Prepare yourself for yoga nidra by making sure that you are completely comfortable.
Lay on your back with cushion beneath your body,
Support under the head,
And bolsters under the backs of the knees.
Ensure that the feet are not touching the floor,
That the body is warm enough,
And that you will not be disturbed.
Close your eyes and take the next few moments to adjust anything that feels uncomfortable – the body's position,
The props,
Or your clothing – until you are able to completely let go.
Yoga nidra is the practice of psychic sleep.
It is a systematic relaxation of the body,
The breath,
The mind,
And emotions until you are in an alpha-wave state.
During this state,
Your body is completely relaxed,
And the eyes are closed,
But the mind is conscious and aware.
Through this relaxed awareness,
You can let go of everyday stresses and experience a deeply healing state of equanimity.
While practicing yoga nidra,
Try not to fall completely asleep.
The secret of the practice is to reach and sustain the twilight state of consciousness between the waking and the sleeping states.
My voice will act as an anchor to keep you relaxed and in the present moment.
If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts,
Continue listening with your full attention.
If you feel yourself drifting,
Simply return to the sound of my voice and follow the words being spoken.
Take a moment to witness the state of your emotions,
The flavor of your mood.
What has been happening lately that is causing you stress?
Is it possible to look at the situation objectively without falling into the story in your mind?
Have you been able to connect to gratitude lately?
What might be blocking your ability to feel grateful for all of the gifts of your life?
Notice this all without judgment.
Take a snapshot of your emotional tone and then allow it to dissolve into silence and stillness.
And from this calm and receptive state,
Create an intention or a sankalpa to help you deal with your daily stressors more easily.
Come up with a short,
Positive statement in simple language beginning with I am.
Perhaps the intention,
I am grateful,
Resonates with you.
If not,
Shape a personalized intention with care and state it to yourself three times.
The sankalpa you used during yoga nidra plants a seed for transformation in your life.
You will now embark on an orderly tracing of the sensory pathways in the body.
Say the name of the body part to yourself after you hear it and move all of your awareness into that part.
You will relax the mind by relaxing the body.
Begin at the center of the chest,
All awareness at the center of the chest.
Feel the right side of the chest,
The left side of the chest,
The right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right rib cage,
Left rib cage,
The sternum,
Upper abdomen,
Navel center,
Lower abdomen,
Right groin,
Left groin,
The pelvic floor,
Tailbone,
Sacrum,
Right buttock,
The left buttock,
The entire spine from the tailbone to the base of the skull,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
The eyebrow center,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
The whole nose,
Upper lip,
Lower lip,
Chin,
Jaw,
Throat,
Right collarbone,
Left collarbone,
Right chest,
Left chest,
Back to the heart center.
Move your awareness into your right hand thumb,
The first finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
And fourth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Armpit,
Chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Groin,
Buttock,
Thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Right calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the right foot,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And the fifth toe.
Then move all awareness into the left hand thumb,
First finger,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Back of the hand,
Wrist,
Forearm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Chest,
Waist,
Hip,
Groin,
Buttock,
Thigh,
Left knee,
Calf,
Ankle,
Heel,
Sole of the left foot,
Top of the foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
And fifth toe.
Now feel the whole left leg,
The whole right leg,
Both legs together,
The whole left arm,
The whole right arm,
Both arms together.
Feel your entire torso,
The face,
The head,
The body,
The whole body.
Feel your entire body.
You are practicing yoga nidra.
You are awake and aware of the words being spoken.
Begin to focus on your natural easy breath.
Where in your torso do you feel the movement that breath creates?
For now,
Do not change the breath.
Simply observe what is already happening.
Some breaths will be long and smooth.
Some short and not as complete.
Allow each breath to come to you however it presents itself.
How does it feel to pull breath into your body?
Notice the activity of inhalation.
Drawing the breath into your body,
Creating a sense of fulfillment and potential.
Focus for a few moments on the feeling of inhaling.
Can you feel the movement of the breath near the heart center?
A gentle lifting and expansion on the inhale.
Imagine that your breath originates from your heart center and as you inhale,
The energy of the breath expands outward in all directions.
On your exhale,
Simply relax.
Continue to inhale from your heart center,
Imagining that space expanding larger and larger.
The emotional center is relaxed and open,
Able to experience any emotion that might arise.
Continue witnessing sensations of lightness in the heart center as you breathe easily.
Next,
Notice the release of the exhalations.
Surrender the breath out of your body,
Creating a sense of emptiness.
Focus for a few moments on the feeling of each exhalation.
Try not to force the breath out from the body,
But allow it to slowly dissipate.
Feel the passivity of the exhale that surrenders the air from your body.
Now notice the places where the exhalations become inhalations,
Where the inhalations become exhalations.
Can you feel the peace within these transitions?
The quiet space where nothing is happening.
The potential of the inhale and the surrender of the exhale dissolve into one another.
Focus for a few more moments on the transitions between inhale and exhale,
Between exhale and inhale.
Allow your mind to drop into that stillness.
