Star Grounding With Yoga Nidra

As we begin the practice of yoga nidra today,

Bring your physical body into a position of rest,

Laying on your back in the pose we know best as savasana.

Allow your legs and arms to stretch wide here,

Taking up space.

You are worthy of taking up space in this room,

On this earth.

Perhaps you want to place a pillow behind the thighs for support,

Covering up your physical body with a blanket to ensure your comfort for the duration of the practice.

Allow your physical body to settle in here,

Adjusting any flesh,

Anything that is feeling discomfort,

Releasing any tension that may be sitting on your shoulders.

Allow the wings of your shoulder blades to spread wide and tuck under,

Opening the heart center.

Nice deep inhale all the way into the low belly.

Once again,

Filling the lungs,

The ribs,

The whole belly with your breath.

Full exhale,

Let it all out,

Bringing your awareness to the space in between your eyebrows,

Allowing any tension that is being held there to release.

Visualize your release in a way that resonates with you the most.

Go surrender,

Bringing your awareness to your upper and lower jaw,

Releasing the tongue off the roof of the mouth.

Release any tension that is being held in your jaw,

The neck and the throat.

Allow your physical body to be supported by the ground beneath you.

Feel the divine mother earth holding you below,

Fully supported,

Adjusting anything in the physical body that is feeling discomfort here.

As we move through the practice of yoga nidra,

Keeping the body still,

Allowing our physical body to rest while maintaining awareness of our mental mind,

Allowing us to witness what is going on within.

As we begin this practice,

Saying silently to yourself now,

I will not fall asleep.

I am practicing yoga nidra.

When we are able to hold awareness,

That is where the gift of true transformation can begin to flourish.

Know that if you do drift away and fall asleep,

Perhaps that is just exactly what your soul required today.

Know that you are still receiving all of the benefits of today's practice that you require.

Allow your physical eyes to sink into the skull.

If you haven't already done so,

Allow your eyelids to close.

Welcome yourself to a softer place.

Softer body,

Body loosening,

Become aware of your physical body laying on the floor in this room.

In your mind's eye,

Seeing your body laying on the floor in this room.

Bringing your sankalpa into the forefront of your mind now.

The sankalpa is your I am statement.

The agreement within yourself that you are already whole,

The heart remembering.

Here we are overriding any beliefs that we have downloaded to keep ourselves safe and oftentimes small.

Your sankalpa is the opposite of your core limiting belief,

The opposite of your samskara.

Perhaps there was a time in life that you did not feel safe to be fully who you are.

Using the sankalpa of I am safe may resonate deep within you.

Perhaps in this life you have felt that you are not enough,

That you are not worthy of good and greatness.

Maybe the sankalpa of I am enough,

I am worthy stirs something within your heart.

Have you been feeling alone like you just don't quite fit in anywhere?

Know that you are chosen and meant to be here.

Perhaps the sankalpa of I am chosen is the one for you.

Searching deep into your heart now for the words that you long to say to yourself,

The remembering that you are already whole.

If you have previously practiced yopanedra using the same sankalpa throughout the duration of our practices,

Repeating your sankalpa silently to yourself now three times,

Believing it within your heart center and allowing it to radiate through your entire physical body and beyond.

I am,

I am,

I am.

Surrender to trust,

Release your sankalpa,

Practicing the art of non-attachment outcome here.

As we now move to the rotation of consciousness,

Allow me to guide you as we move through the physical body,

As we bring our awareness to different points in the body as if they have been touched and then fully relaxing that point before we move on to the next.

Allow your mind to be fully present with the guidance in my voice.

Tune in to the part of the body mentioned,

Bringing your awareness to your right hand thumb,

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Awareness to the palm of your right hand,

Back of your right hand,

The wrist,

Whole lower arm,

Right side,

Right elbow,

The inside of the right elbow,

Upper arm,

Right armpit,

The top of the right shoulder,

Right collarbone,

The whole right side of the chest,

The whole right side of the ribs,

Right side of the abdomen,

Whole right side of the pelvis,

Right upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

The right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Sole of the right foot,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Awareness to the space in between your toes,

Awareness of the whole right side of the body,

Whole right side,

Awareness now to the left hand thumb,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the left hand,

The back of the left hand,

The wrist,

Lower arm,

Left elbow,

Inside of the left elbow,

Upper arm,

Left armpit,

The top of the left shoulder,

Left collarbone,

Whole left side of the chest,

Whole left side of the ribs,

Left side of the abdomen,

Left side of the pelvis,

Left upper leg,

Left knee,

Left lower leg,

Left ankle,

Top of the left foot,

The sole of the left foot,

First toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Space in between the toes,

Awareness of the whole left side of the body,

Whole side connected to the whole right side of the body,

Bring your awareness to the top of your head now,

To the top of the head,

Awareness of the forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

The nose,

Awareness of the tip of the nose,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The chin,

