Yoga Nidra: Embrace The Flame

Make any adjustments that you need now to stay comfortable and then allow yourself to settle into the space.

Notice your inhales and your exhales as the natural flow of breath in and out of the body and then with each exhale breath mentally repeat the mantra letting go with each exhale just think letting go and feel any tensions in the body letting go a little bit more with each exhale intense emotions letting go a bit more with each exhale any thoughts racing through the mind letting go a little more with each exhale become aware of the body relaxing feel the body relaxing a little bit more with every exhale you take resting to the earth beneath it the practice of yoga nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling and these are the two important factors in yoga nidra you function on the level of awareness and the level of listening you become the creator of your own dreams so 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 expanding your sense of hearing to the sounds that are all around you noticing what types of sounds you can hear that are outside the room notice the sounds that are inside the room notice the sounds that are close to you and any sounds of the body notice if there are sounds of digestion the sound of the breath the sound of the heartbeat and in the heartbeat listen for your heart's desire listen to your heart and feel within that space your heart's desire here known as the sankalpa the sankalpa is an affirmation or intention we set for ourselves a seed planted in the yoga nidra practice that will manifest in our lives it's usually phrased in the present tense as if it's already happening the sankalpa could be something like I am happy my life is filled with love and laughter or I am successful in all I do whatever that wish is for yourself feel it now within the heart space feel yourself being that sankalpa and then repeat your sankalpa three times mentally with the exact same wording and complete confidence that it will come true in your life moving on now to the rotation of consciousness through the body the body remains still as our consciousness travels around it a body part will be named and as each part is named draw your awareness to it it might help to visualize the body part or mentally repeat its name welcome any and all sensations that may or may not occur and we begin as always on the right side of the body starting with 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 forearm elbow upper arm shoulder armpit waist right hip thigh hamstring knee back of the knee shin calf muscle ankle heel sole 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 bring 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 forearm elbow upper arm shoulder armpit waist left hip thigh hamstring knee back of the knee shin calf muscle ankle heel sole the foot arch of the foot top of the foot left big toe second toe third toe fourth toe fifth toe stay awake and aware and bring your awareness to the lower back middle back upper back all right side of the back whole left side of the back the whole spinal column right shoulder blade left shoulder blade back of the neck back of the head top of the head forehead right temple left temple 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 ear lobe left ear lobe right cheek left cheek bridge of the nose tip of the nose right nostril left nostril the whole nose upper lip lower lip both lips together teeth tongue gums the whole mouth chin jawbone rote 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 back of the body the whole front of the body awareness of the whole body together the whole body together the whole body together now become aware of the natural breath become aware if you are asleep or awake and be aware of your breathing observing the breath with a curious mind not controlling a thing but letting the breath breathe you feel the rise and fall breath at the navel notice as you inhale the belly rises as you exhale the navel falls feel this movement in the body visualize it in your mind and then visualize their resting upon the navel flower as you inhale and the belly rises the flower blossoms open as you exhale the bud closes as you inhale hail the flower opens as you exhale the petals close together see this flower blooming and closing with a rise and fall a breath of belly and now start to count the breaths backwards as you visualize this flower blossoming and closing with the breath inhale 18 exhale 18 inhale 17 exhale 17 and so on counting breaths backwards from 18 to 0 with a flower at the navel center if you lose the count please start again at 18 keeping a complete focus on counting and breathing with a flower at the navel center now let go of the count and awareness of breath at the navel let go of the flower and just breathe naturally again become aware of the whole body the whole body and begin to feel heaviness feel a heaviness in the entire body the hips are heavy the legs even the toes the shoulders heavy the arms and the fingers the skin on the face is heavy so heavy it would be difficult to lift an island let yourself feel completely heavy so heavy as if you are sinking into the ground beneath you feel heaviness in the body now release heaviness and come into a sense of being light the whole body feels light now manifest lightness in the body there's lightness in the fingertips and the toes spreading through the arms and the shoulders lightness in the torso lightness in the hips and the legs lightness in the neck in the head feel lightness in the spinal cord lightness in the brain the whole body is light so light like a cloud so light you're drifting away from the supports beneath you feel lightness in the body now