Welcome to Yoga Nidra.
Make sure you're comfortable in a lying down position,
Taking a moment to feel into your body and listen to your body.
If your back needs something to lie on,
Give it.
Check in with your knees and your head.
Make sure you're comfortable but not super comfortable as the tendency is then to fall into sleep.
Try to stay awake during the practice of Yoga Nidra.
So take a moment here to settle yourself.
Hands by the sides.
If you're starting the day or afternoon,
Palms facing up.
Connecting the thumb and index finger together into Chin Mudra.
Inviting the day in.
If you're practicing this in the evening,
Then place your palms facing down.
Still connecting thumb and index finger.
We're closing the day.
Whilst you are settling yourself,
Take a moment to connect to your inner sanctuary.
This might be visualizing a temple,
A beach or a forest.
It might be connecting to your breath or listening to sounds.
Your inner sanctuary is a place where you can go mentally.
If anything I say is triggering,
You can take yourself to your inner sanctuary.
So take a moment here to connect with that.
Make any other adjustments that you need to make for yourself to become comfortable and try to then become still in your body.
Tune into your breath.
Notice how you are breathing.
Are you breathing from abdomen or the chest,
From the nose or the mouth?
Simply tuning into that.
Not changing anything just yet.
Taking a moment to witness how you're breathing.
Start now to deepen your breath slightly.
Drawing in the breath into the lungs so your abdomen expands a little bit.
Can you then bring that inhalation up into the chest,
Maybe a little bit more up to the collar bones.
Then exhale fully from collar bones down to chest and down to abdomen.
Squeezing the navel a little bit to the spine,
Squeezing the air out.
Inhaling fully and exhaling fully.
Yogic breath.
If that feels a bit strenuous then follow your natural breath.
You never want to strain.
No strain and no pain in body,
Mind,
Spirit and breath.
Allow any tension that you're holding in your body to seep away with your exhale.
Letting it go.
Allow your body to become soft and heavy.
Keep breathing fully.
Full breaths in,
Full breaths out.
Start to bring your sankalpa or intention to mind.
Short positive sentence for yourself.
Set in the present tense.
Whether it's a sankalpa you use for long term or you want to set an intention for the rest of your day or this week.
Bring it to mind.
And when you have that sentence mentally repeat it three times with feeling.
I will be naming body parts.
Now mentally repeat that body part or feel into it.
Starting with the right hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Right hand,
Right wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right side of waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Ankle,
Top of the right foot,
Sole,
Heel,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The spaces between the toes.
Left hand thumb,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
Left hand,
Left wrist,
Lower arm,
Elbow,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Armpit,
Left side of the waist,
Left hip,
Thigh,
Knee,
Left shin,
Ankle,
Top of the left foot,
Sole,
Heel,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Spaces between the toes.
Keep following the sound of my voice,
No sleeping.
Right buttock,
Left buttock,
Right lower back,
Left lower back,
Right middle back,
Left middle back,
Right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Right shoulder,
Left shoulder,
Back of the neck,
The spine from bottom to top,
Back of the head,
Crown of the head,
Forehead,
Right temple,
Left temple,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Eyebrow center,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Right nostril,
Left nostril,
Upper lip,
Upper teeth,
Tongue,
Lower teeth,
Chin,
Throat,
Right side of the chest,
Left side of the chest,
Right side of the abdomen,
Left side of the abdomen,
Navel center,
Pelvic bowl,
Right foot,
Left foot,
Both feet,
Right leg,
Left leg,
Both legs,
Right hand,
Left hand,
Both hands,
Right arm,
Left arm,
Both arms,
Trunk of the body,
The head,
Right side of the body,
Left side of the body,
Front of the body,
The insides of the body,
The back of the body,
The whole physical body,
The whole physical body,
The whole physical body.
I'll be naming feelings.
Now try to feel those feelings within your whole being.
Start to feel heavy,
Your whole body feeling heavy,
Feeling heavy.
And start to feel light,
Feeling light,
Feeling light.
Can you hold those feelings both together at the same time?
