Before we begin.
I'd like to invite you to arrive just as you are.
Today's Yoga Nidra is inspired by Daga.
One of the five kleshas described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Raga is often translated as attachment.
But it is more than simply wanting something.
It is the tendency to cling to what brings us pleasure,
Believing that our happiness depends on holding on to people,
Experiences,
Achievements,
Or feelings.
This practice is not about giving up joy or suppressing desire.
It is an invitation to discover a different relationship with your experience.
One in which you can fully appreciate the beauty of each moment without needing to possess it or make it last.
For the next little while.
Allow yourself to set down the habit of reaching for more.
There is nowhere to go.
Nothing to achieve and nothing you need to hold on to.
Simply rest in this moment,
Allowing each breath each sensation and each experience to arise and pass naturally.
So let's get ready for Yoga Nidra.
Lie down.
Go into the pose that we call Shavasana,
The sleeping pose also known as the dead man's pose.
And allow the body to settle.
Take a moment to adjust.
Let the body feel completely supported.
Let the legs fall open.
Let the arms be slightly away from the body with the palms facing upward.
If you are doing this practice sitting down,
Make sure your spine is upright.
Your head is well supported.
And you can rest your hands on your knees or your thighs with your palms facing upward.
And gently close the eyes.
Take a slow,
Deep breath.
Breath In.
And exhale softly.
Once again,
Inhale.
And release.
And one more time,
Inhale deeply.
And exhale.
Now allow the breath to return to its natural rhythm.
Feel the weight of the body.
Being Hell.
Nothing to carry.
Nothing to manage for this time.
You can simply be.
Bring your awareness to your breath.
Natural.
Effortless.
Notice the inhale.
And the exhale.
And gently observe.
Bread.
Is happening and you are aware of it.
There is breathing.
And there is awareness of breathing.
Now introduce a quiet intention,
A sankalpa,
A dissolve.
Something simple,
Something true.
You may choose,
I experience without holding or I am whole as I am.
Or even I am the one who returns.
Whatever your Sankalpa.
Repeat it softly three times.
Let it settle.
Now we move awareness through the body.
Not thinking,
Just noticing.
As I name the part of the body,
Simply become aware of that part.
We start with the right side.
Light Hand Thumb.
Index Fingal Middle finger LingFingal Little finger.
Bum of the hand.
Back of the hand.
List.
Fall arm.
Elbow Apple arm.
Shoulder armpit Light Waste Right hip.
Thai me.
Gov.
Ankle Heal.
Soul.
Top of the foot.
Big Dole?
2nd Tool Todd.
Forward.
Fifth.
Now the left side.
Left Hand Thumb Index finger.
Middle finger.
Ringfingle Little finger.
Bomb off the hand.
Back of the hand.
List for them.
Elbow Apple arm.
Shoulder armpit Left Waist Left hip.
Bye.
Me.
Goff.
Ankle.
Heal.
Sol Top of the foot.
Big doll?
2nd Tool Todd Doe 4th door.
5th door.
Now the back side of the body.
The right shoulder blade.
Left Shoulder Blade Oppo back?
Middleback.
Lower back.
Buttocks.
Now the front side of the body.
Abdomen Navel Jest.
Right chest.
Left Chest collarbones?
Bro.
The chin.
Lower lip.
Upper lip.
Right cheek.
Left cheek.
Nose,
Tip of the Nose Right Eye Left Eye Eyebrows The space between the eyebrows.
For the head.
Temples.
Top of the head.
Back of the head.
Feel the whole body.
As one field,
Feel the whole body.
And notice.
The body is being felt.
And you are aware of it.
Bring awareness to the breath.
Feel it moving.
From the navel To the truth.
And from the truth.
To the navel.
Navel to throat.
And truth to nibble.
A gentle wave.
Now imagine the breath flowing from the eyebrow center.
To the back of the head.
From the eyebrow center to the back of the head and back again.
Subtle.
Effortless.
And notice.
Even this is being observed.
Now bring to mind something you want.
