Welcome to this yoga nidra session.
Thank you for making the time to join me today.
Summer is kicking in in Tokyo.
So today I'll be guiding you through a full 60 minute yoga nidra session designed to provide you with deep relaxation in your body,
Stillness in your mind,
And connection to your spirit.
You'll be gently guided to connect with presence at the core of your being.
So it's important in any yoga nidra session to have a space for yourself that is safe and secure,
Where you will not be disturbed for the duration of the practice.
Any sudden disruption or disturbance tends to unsettle us rather deeply when we're in the state of yoga nidra.
So you may experience periods of deep peace and mental silence during this practice,
And this is the fullness of your being that's normally covered up with life's incessant activities.
So we're not just relaxing deeply,
We're also uncovering our inner beings.
There are many benefits to yoga nidra.
For instance,
You may recognize straight away after a session that you are less anxious.
You may find that you are less triggered by events in life,
More at peace with yourself,
More sure of your own being.
In fact,
After regular practice with yoga nidra,
You may find that your connection to your silent core is carried with you as you go about your day-to-day tasks.
During our session today,
You will hear the mantra,
Loka samastam sukhino bhavantu,
Which means may all beings be happy and free.
Also,
At the various transition points in the nidra,
There will be a gong to act as a signal.
It's very easy to fall asleep during this time,
But do determine to stay awake as much as possible.
If you drift off into sleep,
Simply recognize it has happened and then gently rejoin the guidance.
So let's begin.
Lie on your back in shivasana pose,
Corpse pose,
As flat as possible.
If you need to,
Place a thin pillow under your head and a bolster under your knees to take any strain off the lower back.
Cover your body with a light blanket to keep warm if necessary.
And if you have an eye pillow,
Pop it gently on your eyes now.
Turn your attention to your body and adjust your position so that you are in the best alignment possible,
With your head,
Neck and spine straight.
Place your arms lightly at your sides,
Away from your ribs.
Palms open up to the ceiling in a gesture of acceptance and surrender.
Check that your hips are parallel to each other.
Stretch your legs through to your heels.
Push your heels out and feel the stretch along the back of your legs.
Relax and let the feet flop naturally out to the sides.
Now gently scan your entire body and note any areas of tension that may be noticeable for you now.
Maybe in your neck,
Your shoulders.
Begin to feel your entire body relaxing.
As you relax,
You're feeling heavier,
Feeling yourself being drawn into the embrace of the earth.
Feeling comfortable,
Safe and secure.
Determine now to stay in this pose for the duration of our practice today.
And decide now to stay awake for the entire time.
Turn your attention now to your environment and the sounds that you can hear around you.
Become aware of the overall landscape.
Take in the most distant sounds you can hear.
Be aware of sounds arising and passing.
Do not label them or react to them.
Simply be aware of them.
Take a step closer and consider the sounds arising in your immediate environment.
Then take a step even closer and consider the sounds within your being.
Notice that we can direct our awareness from distance,
Middle and inner.
And we can note that all of these experiences happen within our beings anyway.
We are this consciousness.
Consider your breath.
Take three deep belly breaths in and out with long exhalations.
Feeling your body rise and fall on the inhalation and the exhalation.
Feel the coolness of the air as you inhale.
And the warmth of the breath as it leaves the body.
Feel the entire body engaged in breathing.
Be watchful as you let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Do not force the breath.
Let it flow in and out without hindrance from the mind.
Notice that breathing happens at its own pace.
Feeling safe,
Comfortable and secure.
Notice your body now.
Bring attention to your head.
Soften your forehead,
Cheeks.
Consciously let go of any tensions that you feel.
Soften your eyes and draw them back further into their sockets.
Let gravity pull back your cheeks as you relax them.
Relax your lips.
Dissolve any tension in your jaws.
Let the jaw relax.
Feel your body getting heavier as you become more relaxed.
Sinking deeper into the embrace of the earth.
Feel your body getting heavier and heavier as you become more relaxed.
Notice the thin sheath of sensation where your body is touching the floor.
From the back of your head to the shoulders,
The torso,
The back of the arms,
Hips and legs.
Slowly scan this entire interface where your body meets the floor.
Consciously surrender yourself to the earth.
Feel yourself becoming heavier.
Releasing your stresses,
Your strains,
Your anxieties.
Letting them go.
Feeling heavier and more relaxed.
Let's take some time now to create our sankalpa for this session.
A sankalpa is a short,
Positive,
I am statement that reflects our being at this point in time.
Or it may state an intent.
For example,
It could be,
I am seen.
I am creative.
I am sensitive.
Construct a sankalpa statement for yourself.
Repeat it mentally three times and then release it.
Now bring your attention and your focus to point midway between your eyebrows at the third eye.
And then sink your awareness to the midbrain area.
Create a point of intense awareness that is intense as white light.
Move this point of awareness upon direction.
As it moves from point to point,
Become aware of your consciousness moving in space.
Outlining the body.
Be intently focused on the moving point.
It may help to make this white light pulsate from point to point.
Releasing tensions.
Untying trauma.
Letting go.
Do not let your attention waver to any other task.
Third eye.
Throat.
Right shoulder.
Right elbow.
Middle of the wrist.
Back of the right hand.
Tip of the thumb.
Tip of the forefinger.
Tip of the middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the little finger.
Center of the right palm.
Middle of the wrist.
Right elbow.
Middle of the wrist.
Back of the left hand.
Tip of the left thumb.
Tip of the forefinger.
