighter.

Feel a sense of lightness in the chest.

The body becomes buoyant and light,

As if it could levitate and defy gravity.

Let this feeling of lightness spread with each inhalation.

Light as a feather.

Feel the body become so light it could float up and away from the earth.

Lighter and lighter.

The whole body is light,

Weightless.

Let go of the lightness.

Let go of these extremes.

Bring the awareness back to the gentle flow of the breath.

Bring the attention to the mind space.

Look deeply into that space.

Imagine infinite space as far as the eye can see.

Feel you're watching a blank screen and observe whatever phenomena manifests on that screen,

The movie of your mind.

Noticing what appears,

Colors,

Patterns,

Shapes,

Images.

In this mind space,

Visualize as clearly as possible the simple images which will be suggested.

Let the image evoke any feeling,

Emotion,

Awareness,

Or imagination.

Visualize white snow-capped mountains.

White snow-capped mountains.

A tiger crouching in the jungle.

A tiger crouching in the jungle.

Drizzling rain.

Drizzling rain.

A spectacular sunrise over an endless desert.

A spectacular sunrise over an endless desert.

A bright sunflower.

A bright sunflower.

A moonlit valley.

A moonlit valley.

A dolphin frolicking in the ocean.

A dolphin frolicking in the ocean.

A forest of redwood trees.

A forest of redwood trees.

A clear emerald green lake.

Chirping birds in the rainforest.

Waves crashing on the beach.

Purple clouds drifting across the sky.

A garden of blooming tulips.

Stars shining against a black velvet sky.

A majestic blue butterfly flapping its wings.

A white lotus flower blooming.

A white lotus flower blooming.

Let go of this awareness of the visualizations and the mind space.

Bring the awareness back to the natural quiet flow of the breath.

Remember your sankalpa from the beginning of the practice.

Hold your resolve in your heart center as you rest in stillness and silence.

Repeating the sankalpa at the beginning of the practice is like planting a seed in the soil of your subconscious mind.

Repeating your resolve at the end of the practice is like watering and nourishing this potent seed.

The sankalpa made during the practice of Yoganidhra is always fulfilled.

It never fails.

Repeat it three times silently to yourself and let your sankalpa blossom within your heart.

Remember to externalize your awareness.

Become aware of the fluid,

Gentle movement of the breath.

Let it softly massage the inside of the body.

Once again,

Listen for sounds of the body,

The breath,

The heartbeat.

Hear the sounds that are closest to you,

Around you.

Move the awareness from sound to sound.

Expand the awareness to listen for the most distant sound that you can hear right now.

Move the awareness from sound to sound.

Remember your place where you are lying down on the ground.

Remember the space around you.

Remember your environment.

Be aware of your physical existence.

Become fully aware of all body sensations.

Feel the air touching your skin.

Become aware of the weight of your clothing,

Your blanket.

Feel your body resting on the mat.

Feel the contact points with the ground.

Say to yourself silently,

The practice of Yoganidhra is now complete.

Get ready to stretch the body slowly as you breathe more fully and deeply back into the body.

Rotate the ankles and wrists.

Move the head and neck from side to side,

Stretching the arms overhead if that feels good to you.

Be mindful of the space around you.

From Shavasana,

Gently roll to one side and rest in fetal position.

Feel that sense of surrender.

Use your hands to push up into any comfortable seated position.

Keep your eyes closed.

Sit up straight,

Head,

Neck and spine straight.

Take a few deep breaths.

Notice the effects of this practice on the body,

Breath,

Mind and heart.

Bring the hands to the heart in prayer position,

Anjali Mudra.

Gently bow the head towards the heart.

Acknowledge the divine light within you,

Which is in all living beings.

Namaste.