Something you have been reaching for.
It could be small.
Or something more significant.
Bring to mind something you want or something you have been reaching for.
See you.
Feel it.
And notice what happens in the body.
A Leaning Forward A subtle tension.
A pull.
Notice the thought,
If I have this,
I will feel better.
Just observe without judgment.
And now gently soften the image.
Let it fade.
And notice that The Sensation of Wanting can remain.
Even without the object.
And you are aware of it.
Now bring your awareness to the inner space.
Bring your awareness to Chidakasha.
The quiet field behind the forehead.
Bring your awareness to Chidakasha,
The quiet field behind the forehead.
And now.
.
.
Very gently.
Allow an image to begin forming.
You find yourself sitting beside a devil.
Not a rushing river.
Not forceful.
But steady.
Endless.
The sound is soft.
A quiet rhythm,
Water moving over stone.
The air is still.
Cool Open.
You are seated.
On the edge.
Watching.
The Deva Flows.
Without effort.
Without pause.
Without asking.
And as you watch.
.
.
You begin to notice something drifting.
Along the surface.
A moment.
A memory.
Of feeling.
Something Pleasant Something familial.
It catches your attention.
There is a quiet recognition.
I like this.
And almost immediately something else arises.
A movement,
Subtle,
But clear.
Ali Ching.
A leaning forward,
A desire to touch it.
To hold it.
To keep it closed.
Notice this.
Gently.
Without judgement.
Now very slowly.
You lean forward and place your hands into the water.
The surface breaks.
Cool Fluid.
Alive.
You try to gather the water to hold it.
But it slips between your fingers.
The more you try,
The less there is to hold.
Notice what happens in the body.
A tightening.
A subtle frustration,
A wanting.
And now gently withdraw your hands.
Return to stillness.
Setback.
And simply watch.
The river continues.
Unaffected.
Uninterrupted.
Another moment drifts by.
Another sensation.
Another experience.
This time,
You do not reach.
You stay.
Watching.
And something begins to change.
Without grasping there is no tension.
Without holding,
There is nothing to lose.
The beauty is still there.
The movement is still there.
But now?
It is lighter.
For the year.
And as you continue to sit.
The river begins to reveal something deeper.
Nothing that passes was ever meant to stay.
And yet,
Nothing that passes is ever lost.
Because it is fully experienced in the moment it arises.
Now sense your body again.
Sitting by the Devil The breath is softer.
The body more open.
There is no leaning forward,
No reaching ahead.
Just presence,
Just awareness.
And the quiet understanding that nothing needs to be held.
To be felt.
Nothing needs to remain.
To be complete.
You?
Are not the devil.
You are the one.
Watching it flow.
And gently let the image fade like mist dissolving into space.
Return to the breath.
To the body.
Now bring awareness to the feeling of holding.
Clenching Grasping.
Feel it in the body.
Now shift awareness to the feeling of letting go.
Softening The Leasing Move between these two feelings,
First holding,
Then letting go.
Whole thing.
Then letting go.
Notice the difference.
And gently rest in letting go.
Now let go of all images.
Notice thoughts.
Arising?
Passing notice thoughts sensations coming going Desire itself.
Happy Odding!
And dissolving.
And rest as the one who is aware.
The Seal.
Drastar.
Nothing needs to be held Nothing needs to stay.
And once more the turn to your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your dissolve.
The same one that you made at the beginning of the practice.
And repeat it three times with complete feeling and awareness.
Let it settle.
And become aware of your breath.
Become aware of your natural breath.
Become aware of your body.
Become aware of your body and the surface that your body is resting on.
Become aware of all the meeting points between the body and the surface that it is resting on.
Become aware of the temperature on your skin.
Any smells,
Any fragrances in the area.
Become aware of any sounds around you.
Start to make small movements.
In the fingers.
In the toes.
If it feels natural,
You can stretch.
And when you are sure that you are wide awake.
Slowly.
Gently.
Allow the eyes to open.
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Hadi om tat sat.
