Yoga Nidra Relax and Let Go (short version)

Close the eyes and allow your attention to move inward.

Feel your whole being beginning to soften and relax.

Breathe in fully and exhale with a deep sigh.

Again,

Inhale,

Exhale and let go even more.

Until a sense of comfort,

Safety and peace begin to wash over you.

As we enter this next phase of yoga nitra,

Remain as motionless as possible.

If you need to move or make an adjustment,

Do so mindfully and return to stillness as soon as possible.

Resolve to remain awake,

Staying in touch with the sound of my voice.

Finally allow your entire body to respond to what I say directly and non-mentally.

Allow all thought,

All effort to dissolve into the vast spaciousness of being.

Enter into a state of complete non-doing.

Become aware of your inhalations and exhalations.

Without any struggle or effort,

Allow your inhalations to be a little bit more full,

Your exhalations a little bit more complete.

Allow attention to rest on the experience of steady,

Unbroken breath.

Now draw the breath into your lower belly and fill the lungs from bottom to top as if filling a glass of water.

As you breathe out,

Empty your lungs from top to bottom.

Inhale bottom to top.

Exhale top to bottom.

Stay present to the wave-like motion of your abdomen and chest as you breathe in and out.

Allow a sense of peace and well-being to wash over you with each progressive inhalation and exhalation.

Let this feeling expand to include every part of your body.

Inhale as if your whole body is inhaling.

And exhale as if your whole body is exhaling.

Inhale and take in new energy.

Exhale,

Let go of all tension,

Worries,

And anxieties.

Let go.

Release any struggle,

Any effort to make anything happen.

Now breathe normally and be still.

Let the breath breathe itself.

The mind completely suspended in the dimension of silence.

As I name each body part,

Feel it being overcome with an overwhelming sense of heaviness.

Both feet like bricks.

Calves and knees heavy,

Solid,

Like concrete,

Thighs and hips,

Like sandbags pulling you down into the floor.

Abdomen,

Chest and back,

Gravity pulling you down deeper,

Surrendering the weight of the spine.

Shoulders,

Arms and palms,

Very heavy.

So heavy that even if you try to lift them,

You couldn't.

Feel your entire head weighted like a rock.

Now experience your whole body sinking deeper and deeper.

Leave your body completely and totally to the field of gravity,

Exerting its pull everywhere,

Dropping deeper into stillness and silent awareness.

Now as I name each body part,

Let it become empty and light.

Both feet buoyant.

Calves and knees vacant.

Thighs and hips hollow,

Spacious.

Abdomen,

Chest and back,

Weightless,

Effortless.

Shoulders and arms and palms like hollow reeds.

Head clear,

Open space.

The whole body,

An empty vessel.

Always present,

Constant and relaxed capacity for whatever fills you.

No resistance to any energy moving through,

Allowing it all to simply come and go.

Sense the sheer tingling lightness of your energy body.

Feel your energy body growing lighter,

Its presence stronger.

You are safe and secure in the energy body.

You might even allow the energy body to hover just outside your physical body.

Experience the freedom of this new dimension.

Sense the body completely at peace,

Resting in stillness as just one of many objects inside awareness.

Realize you are not the physical body.

Experience yourself free of the limitations of body and mind,

Past and future.

Remain deeply established in awareness as you again relax into your physical experience.

Now imagine you are on the surface of awareness.

Slowly start sinking.

Sink deeper and deeper into a profound layer of awareness.

Discover the secrets of the body in a world which is absolutely inside.

Intensify your imagination.

You see a deep and dark jungle and enter into it.

You go deep into its dark recesses.

As you continue on,

Walking much deeper into the jungle,

You become aware of the constant pulsing vibration of chanting filling the air.

You move towards the sound with the smell of flowers heavy in the air.

In the distance,

You see a temple.

There's a great aura of light around the outside.

You draw closer to the temple and feel the atmosphere of peace.

The door of the temple is open.

You look inside.

There,

In the middle of the temple,

Is an altar.

At the center of that altar is a key.

You know that key has been placed there for you.

You take the key in your hand,

Continue on into the depths of the temple.

The vibration of the chanting echoes through the halls as you walk.

No one is seen,

But you sense a sacred presence.

You pass many doors as you walk past many shapes and sizes.

Finally,

You stop.

You have come to the right door.

Look at the door,

Its size,

Shape,

Texture,

And structure.

Notice if you are eager or reluctant to open the door.

You put the key in the lock and open the door.

As you open the door,

There are many things of interest in the room,

But there is only one that you have come for.

It is something precious that has been misplaced.

Find that one thing.

Put it in your hand.

As you look at it,

Let it become a part of you.

Absorb it.

Feel it.

Accept it.

It is a part of you that was not lost,

But temporarily misplaced.

You may not have even known it was missing.

You may not even know what it is now,

But this missing part is being integrated back into your being,

And you are whole.

As you slowly retrace your steps,

Feel yourself walking differently,

Holding yourself differently.

With every step,

This lost part of you is coming more and more to the forefront of your being without doubt or hesitation.

Feel yourself filled with new life force,

New energy,

And vitality.

You are completely certain that whatever you thought was lost still abides there.

You are once again ready to show this part of yourself to the world.

As you emerge from the temple into the light of day,

You are free to express all of whom you are.

Radiant,

Fully alive,

Fully yourself.

Feel it.

Experience it.

Sensations,

Thoughts,

Images floating by like clouds on a clear blue sky,

Letting it all gather and dissipate.

Come and go.

Be the space in which it is all happening.

Allow yourself to receive the following intention as I repeat it.

Let your whole body listen to what I say.

I release what I no longer need.

I release what I no longer need.

I release what I no longer need.

Feel your intention being recognized and honored at all levels of your being.

No doubt or hesitation.

Finally let it be done.

Let your intention become a part of your inner blueprint.

Notice at this time that you have made a major shift in perspective.

This shift will enable you to interact with yourself and with the world in a new way.

The more often you connect with this new perspective,

The more empowered you become to shape and create your own life.

You are the creator of your experience of life.

Slowly feel yourself beginning to rise to the surface of awareness.

Notice the rising and falling of your breath.

No effort or control on your part.

Slowly begin to come back to awareness of your physical body.

Feel the sensation of your body lying on the floor,

The quality of the air as it touches your skin.

When you feel the impulse,

Begin to move and stretch your body as if awakening from a restful sleep.

If the impulse is to remain still,

Do so.

When you are ready,

Gently roll onto your right side.

Allow yourself to receive the following intention.

Let your whole body listen to what I say.

I release what I no longer need.

I release what I no longer need.

I release what I no longer need.

Notice how still the breath,

How quiet the mind.

I relax the body.