Yoga Nidra Practice

Yoga Nidra practice.

Finding yourself a comfortable posture.

Lying down is best for a yoga nidra so you might be lying flat on the floor or yoga mat or a blanket or maybe lying down in bed.

If there's lower back issues you might want to have support underneath the knees and ensure the head is nicely supported.

Then spending a few moments ensuring that you're as comfortable as possible,

Making any small adjustments that will help to settle the body.

You may move at any point within the practice if you're uncomfortable but ideally yoga nidra is practiced in stillness.

If it's comfortable for you,

Close the eyes.

Make yourself aware of the room that you're in and imagine where you are positioned within it.

Are there any sounds outside of the room and can you hear them as pure sound without attaching a story or narrative to them?

Are there any sounds inside the room that you're in?

Can you hear them as pure sound without attaching a story or narrative to them?

Focusing on sounds for a few moments and then allowing them to fall into the background of your awareness.

As you begin to relax,

Make this resolution to yourself right now.

I will not sleep.

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

I will not sleep.

I will remain awake throughout the practice.

Begin to take five or six deliberate breaths focusing on your exhale.

Allow each exhalation to ground your body.

Allow your body to be supported by the ground beneath you as the tension falls away from your body and into the ground.

Make an intention for your body to rest.

Make an intention for your body to rest deeply.

And then,

If you like,

Setting an intention just for you,

A simple statement in the present tense,

Something that you desire for yourself,

Not a thing,

But something for yourself,

Repeating that intention a few times silently to yourself.

Bring your awareness to the hinge of your jaw and let it slack a little.

Let the root of your tongue soften and widen in your mouth.

Let your attention wander to the back of your eyes,

Imagining a spaciousness deep in the sockets.

If your mind is very busy,

Perhaps move your focus from the front of your brain behind the forehead to the back of the brain.

Imagine thoughts and worries dropping back towards the ground.

But don't worry too much about a busy brain.

Just keep guiding your attention back into your body and re-engaging with the practice whenever you notice the mind has wandered away.

Let the back of your throat relax and widen and your shoulder blades surrender to the support beneath you.

Let your lungs and organs rest in the back of the body,

Softening deeper with each exhale.

Softening deeper with each exhale.

Visualise the muscles of your arms softening away from the bones.

Visualise your skin softening away from the muscles.

Imagine your whole body settling into rest.

Imagining your whole body surrendering to rest.

Visualise your whole body resting deeply.

Permission to rest deeply.

Rotation of Consciousness As you are guided to various points throughout your body,

There is nothing to do except settle your attention on each body part with an intention to rest.

You may even use the word rest silently on each part of your body to help you relax.

Bring your awareness to the space in between your eyebrows.

Rest.

Centre of your throat.

Rest.

Make an intention for your right shoulder to rest.

Let your attention run down your upper arm to your right elbow,

Down your forearm and into the right wrist.

Tip of right thumb.

Tip of right index finger.

Tip of right middle finger.

Tip of right ring finger.

Tip of right little finger.

Let the whole hand rest.

Attention in the right wrist.

Right elbow.

Right shoulder.

Let the whole right arm rest.

Move your attention back to the throat.

Commit to rest.

Awareness in the left shoulder.

Let your attention run down the upper arm to the left elbow.

Left wrist.

Tip of the left thumb.

Tip of the left index finger.

Tip of the left middle finger.

Tip of the left ring finger.

Tip of the left little finger.

Let the whole left hand rest.

Left wrist.

Left elbow.

Left shoulder.

Let the whole left arm rest.

Bring your attention back to the throat.

Rest.

Centre of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

Centre of the chest.

And left side of the chest.

The navel.

The space in between the pubic bones.

Let the whole abdomen and torso rest.

Let the whole torso rest.

Centre of the right hip.

Let your attention run down the thigh to the right knee.

Through the shin to the right ankle.

Tip of the right big toe.

Tip of the right second toe.

Tip of the right middle toe.

Tip of the right fourth toe.

Tip of the right little toe.

Right ankle.

Right knee.

Deep in the right hip.

Let the whole right leg rest.

