Yoga Nidra - Play Of Opposites, Landing Into The Field Of Awareness

Welcome to this practice of yoga nidra Choose a comfortable position,

Whether that be laying down on your back,

Perhaps sitting in a chair or on the floor or any other position that would be appropriate for you at this time that you can remain undisturbed for the duration of this practice If you choose to lie down on your back,

You can make yourself very comfortable by placing a cushion or bolster behind the back of bent knees a small cushion behind the head to support and whatever position you choose,

Do take any coverings to keep yourself warm as the body naturally relaxes,

It will cool down so it's good to sort yourself out before we move into the main body of the practice Once you've got yourself in your position just notice whether you could be even just 5 to 10% more comfortable make that little adjustment,

It's worth the effort any fidget or wiggle,

Scratch of the nose adjustments to your coverings and then let the body become still but if the need arises that the body wishes to move just notice if that is a necessity and if it is,

Do so with the least amount of disturbance for yourself and now allow your senses to open just acknowledging the environment around you any sounds,

Whether they be far off in the distance or whether they be close by,

Perhaps in the immediate environment or even sounds within the body,

Such as movements within the digestion system a pulse here or there,

The beating of the heart or even the sound of your own breath feel the breath moves with ease,

Un-resisted but then discern whether there may be some irregularities within the breath whether the inhalation is a little longer than the out-breath or areas of the breath which may be a little bit more ragged areas that are more laboured as opposed to other parts of the breath that flow with ease and smoothness now if it feels appropriate,

You can now make an intent for this practice this intent could include to get more rest it could be to develop more awareness whatever it is,

Just acknowledge that intent for the practice and perhaps that's a step towards a larger intent as you bring your attention into the centre of the chest the centre of the heart perhaps the heartfelt desire of your being wishes to arise your heartfelt desire may be a wishing for how you wish to be within this lifetime positive feelings or positive attributes that you wish to foster or nourish or perhaps the heart wishes to manifest something a purpose,

A mission that can be created in this life know that whatever the heart wishes to desire is actually already here so make a statement of truth in the present tense use wording that acknowledges its current presence and then repeat it to yourself three times with faith and with feeling and with the heartfelt desire now landed into this fertile earth of your being you can now take a little time if it feels right to feel into this place of being within you a feeling of wholeness,

An experience of being complete or grounded and if it feels far off to connect to that straightaway you can use a visualisation,

Whether that be of a memory or perhaps an imagined place maybe it's a place in nature,

On a mountain or on a beach perhaps a special situation with special people or beings that you're connected to but a time,

A place,

A situation where you felt that everything was as it should be this nourishing feeling of an inner sanctuary that can arise a place to refuge to and as you continue to experience this feeling and whatever words arise from it perhaps the visualisation may dissolve and the feeling remains and let this experience resonate throughout your whole body that you are already full and complete you are already being within this moment or maybe it's an experience that you are okay and as we continue to move through the practice you continue to foster this experience that it is always there as a companion to support you and guide you through whatever situations may arise continue to experience that as you feel for any sensations within the jaw feeling into the hinges of the jaw sensations of the mouth the inner cheeks,

The right and the left the roof and the floor of the mouth the tongue,

Teeth and gums feel the whole of the mouth as an experience of sensation and then move along the inner pathways of the ear canals all the way up to the outer folds and creases of the ears sensations across the outer cheeks to the nostrils and feel the natural breath as it ebbs and flows in and out of the nostrils perhaps discerning the difference in temperature,

The slightly cooler in breath in comparison to the slightly warmer out breath feeling sensations of coolness across the forehead and experience the eyes,

The right eye eyebrow,

Cheekbone and eyeball feel the sphere of the eyeball on the right side as vibrant sensation feel the left eye,

Eyebrow,

Cheekbone and the left eyeball,

Shimmering with sensation feelings of sensations across the scalp the back of the skull and feel the hold of the head as a globe of sensation moving down the neck,

Front,

Back,

Left and right down the inner throat,

Experiencing the breath as it brushes up and down through the windpipe moving down to the right shoulder joint and as a stream of sensation moving down the upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm to the right hand palm,

Back of the hand the thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger and little finger feel the hold of the right arm as a stream of sensation from fingertips to shoulder moving over to the left shoulder and again flowing down the left upper arm,

Elbow,

Lower arm the hand,

Palm,

Back of the hand and the left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger and little finger feel the hold of the left arm as a stream of sensation from fingertips to shoulder experience both the arms now as pure sensation and a feeling of heaviness moving attention now to the upper back upper chest,

Mid back,

Lower chest,

Lower back and abdomen feel the hold of the torso as a field of sensation the hold of the pelvis,

Top and bottom,

Front and back,

Left and right moving to the left hip joint and like a river of sensation flowing down the upper left leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Foot and all five toes now back up to the right hip joint,

Flowing down the right leg,

Upper leg,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Foot and all five toes feel both legs alive with sensation and feel the whole body as a field of vibrant,

Shimmering,

Tingling sensation and as you experience the feeling of the body also acknowledge in this place of being,

