
Interactive Yoga Nidra To Relax & Release | With Movements
by Monika Loe
You can do the movements while sitting on the floor or a chair. If you're not sure how to do the movements, please reach out or join a live session. To lie comfortably during Yoga Nidra, you can place a bolster or thick pillow under your legs, use an eye pillow, and cover yourself with a blanket to keep your body warm. Yoga Nidra is a form of yoga that traditionally prepares the body for prolonged periods of meditation. It's a form of deep relaxation, a transcendental sleep. The body is led into deep relaxation and the mind stays awake. So you're not sleeping. THIS Yoga Nidra is to relax and release and we work with sounds that help to release stress and tension and cleanse emotions. Let go of unnecessary tension and immerse yourself in the tranquility of infinity. It is said that one hour of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. Extract from IT-Live Session on August 2nd, 2024, including movements and breathwork to prepare the body for Yoga Nidra.
Transcript
Welcome to this Yoga Nidra to relax and release.
We will start with some movements to prepare our body for the Yoga Nidra.
And we do all of those movements sitting.
So you can sit on your sofa or on the floor or on a chair,
Wherever you feel comfortable.
And for the Yoga Nidra part it would be nice if you had something like a yoga mat to lie down on your back.
You can also use props,
So if it's your afternoon maybe you want to use an eye pillow to put it over your eyes or you can also just use a shawl or something to put over your eyes.
And it's always nice to have a blanket to cover your body.
And I also love to use a bolster under my legs or the knees so that I can lie on the floor comfortable for 20 to 30 minutes.
Just enjoy this maybe a little bit different kind of Yoga Nidra.
If you have all your props that you need for the session,
I would like to start with three Om together to open the space for our practice.
I would like to invite you to take a comfortable seat.
Find a good position where you can sit upright and still be relaxed.
And you can either put a hand on your chest or bring your hands in Namaskar Mudra.
Gently lower your gaze or close your eyes.
Bring your attention to your breath.
And just notice how your breath is gently moving your body.
Arrive in this very moment.
And enjoy every breath.
And you can exhale completely and inhale for Om.
AH Two more.
AH One more time.
AH Wonderful.
You can bring your hands on your thighs.
And then just gently start moving your spine in circles.
Gently bring some movement into your body,
Allowing all those tiny little muscles to be nourished.
To move.
To become very flexible.
And just bring your attention to your breath and feel how you're breathing in and out through your nose.
Gently moving your spine in circles.
Relax your face.
Relax your shoulders.
And just feel into your body.
Gently feel into the gentle movement.
You can move your lower spine or gently wandering up towards the space between your shoulder blades.
And allow all the tension to gently release.
Staying with your breath and with your awareness in your body.
Then you can change direction.
Starting again on your lower spine and then gently working your way up or staying wherever you feel that right now you need this movement.
Relaxing your shoulders.
Relaxing your breath.
Gently moving your spine.
Then you can slow down your movement.
Stop.
And then gently start moving your chest from side to side.
Just letting your shoulders move with your body.
Relax.
Letting all the tension flow down your spine.
And just breathe in and out through your nose.
Then you can stop your movement again.
And with your next inhale,
You can bring your arms up over your head.
Stretch.
And then turning to your right side.
Bringing your left hand onto your right knee.
Right hand behind your back.
Inhaling,
Moving your hands back up.
Turning back to the center.
Exhaling,
Turning left.
Lowering your hands down.
Right hand on your left knee.
Left hand behind your back.
Inhaling,
Bringing your hands back up.
Exhaling,
Turning to your right.
Bringing your hands back down.
Inhaling,
Lifting your arms up.
Stretch.
Exhaling,
Turning to your left.
Bringing your hands back down again.
Inhaling,
Bringing your hands up.
Exhaling,
Turning to your right.
Bringing your hands down.
And staying on this side for two to three deep breaths.
Inhaling.
Feel your chest expanding.
Exhaling,
Feel your body relax.
