Welcome everyone to your yoga nidra practice today.
Go ahead and take a few long rounds of breath to lie all the way down and get comfortable.
This practice is done lying all the way down on your back.
Whether you want to lie down on your yoga mat,
Your bed,
The couch,
Or just the floor,
Search for a good space and then search for softness in your body as you settle in.
Take a few more breaths to play around with a pillow or blanket to help support you even more.
It might feel good to place a pillow under your knees or under your neck to support your head.
Place a blanket over your body to keep yourself warm.
Either way,
As you lie down,
Try to settle in even more as if each breath creates and brings more softness to your muscles.
See if it would feel good to move any part of your body and adjust so you can eventually create some more ease.
Try placing your arms alongside your body,
Your hands to rest out wide away from your hips and relax.
Relax your feet.
Relax your ankles,
Your knees.
Soften your thighs and your hips and your belly.
Send that softness to your chest,
Your shoulders,
And your wrists.
Just take note where can you find more ease in your body and where can't you create it quite yet.
Perhaps send your breath to those areas and allow your eyes to close if you haven't already.
Even with your eyes closed,
Soften them underneath your eyelids.
Where can you relax even more?
Yoga Nidra translates closely to yogic sleep.
This is a deeply restorative practice that allows you to explore your mind while it remains aware,
While also allowing your body to be completely at rest.
So try to remain aware through your practice but know that it's perfectly okay and normal to fall in and out of sleep.
Just know that whatever the guidance brings for you today is okay.
Whatever unfolds today in your practice is exactly as it should be for you.
Your practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Soften even more.
Begin to turn your awareness to the sounds that you hear.
Like a radar system,
Notice the noises you may be able to hear far away.
Maybe these are noises out on the streets or even further.
Rumbles of cars,
The wind,
Whatever it may be,
Scan around.
Observe what it is you hear and move on to the next sound.
Slowly bring your radar system a little closer.
Scan for the sounds a little closer to you.
Perhaps sounds inside the building that you're in.
Scan around until you find a noise.
Pour all of your focus into it.
Then move on to another as you continue to scan.
Continue your radar now to only the sounds you can hear inside this room.
Now allow your radar to pick up only the sounds you hear around your body.
Hover your radar to the space just an inch or two from your body and allow whatever energy you feel to envelop your whole body here.
Allow it to absorb into you and slowly shift your focus to turn to your third eye,
The space between your eyebrows.
Hold your awareness here.
Move now to set your sun kalpa for your practice.
This phrase is a way of being that you would like to cultivate.
This is a powerful phrase that can help you transform your most limiting belief into a liberating one.
For example,
If you're feeling tired,
Unmotivated,
Your sun kalpa could be,
I am energized.
If you're feeling stressed or restless,
Your sun kalpa could be,
I am calm or I am at peace.
If you're having feelings of inadequacy,
You could try,
I am valued,
I am worthy or I am capable.
Some of these examples may resonate with you right away.
Take a moment to explore some of those examples or try on new phrases of your own.
Notice which one makes you feel the most connected,
Which sun kalpa holds the most power for you.
Choose one that offers the feeling of potential for you in this moment and repeat it to yourself a few times in your mind.
Simply connect to these simple words of transformation.
We'll move first to exploring Anamaya kosha.
This is your layer of your physical body.
Just one of five koshas that we'll explore in this practice today.
We'll explore your physical body by moving through a body scan.
Begin first by holding your awareness and your third eye,
The space between your eyebrows.
Keep your focus and your awareness filled right here,
The space between your eyebrows.
Begin to shift your awareness down to your throat,
Fill your whole throat with your awareness.
And send your awareness to your right shoulder,
Your right elbow,
Right wrist,
Right thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Leave your awareness back to your right wrist,
Your right elbow,
Right shoulder.
Send your awareness to the center of your throat.
Now move your awareness down to your left shoulder,
Left elbow,
Left wrist,
The tip of your left thumb,
Left index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Leave your awareness back up to your left wrist,
Left elbow,
Left shoulder,
Back to the center of your throat.
Now send your awareness down to the center of your chest.
Allow your awareness to flow to the right side of your chest,
Back to the center,
To the left side of your chest,
Then back to center once again.
Now imagine your awareness in your chest flowing down through your belly,
Your hips,
Your legs,
All the way down to your toes.
