Yoga Nidra Meditation For Wellbeing

Begin your practice by finding a comfortable position.

Maybe lying down on the ground,

Or maybe seated on a chair,

Arranging your body so that you feel completely supported by the surface you're resting upon.

If you're lying down on the ground and you happen to have a couple of cushions or blankets next to you,

Maybe place one underneath your knees to support your lower back,

And another one underneath your head,

To allow your chin to rest lower than your forehead.

This might induce your mind into a calmer state.

Now,

Allow your legs to be apart,

Arms away from your body,

And palms turned upwards.

Allowing your eyes to remain open or maybe gently closed.

Taking time to settle into a position that feels just right.

During this session you are guided to notice and feel physical sensations,

The breath,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

And feelings of well-being or joy,

And to experience yourself as the witness of all these comings and goings.

And if at any point you feel the need to move,

Maybe change position,

Go ahead and do so.

Do try to rest in stillness as much as you can,

But if this won't allow you to enjoy the experience,

Then please go ahead and change position.

Whatever you experience is perfect,

Just as it is.

Now,

Simply rest at ease and follow my guidance,

Allowing my voice to become your voice.

During this session,

Welcome every experience as a messenger that's inviting you to explore particular sensations,

Emotions,

And thoughts,

Without trying to change,

Fix,

Or make anything happen.

Welcoming each experience with curiosity and openness.

Now feel your body settling into stillness.

Bring attention to your senses,

Allowing each perception to come to you.

Sounds around and within your body,

The touch of air on your skin,

Sensations where your body touches the surface that is providing support,

Sensations within your body,

Sensing the vibrant aliveness of the body just as it is.

Bring to your mind an intention for today's practice,

Perhaps to remain alert and attentive,

Or to inquire into a particular sensation,

Emotion,

Or belief that you wish to work with.

How would you like to feel during and as a result of your practice?

Perhaps a sense of inner peace,

Joy,

Or well-being.

Perhaps relief from physical discomfort,

Habitual patterns,

Or emotional pain.

Affirming your intention and feeling it with your entire body and mind.

Allow your heart's deepest desire to arise from within,

Something that you want more than anything in life.

This may be a desire for yourself,

For another,

Or for the world around you.

Whatever it is,

Allow this longing to rise up naturally as your deepest heartfelt longing.

Without forcing,

Without using your intellectual mind,

Just allow it to rise naturally,

Now or within the practice.

Perhaps it's the feeling of being whole,

Healed and healthy,

The feeling of deep self-acceptance,

Peace,

Or well-being.

Whatever it is,

Welcome and affirm your heartfelt desire in the present tense,

With your entire body as if it's true right now.

Then,

Set your desire aside and notice how it will return at the end of the practice,

Or maybe even as you go about your daily life.

Bringing attention now to your inner resource,

That special place where you feel secure and at ease.

Perhaps a room,

Perhaps a place in nature,

An image of a favorite symbol,

Or the feeling of deep peace.

A safe heaven or refuge that helps you feel secure and at ease.

Whatever your inner resource is,

Imagine it using all your senses,

Noticing sounds,

Smells,

Tastes,

Colors,

Shapes that are present,

Sensing feelings of security,

Ease and well-being as you imagine your inner resource,

Experiencing feelings of security within you that are always available at a moment's notice.

This inner resource is felt as spacious,

Open,

Timeless,

Perfect,

Familiar,

Unchanging and always,

Always present.

As you do this,

Note in your body where you feel warm and relaxed,

Knowing that you can return to this secure place of well-being at any time during your practice,

Or during your daily life whenever you need to feel secure,

Calm and at ease.

Now we will begin a rotation of consciousness experience.

You will transfer your awareness swiftly to different parts of your physical body while remaining still,

Allowing your mind to transition from part to part.

Please stay alert,

But do not strain to follow my indications.

This should be a relaxing journey through the different parts of your body.

Think of the part of your body or see it in your mind's eye,

Whichever you find easier,

But make sure to not actually move the part of the body being mentioned.

As we continue,

Allow my words to be your words while you rotate attention through your body,

Sensing your jaw,

Lips,

Teeth,

Mouth,

Ceiling of the mouth,

Floor,

Inside cheeks,

Left and right,

Tongue,

Back of the throat,

The entire jaw and mouth as sensation,

Allowing thoughts like helium balloons to float up and away without being involved with them,

Instead welcoming sensations just as they are,

Sensation of the left ear,

Right ear,

Both ears at the same time as sensation,

Left nostril,

Right nostril,

The flow of air and sensation inside the nostrils,

Left eye,

Eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone,

The left eye as sensation,

Right eye,

Eyebrow,

Temple,

Cheekbone,

The right eye as sensation,

Both eyes at the same time as a field of radiant sensation,

Without analysing,

Instead sensing your way through,

Forehead,

Crown,

Back of the head and neck,

Sensation within the neck,

Left shoulder,

Left upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Left hand and fingers,

