Yoga Nidra - Be The Captain Of Your Soul

So you can begin by settling down,

Lying down,

Seated,

Whatever,

Whichever position you deem more appropriate and you can cover yourself straight away and if it is in your practice to cover the eyes please do so and close your eyes and be still.

Let your attention turn inward,

Establish a connection with your breath and feel the body beginning to relax with each progressive exhalation.

Breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh and again breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh.

Feel a deep sense of contentment and peace in your heart.

Now allow yourself to receive this this ancient prayer which captures the spirit and intention of this practice and this is a beautiful mantra particularly useful at times of crisis and at times when guidance is needed.

I will give you the Sanskrit version of it and i will follow it up with a translation.

Asatoma Sat Gamaya Tamasoma Joy Teer Gamaya Mretyo Ma Amritam Gamaya Lead me from the unreal to the real.

Lead me from darkness to light.

Lead me from the time-bound state of consciousness to the timeless state of being that I am.

Now allow yourself to receive the following intention as I repeat it.

Let your whole body listen to what I say.

I am the captain of my soul,

The master of my mind.

I trust and honor my body and I worship it as the temple of the divine.

I have complete sovereignty of my body,

My mind,

My soul and my spirit.

I will read this intention to you again in the middle of the nidra and at the end of the practice before you get up so you don't need to do anything.

From here it may feel nice to turn the head very gently from side to side and open and close the mouth super slowly releasing the jaw muscle and the the joint of the jaw creating some space between the upper and lower row of teeth and then with your tongue with the mouth closed just pass the the tongue on top of your teeth as if cleaning them triangle to the front the sides the bottom just do a full circle passing the tongue on top of the teeth and this is another way to release the jaw and release tension in this area and then come to stillness and I will guide you now into the next phase of the yoga nidra to enter into deeper and subtle more subtle levels of relaxation through the bumblebee sound and breath.

