Yoga Nidra - What Is Taking Shape For You?

Welcome to this 61 Point Yoga Nidra practice.

For taking shape,

What inside this shape of you is waiting to take shape?

Perhaps it's a new emotion,

Dream,

Or perhaps a new mindset,

Or a vision of your future.

Coming into being.

What inside of you is waiting to take shape?

How will your silhouette against the sky change once your wings are fully spread?

What purpose of yours has remained in the shadows?

Waiting for an open invitation.

Only you can live your life.

Only you must live your life.

Only you must meet this frontier of the future with a courage,

Inspired perhaps of loneliness or fear.

What is the story on the blank page of today that is slowly becoming visible?

What would you wish for it to say?

Life has sprung from bare earth.

This universe from emptiness.

Both took their time.

Give permission for a whispered revelation to unfold before you.

And then walk into it with a hunger,

A thirst,

A knowing.

During this yoga nidra practice,

We will take a tour around the body and on each point you can visualise that part of your body or mentally repeat the name of that part.

Find yourself a comfortable position,

Ideally lying on your back,

Legs long,

Ankles slightly apart so that your feet can flop out naturally.

Arms slightly away from the sides of your body.

Palms facing up if comfort allows.

Adopting the position Shavasana or Corpse Pose.

We will be taking a tour around the body and on each point you can visualise that point.

Letting your attention move from one point to the next.

Focusing attention and awareness therefore allows the brain to relax and in doing so creates and reveals a yet greater expanded awareness.

And promotes relaxation.

The sound of a chime will indicate the beginning and the end of the practice.

And I'd like you to know that there's no way you can do this wrong.

Simply relax,

Follow my voice and allow your mental awareness to move from place to place.

Notice your whole body from head to toe.

Set yourself up so that you can be comfortable and don't have to move.

No movement is required during this practice.

And if you set yourself up to be comfortable you can be still,

As still as you can.

But if not be sure to mindfully adjust your position with a minimum of disruption and coming back to the practice.

Chime Start at your eyebrow centre.

The place between the eyebrows and either repeat after me,

Eyebrow centre,

Or feel or visualise that place.

Now leaving this point move your attention to the next point which is at the base of the throat.

The pit of the throat.

Now the right shoulder joint.

The right elbow joint.

Right wrist joint.

And the tip of the right thumb.

Repeating,

Feeling or visualising.

The tip of the right thumb.

Now your right index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

Shifting attention and awareness to the wrist joint.

And the right elbow joint.

And the right shoulder joint.

And then back to the pit of the throat.

Shift your awareness to the left shoulder joint.

Left elbow joint.

Left wrist joint.

Tip of the left thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Left little finger.

And the left wrist joint.

Left elbow joint.

And the left shoulder joint.

Now bringing your awareness back to the base of the throat.

The pit of the throat between the two collar bones.

Now bring your awareness to the heart centre.

The centre of the chest.

And notice the energy at the heart centre.

Move your attention to your right chest.

And back to the heart centre.

Left chest.

Heart centre.

Now down to the navel centre above the belly button.

And your lower abdomen below the belly button.

Shift your awareness to the right hip joint.

Right knee joint.

Right ankle.

The right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And the little toe.

The right ankle.

Right knee joint.

The right hip joint.

Lower abdomen.

Left hip joint.

Left knee joint.

Left ankle joint.

And now the tip of the left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

And the little toe.

Left ankle joint.

Left knee joint.

Left hip joint.

Lower abdomen.

Coming up through the core of the body.

To the navel centre.

Heart centre.

Throat centre.

And the eyebrow centre.

Returning to the start.

Now expand your awareness.

To include your whole body once again.

Now become aware of the whole 61 points of the body.

Energy.

And sensation.

Slowly scan your body.

To see if there is anything you can soften.

A little bit more.

Anything else.

Asking to be released.

Or relaxed.

Notice the energy in your body right now.

Notice feelings of relaxation.

Notice if there is anything holding.

Any obstacles to relaxation.

Anything you can give your attention to.

To release.

And let go.

And feeling your whole body resting.

Your whole body.

Your whole body.

Resting.

Breathing.

Your body is resting.

But awareness is still present.

Awareness is present.

Noticing your body resting.

Notice the body breathing itself.

Nothing to do.

Noticing and breathing.

Simply being.

Being aware.

Being awareness.

Of the breath passing in and out.

The subtle breath coming and going.

You are relaxed awareness.

Experiencing itself as your body.

Resting.

And breathing.

Noticing.

I am breathing in.

I am breathing out.

I am breathing in.

I am breathing out.

The body is resting.

No need to change anything.

Nothing to do.

Simply aware.

Breathing in.

And out.

Without effort.

You may find yourself aware of sounds.

Invited and uninvited passing across the field of awareness.

Coming and going.

Arriving and passing.

No attachment.

Observing with nothing to do.

Sounds.

Sensations.

Thoughts and feelings drifting.

Across awareness.

Rising and falling into the background of awareness.

What inside of the shape of you is waiting to take shape?

How will your silhouette against the sky change once your wings are fully spread?

What purpose of yours has remained in the shadows,

Waiting for an open invitation?

Only you can live your life.

Only you must live your life.

Only you must meet this frontier of the future with the courage in spite of loneliness.

The story on the blank page of today is slowly becoming more visible before it remains unchanged forever.

What would you wish for it to say?

What song is in your heart to sing in this world?

Life has sprung from bare earth.

This universe from emptiness.

Both took their time.

Give permission for a whispered revelation to unfold before you.

And walk into it with a hunger.

Walk into it with a thirst.

Walk into it with a knowing.

And absorbing in your heart as much or as little as you like.

Or merely hearing the shapes and the syllables of words.

As mere sound coming and going.

Manifesting as hearing,

A sense of hearing.

Find in your awareness hearing.

And feeling.

And thinking.

And breathing.

As you start to become aware of your breath a little more now.

And intentionally taking slightly fuller breaths.

Allowing your lungs to expand a little more.

Inhaling and exhaling.

And in so doing,

Starting to feel the contact of the surface that supports you.

Feeling that contact believe you more fully.

And starting to become more aware of your body and the shape of you.

Starting to feel your fingers and toes.

As you start to become aware again of your surroundings and your external environment.

Start to invite little movements into your fingers and toes.

Perhaps wriggling them.

You're beginning to identify with each finger by touching your thumb to them in turn.

Before stretching your fingers.

Perhaps rotating your wrists.

Becoming aware of your hands.

Perhaps flexing your feet and rotating your ankles.

Connecting with your feet.

And starting to move your head from side to side.

To move your tongue in your mouth.

To move the muscles of your face and starting to think about moving your limbs.

Aware that the practice is coming to a close.

As you bring yourself back into your day.

Remembering what time of day it is and rolling yourself onto one side.

Or hugging your knees to your chest.

And when you're ready gently blinking your eyes open and starting to connect again.

Bringing fresh greater awareness into your everyday.

As you hear the sound of the gong.

Give permission for a whispered revelation to unfold before you.

Even in the days ahead.

And walk into it.

Lean into it with a hunger and a knowing.

You can ground yourself back into the everyday by noticing the soles of your feet pressing into the earth when you stand up or sit up after this practice.

Having a warm drink or something nourishing to eat will help to awaken your senses.

And pausing to reflect and especially writing a line or two will help to integrate and embed this experience.

And allow yourself plenty of time to adjust.

Bringing greater awareness into your life because of this practice and the time you have given yourself.

Harriyom Tat Sat.

Thank you for your practice.

Namaste.