30min New Moon Guided Yoga Nidra

It is time for Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra,

Or Yogic sleep,

Is a meditative practice that brings you into a state of deep relaxation and then allows you to become increasingly aware of your body and your inner world.

You will likely experience yourself in a level of consciousness somewhere between wakeful and sleeping.

You may also drift in and out of sleep,

But that is normal and perfectly fine.

Your deepest level of consciousness will still be actively listening.

Some of what you may hear may deeply resonate with you,

And some may not.

Just take what you need and leave the rest behind.

Begin by making yourself as comfortable as possible while lying on your back.

Make sure that you are warm enough and that the position that you are in is one that you can be comfortable in for the duration of the practice.

It is best to remain still during Yoga Nidra so that both your body and your brain have a chance to fully relax.

However,

If the body starts to distract you,

Then move mindfully as possible,

All while keeping your attention on the verbal instructions.

Begin to release any obvious sensations of tension as you open yourself up to this deep relaxation.

With your eyes closed,

You begin to connect with your inner world of thought and feeling.

Gradually,

The external world will fade from your awareness.

Give yourself permission to enjoy this relaxing experience.

You are free from all your responsibilities at this time,

So put aside any thoughts of tasks or concerns that may be waiting for you.

If you find that your mind wanders during this meditation,

Simply bring your awareness back to the sound of my voice,

And I will guide you to a place of deep relaxation and inner stillness.

Become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment,

Nothing else but what you can hear without strain.

Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear,

Without labeling the source.

Let your sense of hearing radiate outward.

Continue to search out these distant sounds and follow them for a few moments.

Give your attention from sound to sound.

Gradually bring your attention closer to sounds inside this building,

Closer to sounds inside this room or within your body.

Without opening your eyes,

Visualize the four walls of this room,

The ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying on the floor.

Visualize your body lying on the floor,

The position of your body,

Your clothes,

Your hair,

Your face.

Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.

Become aware of your natural breath now.

Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath as it moves in and out of your body without any effort.

The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.

There is a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.

Follow this feeling into your nose,

Your sinuses,

The back of your throat,

Into your lungs.

There is a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.

Bring your awareness now to the inhale.

Feel energized by the inhale,

And relaxed by the exhale.

Feel each breath as energy.

Count your breaths now.

Count your breaths up to 12 and back down again.

The inhale is 1.

The exhale is 2.

The exhale is 3.

The exhale is 4.

If you find that your mind wanders during this meditation,

Simply bring your awareness back to the sound of my voice and I will guide you to a place of deep relaxation and inner stillness.

Now take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in,

And then release that breath.

Feel yourself relaxing.

Again,

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in,

And then let that breath go.

Take another deep breath in,

And exhale completely.

Notice how calming it is to breathe in this way.

Notice the feeling of relaxation beginning to spread throughout your whole body.

With each breath you take,

Your thoughts become lighter.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

At this moment,

We make a sankalpa or a resolve.

The sankalpa is a short,

Positive statement in simple language,

And try to discover one naturally.

State your sankalpa clearly in your awareness three times.

The sankalpa you make during yoga nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

Also say to yourself,

I am practicing yoga nidra,

I am awake and relaxed.

We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.

Say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body without moving it.

Notice if you find this difficult or easy.

Notice if any specific parts of your body are more difficult to sense.

We begin at the crown of the head.

Back of the head.

Back of the neck.

Sides of the neck.

Your throat.

Tongue.

Jaw.

Chin.

Lips.

Nose.

Ears.

Eyes.

Forehead.

Now move to the right shoulder.

Upper arm.

Elbow.

Lower arm.

Rest.

Palm.

Thumb.

Each finger individually.

Your left shoulder.

Upper arm.

Elbow.

Lower arm.

Wrist.

Palm.

Thumb.

Each finger individually.

Now whole left hand.

Whole right hand.

Whole right arm.

Whole left arm.

Both arms together.

Sense your upper back.

Your spine.

Your lower back.

And sacrum.

Abdomen.

Ribcage.

And chest.

Sense the front of your torso.

And the back of your torso.

And the whole torso together.

