Yoga Nidra For Challenging Times

This Yoga Nidra practice is for challenging times.

When we are facing challenges,

Emotions are running high.

It's important to remember that emotions are energy in motion.

We can practice allowing these emotions to move through us without attaching,

Holding,

Gripping or pushing them away.

Resistance equals suffering.

So during this Yoga Nidra practice,

We surrender to what is.

We allow our higher self to step in and take the driver's seat in full trust that the hardships we are experiencing are just stepping stones to our growth and transformation.

The growing pains that we experience are testing us in how much we deeply trust in ourselves and in the universe.

Let's prepare for our practice now.

So begin in a laying down position,

Arms by your side,

Palms facing up.

Take up as much space as you need.

Take your time to adjust until you feel as comfortable as possible so that you can remain still throughout the practice.

You might like a pillow underneath your knees to support your lower back or something to cover your eyes and something to support your neck if needed.

Closing down your eyes,

Drop into your experience here laying on your support.

Place all of your worries and doubts aside for your practice and take a deep breath in.

Feel the heaviness of anything that is weighing you down as you breathe out.

Feel the weight of those fears and worries lift from your physical body,

Becoming lighter and lighter until you become motionless.

Become aware of the sounds now.

Tune in to the most distant sound you can hear outside of this building.

Gradually withdraw your senses back into this building,

Into this room.

Visualize yourself in this room,

Laying down.

Become aware of your breathing.

See,

Sense,

Feel and hear your breath moving in and out like waves in the ocean of your body.

Try to remain awake throughout the practice.

If you feel yourself drifting off at any moment,

Come back to the sound of my voice.

It is now time to state your sankalpa,

Your resolve,

Your intention.

Your sankalpa is something in the present tense such as,

I trust.

Take a moment to feel into something that you would like to cultivate in this session,

In your life.

Your sankalpa is like a seed that you plant in the fertile soil of your mind.

Now silently state your sankalpa three times.

Drop into how that feels in your physical body,

As you allow your body to sink deeper down into the support.

We will move into a rotation of consciousness.

I will guide you into bringing awareness to each part of your body.

Allow your mind to move freely from body part to body part without concentrating too hard.

Allow your mind to be free.

We will begin on the right side.

Right hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Side waist.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Kneecap.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Bright toes.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Left side.

Left hand thumb.

Second finger.

Third finger.

Fourth finger.

Fifth finger.

Palm of the hand.

Back of the hand.

Wrist.

Lower arm.

Elbow.

Upper arm.

Shoulder.

Armpit.

Side waist.

Hip.

Right thigh.

Kneecap.

Calf muscle.

Ankle.

Heel.

Sole of the foot.

Top of the foot.

Right toes.

Big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Top of the head.

Forehead.

Right eyebrow.

Left eyebrow.

Eyebrow centre.

Right eyelid.

Left eyelid.

Right eye.

Left eye.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Right nostril.

Left nostril.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Chin.

Jaw.

Chest.

Middle of the chest.

Navel.

Upper abdomen.

Lower abdomen.

Right groin.

Left groin.

Right thigh.

Left thigh.

Right knee.

Left knee.

Right shin.

Left shin.

Right ankle.

Left ankle.

Right toes.

Left toes.

Back of the body.

Right sole.

Left sole.

Right heel.

Left heel.

Right calf muscle.

Left calf muscle.

Back of the right knee.

Back of the left knee.

Back of the right thigh.

Back of the left thigh.

Right buttock.

Left buttock.

Right hip.

Left hip.

The whole spine.

The whole spine.

The whole spine.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

Back of the neck.

Back of the head.

Top of the head.

Top of the head.

Whole right leg.

Whole left leg.

Both legs together.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together.

Whole of the head together.

Whole of the back together.

Whole of the front together.

Whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

Become aware of the parts of your body that touch the floor.

Feel the edges of your skin as it connects to your support.

Bring your attention to the soles of your feet.

Feel the skin from your feet to your heels,

Your toes,

The top of your feet to the tips of your toes.

Feel the skin on the palm of your hands to your fingers.

Feel the lines on your palms to your fingers.

Full awareness.

Bring awareness to your face.

The skin on your face.

Your forehead.

Cheeks.

Chin.

The lines on your face.

Your eyelids.

Feel the meeting point between the eyelids.

Lips.

Feel the contact between the lips.

Bring your attention to your breath.

Breathing quietly and slowly without force.

Become conscious of your natural breathing.

Concentrate on the flow of your breath between your navel and your throat.

Feel the breath moving through the passage between these two points.

As you inhale,

The air rises from the navel to the throat.

As you exhale,

The air moves from the throat down to the navel.

Now become aware of the breath through the nostrils.

The natural breath flowing through both nostrils and meeting at the top to form a triangle.

On your next breath in,

Breathe into the left nostril.

As you breathe out,

Sense the air coming down through the right nostril.

Breathing in through the right nostril.

Breathing out through the left.

Breathing in through the left nostril.

Breathing out through the right.

Breathing in through the right nostril.

Breathing out through the left.

Keep going with this alternate nostril breathing,

Nadi shodhana.

Start to let go of that breath.

Become aware of the inner space you see behind your forehead.

Develop your awareness of this space,

An infinite space that extends as far as you can see.

Notice what is here in this space.

Any images or patterns that emerge,

Notice them.

Without attaching any story to them,

Be guided by what you see.

This is your mind manifesting and metabolizing.

I will now guide you through a visualization.

See yourself setting out on a huge journey to climb a sacred mountain.

You know that it is going to be long and difficult to climb,

But you feel sure you will reach the summit.

As you leave your hometown,

You meet your guide.

You have never met this person before,

But you know he is qualified.

You find it difficult to assess his character.

He is not very talkative,

But as you want to make this journey,

You follow him.

You pass through a huge forest of trees beneath the canopy.

And crossing a beautiful clear stream,

You come to an enormous lake.

A tranquilizing blue color,

Clear and fresh.

You notice the ripples on the surface of the lake.

As you walk to the edge,

You take a seat and you stop.

You need a water break.

You begin to feel frustrated.

The forest has become thick and dense,

And it is difficult for you to see ahead.

You begin to lose trust for your guide and you feel far from home.

You can no longer see the mountain ahead.

You begin to walk again through the dense forest of trees.

And as you slowly begin to ascend,

You look back to see the rooftops and the houses behind you.

Finding a clearing,

You notice the forest becoming less and less dense.

With every step your body feels sore and you are tired.

You yearn to return to the comforts of home.

The guide insists you continue at a steady pace.

You want to turn back.

You feel so exhausted and the ground is rocky and rugged.

Overcome by fatigue,

You collapse onto the ground.

But the guide takes your hand and you start walking again.

After each step,

He repeats the words,

I will.

You begin walking again with him,

Step by step,

Repeating the mantra,

I will.

The guide lets go of your hand and you keep repeating the mantra,

I will.

As you ascend further up the mountain,

You finally reach the top and the guide is waiting for you there with a knowing smile.

You feel grateful for his guidance.

As you turn to take in the panoramic view,

You feel exhilarated and empowered that you made it this far.

Turning back to the guide now,

He says,

Follow me.

He leaps from the mountain and disappears into space.

As you walk to the edge,

You take the leap with him,

Disappearing into space.

Become aware of your resolve,

Your sankalpa that you made at the beginning of practice.

Repeat your sankalpa silently three times.

How does it feel in your body?

Become aware of your breath.

Feel the life giving breath permeate your entire body.

Start to bring awareness to your surroundings,

Your body laying on the bed or the floor.

Your yoga nidra practice is now complete.