Sleep is a time when the soul ascends to its source and dreams become the bridge between heaven and earth.
Rav Nachman of Breslov.
Yoga Nidra ushers you to the bridge between sleep and dreaming.
Your brain enters into a prolonged alpha brainwave state,
The gateway of relaxation,
Loosening consciousness and creativity.
Then it transitions into the lower frequency of the dreamlike theta and delta states,
Where deep healing can take place as your mind disbands from the illusory dualities of the physical world and attunes to its source consciousness,
Hashem.
When the body is at rest,
The soul awakens.
I'm Ruthie Eisenberg and this is the Nale Yoga Podcast with Yoga Nidra journeys for deep rest and more.
If you're not already there,
Go ahead and lie down on your back with all the supports you need to feel comfortable like a pillow or blanket.
Align your body in symmetry and stability from head to toe.
Make sure that your spine is straight,
Your feet comfortably apart,
The arms placed loosely by your sides and the palms of your hands facing the sky.
Tilt your forehead slightly to elongate the cervical spine at the back of the neck.
Make any adjustments you need to feel completely comfortable and grounded.
You are encouraged to commit to remain as still as possible during this practice.
When the body is still,
The mind can be like a clear lake with no ripples on the water surface,
Thus showing the transparent underwater floor.
Now you are invited to close your eyes for the duration of this practice and try to stay as aware as you can.
Stay connected to my voice and if your thoughts begin to spiral like ripples on a lake,
Just know that my voice is here as an anchor for you to return to at any time.
The practice of yoga nidra begins now.
Let's begin with a physiological sigh.
Take a deep breath in through the nose,
Another quick sharp inhale at the top and breathe out completely through the mouth,
Letting go of any tensions that you may be carrying.
Once again,
Inhale through the nose,
Sharp quick inhale at the top,
Tense everything and exhale through the mouth,
Just letting the tensions and stressors fall away.
Feel the current of the air over your face as you soften the corners of your eyes and your jaw.
Face your shoulders,
Your head,
Back and legs surrendering to the surface beneath you.
Allow all the weight of your body to yield into the ground in complete stillness.
Breathe here naturally and organically at your own pace and rhythm,
Bringing awareness to the cadence of inhales and exhales.
No need to do anything or change anything.
This is your island of time to just be.
You are exactly where you need to be.
On your next inhale,
Shift your awareness upward to the epicenter of your head,
The third eye space.
From here,
It is time to plant your intention,
Your kavana in Hebrew or sankalpa in Sanskrit.
This is your resolve that contains your most heartfelt desire,
Affirmation,
Prayer or life quest,
The attribute that you are called to become in this lifetime.
Your intention can be a short,
Positive,
Simple statement starting with I am.
If you are unsure what your intention is,
Consider trying out some of these phrases to give you general ideas.
I am healthy in my body and mind.
I am at peace.
I am in harmony with the universe.
I belong here.
I am abundantly present to my life.
Or simply,
I am here,
Hineni.
Say your intention to yourself three times in the present tense with feeling.
I am.
Now let it go into the ether and see how it returns at the end of this practice and throughout your day.
We now begin the rotation of consciousness by going on a journey through the body.
As we bring awareness from one part to the next,
Repeat that part in your mind and at the same time,
Feel it in your body.
We start with the right hand thumb.
Bringing awareness to the right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth.
Sense the energy you hold in the palm of your hand.
Give the whole hand and trace awareness upwards towards the elbow and to the shoulder.
Allow the shoulder to relax,
Unloading any heaviness it may be carrying.
Awareness at the armpit,
Drawing down the side body,
Allowing the ribs to relax.
Allowing the right hip to soften,
The right thigh,
Softening the kneecap,
The ankle,
Releasing the right foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth,
Fifth,
Letting all five toes relax.
Now awareness shifts to the left hand thumb.
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth.
Perceive the energy you hold in the palm of your hand.
Focus on the whole hand and draw your attention upwards towards the elbow and to the left shoulder.
Allow the left shoulder to be completely at ease,
Unloading any heaviness that may be there.