Inhaling,
Feeling how your chest and your belly expand.
Exhaling,
Relax.
One more time.
Inhaling,
Deep,
Full inhale into your belly and your chest.
And exhaling.
Inhaling,
Bringing your hands up.
Turning to the center.
Exhaling,
Turning to your left.
Lowering your hands down.
And also on this side,
Stay for a few deep breaths.
Filling your lungs with air.
And letting the air gently flow out of your body again.
Inhaling.
Filling your lungs with air.
Exhaling,
Gently relax.
Inhaling,
Expanding your belly and your chest in all directions.
Exhaling,
Relax.
Inhaling,
Bringing your hands back up.
Exhaling,
Bringing your hands to the side of your body.
We are becoming a little bit more dynamic now.
So what we're going to do is,
When you exhale,
You turn to your right.
And you tap with your left hand just below your collarbones.
Inhaling,
Back to center.
Exhaling,
Turning left.
Tapping with your right hand below the collarbones.
And we do that with the speed of our breath for about two minutes.
And then you can gently hold your breath for a few seconds.
And then breathing normally again.
Okay,
So whenever you're ready,
You can join in.
Inhaling.
Exhaling,
Right.
Inhaling,
Out.
In,
Out.
You can do the movements faster than I do.
Or you can go slower.
It's your breath that makes the pace.
Inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
And try to make the inhale and the exhale the same length.
You can breathe really loudly through your nose.
I'm trying not to breathe as loud.
Because I'm aware you can hear it through the microphone.
This exercise is really,
Really good for your circulation system.
It's also really good for your lungs.
It's really good for your immune system.
We have about half a minute to go.
Just keep going.
Keep your arms up.
Go slower if you feel it a lot in your arms.
But just continue.
Just a few more seconds.
And 5,
5,
4,
4,
3,
3,
2,
2,
1.
One big inhale.
Hold your breath in for a moment.
Then exhale.
Gently lower your hands.
Put your hands on your thighs.
And just take a few deep breaths to recover.
Feel into the tingling sensations in your body.
That's your prana,
Your life force energy moving through your body.
Just take a few more deep breaths.
And then gently,
Slowly prepare for the next exercise.
It's the last one before we go into Yoga Nidra.
It's Chaya Breathing.
And it's again quite dynamic.
So when you inhale,
You bring your hands up.
Exhaling,
You squeeze your thumb and you squeeze your ribcage with your arms.
Inhaling up,
Exhaling down.
And we do that for about 2 minutes again.
After that,
We hold our breath for about 10 seconds.
And then just breathe to recover.
And then finally lie down on the mat to start the Yoga Nidra.
If you feel dizzy or unwell at any time,
Make the movement slower.
And don't go up as high with your arms.
Okay,
So we can start with In-Out.
In-Out.
In-Out.
In-Squeeze.
In-Squeeze.
And again,
It's inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
And try to make the inhale and the exhale the same length.
And you can make the movement faster if you want to go faster.
Or you can make it slower.
This exercise as well is very good for your circulation system.
It's also very good for your lymphatic system.
And it really helps you to stay awake during Yoga Nidra and lie on your mat.
We have about one more minute to go.
Keep going.
And squeeze.
Very good.
Just a few more rounds.
And squeeze.
And 5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Big inhale,
Holding your breath in for a moment.
Exhaling,
Lowering your hands down.
Taking a few deep breaths into your belly to recover.
And feel into the tingling sensations racing through your body.
You can bring your attention to your breath or to your third eye.
And just sit for a moment.
Wonderful.
Then you can slowly find your way onto your mat.
Prepare yourself for Yoga Nidra.
Use your bolster under your knees.
Use a blanket to cover your body.
Use your eye pillow if there is a lot of light in your room.
Or you can also dim the light.
Take your time to prepare for Yoga Nidra.
And make yourself very comfortable.
Slightly open your arms and legs,
Palms facing up.
Make yourself very comfortable.
Gently close your eyes.