Allow your awareness to move freely,
Flow freely through your body.
Take your time and notice if your awareness gets stuck at any point in your body.
Breathe into those spaces and allow your awareness to flow on to the next space.
As you're ready to come back,
Allow your whole body to fill with your awareness,
Your whole body whole.
Return your awareness back to the space between your eyebrows.
Move your attention now from your physical body to your breath as we move to Pranamaya Kosha,
Your body of energy.
Begin by simply just noticing your breath.
Observe the depth of each inhale and exhale.
Notice your focus while breathing.
Perhaps you feel your belly or your chest expand a little more.
Next time you inhale,
Take ten whole counts to get to the top of your breath.
Then gently release,
Also counting to ten until you have exhaled completely.
When you inhale again,
Breathe in for nine counts and exhale for nine counts.
On your own time,
Slowly breathing in and slowly breathing out,
Count backwards,
Eight counts,
Then seven,
Then six,
And so on.
It's okay to miscount or if you miss a number.
Know that it's also okay if you don't get all the way down to one.
Simply keep counting slowly and evenly as you allow each breath to settle in and to allow you to relax even more.
With your focus right here,
The space between your eyebrows will move now to Manomaya Kosha,
Our body of thoughts and emotions.
Do this by exploring emotions,
Exploring how they feel,
Where you feel them as they rise.
Start by clearing the space between your eyebrows,
Creating a neutral,
Clear space.
Then in this neutral,
Clear space,
Allow the feeling of lonely to rise up.
Allow it to fill your body.
Notice where you feel lonely and how you feel lonely.
Now allow lonely to release and bring in the feeling of friendship.
What sensations come up when you feel friendship in your body?
Simply observe friendship.
Keep friendship add in lonely.
Hold them both together,
These two opposites,
Lonely and friendship.
Allow them to intertwine together to create a whole.
And gently allow them both to release.
Come back to your clear and neutral space,
Space between your eyebrows.
Allow the feeling of emptiness to rise.
What does emptiness create within you?
What's it like to feel emptiness?
Release empty.
And now bring in full.
When something is full,
Or when you feel full,
What sensations rise within you?
Notice full.
Then add in emptiness.
Allow them both to be together and to exist together.
Then allow them both to release.
Come back to your clear and neutral space.
Now add in shame.
Feel shame.
Just observe what it creates,
What it brings up,
What rises when you feel shame.
Let shame go.
And bring in confidence.
What can you notice when you feel confident?
What does it feel like,
Sensationally,
To feel confident?
Keep confidence.
Add in shame.
Unite these opposites.
Allow them to coexist and create a whole.
And finally let them both release.
Shift back to your neutral space.
Feel your whole body connected now.
Physical body,
Energy body,
Your thoughts and emotions.
Your whole body connected and whole.
Keep your awareness in the center of your brow as we move now to vinanamaya kosha,
Your body of insight and wisdom.
We'll begin with a rapid visualization.
In your mind's eye,
See the image that's named and once the next is named,
Simply move on to the next image.
Start by seeing in your mind's eye an old watering can.
A butterfly.
A landscape of mountains in the distance.
A lemon.
Kids playing basketball.
A red slide at a playground.
Rolling green hills.
A bumblebee.
A group of tall pine trees.
A freshly baked cake cooling on a counter.
An ocean wave.
A white cloud.
The bright warm sun shining above you.
Observe the glow of the sun above you.
Feel its warmth envelop your skin.
Imagine the feeling of the sun filling you up with its light,
Pouring it right through the crown of your head to fill your whole body.
Now as you look away from the sun to see what's around you,
You notice you are in the most beautiful place.
Perhaps you've been to this place before.
Or maybe this is a beautiful place that you've been longing to go for quite some time.
This beautiful place is yours.
Look around at where you are,
Where you believe is the most beautiful place.
On a mountain,
In a forest,
On a beach,
Or maybe even in the Arctic.
Simply allow yourself to soak in what your inner wisdom brought up to be your most beautiful place.
Observe colors,
The landscape,
And notice the feelings that rise when you look around.
Soak it in.
As you gaze around at this beautiful place,
You see that there is no path to walk,
Nowhere to be,
Nowhere to urgently rush to.
You are allowed to be right here,
Still and calm.
You notice beneath your feet is a small clearing for you to sit,
As if this beautiful place was made just for you to enjoy.