Bring awareness to your left hip.

Left thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Chin.

Ankle.

Top of the foot.

Bottom of the foot.

Left big toe.

Each toe individually.

The whole left foot.

Bring awareness to your right hip.

Right thigh.

Knee.

Calf.

Chin.

Ankle.

Top of the foot.

Bottom of the foot.

Right big toe.

Each toe individually.

The whole right foot.

Whole left leg.

Whole right leg.

Both legs together.

Sense the entirety of your body all at the same time.

Feel your entire physical presence.

Notice your body as a radiant field of sensations.

Continue to breathe slowly,

Deeply,

And gently.

Notice how calming it is to breathe in this way.

Notice the feelings of relaxation that are beginning to spread throughout your whole body.

With each breath you take,

Your thoughts become lighter.

You may feel a sense of spaciousness opening up inside you.

Relax now.

Allow the gentle movement of your breath to guide you into an even more relaxed state.

In and out,

And deeper you go.

In and out.

Allow your mind to gradually slow down all by itself.

In and out.

You are now in a state of relaxation,

And it's time to enjoy a guided journey to an inner place of serenity and bliss.

As I speak,

Just allow the images to form in your mind naturally,

In your own time.

If mental pictures don't come easily to you,

Simply sense your imagined surroundings rather than seeing them.

Let go of all your expectations,

And allow yourself to experience this guided journey in a way that comes naturally to you.

Imagine that you are standing in a beautiful grassy field.

You can feel the warmth of the sun on your face and body.

You can feel the lush green grass soft beneath your bare feet.

You can hear the sounds of nature around you.

You are very much at home in this peaceful place.

You have all the time in the world.

You feel safe and happy here.

Take a moment to appreciate your surroundings.

The feeling of all the space surrounding you.

The feeling of the energy in the air,

And from the sun,

And from the earth underneath you.

You notice now a large tree growing nearby.

Slowly,

Begin to walk towards the tree.

Take your time.

Be in the moment and experience each step in the lush green grass in your bare feet.

As you walk,

You feel yourself slipping even deeper into a state of total relaxation.

Now you stand beneath the tree,

Its strong branches and broad leaves hang right over your head.

Notice that the tree is covered in delicious fruits of many shapes,

Sizes,

And colours.

This is no ordinary tree.

Its fruits contain special powers.

You now reach up and take a piece of the fruit from the tree and study it for a moment.

Notice the colour,

The texture,

And the weight of this fruit in your hand.

Now take a bite.

As the fruit slides down your throat and into your stomach,

Something wonderful begins to happen.

A feeling of happiness begins to glow deep inside you.

The sensation begins in your stomach and it spreads into your chest and into your heart.

Let go of thinking and concentrate on feeling.

Nurture the sensation of happiness and love.

Feel yourself gently glowing with it.

Take another bite of the fruit now.

Taste it.

Savor it.

Now the feeling,

Wonderful,

Intensifies a little more.

You feel yourself radiating this pleasant sensation of love and happiness.

Now take a third bite of the fruit.

Take as much as you want.

Relax and allow yourself to swell up with this delightful feeling.

Don't try,

Just let it rise effortlessly within you.

Allow the sensation of happiness and love to increase as much as you like.

Stay with these blissful feelings and enjoy this time of peaceful meditation.

Now reflect now on how this practice has made you feel.

It is time to repeat your sankalpa.

Repeat the same statement made at the beginning of the practice in your own awareness three times.

The sankalpa you made during your yoga nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

And the energy created in your yoga nidra has allowed it to already manifest.

Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying on the earth.

Feel the container of your skin,

Clothes and the props that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests on the floor.

And take your awareness now to all the points that are touching the floor.

The back of your heels,

The thighs,

Your butt,

Your shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands,

Head.

Without opening your eyes visualize the surrounding room.

Visualize where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.

Become aware of the stability of the earth underneath you.

And lie quietly until you feel ready to move.

You can start slowly.

Moving your hands and feet.

Take your time.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

Gently open your eyes.

Spend some time on your right side.

And be kind to the body as you bring yourself up.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.