And allow your body to relax without moving.
Allow your body to relax without moving.
And just follow my instructions.
The theme of the class is Tadadrashtu Svarupe Avasthanam.
Resting in your true self.
And the intention is to relax and release.
Release anything you would like to let go.
Like stress or tension,
Anger,
Frustration,
Fear or grief.
Let's give the permission to your body and your mind to release whatever you would like to let go.
Allow to release.
Allow to release.
Allow it to release.
Just relax and relax your whole body.
Relax your face.
Relax your legs.
Relax your hands.
Relax your spine.
Relax your abdominal organs.
Relax.
Relax your breath.
Relax your breath.
In this practice of Yoga Nidra we are going to work with sound.
And we start with a few rounds of A and U and I sounds to release.
Not too long.
Not too short.
I will guide you.
We start with AH sounds.
Let's exhale together and then inhale for AH.
AH Inhaling.
AH Inhaling.
AH Inhaling for OO.
OO Inhaling.
OO Inhaling.
OO Inhaling for EE.
EE Inhaling.
EE Inhaling.
EE Relax.
Relax.
Relax your breathing.
Relax your face.
Relax the middle of your forehead.
Feel your third eye and relax your third eye,
Ajna Chakra.
Now let's feel your left leg.
Relax your left toes.
Relax your left toe joints.
Relax your left ankle.
Relax your left ankle joint.
Just relax it a little bit more.
Relax your left knee.
Relax your left knee joint.
Relax your left hip and your left hip joint.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Now relax the middle of your forehead.
Relax your third eye.
Relax your third eye.
Now feel your right leg.
Relax your right toes.
Relax your right toe joints.
Relax your right ankle.
And relax your right ankle joint.
Relax your right knee.
Relax your right knee joint.
Just relax it a little bit more.
Relax your right hip.
Relax your right hip joint.
Relax your right hip joint.
Just relax.
Relax.
And relax your third eye,
Ajna Chakra.
Relax your third eye,
Ajna Chakra.
Now feel your left arm.
Relax your left hand fingers.
Relax your left hand finger joints.
Relax your left wrist.
Relax and soften.
Feel your left elbow.
Relax your left elbow.
Relax your left shoulder.
Relax your left shoulder joint.
And relax your left armpit.
Relax the middle of your forehead.
Relax your third eye.
Relax your third eye.
Now feel your right arm.
And relax your right hand fingers.
Your right hand finger joints.
Relax your right wrist.
Relax and soften.
Feel your right elbow.
And relax your right elbow.
Relax your right shoulder.
Relax your right shoulder joint.
And relax your right armpit.
Relax.
Relax your third eye,
Ajna Chakra.
Relax your third eye,
Ajna Chakra.
Relax your eyebrows.
Relax your eyes.
Relax your eyeballs.
And relax the skin and the tiny little muscles surrounding your eyes.
Just relax and release.
Now relax the energetic centre line of your body.
Feel and relax the centre of your pelvis.
Relax below your navel.
Relax your navel.
Relax the middle of your chest.
Soften.
Relax the middle of your throat.
Relax your tongue.
Relax the tip of your nose.
Relax the root of your nose.
Relax the middle of your forehead.
Relax the middle of your forehead.
And relax the centre part of your crown,
Brahmrandra.
Relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Please relax your whole spine.
Relax your abdominal organs.
Relax the middle of your chest.
Relax your muscles,
Joints,
Glands,
Nerves.
Just relax and release.
Beautiful.
Just feel how you are able to relax.
How you are able to release.
And how you are able to let go stress from a cellular level.
Now we are going to make three Brahmari honey bee sounds together.
And after that you are continuing to make Brahmari sounds with the length of your own breath.
Not too long.
Not too short.
That would not be relaxing.
Slowly inhale into your belly.
And exhale with Brahmari.
Mmmmm.
Inhale.
Mmmmm.
Inhale.
Mmmmm.
Now keep going for yourself for about five minutes.