You sit down in this small clearing beneath your feet,
Gaze upon your beautiful place even more.
As you gaze around,
Notice on the earth in front of you lies a small stone.
This stone is misshaped and lying all on its own.
You pick it up and allow it to lie in the palm of your hand in your lap.
You feel its warmth in your palm,
And from it you also feel and notice that it's soft to the touch.
Rather than trying to manipulate or figure this stone out,
You simply hold it,
And you continue to look around at your beautiful place.
As you gaze upon every intricate part of your beautiful landscape,
You now see every single intricate piece as yours.
Each tree of your forest or rock of your mountain or each grain of sand on your beach,
Whatever landscape you find yourself in for your beautiful place,
You see each piece as part of your life.
Perhaps you can observe certain pieces of your landscape and notice that it represents work you've accomplished,
Situations and relationships that are still continuing to grow,
Situations and relationships that have come to fruition,
And struggles that have grown into full trees or mountains because you persevered.
This beautiful place is yours.
Each part of its landscape took time to grow.
It took work,
Pushing forward,
Even pain to create this beautiful place.
It did not take a simple step or two.
This beautiful place was not born from comfort,
But from time and determination and gumption.
And you are here.
Notice each piece of this landscape.
Feel each struggle that has bloomed into something greater.
Each relationship that continues to grow.
Each grain of earth beneath you that is still here to support you now.
Continue to gaze upon this beautiful place that is yours.
As you sit and soak in every piece of your beautiful place,
You begin to feel a presence near you.
This presence begins to appear sitting next to you.
Perhaps it's a person from your past,
Present or future,
Or it could be a symbol of a situation or a relationship that you have been struggling to forgive and release.
Allow the presence of this person or situation to be next to you.
Feel the energy resonating from them.
You are here.
Now look out to your beautiful place.
Observe the landscape and see where this presence fits in your beautiful place.
Perhaps they belong by the trees,
The water,
Or maybe it's time for them to leave and move on to a different place.
Notice the choice you have to place this presence in your beautiful place or to simply allow them to release.
With your next breath,
You notice the presence starts to dissipate as you allow them to be placed in your landscape,
Or you allow them to be released up to the sun above you.
As the presence flows on or becomes an important piece of your beautiful landscape,
You allow for a feeling of forgiveness,
Release,
And calm.
For you know that this presence was meant to be a part of your journey.
It was an intricate part in the creation of your beautiful place.
Take in once more your beautiful place,
Filled with your work,
Your conquered struggles,
Your accomplishments.
Now bring your awareness back to the misshaped stone in your hand.
You notice now that this misshaped stone is beginning to move in the palm of your hand.
It wiggles and begins to crack open.
You now see that this misshaped stone is not a stone at all,
It's a cocoon.
And from the cracks of this cocoon begins to emerge a butterfly.
Observe this butterfly as it presses and stretches its way out of its cocoon.
What colors can you observe on this butterfly?
How big or small is your butterfly?
After much stressing and work,
The butterfly emerges.
It flutters up in front of your eyes,
As if gazing into your eyes.
You see in the distance a whole cloud of butterflies waiting,
But they've been patiently waiting for this butterfly in your hand to emerge.
It's now time for this butterfly to fly.
You release from the butterfly's gaze and watch as it flutters to the place that's been waiting for them.
You watch the butterfly fly on.
Once the butterflies have flown on,
You bring your awareness back to your beautiful place.
You see the warm sun.
You feel it enveloping your beautiful place.
You feel it enveloping you.
You feel in your chest a few simple words start to grow.
These words are your sun kalpa.
Repeat your sun kalpa to yourself now three times,
This time knowing the beauty that comes from time,
Patience,
Struggle,
And perseverance,
And the truth that these words hold for you.
We move now to Anandamaya kosha,
Your fifth kosha.
This is your layer or being of complete bliss.
Tell yourself to feel what's here for you now.
You may choose to return with what you learned on your journey,
And know that what you find in your yoga nidra practice is entirely of your own creation.
It's a part of the wisdom found within you.
Your practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Take a deep breath in and exhale softly out.
Fill up again.
This time allow your breath to sigh out loud through your mouth.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
All is truth.
All is reality.
All is good.
Take your time rising out of your practice,
And thank you for sharing your time with me today.
I look forward to sitting with you again soon.
Have a beautiful day.