The entire left palm,

Arm and shoulder as radiant sensation,

Right shoulder,

Right upper arm,

Elbow,

Forearm,

Wrist,

Right hand and fingers,

The entire right palm,

Arm and shoulder as radiant sensation,

Give up analysing,

Letting go of thoughts,

Thoughts drifting away like balloons sailing away into the sky above,

Welcoming both arms as radiant sensation,

Upper chest and back,

Mid chest and back,

Belly and lower back,

Ceiling of the torso,

Floor of the torso,

The entire torso as fear of radiant sensation,

Letting go of thinking,

The entire torso alive,

A sensation radiating inwardly and outwardly in all directions,

Left leg,

Left hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Foreleg and calf,

Ankle,

Left foot and toes,

The entire left foot and leg as vibrant sensation,

Alert,

Attentive,

Sensing now the right leg,

Right hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Foreleg and calf,

Ankle,

Foot and toes,

The entire right foot and leg as vibrant sensation,

Sensing both legs at the same time as vibrant sensation,

Sensing the front of the body,

Back of the body,

Left side,

Right side,

Inside the body,

Surface sensations,

Welcoming the entire body as a vibrant sensation radiating in all directions inwardly and outwardly,

And welcoming every experience that is now present while interweaving your inner resource of wellbeing throughout your body,

Your feeling secure and at ease.

Note how all of these sensations as well as passing thoughts,

Emotions and images,

How all these are constantly changing,

Coming and going,

The entire body a constantly changing field of radiant sensation,

And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness,

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's present,

First sensing what is present,

Then experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is coming and going while you are spacious and unchanging,

Become aware of the body breathing,

The flow of breath as sensation in the nostrils,

The abdomen gently rising as breath flows in and releasing as breath flows out,

No need to change anything,

The body breathing naturally and rhythmically,

In breath abdomen rising,

Out breath abdomen releasing,

No need to change anything,

The body breathing itself,

As the breath naturally flows in and out,

Begin counting backwards from 7 to 1 like this,

7 inhaling abdomen rising and expanding,

7 exhaling abdomen releasing and relaxing,

6 inhaling abdomen rising and expanding,

6 exhaling abdomen releasing and relaxing,

Continue counting with your body's own natural breathing rhythm,

Alert attentive,

If you lose count start again at 7,

Counting,

Breathing,

Abdomen expanding and relaxing,

Alert attentive,

When it feels right allow counting to fall away while remaining attentive to flows of sensation and energy throughout the body,

Alert attentive,

Be aware of the fields or flows of sensation throughout the body,

In the mouth,

Face,

Scalp,

Neck,

Throat,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

The torso,

Pelvis,

Legs and feet,

Welcoming every experience that is now present,

At the same time feeling secure and at ease with your inner resource,

Meanwhile the entire body a constantly changing field of radiant sensation,

Sense all that you are now aware of,

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that is now present,

Sensing what's present,

Then experiencing yourself dissolving into being the field of awareness in which everything is arising,

Bring your attention to any sensations that are present within your body of well-being,

Happiness,

Joy or bliss,

Welcome and feel an inner smile radiating from your heart,

Radiating joy everywhere from the heart,

Expanding and spreading throughout your entire torso into your arms and into your hands,

Spreading into your pelvis,

Legs and feet,

Every cell throughout the entire body radiantly alive with feelings of well-being,

Happiness,

Joy or bliss,

A sense of being okay just as you are,

If it's helpful remember someone whom you love or who loves you,

Allowing this image or an image of a particular circumstance from your life to activate feelings of well-being and joy throughout your body,

Then give up the image and simply experience the feeling of well-being,

Happiness or joy throughout the body,

Feeling yourself being absorbed in and as joy,

Feeling secure and at ease,

And be aware of all that is now present in your awareness,

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of everything that's now present,

Sensing what's present and experiencing yourself as the field of awareness in which everything is arising,

Changing sensations revealing unchanging awareness,

Setting aside the thinking mind welcome the sense of being and well-being,

Dissolving into being pure awareness itself,

Open and spacious,

Being awareness in which everything is coming and going,

Awareness in which everything is welcome just as it is,

Without center,

Without periphery,

Everywhere and nowhere specific yet an undeniable presence,

Everything to be just as it is without trying to understand or change anything,

Simply being just as you are and allowing everything to be just as it is.

Take a moment and reflect back upon the journey that you've just taken,

Sensing the qualities that are or have been present,

Feelings,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Sensations and awareness in which everything is arising and folding and passing away,

And be aware of your heart's deepest longing,

Allowing it to announce itself,

Experiencing it as your present reality,

While noting an intention that supports living this heartfelt longing in your everyday life.

Imagine yourself going about your day while filling your inner resource of unchanging well-being,

And yourself as unchanging awareness in which all the changing activities of your life are unfolding,

Emotions,

Thoughts,

Sensations,

Your personality and this indescribable sense of being unchanging awareness,

Sensing the paradox of being both spacious and vast as awareness,

Without border or boundary,

All the while being this personality that has location,

Centre and periphery,

Your body,

Mind and personality free to be just as they are,

Sensing and affirming how in each moment you always know the exact and perfect response to each situation that you encounter in life.

Take your time now as you transition into waking life,

Sensing your body,

The room around you,

Eyes opening and closing several times,

Perhaps wriggling your fingers and toes,

Moving your body,

Reorienting to where you are and where you're going,

Coming fully alert and wide awake,

Coming fully back to your eyes wide open,

Wide awake and alert state of consciousness and being.

And perhaps before ending your practice,

Experience the feeling of gratitude for taking time to practice yoga nidra,

Welcoming and loving yourself,

Experiencing yourself as timeless,

Open and spacious well-being that is perfect just as it is,

And yourself as whole,

Healthy and perfect.

Thanking yourself for taking this time to practice.

Namaste.