Mmmmm.
No rush.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Happy honey bee sounds.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Just continue with your honey bee sounds.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Relax into the gentle vibrations.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Relax and release.
Mmmmm.
Humming to yourself.
Mmmmm.
Just continue for about three more minutes.
Mmmmm.
Relax and release.
Mmmmm.
Feel your body vibrating gently.
Mmmmm.
Releasing everything you would like to let go.
Mmmmm.
Beautiful.
Mmmmm.
Just three more.
Mmmmm.
Mmmmm.
Last one.
Mmmmm.
Relax.
Relax your breathing.
Relax your throat.
Relax your nose.
Relax your lungs.
Slow breathing.
Soft and slow breathing.
Relax.
Just let go and feel your true self is blissful,
Joyful,
Playful,
Loving,
Kind.
That's you.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Resting in your true self.
Relax the centre line of your body.
Relax the centre of your pelvis.
Relax below your navel.
Relax your navel.
Relax the middle of your chest.
Relax your throat.
Relax the tip of your tongue.
Relax the tip of your nose.
Relax your third eye.
Middle of your forehead.
And relax the middle of your crown.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Sahasrara chakra.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Resting in your true self.
Now relax your breathing.
Relax.
Relax and allow yourself to sink into silence.
Resting in your true self.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Resting in your true self.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Just relax into silence.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Relax.
Just relax.
Tadadrashtu svarupe avasthanam.
Relax.
Relax.
Sink into deep relaxation.
Just float and relax.
Relax.
Relax.
Now just feel your true self.
Your true self is blissful,
Joyful,
Loving,
Kind.
Slowly return to your breath and just witness.
Witness your body,
Very peaceful,
Very calm.
And be grateful for your body.
With your next breath,
Feel your true self expanding in your body.
And witness your heart bumping,
Very calm and relaxed.
Slowly deepen your breath.
Feel your belly expand and gently contract with every inhale and every exhale.
Very slowly wiggle your toes and fingers,
Just gently and no rush please.
Moving your head from side to side,
Just gentle movements.
And you can bring your right hand up above your head and slightly bend your knees and lay down on your right side.
Take your time.
If you're doing this practice for falling asleep,
You can stop the practice here and now and continue go into sleep.
If you don't want to sleep right away,
Take your time and turn onto your left side.
No rush please,
Turning onto your left side.
And just feel your body laying on your mat on your left side.
Feeling how your breath is gently moving your body with every inhale and every exhale.
Now slowly with helping hands come up into an easy sitting position for a short meditation.
Take your time to set up your pose.
No rush please.
Make your pose very comfortable.
Keep yourself warm.
You can cover your head with a shawl if you'd like.
Make your body very stable and motionless,
Your hands on your knees or in your lap.
Eyes closed.
And just slightly roll your closed eyes up and out.
And just feel how you're melting into infinite space.
Just slightly roll your eyes up and out.
And just feel how you're melting into infinite space.
Your body is becoming a happy statue and your true self is melting into infinite space.
Super consciousness or the divine or however you call it.
Oneness with the universe.
Beautiful.
You can continue to meditate a little bit longer if you wish.
Or you can slowly take a couple of deep breaths into your belly.
Feeling your belly expand in all directions.
And feeling your belly moving back to your spine when you exhale.
Let's bring our palms in namaskar mudra.
Very softly we chant the akhanda mantra to honor the lineage of yogis that have brought this practice to us.
And we will then close with one om and three shanti for peace.
Let's start with one om and then the akhanda mantra.
OM AKHANDA MANGALAKARAM YABDAM YENA CHARACHARAM TADPADAM DARSHITAM YENA TASMAI SHRI KURAVE NAMAHA Let's close with om and three shanti.
OM SHANTI Feel the calm in your body and in your mind.
Feel yourself resting in your true self.
Joyful,
Playful,
Loving and kind.
Thank you very much for joining and sharing your time with me.
Namaste.
