Choose Your Own Adventure

Find a position where you can be nice and cozy.

That might mean lying on the side in a fetal position or sitting upright,

Whatever that is,

Make the adjustments you need for comfort.

Perhaps some cushioning under the knees to release through the lower back,

A blanket over the body in case the temperature drops,

Removing any glasses or watches and just allowing yourself to relax into the space,

Sink into the space.

Notice the connection between the body and the supports beneath you.

Every place the body is cradled by those supports,

Just let yourself melt into them and know that the more you release,

The more the earth comes back up to hold you and support you.

Begin to notice your natural breath.

Feel the gentle rise and fall of the inhale and the exhale,

That release that happens with the exhale breath.

And as you breathe with each exhale,

Mentally think relax.

With each exhale,

Mentally repeating the mantra relax,

Feeling the body relax more and more with each exhale,

Feeling emotions relax with each exhale and the mind soften and relax a little bit more with each exhale.

And envision yourself now in a place where you would feel completely comfortable and at ease.

So those supports beneath you,

Maybe they could be like soft green grass,

A sandy beach or a hammock,

Maybe a little raft on the water or a cozy couch.

Envision yourself there now in this very comfortable,

Safe place and know that you can return here at any point during the meditation,

Just coming back to your safe and cozy abode whenever you need to relax.

And say to yourself mentally now,

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

Say to yourself mentally,

I will stay awake for Yoga Nidra.

Say to yourself mentally,

I will remain still for Yoga Nidra and start to listen for sounds,

Listening to the soundscape all around you.

Seek out the sounds the furthest away from you,

Just noticing the sounds you can hear,

Spending a little time with one sound and then moving to another and then come a little closer and notice the sounds you can hear there inside the room with you.

And just let your attention spend a little time with each unique sound,

Sending your sense of hearing in all directions around you.

Notice if there are any sounds close to the body,

Sounds in front of the body or towards the backside of the body,

Below the body if there are any sounds and if there are any sounds above the body,

To the right and to the left and then listen to the sounds of yourself.

What kind of sounds are coming from the body?

Possibly sounds of breathing and digestion,

Perhaps you can hear the heartbeat and then listen even closer within yourself,

Something that perhaps isn't an audible sound but something you feel,

The sound of your heart's desire,

Your sankalpa.

The sankalpa is an affirmation or intention you set for yourself in the Yoga Nidra practice,

Something that you would like to manifest in your life and be true for you.

It's good if the sankalpa can be phrased in the present tense as if it's already happening.

For example,

I am capable or I am successful in all I do.

Whatever that sankalpa might be,

Feel it now within the heart space.

Notice how it feels to embody the sankalpa and then repeat your sankalpa three times mentally with the exact same wording and the confidence that it will come true in your lifetime.

Moving on now to the rotation of consciousness in the body.

A body part will be named and as each part is named,

Draw your awareness to it.

That could be by simply experiencing the body part,

Maybe mentally repeating the name of the body part or visualizing it.

Welcome any and all sensations that might occur.

And we begin as always with the right hand thumb.

So bring your awareness now to your right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of the rib cage,

Waist,

Thigh,

Hamstring,

Knee,

Back of the knee,

Shin,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Arch of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Stay awake and aware and travel your awareness to the left side of the body and the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Left side of the rib cage,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Hamstring,

Knee,

Back of the knee,

Shin,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Arch of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Stay awake,

Stay aware,

Bring the awareness to the crown of the head,

Back of the head,

Neck,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Upper back,

Middle back,

Lower back,

Right side of the back,

Left side of the back,

The whole spinal column,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Right heel,

Left heel.

Bring awareness back to the crown of the head,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The eyebrow center,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eyelashes,

Left eyelashes,

The whole right eye,

The whole left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Bridge of the nose,

Tip of the nose,

The whole nose,

The space between the nose and the lips,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Teeth,

Tongue,

Gums,

The whole mouth together,

Chin,

Jawbone,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

The hollow between the collarbones,

Right chest,

Left chest,

Center of chest,

Upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

The whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole right side of the body,

The whole left side of the body,

The whole front of the body,

The whole back of the body,

Awareness of the whole body together,

The whole body together,

Complete awareness of the whole body together.

Now come back to the breath,

Awareness of your natural breath,

And just observe it breathing you through no effort of your own.

Observe if you are asleep or awake and watch the breath,

And then feel the breath at the lower belly.

Feel the rise of the belly with inhale,

The fall of the belly with the exhale,

And see if you can feel that movement of the breath extend a little bit more.

As you inhale,

The belly and the chest rise.

As you exhale,

The chest falls,

The belly falls.

Inhale,

Belly rises,

Chest and ribcage expand with air.

Exhale,

They gently fall and relax.

Follow this movement of the breath up and down the torso of the body.