The chin,

The throat,

Heart center,

Belly button,

The tips of your toes,

Awareness to the whole front side of the body,

Front side,

Awareness to the back of the head,

Back of the head,

The back of the neck,

Whole right shoulder blade,

Shoulder blade,

Middle of the back,

Left side,

Lower back,

Right side,

Lower back,

Awareness of the whole spine,

Whole spine,

The tailbone,

Tailbone,

Right hip,

Left hip,

The back of the right knee,

The back of the left knee,

The right heel,

Left heel,

Awareness of the whole back side of the body,

Whole back side connected to the whole front side,

Awareness of the whole body now,

Right,

Left,

Front,

Back,

Whole body awareness,

Whole body connected,

Release the awareness of your whole physical body now,

As we move on to pranamaya kosha,

Repeating silently to yourself now,

I will not fall asleep,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

Bring your awareness to the natural rhythm of your breath,

Awareness of breath,

Filling and emptying,

Become aware that you are breathing,

Notice how unconsciously your breath moves in and out of your body,

The rhythm similar to the waves of the ocean,

Maintain your awareness of breath and begin counting backwards from 47 to 1,

It will sound something like this,

Inhale 47,

Exhale 47,

Inhale 46,

Exhale 46,

Inhale 45,

Exhale 45,

And so on,

And so on,

Continue counting your breath backwards from 47 to 1,

If you lose your place with counting,

You must begin again at 47,

Counting and awareness,

Awareness and counting,

No sleeping,

Just counting of breath from 47 to 1,

Awareness and counting from 47 to 1,

Release the counting of breath,

Release the counting of breath,

Allow your breath to return to the natural rhythm,

Release the counting,

As we move on to visualization,

Picture yourself standing in a room,

Visualize yourself standing in a room,

As we ground down and connect into the earth here,

Know that you can take this practice with you whenever you feel called to,

Visualize yourself drawing a six pointed star on the floor in front of you,

The color of the star that is appearing on the floor is golden and bright,

Six pointed star on the floor in front of your feet,

Visualize the light coming up from the star,

From the star,

Can see and feel the light even through your closed eyelids,

Bring your physical body into the center of the star,

Imagine a full circle around the six pointed star,

All points of the star are touching the circle,

You are drawing around it,

In your mind's eye,

Imagine a six pointed star inside of a circle forming above your head,

This star and circle are bright and golden,

The completion of the drawing,

The cylinder of light surrounds your entire being,

As the stars connect,

The space in between is filled in the most magnificent golden white light,

You begin to feel any attachments or cords that are no longer serving your highest good,

Release off of your physical body,

They begin to fall away,

Giving the gift of your own energy back to you,

Anywhere there was an attachment or a cord,

Begins to seal with the golden light,

This is your star and space of protection,

As you begin to ground down,

You feel your energetic roots sinking deep into the ground below you,

Like roots moving through the earth,

Traveling through dirt and earth,

Traveling,

Traveling,

Heading straight to the core of the earth,

The earth's heart,

The earth's center,

Your roots are traveling towards the core of the earth,

As you arrive at the core,

Your roots begin to fill with the most magnificent silvery light,

As mother earth fills you with grounding,

Fills you with love and nurturing,

You bow your head in gratitude to her,

To her never ending love and support,

Grounding down into the earth's core,

As your roots begin to make their way back home to you,

Notice how you are feeling,

Standing in your star of protection,

Feet are heavily planted on the floor,

What is happening inside of your body,

As your star and circle from above you begins to disappear,

As does the one below your feet,

Allow yourself to visualize your physical body once again,

Laying on the floor in this room,

Grounded,

Connected,

Bringing your awareness,

The space in between your eyebrows,

I will name a few objects,

And as I name each one,

Please try to visualize them to the best of your abilities,

As you bring your awareness to the space in between your eyebrows,

Notice what color you are seeing,

Is it darkness,

Is it light,

Is it colorful,

Red rose,

Lily pads,

Snow capped mountains,

A wolf,

The path through the dense forest,

Clover,

Dirt,

The river bank,

An Egyptian pyramid,

Pink sunrise,

Leaves falling from the tree,

Laughing children,

Sunset on the ocean,

A deserted beach,

Twinkling stars,

Crescent moon,

Darkness of the sky,

Bringing back the awareness of the Sancalpa that you spoke at the beginning of today's practice,

As we repeat the same Sancalpa that we spoke today three times,

Allowing yourself to believe it,

To trust,

To know,

It is already true,

It is already within,

I am,

I am,

I am,

I am anchoring back into your physical body,

Allow your mind's eye to see yourself laying on the floor of this room,

Bringing the sensation of temperature back to your skin,

Bring the sensation of sound back to your ears,

What do you hear in this room,

What do you notice with your inner eye,

What object is closest to you,

What object is furthest away,

Awareness of breath,

Fill up your physical body with the oxygen of the room,

When you're ready,

Bringing slight movement into your fingertips,

Moving down your fingers into your hands,

Into your toes,

Wiggling of the feet,

Movement of the ankles and legs,

Arms,

Perhaps your physical body wants to take a full body stretch here,

Reaching your arms above your head,

Allow yourself to hear what is being asked of you from within,

When you're ready,

Rolling onto your side of choice into fetal position,

Notice every part of your body that is touching the floor,

Connected,

Grounded,

Always supported,

Stay here as long as you require,

Whether you're ready to drift off or rest or continue on your day,

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Haryom tat sat,

Haryom tat sat,

Haryom tat sat.