Continue to feel your entire body and notice that each part of the body feels very heavy and grounded into the earth.
The arms are heavy,
The legs are heavy,
The torso is heavy,
The head is so heavy that you couldn't move it.
The body is feeling so heavy and dense that you seem to be sinking down into the floor.
Now experience the whole body becoming light and buoyant.
A floating and weightless sensation comes into the arms and legs.
The head and torso feel light and floating.
The weight of the body has disappeared and you seem to be rising away from the floor and toward the ceiling.
Move back into the feeling of resting in comfort and safety as you practice yoga nidra.
Remember a time in your life when you felt frustration.
Do not dwell on the reason,
Frustration at not being understood or at things not going your way.
Notice what remembered frustration does to your body and your breath.
Does it make you want to hold your breath?
Does it feel like you want to force something to happen?
Remember frustration.
Now remember the opposite,
A feeling of patience.
Patience while waiting in line or waiting to hear back from someone.
Knowing that everyone is doing the best they can under their current circumstances.
Is patience accompanied by an opening or softening sensation?
Remember patience.
Remember a time when you felt ungrateful,
When you may have felt entitled or selfish.
Perhaps you were seeking things for yourself without concern for anyone else's needs,
Or needs never being satisfied.
Compassionately remember that time.
How did that state of being manifest itself within your body or your mind?
Now allow a wave of gratitude to overcome you.
There is a deep thankfulness and appreciation for everything that you have been given and everything that you are.
Bring into your mind the people that you appreciate,
The home you live in,
And the things you gather around you.
Feel grateful.
You are practicing yoga nidra.
Please make sure that you are awake and aware.
Begin to look deeply into the space in front of your closed eyelids.
Imagine there a screen as if you were at the theater watching a movie.
At first the screen is blank,
But slowly images begin to emerge.
There may be colors,
Shapes,
Or patterns that you notice.
Try not to push any image away nor hold on to any image.
Whatever you see there is within the unfolding of your mind.
If thoughts occur,
Allow them to arise and dissolve.
Stay detached from the images on the mental screen.
Notice being a witness to what is seen without any emotional reaction.
Now as you hear these objects,
Envision them as clearly as you can on your mental screen.
Imagine noticing emotions but remain a passive observer.
Imagine a gentle sunrise,
Your reflection in a mirror,
A full laundry basket,
A small room,
Your bedroom,
A snowy forest,
Feeling disconnected,
White fluffy clouds in the sky,
An angry voice,
A bouquet of flowers,
A dog's wagging tail,
A feeling of gratitude,
An overgrown front lawn,
A traffic jam,
Your favorite place,
A stack of newspapers,
Feeling patience,
A framed photograph,
Witnessing selfish behavior,
Your front door,
And your body resting in yoga nidra.
Use your imagination to notice all of the gifts in your life,
From your physical body that moves you safely through the world to your friends and family that provide emotional support.
Use this opportunity to offer gratitude to the beauty in your life.
I am grateful for my body,
Even with its aches,
Pains,
And illnesses.
It teaches me to be patient with myself and others.
I am grateful for my breath that continues even when I am not thinking about it.
It draws life force into my body to keep me healthy and vital.
I am grateful to have the energy to get out of bed and move through my day,
No matter what it brings.
I remember that I can always practice yoga nidra when I need extra rest.
When I feel stressed about having to do housework,
I remember that I am grateful for my home and the objects within it,
For my bed and furniture,
For my clothing when I am doing laundry,
For running water and food when I must wash dishes or go grocery shopping.
I am grateful for my family,
Even if we do not always agree.
They teach me about love and forgiveness.
I am grateful for my chosen family,
The people I choose to invite into my life.
They teach me about giving and receiving.
I am grateful for my challenges and obstacles.
They teach me about moving forward.
I am grateful for my emotions and what they have to teach me.
I greet them all as old friends.
I am grateful for my life.
I remind myself that it is a divine gift.
I am grateful to be part of the interconnected web of the universe and feel secure within it.
Now it is time to repeat your sankalpa.
Repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice,
Three times silently,
With rich awareness and feeling.
Relax completely into the moment and bring attention to your calm and peaceful state of mind.
The emotions,
Thoughts,
And memories move through the mind like sand through a sieve.
There is no sense of grasping or pushing away anything in the mind.
Watch your breath come and go in a similar fashion.
Inhale followed by exhale.
Followed by inhale.
Moment by moment by moment.
Feel too the quiet comfortable state of your body.
It is so still and peaceful that you are almost unaware of your physical form.
Begin to bring consciousness into the places where the back of your body is touching the floor.
Then imagine the four walls of the room,
The ceiling,
The floor,
And remember the time of day as you begin to awaken.
Start by making small,
Conscious movements in the fingers and the toes.
Then move the hands and the feet.
Turn the head slowly from side to side.
Open the eyes to allow the outside world to slowly come into focus.
Gently bend the knees and roll over to your side.
Then when you are ready to come up,
Use the strength of your arms to push yourself up from the floor.
And the practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