Tip of the middle finger.
Tip of the ring finger.
Tip of the little finger.
Palm of the left hand.
Middle of the wrist.
Left shoulder.
Throat.
Heart.
Right upper chest.
Left upper chest.
Solar plexus.
Navel.
Pubic area.
Right hip.
Right knee.
Right ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Tip of the big toe.
Tip of the first toe.
Tip of the second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Sole of the right foot.
Right ankle.
Right knee.
Right hip.
Pubic area.
Left hip.
Left knee.
Left ankle.
Top of the left foot.
Tip of the big toe.
Tip of the first toe.
Tip of the second toe.
Tip of the third toe.
Tip of the fourth toe.
Sole of the left foot.
Right wrist.
Left ankle.
Left knee.
Pubic area.
Solar plexus.
Left chest.
Right chest.
Top of the head.
Return your point of awareness to the center midbrain area.
And consciously dwell there.
Floating in awareness in the present moment.
Bring your awareness now to feelings in your body.
Direct your body to feel as heavy as possible.
Imagine your body to be as heavy as a lump of lead.
So heavy it sinks into the ground.
Feel the pull of the earth's gravity.
Pulling you deeply into the ground.
You feel safe.
You trust nothing is going to happen to you.
Deep pulling on your body.
Deeply taking all your anxieties,
All your tensions.
Sucking them out of your being.
Releasing them into the ground.
Feeling heavy feels comfortable.
Feeling heavy feels secure.
In contrast,
Direct your body now to be as light as air.
Lighter than air.
The only thing stopping it from floating away is the blanket covering you right now or the clothes that you are wearing.
Feel as light as a helium filled balloon.
Feel the top layer of your body pressing against your clothes.
Being lifted up.
Feeling released from all the cares and worries that you may have.
Feeling free.
Feeling light.
Now bring up the feeling of heat.
Think your body as hot as possible.
Imagine the heat of the sun burning in your solar plexus.
Turn up the heat.
Feel the sweat arise as you turn your body temperature up.
Be aware of the heat of the body burning away.
Burning away any trauma.
Burning away any blockages.
Burning away any knots in the body.
Bring up the feeling of cold.
Imagine you've just come out of a hot sauna.
And now you plunge into an icy bath.
Feeling the cold wrap around your entire body.
Invigorating and refreshing your being.
Your body now is tingling from the cold.
Slowly step out of this ice bath and find yourself relaxing quietly.
Feeling the body.
Feeling safe.
Next we're going to consider our emotional bodies.
You may find as we delve deeply that long held difficult memories may surface and along with those memories some difficult emotions and feelings.
Remember you are in a safe place.
Remember you are secure.
If you experience these emotions as overwhelming observe them with gentleness and compassion.
Allow them to come to the surface and to dissipate.
Allow the process to happen without aversion.
Remain open in the heart.
Remain open in your beings.
Let the release happen.
Bring to mind a period of time in your life when you felt emotionally low,
Depressed,
Intensely sad.
It may have been the loss of a friend through death or separation.
It may have been through overwhelming challenges,
Things beyond our control,
Things that were not our fault.
Recall the feeling and note where these feelings arise in the body.
There could be a sudden tightening in the chest or in the shoulders.
Your breathing may suddenly change rate Simply be aware of this.
Observe with an open,
Compassionate heart.
Observe and do not react.
Let the tensions and feelings arise.
And then let them fall away.
In contrast to sadness,
Life brings us many feelings of happiness or contentment,
Joy,
Love,
Acceptance.
Recall equally strongly the feelings you've experienced of intense happiness and contentment.
Make this feeling stronger.
Make the images crisp and clear.
See yourself engaging fully,
Being fully alive,
Content,
Happy.
Those moments in life when we feel at one with the flow,
When we are doing what we are supposed to be doing,
When we are engaged fully,
Spirit,
Mind,
And body acting as one.
Let this feeling express itself fully in your awareness.
Note where the feeling arises.
And again,
Watch it arise and then fall away.
Bring your attention now to the forebrain area.
Imagine this as a screen in front of you,
Your mind's eye.
And project the following images upon your mental screen in as clear detail as possible,
Letting them arise and fall away without attachment.
A crisp red apple.
A fountain of cooling water sparkling in the sunlight.
An expansive stand of bamboo,
Fresh and green,
Swaying and rustling in the wind.
Children playing and laughing in the park,
Giggling and chortling.
The full moon on a crisp,
Clear,
Cloudless night.
A family pod of dolphins jumping joyously out of the water.
The sky at night full of stars.
The entire universe stretching endlessly forth.
Our precious sun blazing forth on a cloudless summer's day,
Filling us with its life-giving energy.
A sudden shower of cooling rain.
Bring your attention now to your heart center.
Imagine your attention sinking deeply into the chamber of your heart.
Feel a strong connection here.
Rest here for a time.
Do not let your attention waver from this point.
Be here now.
Recall your sankalpa that you started with at the beginning of this session.
Recall it again and repeat it three times and let it go free.
Bring your attention gradually back to your body.
Feel the tips of your toes,
Tips of your fingers,
The back of your head,
Your shoulders,
Back,
Legs and feet.
Breathe deeply and feel the cool air entomb your body fully.
Stretch your arms and hands above your head.
Give yourself a full stretch.
Enjoy the feeling of movement and coming back to you.
Enjoy feeling your full body.
When you're ready,
Take off your eye pillow and let the light of the day stream into your being.
This is the end of our yoga nidra session today.