If you're wearing headphones or earphones don't worry about blocking your ears and if you are not gently close the ears enough so that you can still hear me and in a moment we will take a deep breath in and we close lips we will begin to hum the sound of the bumblebee and you can change the pitch of the buzzing sound to maximize the vibratory sensation felt in your skull and now take a breath in and follow me continue inhale and hum inhale and hum until there is no air left in the lungs make the humming louder or softer but continue breathing this way until I ask you to stop and now stop bring your total undivided attention to your whole body feel the stimulating impact of the vibrations extending throughout your whole body notice how your attention feeds your energy observe your energy field expand and grow extending everywhere and filling every nerve and cell of your body bring your attention to the eyebrow center the third eye empty your mind into the flood of energy let it melt and merge into the experience of the energy body expanding beyond all boundaries drop into complete silence and deep stillness feel a blanket of happiness descending down your face chest and arms feel yourself descending down into the stillness beneath the mind all excess tension and holding carried out with each exhaling breath feel your outward attention moving inward feel a deep sense of stillness expanding everywhere allow the commentary of the mind to dissolve into sensation visualize each and every thought arise exist and pass away arise exist and pass away allow the mind to dissolve into bodily presence expand sensitivity to the areas depleted and starved of energy maintaining this inner stillness remain as still as possible allow your entire body to respond to my words directly and non-mentally now shift from thinking and doing to feeling and being do absolutely nothing from now on now direct your full attention to your breath create no struggle around breathing use the breath to release any tension slowly deepen your inhalations and exhalations let your breath flow in a steady uniform unbroken stream let your attention be totally connected to your breath as it flows in and out bring your attention to the expansion and contraction of your abdomen as you breathe deeply in and out with each exhalation release all tension held in your body use your breath to progressively enter a deeper level of stillness and silence we will continue with 10 more slow deep breaths count them like this 10 and breathing in 10 and breathing out 9 and breathing in 9 and breathing out continue on your own be absorbed in the sound of your own breath let yourself be more relaxed and peaceful with each breath now allow your breath to return to normal feel the energetic impact of the breath in the form of pulsations in the body your attention allows the energy field in the body to grow and expand feel it energy follows attention let your mind melt and merge in the river of energy flowing through your body experience silence extending everywhere enter an effortless state of being follow my guidance as we move our attention through different parts of the body let the penetrating power of consciousness instantly dissolve any blockages and holdings as you move through different areas of the body as i guide you from point to point remain in a non-doing silent awareness resolve to yourself that you will stay alert and awake now bring your undivided attention to the brow center the third eye pit of the throat right shoulder elbow wrist thumb index finger middle finger ring finger and little finger wrist elbow shoulder pit of the throat left shoulder elbow wrist thumb index finger middle finger ring finger and little finger wrist elbow shoulder pit of the throat middle of the chest right nipple middle of the chest left nipple middle of the chest navel point middle of the pubic bone right hip knee ankle big toe second toe third toe fourth toe and fifth toe ankle knee middle of the pubic bone left hip knee ankle big toe second toe third toe fourth toe and fifth toe ankle knee middle of the pubic bone navel point middle of the chest pit of the throat and back to the brow center gather your attention at the brow center observe the vast stillness and silence in this deep state of awareness allow the following polar experience and their associations to arise and dissolve simply allowing all experiences to move through without preference labels or judgment by remaining witness you're releasing your identification with pre-programmed thoughts and feelings pain and pleasure anger and peace sadness and joy crying and laughter fear and safety agitation and calmness sad and happy hate and love violent and tender helpless and powerful suspicious and trusting disgusted and delighted gradually allow visualization and accompanying sensations to fade as you bring your attention back to the third eye resting in witness consciousness allow yourself to receive the following images and experiences judge nothing remain unconditionally open and present to all that passes in the field of awareness church bells ringing torrential rain sunrise on a desert sunset on the ocean snow-capped mountains the flame of a candle crescent moon ocean waves bonfire and night symbol of om waves crashing on a shore a cave a deer now be still witnessing unattached to all that passes if nothing appears just be aware of that be totally present completely absorbed bring your attention to the center between your eyebrows drop into the deepest level of relaxation now you have entered the domain of grace in this domain of integration you're the witness of all that is happening but do nothing to make it happen feel completely safe and comfortable as you hand yourself over to the power and protection of the presence hand over all fear apprehension and anxiety replace it with trust and faith in a higher power within you remain empty and free from all doing feel yourself as a time transcendent presence right now now allow yourself to receive the following intention as i repeat it feel every cell of your body receiving these words i am the captain of my soul master of my mind i trust and honor my body and i worship it as the temple of the divine i have complete serenity of my body my mind my soul and my spirit i am the captain of my soul the master of my mind i trust and honor my body and i worship it as the temple of the divine i have complete sovereignty of my body my mind my soul and my spirit i am the captain of my soul the master of my mind i trust and honor my body and worship it as the temple of the divine i have complete serenity of my body my mind my soul and my spirit go deeper into the third eye let it carry out your intentions prayers and affirmations in the third eye you're empowered to create what you pray for visualize and affirm feel your intention is now being assimilated and adopted by all levels of your body and your being completely integrated totally digested fully actualized allow your entire self to respond spontaneously and effortlessly to what i say i open my body to the primal wisdom of prana i open my heart to intuitive insight i experience the full glory of the transmission of the sacred shakti dissolving the boundaries of my body mind and ego oh mind awaken to your innate source of power my body is full of divine light and love at the sacred moment your whole being has made a major paradigm shift feel totally unburdened and free to move in life with effortless ease feel the presence of your higher self guide protect and bless you feel energy and grace fill you and surround you at all times do not hesitate doubt or dispute it let it come naturally and establish a whole new relationship with reality regardless of how it begins to show up in your life knowing that you're a soul you can witness life experiences and let them pass by right response and right action will come through you with that clarity keep your heart open to all condition now begin to become aware of the rising and falling of the breath slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness sense the body resting onto the earth feel the space above underneath and all around you gradually if you wish you can start to move if it feels right bend the knees and pull them into your chest rocking sideways gently take your time and as you're ready roll on to one side feel the vibratory tone of existence here bring your intention into your awareness again change nothing i am the captain of my soul the master of my mind i trust and honor my body and i worship it as the temple of the divine i have complete sovereignty of my mind body soul and spirit every time you find yourself in reaction you're empowered to replace it with this intention and now if you wish you can begin to move and set up with your eyes closed continue to stay deep in this inner experience become aware of your body and bring a deep sense of peace and contentment with you as you bring attention back to the physical body take a moment to notice how relaxed the body is how subtle the breath has become how quiet the mind is take a moment to notice the space between the thoughts be still and be grateful know that you can easily enter here again and again the more often you return the longer you can stay now bringing the hands in front of the heart eyes open or closed i'll leave that to you bow the head to the heart which i pick one may the spirit be victorious