Lie down preferably in Shavasana.
That's the dead man's pose,
The corpse pose.
Sleeping on your yoga mat or on your bed.
With your arms to the side,
Your legs to the side,
Your palms facing upward.
If you are doing the practice sitting down,
Sit in an upright position and you can rest your hands on your knees with your palms facing upward.
If you need to make any adjustments,
If you need to grab a blanket,
Now is the time to do it because we do not want any movement while practicing Yoga Nidra.
And today we gently explore the practice of Aparigraha,
The art of letting go.
There's nothing to do.
There is nowhere to be.
Simply allow yourself to rest in being.
Whatever arises,
Notice it,
Allow it and gently return to presence.
Here,
In this practice,
In this stillness,
Freedom begins.
And from this soft spaciousness,
Call in your Sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your dissolve.
Repeat your intention,
Repeat your dissolve three times with complete awareness and heartfelt meaning.
Let your dissolve take root in this deep field of stillness.
Now gently bring awareness to the crown of your head.
Softly sense the space above you.
It's open.
It's wide.
Now go to your forehead.
Become aware of your forehead.
Become aware of the space between your eyebrows.
Relax your eyes.
Let them sink inward.
Notice your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Your tongue.
Let all the tension melt.
Become aware of the truth.
A soft passage breath moves freely here.
Bring your awareness to your right shoulder.
Let your awareness travel down to your upper arm,
Your elbow,
Your forearm,
Your thisht,
Your hand and your fingers.
Sense the entire right arm resting in stillness.
Now the left shoulder.
Bring your awareness to your left shoulder.
And let your awareness travel through the upper arm.
The elbow,
The forearm,
The thisht,
The hand and the fingers.
Become aware of the whole left arm relaxed and at ease.
Bring your awareness to your upper chest,
Your heart center.
Become aware of your heart center.
Feel the quiet rhythm inside.
No clinging,
Just presence.
Now go to the abdomen.
Let your belly soften.
Release control.
Let go of gripping.
Let your belly move like the ocean.
Sense the pelvis grounded,
Supported.
Bring your attention to the right hip,
Right thigh,
Right knee.
Right shin,
Ankle,
Foot.
Feel the whole right leg anchored and relaxed.
Now the left hip,
The left thigh,
The left knee,
The left shin,
Ankle,
Foot,
Toes.
The entire left leg soft,
Supported.
Now draw your awareness to the entire back body,
The spine,
The shoulder blades,
The heels and the entire front body,
The face,
Chest,
Belly.
Thighs.
The whole body now in total stillness,
Held by the earth,
Aware but not attached.
Now become aware of your body.
Feel the breath.
Notice it without changing it.
Feel the breath at the nostrils.
Cool air entering,
Warm air leaving.
Shift your awareness to the chest.
Feel it expand and contract with each breath.
Subtle movement like a tide and bring your attention to the belly.
Rising on the inhale,
Softening on the exhale.
Notice the wave of breath through the entire torso.
Each inhale gently fills.
Each exhale gently releases.
Let this rhythm comfort you.
Trust in the breath.
It comes and goes on its own.
No control.
No grasping.
Each exhale a moment of surrender.
The breath is the bridge between holding and releasing.
Let the breath teach you how to live a Parigraha.
In the body,
In the mind,
In the heart.
Allow your inner gaze to soften now and begin to shift your awareness from the body to the quiet landscape of the mind.
And in your mind,
Visualize yourself standing at the edge of a wide,
Clear river.
It's early morning.
The sky is painted in soft shades of lavender and gold.
A mist hovers gently above the water's surface like a dream that hasn't yet dissolved.
You are barefoot.
The earth beneath you is cool and damp,
Grounding.
You feel steady but curious.
In your hands,
You carry a small,
Worn backpack.
It's not heavy,
But it has weight.
You've been carrying it for a long time.
You walk slowly toward the river's edge.
The current moves steadily,
Not fast,
Not slow,
Just enough.
As you kneel,
You open the backpack.
Inside are objects.
Each object representing something,
You've been holding on to.
One by one,
You remove them.
The first is a stone,
Smooth and round.
It represents an old story you've told yourself.
An old story.
About who you should be or how life should look.
You gently place it onto the river.
Watch it float for the moment and then disappear beneath the surface.
Next,
You find a tangle of strings,
Knots,
Of fear,
Worry,
Control.
You breathe in and with your exhale,
You place the tangled mess into the river.
The current receives it without hesitation.
Next,
You find a shimmering mask.
It's beautiful,
But rigid.
The identity you've worn for others.
The identity you've worn for yourself.
The identity always capable,
Always composed.
You smile at it lovingly and you let it go.
It drifts downstream,
Light and free.
One by one,
You offer the contents of your pack to the river.
Material attachments,
Expectations,
Past hurts,
Future anxieties,
Each one a gift.
Acknowledged,
Honoured and released.
And now the backpack is empty.
But more than that,
It feels unnecessary.
You place it gently on the earth and step into the water.
The river is cool but welcoming.
It moves around you,
Not against you.
Every step is a surrender and a renewal.
You wade in,
Feeling lighter with each breath.
You float.
The water holds you.
You are not lost.
You are not empty.
You are space.
You are presence.
You are enough.
Stay here,
Cradled by the current.
Stay here for a few more moments.
Stay here and let the river carry away all that is no longer needed.
Letting go.
Letting be.
Letting yourself return to wholeness.
And from this place of wholeness,
Call in your sankalpa,
Your intention,
Your dissolve.
Repeat it three times silently,
With complete awareness,
With heartfelt meaning.
Repeat it three times.
Let it take root in this deep field of stillness.
And now begin your gentle return.
Notice your breath.
Become aware of the shape of your body.
Become aware of the feel of the surface beneath you.
Bring your awareness back to the room without rushing.
Start to move your fingers.
Move your toes.
Feel movement return to the body.
And then slowly,
If you were in shavasana or in a sleeping position,
Bring yourself to a seated position.
And you can now open your eyes and let the practice stay with you like a soft thread of light,
Unbroken,
Even as you rise.
Let go.
Be light.
Walk free.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Hari Om Tat Sat