Space in between the pubic bones.

Centre of the left hip.

Let your attention run down the thigh to the left knee.

Through the shin to the left ankle.

Tip of the left big toe.

Tip of the left second toe.

Tip of the left middle toe.

Tip of the left fourth toe.

Tip of the left little toe.

Left knee.

Deep in the left hip.

Let the whole left leg rest.

Space in between the pubic bones.

Attention rising to the navel.

Let the whole belly rest.

Centre of the chest.

Let the walls of the throat relax.

Space in between the eyebrows.

Let your attention rest in between your eyebrows.

Let your whole body rest.

Moving to the back body.

Settling on the upper back.

Let the upper back rest.

Moving to the mid-back.

Let the mid-back rest and soften.

Settling on the lower back.

Let the lower back rest.

Let the whole back body rest.

Let the whole body rest.

Your whole body rests.

Breath awareness.

Without changing anything,

Begin to witness the rhythm of your breath.

Rest in the changing sensations of inhalation versus exhalation.

Resting in the changing sensations of the breath.

Noticing sensations of the inhale,

Sensations of the exhale,

And no need to change the breath at all,

Allowing the body to breathe itself.

And we're going to add some counting now to the breath.

Counting down from 21 to zero with each exhale.

If you lose count or finish,

Coming back to 21.

Counting silently for the next few moments,

No strain,

No force,

Easy breathing,

And remembering if you get lost at any point,

Beginning again at 21.

You do not have to reach zero.

So breathing in and breathing out,

21.

Breathing in and breathing out,

20,

And so on.

Witnessing the breath,

Counting backwards.

If you get lost at any point,

Losing the count,

Reach zero,

Or drifting away,

Coming back to the breath,

And beginning again at 21,

Inhaling,

Exhaling.

Coming back to counting when you notice the mind has wandered away or you lose count.

And now,

Wherever you are in the count,

Letting counting fall away,

Let all effort dissolve into deep rest,

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your body,

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your mind,

A sense of deep,

Deep rest in your whole being.

Let your whole body rest,

Resting in the unchanging nature of your whole self.

Moving now to a section of visualisation.

A number of different things will be named.

See if you can develop a vision of them in all levels,

Feeling awareness,

Emotion,

And imagination as best you can.

Visualise or having a sense of a burning candle,

Burning candle.

Endless desert,

The endless desert,

Visualise an endless desert.

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain.

Visualise or have a sense of a snow-capped mountain,

Snow-capped mountain,

A sense of visualisation of a snow-capped mountain.

Stars at night,

Stars on a clear night,

The stars at night.

Waves breaking on a deserted beach,

Waves breaking on a deserted beach.

The restless,

Eternal sea,

The restless,

Eternal sea,

Eternal,

Restless sea.

And now revisiting the intention you set yourself at the beginning,

If you set yourself one.

Allow it to sink into your subconscious as best you can.

Letting go of images,

Letting go of effort,

And bringing awareness back to the body.

Resting again in the unchanging nature of your whole self.

Is there anything about this practice and enquiry that you'd like to remember,

A thought,

A feeling,

A sensation,

A sense of deep rest?

No judgement if there isn't anything.

Treat all of your experience as it is in this moment.

Notice how your body feels against the ground or bed,

The weight of your muscles and bones.

Notice which parts of you are touching the ground,

The head,

The shoulder blades,

Back and ribs,

Back of the pelvis,

Flesh of your upper and lower legs and your heels.

Feel your breath move your body and notice the natural,

Easy rhythm of the breath.

Maybe taking a deeper,

Richer breath.

How does that breath feel as a sensation in the body?

How does the inhale feel compared to the exhale?

Remember where you are in the room.

Feel free to lazily open the eyes if that's helpful and maybe letting them close again.

Beginning to gently move the body,

Gently wiggle fingers and toes,

Maybe stretching your arms and legs.

Gently roll to your side,

Letting the eyes open softly so you can take in some light and colour,

Shape and form.

Keeping your head very heavy,

Using your top arm to help you come to sit.

And taking a moment to close this Yoga Nidra practice.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is over.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is over.