let go of lightness and feel hot feel heat in the body begin to feel very very very hot like you are outside on a hot humid day you can see the heat waves rising from the ground you can feel yourself begin to sweat manifest a feeling of heat in the entire body from head to toe feel heat in the body now let go of heat and feel cold shivering cold coldness all through the body every bit to the body feels cold like you are outside on a winter day with very thin clothing and there is a cold wind snapping at your skin manifest the sensation of cold in the body now let go of cold and feel pain feel a pain in the body perhaps one you are currently experiencing or one in the past any kind of pain physical emotional or mental let yourself go into this pain not shying away from the experience but going into the pain and really feeling it examining it let yourself feel pain and now release that pain let your entire self release the pain feel the pain dissipate completely and now manifest a sensation of pleasure a sensation of pleasure perhaps recalling a time or an experience where you felt happiness and pleasure feel it within yourself now go into the pleasure and experience it and now release the sensation of pleasure come back to your body and your breath make sure you are awake and just observe your breathing and yourself now draw all your awareness to the space behind the closed eyes awareness of the mind space behind the eyes like you are watching the screen of your subconscious mind bring all your focus to this space known as Chittakosha the mind space and notice what appears here there may be a series of thoughts or images and patterns or simply darkness and space observe this space and then notice the boundaries of this space does it feel like an unlimited space with no boundaries or more limited as if it only goes so far explore the space itself now and then see yourself in a room filled with many candles it's a dark room illuminated only by the candles within it notice what the candles look like their colors and shapes if they are ornate or plain if they are in some kind of candle holder on a table or something else look at yourself in the candlelight seeing the light flicker upon your hands and skin and then look around the room and go to a candle that calls to you go close to the candle and study it watch the wax drip down the sides of the candle see the flame flickering watch the flame of the candle more closely the candle flame seems to even have images within it it bounces and flickers as if in conversation with you let yourself go deeper into the flame see yourself merging with the candle flame itself now you are the light you are the heat feel yourself inside the flame notice what sorts of sensation you feel what colors the light lights are if you feel calm and centered or excited and scared and then see yourself outside of the candle once more back in the room and then feeling the flame in your heart space a flickering candle flame at the center of the heart and become aware of yourself become aware of yourself by asking am I aware of myself am I asleep or awake see your entire body from head to toe try to see yourself from the outside of it and ask yourself am I this body become a witness and ask am I this body recall your senses the senses by which you observe this world around you and ask yourself am I the senses become aware of yourself and aware of your mind the mind by which you understand yourself in the world ask yourself am I this mind become aware of your aura the aura around your body noticing the colors of your aura your energetic self and ask yourself am I this aura become aware of the breath this prana within you and ask yourself am I the breath am I the prana become aware of yourself and become aware of the existence of your consciousness the consciousness by which you can observe yourself by which you know you are practicing yoga nidra ask yourself am I this consciousness look within and become aware of a tiny golden egg in the center of the brain so tiny like a grain of rice a glowing golden egg in the center of the mind this golden egg that represents the seat of your highest consciousness see yourself as this golden egg as consciousness and say to yourself beyond the mind body senses prana and everything that is physical mental and unconscious I am in the form of this golden egg I am consciousness now come back to your heart space and recall your sankopa the affirmation you made at the beginning of the yoga nidra practice repeat it again three times mentally with the same wording and confidence that it will manifest for you in your life listen for the sounds of the body the sounds inside the room and sounds outside the room become aware of the room around you recalling what it looks like in great detail within your mind with the floors are made up the colors of the wall and the ceiling the objects within it feel the texture of your clothing the temperature of the air on your skin become aware of the whole body from head to toe and say to yourself the practice of yoga nidra is now complete begin to deepen your breath making the inhales and exhales deeper and fuller and begin to make small movements in the body wiggling fingers and toes rotating the wrist and the ankles and then circling them in the opposite direction taking any other gentle movements that feel good to help reawaken yourself taking your time to make your way back up to a seated position there's no rush to get there and keeping the eyes closed if you can as you draw the hands to prayer at heart center thanking yourself for your practice today and taking time to rest and reconnect with yourself I thank you all very much as well and hope to see you again soon namaste