Yoga Nidra - Short Version

So,

Sitting up for your yoga nidra practice,

You may like to lay the body down either on a bed or on the floor or on a couch.

It's a comfortable position and you're more than welcome to do it seated.

Ideally,

You'd like to create a nice long spine.

The lengthening through the spine will enable a free flow of breath.

Connecting to that sensation of the eyelids meeting,

The eyelashes interlacing,

Just allowing all the muscles in the face to relax around the temples and the jaw.

The shoulders soften.

And then just establishing with yourself now,

You will remain as still as possible for the duration of this nidra practice.

And then begin by becoming aware of sounds that you hear beyond the room or the space that you are laying or seated within.

You simply need to notice the sounds without attaching or labeling.

Just tuning into the tone or the sound.

And once you have heard it,

You'll then move to the next sound.

So just gently circulating your awareness between the sounds,

Just outside the room or the space that you are within.

Let that awareness expand even further out,

As far and as wide as you can imagine.

See if you can tap into the sounds you hear out in the distance.

Awareness just drifting one sound to the next.

Starting to seek out sounds like a radar.

And then draw that attention back within the room or the space that you are within.

And notice the sounds you hear in this space.

Moving one sound to the next.

Awareness now comes within the body.

Tune into the subtle sounds within the body.

Not attaching to the sounds.

Just noticing,

Listening and moving to the next sound.

Letting go of the sound.

You have an opportunity now to set a sankalpa,

Which is an intention or a resolve.

This is something you wish to see manifest in your life.

Maybe a quality or a feeling or something you are presently working on.

And you will frame this in the present tense as a short positive statement.

Perhaps framed with the words I am,

I have or I create.

Allow yourself some time now to tune into your heart and allow this to be a heartfelt intention.

When and if something arises,

You will repeat it to yourself mentally three times.

Let go of that sankalpa.

I will now begin to rotate your consciousness around your body.

As I mention each body part,

Simply bring your awareness to that space or mentally repeat the word.

Bring the awareness to your right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Top of the right foot.

Soul of the foot.

Ankle.

Right calf.

Knee.

Thigh.

Right hip.

Right side of the waist.

Right side of the chest.

Arm pit.

Shoulder.

Upper arm.

Forearm.

The right wrist.

Palm of the right hand.

Back of the hand.

Right thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Continue following the sound of my voice and let your awareness land on your left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Fifth toe.

Top of the left foot.

Soul of the foot.

Left ankle.

Right calf.

Knee.

Thigh.

Left hip.

Left side of the waist.

Left side of the chest.

Left arm pit.

Shoulder.

Upper arm.

Elbow.

Lower arm.

Wrist.

Left palm.

Back of the hand.

Thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Pinky finger.

Continue tuning in to the sound of my voice and become aware of the back side of your body.

The right buttock.

Left buttock.

Right side of the back.

Left side of the back.

Right shoulder blade.

Left shoulder blade.

The back of the neck.

Spine from base to top.

Awareness from the tailbone all the way up to the top of the spine.

Back of the head.

Top of the head.

The forehead.

Right brow.

Left brow.

Space between the eyebrows.

Right temple.

Left temple.

Right ear.

Left ear.

Space in the head between the ears.

The right eyelid.

And the left eyelid.

The right eyeball.

Left eyeball.

Right cheek.

Left cheek.

The nose.

The very tip of the nose.

Upper lip.

Lower lip.

Both lips together.

The chin.

Throat.

Right collarbone.

Left collarbone.

The point between the collarbones.

Center of the chest.

The abdomen.

The lower abdomen.

Groin.

The very base of the pelvic floor.

The whole right leg from hip to toe.

The whole right arm.

The whole left arm.

The whole front side of the body.

The whole head.

The whole face.

The whole belly.

The whole backside of the body.

Really sense the connection.

The backside of the body.

And the support beneath you.

See if you can soften into that space.

Just a millimeter more.

Become aware of the whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

Let go of the body.

And tune into the breath.

Notice the smooth ebb and flow of your breath.

The gentle flow of the inhale.

And gentle flow of the exhale.

And then visualize the breath on the inhale traveling up through fingers,

Through toes,

Up through the limbs,

Up through the torso,

All the way to the center of the head.

And on the exhale the breath travels back out this pathway,

Out through the torso,

The limbs,

Exiting through the fingers and the toe tips.

Continuing to visualize the breath traveling up through the toes,

The fingers,

All the way up the body to the center of the head.

The exhalation allows the breath to flow all the way out until it clears through the fingertips and toe tips.

You may bring a visualization to this breath.

A silver or white line.

Letting it travel in and up through the body as you inhale.

And then down and out as you exhale.

Continue to notice the breath.

Into the body and out of the body.

And then bring your awareness to the center of your chest.

Just notice the gentle rise and fall with the inhale and the exhale.

And counting backwards from twenty-seven.

Your inhale chest rises twenty-seven.

Exhale chest falls twenty-seven.

Inhale chest rises twenty-six.

Exhale chest falls twenty-six.

Continuing this backwards count.

If you drift in and out,

Return back to twenty-seven.

Or if you lose count,

Again go back to twenty-seven.

There is no need to reach the number zero that is not the goal.

Continue following the movement in the chest and the backward count.

Now bring your awareness to the very back of your mind.

And as if looking out from behind closed eyes.

Looking out into this infinite formless space ahead.

Notice the Chittikas,

The mind space.

This is an infinite formless space.

As infinite as the sky.

Just allow yourself to watch on as a witness out into this infinite space.

Letting anything arise here,

Be it thoughts,

Colours,

Images,

Reflections or simply space.

Allow whatever arises to just pass by like a cloud in the sky.

And then once more return to your sankalpa.

The very same sankalpa or intention you set at the beginning of the practice.

Repeating it mentally three times with full conviction visualising the sankalpa coming to fruition.

Allowing this beautiful sankalpa to be dropped like a pebble into the pool of your deep consciousness.

Trusting that it will manifest.

And then beginning to bring your awareness back to your breath.

That gentle ebb and flow of the inhale and the exhale.

As you begin to visualise the body and where it is positioned and the space you are within.

And as the breath is deepening just slightly you become aware of the energy and form within your body.

As you become completely conscious of the whole body.

The whole body.

The whole body.

Feeling into that support beneath the body.

Parts of your body that are connected to the sense of groundedness.

Over time you may wish to bring some gentle movements through the body.

Allowing yourself some nice conscious breaths.

As this yoga and yajra practice has come to a close.

Namaste.