Feeling heavy and feeling light.
And start to feel unbalanced,
Feeling unbalanced,
Feeling unbalanced.
And now start to feel grounded,
Grounded,
Feeling grounded.
Can you hold those two together?
Feeling unbalanced and feeling grounded at the same time.
And now start to feel tired,
Feel tired,
Feeling tired.
Let that go and start to feel rested,
Feeling rested,
Feeling rested.
Can you hold them both together?
Feeling tired,
And feeling rested.
Let that all go.
Let go of those feelings and start to bring awareness to the breath.
Bring awareness to the breath and focus on the breath in the abdomen.
Notice how your body is moving with the inhale and exhale,
Fully aware of the breath in the abdomen.
When you're inhaling,
Count 10.
Exhale,
Count 10.
Awareness at the abdomen.
Inhale,
Count nine.
Exhale,
Count nine.
Inhale,
Eight.
Exhale,
Eight.
Keep practicing counting backwards at your own pace.
Awareness at the breath in the abdomen.
And then bring that awareness up to the breath in the chest.
Notice how your body is rising and falling with the inhale and exhale.
Awareness at the chest.
On the next inhalation,
Count 25.
Exhale,
Count 25.
Inhale,
24.
Exhale,
24.
Inhale,
23.
Exhale,
23.
Keep counting backwards,
Awareness at the breath in the chest.
Let that go no matter where you are with the count.
Let that all go.
And bring awareness at the mind space or the Chittakash,
The space at eyebrow center level all around you.
Bringing awareness up to the eyebrow center level all around you.
Try to visualize the following.
If visualizing is a bit tricky,
Simply listen to the sounds,
To the words.
Picture yourself in a forest and you're surrounded by beautiful changing colors of the leaves of the trees.
The crisp autumn air fills your lungs.
And as you exhale,
You let it carry away any tension or heaviness.
You feel grounded,
Warm and relaxed.
You look up and you imagine that you are a single leaf,
Beautifully colored and clinging gently to the branch of a strong but ancient tree.
The tree has nurtured you through the growth of spring and the warmth of summer.
Now,
As autumn's embrace surrounds you,
The wind whispers a message.
It is time to let go.
At first you hesitate,
Unsure of what awaits.
But then you feel a soft breeze pass through your veins and instantly there is a sense of trust.
With a deep exhale,
You release your hold and you float effortlessly,
Carried by the gentle wind.
There is no fear,
There is only surrender.
You swirl and dance below.
The earth is welcoming you with open hands.
A warm blanket of leaves waiting to embrace you.
And as you softly touch the ground,
You realize you are not falling apart,
But you are becoming something new.
Together with other leaves,
The earth takes you in,
Offering warmth,
Rest and renewal.
You feel the richness of the soil around you,
The nurturing promise of transformation.
In this stillness,
You are at peace.
There is no rush,
No need to strive and there are no responsibilities.
You are exactly where you need to be.
You are letting go,
Resting,
Releasing and becoming.
And as you linger here,
Breathing softly,
You absorb the wisdom of autumn,
The beauty of letting go,
The strength in surrender and the quiet power of letting go.
And as you let go,
You feel a soft breeze pass through your veins and instantly there is a sense of trust.
There is no fear,
There is only surrender.
Start to repeat your sankalpa or intention that you set at the beginning of this practice.
Bring it to mind and with feeling,
Mentally repeat that sentence three times with feeling.
And start to slowly externalize,
Noticing the breath in the nostrils,
The rise and fall of your body in your inhale and your exhale.
Becoming fully aware again of your body,
Your body,
Your whole physical body.
Hari Om Tat Sat Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Bring some movement in your fingers or your feet,
Whatever feels good.
Maybe you like to bring your arms up overhead for a stretch.
Maybe you like to bring your knees up for a little hug,
Maybe rock from side to side.
When you're ready,
Roll to your right side and take three breaths there before coming up into a seated position.
I'll finish with three oms.
Feel free to simply sit in the sound or join in.
Inhale.
Hari Om Tat Sat.