This ease of being that is there allowing you to witness these experiences and continue to witness as you observe the movement of the breath the breath flowing easefully,

Naturally maybe you feel the breath at the abdomen,

The chest or at the nostrils but wherever you experience the breath,

Begin to count down each breath from 18 down to 0 you can do so like this,

In breath,

Out breath 18,

In breath,

Out breath 17 and so on and so forth so the aim is not to reach zero,

Although that may happen what may happen as well is you lose count and so if either of these occur,

Just go back to 18 and continue to count down so each breath has your full attention because like anything,

It wishes to be connected to,

Experienced,

Felt or seen all the time the ease of being is there,

As an impartial witness and as you feel into this ease of being,

You may even notice that when you look for its location there may seem to be a particular place where it is at the same time there seems to also be this non-locality experience of being though both is true now let go of the attention from the breath and notice the weight of the body,

Feeling the sense of heaviness throughout the body heavy legs,

Heavy arms,

The head and trunk of the body feeling very heavy the whole body weighing down,

Create for yourself this feeling of heaviness and now becoming aware of an experience of lightness light in the legs,

Light in the arms,

Light throughout the body and the head the whole body barely touching the ground where you lay light body,

Weightless,

Easeful and then to come out of thinking mind,

To come more into feeling and heart mind can you now experience both heaviness and light simultaneously heaviness and lightness at the same time let's be curious to that experience how is it for you?

And now turning your attention to a feeling of joy a feeling of joyfulness and whatever other attending experiences come with this feeling of joy perhaps a visceral sensation that you feel within your body maybe memories are evoked with this feeling of joy and then for you,

What is the opposite experience to joy?

Maybe this is within the body somewhere can you nurture this opposite feeling to joy?

Let it come up,

Let it be experienced,

Let it be felt and seen maybe physical experiences come with it and if at any time this feels uncomfortable,

Know that you can always return back to the ease of being that you've been nurturing all the way through otherwise continue to feel this opposite and then go back to the feeling of joy,

Or your experience of it and then on your own,

In your own time,

Start to take your attention from the feeling of joy to its opposite experience to joy,

But in your own time,

Fluctuate in between these two opposites you may notice with each visitation of these experiences,

They bring slightly different flavours or perhaps they stay the same and then can you bring both of these opposite experiences to land into the container of awareness simultaneously joy and its opposite being felt at the same time what is this experience?

Maybe it has words to experience or describe it,

And maybe it doesn't be with whatever feeling there is for you that you can peel off the labels and be with the sensation underneath it now allow this experience to dissolve and if there might be a belief that you have about yourself what would that belief be?

It could be something like I'm not good enough,

Or some other repeating pattern that you find inhibits your life in some way know that you can always return back to the feeling of wellbeing,

The ease of being otherwise be in this place that you repeat to yourself,

That you tell yourself about yourself and all the sensations that come with it and then if there might be an opposite to this belief,

What would that be?

Can you bring about this opposite experience?

Let it come up where would it possibly be within the body?

And then again moving from one belief to its opposite belief you can take your time feeling one fully,

And then feeling the opposite observing what shifts,

What differences may occur,

But remaining the witness of this process and then again hold both these experiences simultaneously,

This original belief you have around yourself but also its opposite is it possible to hold both of those situations simultaneously?

And as you land back into ease of being again,

This part of being that is unchanging that you can observe everything that arises within this field of awareness be it identifying thoughts,

That I am this,

I am not that be it beliefs,

Feelings,

Sensations,

Be it the body,

The breath,

Or even anything that comes to you through the senses let all of this be arisings that you welcome fully as a guesthouse in your home of awareness arrive home in your space of awareness and those arisings may draw you back to identify with them in some way and if that happens again let go into this vast field of awareness let go into this spaciousness that holds you safe and secure there may be times when a little bit of sleep comes in a thought that I am this or I am that observe all of these and then let go again,

Let go into the field of awareness that this is a place of home,

Your true essence it's landing into your true being a field of unlimited potential,

Creativity that you can awaken to who you truly are and you can stay here as long as you wish,

Maybe even pressing pause on the recording and just basking in your true nature or if you are ready to,

We will start to take our return journey journeying back into the land of cognition,

Feeling,

Sensations,

Breath and body but still with this sweet experience,

This fragrance of where you've been and what you really are if you wish to reconnect with your heartfelt desire and repeat it again to yourself and with each repetition feel for it resonate within your body within every cell of your being repeat its words or be with the feeling of it,

What the heart is manifesting and then allowing your attention to drift out to the sounds around you and let those sounds draw you back to this present moment but still with the wisdom of who you are you can allow the breath to deepen,

Perhaps little movements with the fingers and the toes,

Hands and feet and when it feels right you can roll on over to one side and slowly push yourself up to a seated position you can either bring the palms together or rest your hands on your heart a gentle bow of the head towards the heart that the head is surrendering to the wisdom within the heart as this practice of yoga nidra now comes towards its completion and that the practice is practice for nourishing these experiences,

Insights and learnings so they feed into the rest of our day to day life Om