Drip your awareness to the left armpit,
Tracing down the left side body,
Relaxing the ribs along the way,
Allowing the left hip to soften and releasing any tension from the left thigh.
Relaxing the kneecap,
The ankle,
Letting go.
Awareness to the right foot,
Big toe,
Second toe,
Third,
Fourth,
Fifth,
Letting all five toes relax.
Noticing how both legs are completely relaxed,
Sinking into the ground.
Now perceive a small star of iridescent silver light at the top of your head,
Sense it casting on your forehead,
Allowing the forehead and brows to fall away at the sides.
Perceive it illuminating the right eye,
The left eye,
Softening the eyes around the edges.
Awareness to the space between the eyes,
Letting the eyes be neutral.
Relaxing the nose,
The mouth,
The jaw,
Releasing any tension stored there,
Letting the sides of the face melt towards the peripheries,
Completely relaxing your face into neutrality,
Enveloping it in silver light.
A silver light descends to the neck,
Allowing any stress held there to dissolve,
Spreading to the chest,
Completely relaxing the chest and letting any grief or heaviness in the heart be bathed in healing silver light,
Absorbing the silver light into the lungs in the next inhale and on the exhale,
Focusing on the solar plexus,
Relaxing the abdomen,
Letting the navel rest peacefully,
Emanating iridescent light.
Awareness shifts to the pelvic region,
Letting go of any stress that may be stored there.
Awareness continues to the upper back,
The mid back,
The lower back,
Unburdening the back from any stress that it may be holding,
Perceive the curve of your spine as a cord plated in silver light from the base of the brain down to the tailbone.
Follow your awareness to the glutes,
Letting them rest in the surface beneath you.
Sense the entire back,
Allowing complete stillness and relaxation.
Sense the silver light hovering on just the right side of the body,
Now just the left side,
And now the whole body all together,
The whole body together,
The whole body all together.
Sensing how the silver light rises with the flow of your breath from your toes to the center of your head,
Resting in complete wholesomeness and stillness.
Complete stillness,
Complete stillness,
And now sense the silver light gathering around you in the formation of a column that extends infinitely upwards to the cosmos.
Sense the ethereal transparency of the edges against the background.
Allow yourself to be completely ensconced in this vertical beam of healing silver light.
Sense how it lifts you upward,
Elevating your entire frame.
And now,
As you inhale,
Shift your gaze inward and upward,
Tunneling to the sacred pineal gland at the epicenter of your head between the inner ears.
This is the gateway to intuition and elevated consciousness.
Remember that you are a holy soul.
Let your thoughts untether into the cosmic beyond as your consciousness rests into the stillness of simple being.
Still body,
Still breath,
Still mind.
Can your mind's eye welcome any images,
Memories,
Or knowledge from the deep unconscious intelligence that may be arriving?
Trust that you are here receiving exactly what you need in this moment as you let go of any remnants or agendas of judgment and just simply allow yourself to be a curious observer to the unfolding of your experience.
Hashkiveinu Adonai l'shalom v'hamideinu l'chaim.
Let us lie down in peace and rise up to life.
I will continue holding space for you while remaining silent for a few minutes so that you can be with just yourself.
Now is the time to repeat your intention,
Your Kavana Sankalpa that you planted in the beginning.
Repeat the same intention three times with alertness as if it already came true and let it resonate deeply.
I am.
Let it reverberate throughout your entire body.
And now it is time to return to baseline.
I invite you to reconnect with your breath,
Just breathing effortlessly.
Scan your body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes and notice how you're feeling at this time.
Notice the feeling of the surface underneath you and the air grazing around you.
Now start bringing back some small movements to your fingers and toes,
The arms and legs.
Slowly returning to your whole body.
You may choose to drift off to sleep but if you have to continue with your day then make sure that you're wide awake and gradually open your eyes.
This short practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.
If you found this practice beneficial,
Feel free to give it a thumbs up,
Share,
Like,
Leave a comment,
Let me know any feedback you may have about this practice or ideas for future practices.
And with that,
I hope that you had a wonderful nap and I hope that we'll meet back here again soon.
Until next time.