And now begin counting the breaths backwards following this movement of breath from the belly to the chest and back down again,

But counting the breaths like so.

Inhaling 27,

Exhaling 27,

Inhaling 26,

Exhaling 26,

And so on,

Counting the breaths backwards from 27 to zero with full awareness of breath in the chest and belly.

Should you lose the count,

Simply start again at the number 27,

Starting over and over again at 27 if necessary,

Complete focus on breathing and counting.

Now release the count of the breath and breath awareness and let yourself just breathe naturally and begin to feel heavy.

Feel a heaviness in the entire body.

Feel yourself sinking towards the floor.

You are so heavy,

Heaviness in every single part of yourself.

So heavy,

You feel like a stone.

So heavy,

It would be difficult to lift a finger or open your eyes.

Manifest a sensation of heaviness within yourself.

Be heavy in the body.

Now let go of heaviness and become light.

Your whole being is entirely light now.

You are light like air or a feather.

It's as if the body is filled with air and you are so light,

You are practically lifting above your supports and floating over them.

Feel light everywhere in the body,

Lightness.

Now let go of lightness and come to a sensation of feeling constricted,

A feeling of constriction,

Whatever that means for you.

Feel a sense of constriction within yourself.

Notice where you feel constriction the most in the body.

Manifest a sensation of constrictedness and now let go of being constricted and feel spacious.

Let the self feel incredibly spacious.

Notice how spaciousness feels in the body.

Are there some parts that feel more spacious than others?

See if the entire body can manifest spaciousness.

Now release spaciousness and let yourself feel hot.

Create a heat within yourself.

Maybe you feel a heat already at the navel center and you can manifest this heat in the navel center and other parts of yourself.

Let yourself feel very hot like you're outside in the summer sun wearing warm clothing.

Feel heat in the body and release the feeling of being hot and come to cold.

See if now you can feel very cold,

Cold in the body.

Maybe there's a place in the body like the fingertips that feel cold already and you can transfer that sensation to other parts of yourself.

Feel cold like you are in an icy environment.

Cool wind blowing all around you.

Manifest a sensation of coldness in the body and now let go of cold in the opposite practice and just notice if you're awake or asleep.

Notice the breath and then notice the space behind your closed eyes.

The space in front of your forehead.

You're known as the Chittakash,

The mind space.

Bring your awareness to this mind space and observe what's happening there.

Perhaps there are thoughts or images,

Maybe not much at all or darkness.

Let your awareness rest here and simply observe with a curious mind.

See before you in this mind space,

Several doors.

There are various doors of different colors,

Sizes and shapes.

Pick now one of these doors and go within it.

Notice what kind of scene is before you.

What's behind the door?

Is it somewhere outside in the open or inside a building?

Are there other people or beings there or are you by yourself?

What sorts of objects are around you here?

What does the ground feel like beneath your feet?

Can you smell any particular scents or aromas?

And does the temperature feel cool or warm or just perfect?

Is it daytime or night,

Dawn or dusk?

Let yourself explore the space of your creation.

As you explore,

A person appears before you.

Perhaps it's someone you know or maybe someone you don't.

If you don't know them,

Ask them who they are and whoever they are,

Inquire why they are here with you now.

This person has a message for you.

So allow them to share it and ask them any other questions that come to mind here.

This person now gives you a small gift to remember them by.

You say your goodbyes to them and they go on their way and you're left in this special space with this gift just for you.

A remembrance you can come back to at any time.

You go back to the door from which you entered and when you look on the other side this time,

You can see your own room,

Your own space and you tiptoe back over to where you started the Yoga Nidra practice,

Lying back down,

Resting and relaxing.

Start to listen for the sounds that are all around you and make sure to listen to the sound of your heart,

Remembering your Sankalpa and repeating it again three times mentally with the exact same wording,

Knowing that it will come true in your life.

Listen to the sound of your breathing and feel the breath through the entire body from head to toe.

Feel the connection between the backside of the body and the supports beneath you.

Notice the sensation of your clothes,

The temperature of the air and begin to remember your space in great detail,

Envisioning it behind your closed eyes,

Its colors.

Its textures,

What the floor and ceiling look like,

What adorns the walls and say to yourself mentally,

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Begin to make small movements in the body,

Brushing the thumb over each fingertip,

Wiggling out the toes,

Circling your wrist and ankles in one direction and then the other and stretching from head to toe like you're just waking up in the morning,

Making any other movements that come intuitively for you that feel good,

Taking your time to gradually sit up again,

Keeping the eyes closed for just a little bit longer as you bring the hands to heart center in a prayer position,

Thanking yourself for your practice tonight and taking care of you.

I thank you all so very much as well and wish you beautiful day ahead.

Thank you so very much.

Namaste.