Simple Yoga Nidra Practice

Prepare for yoga nitra by lying down on your back with your eyes closed.

Put a bolster,

A blanket,

Or a pillow under your knees for support.

This will take some of the pressure from your lower back.

Have your arms placed to your side at about a 45 degree angle with your palms facing up.

And cover yourself with a blanket to keep your body warm during this practice.

In yoga nitra it's quite normal for your body temperature to drop.

So as you lay there,

Make any adjustments that you need to become as comfortable as possible.

Scan your back,

Your legs,

Your arms.

And with an inhale,

Take your breath to those places of tension and with your exhale let that go.

See if you can get even more comfortable.

Relax your eyes in their sockets.

Relax your jaw.

Relax your forehead.

And begin to listen for your sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a short positive statement that you say to yourself.

It can be a goal that you have that you'd like to achieve in the next three to six months.

Or it can be something that you want to experience on a daily basis.

For example,

You can say,

I am joyful.

I handle stress with ease and calmness.

I am a light in my community.

Just start to listen for your own sankalpa or feel free to use any of the examples that I just mentioned.

Take a deep breath.

And once you've settled on your sankalpa,

Say it to yourself in your mind three times.

Good.

Now we are going to move on to the rotation of consciousness.

I will say a part of the body and take your awareness to that part without moving it and just feel that part of your body.

Let's begin.

Take your attention to your right hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Right wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left hand thumb,

Index finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Little finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Left wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Lower leg,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now take your attention to the back of the body.

Left heel,

Right heel,

Both heels together,

Left calf,

Right calf,

Both calves together,

Left thigh,

Right thigh,

Both thighs together,

Left buttock,

Right buttock,

The whole buttocks,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The entire back,

Neck,

Back of the head,

Right side of the head,

Left side of the head,

The whole head,

Right side of the body,

Left side of the body,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

In this moment,

Take your awareness without changing it to your breath.

Become aware of your natural breath,

Its natural flow,

The inhale and the exhale.

Feel the air going in your nostrils,

Cold,

Cool.

Feel the air leaving your nostrils,

Warm.

Open your breath,

Expanding through your entire body and exhale your breath over your entire body.

Become aware of your energy and expand your energy out of your body as far as you can imagine,

Miles to the sky.

Stretch your energy from the east to the west,

To the north to the south,

And in an instant,

Draw your energy back into yourself,

Into one single point in your heart.

Now expand quickly your energy as far as you can imagine.

Bring your energy back to the single point.

Once more,

Expand your energy as far as your mind,

Your heart can imagine.

And once again,

Bring it back to yourself,

To a point in your heart.

Take your attention to the screen of your mind and imagine a sunflower,

A sunflower,

The sun,

The sun,

Green grass,

Green grass,

A squirrel,

A squirrel,

An acorn,

An acorn,

A tree,

A tree,

A bird,

A bird,

A cloud,

A cloud,

A thunderstorm,

A thunderstorm,

One lightning,

Lightning,

A bonfire,

A bonfire,

Crackling leaves,

Crackling leaves,

Amber glow,

An amber glow,

Warmth,

Warmth,

Unconditional love,

Unconditional love,

You sitting in front of the fire,

Feeling unconditional love,

You sitting in front of the fire,

Feeling unconditional love.

Once again,

Remember your sun kalpa.

Say it to yourself three times in your mind.

Say it with full dedication,

Full conviction,

Faith and optimism.

Very good.

Now bring your attention to the room that you're in.

Keep your eyes closed.

Just imagine the four walls around you,

The ceiling,

The place of the door.

Pay attention to your own breath.

Begin to feel sensations on your skin.

Begin to feel and observe your breath.

On your inhale,

Your belly rising gently and on the exhale,

Falling slowly.

Yoga Nidra is coming to an end.

Begin to stretch your fingers,

Your toes,

Bringing awareness to your body.

Thank you for sharing your time.

Yoga Nidra is complete.

Namaste.