Short Yoga Nidra Meditation

Hello,

My name is Sam.

In this session we're going to practice Yoginidra,

Which is like a yogic sleep practice that will guide you to the hypnagogic state.

This state is that place somewhere between consciousness or wakefulness and sleeping.

During this session try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

You'll be asked to move your awareness to various body sensations,

Emotions and images.

There's no need to overly concentrate as this may hamper your ability to relax fully.

And as always at any stage you can always bring your focus back to your breathing or to the sound of my voice.

Let's begin.

Start by finding a comfortable position in which you can fully relax.

If you can,

Lie on your back.

If you have lower back issues,

Try placing a rolled towel,

Pillow or bolster beneath your knees.

You can of course find a seated position that works for your body as long as you feel supported and comfortable.

Allow your body to snow down and start to let go.

Relaxing any tension you identify in your shoulders,

Your hips,

Your legs and so on.

If it feels good to do so,

Close your eyes.

With your mind's eye,

Get a sense for the space around your body in the place where you are.

Allow your awareness to send feelers out into the space between you and the next object or person.

How much empty space are you aware of in this place?

Bring your feelers a little closer to the body and get a sense for how much space there is around your body.

As you relax more,

Feel your body sinking deeper into the space below it so the gaps between your body and the surface underneath you are becoming smaller.

Visualise your body lying on the floor as if you were looking from above.

See the position of your body in your mind's eye.

Notice the clothes you are wearing,

Your hair and how it lies,

Your face and the expression upon it.

Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.

As you gaze at yourself from above,

Notice how your body is moving with the breath.

You can see the front of your body rising with the in-breath,

Then softening with the out-breath.

Which parts of your body do you see moving here?

There's no need to change how you are breathing,

You're just observing as it is.

Notice your natural breath,

Your natural and spontaneous breath that moves in and out of your body without any effort.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of your nostrils.

There's a sense of coolness as the in-breath passes through the nose.

Follow this feeling into your nose,

Your sinuses,

The back of your throat and into your lungs.

Feel the sense of warmth as you exhale the breath and feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.

A natural breath flowing through both nostrils during the inhale and exhale.

The more you notice your breathing,

The slower the breath becomes.

The in-breath is longer and the out-breath longer still.

Can you make your out-breath even longer than the in-breath?

Do you notice the slight pause after the exhale?

Now you're inhaling slowly,

Exhaling really slowly and pausing at the end of the out-breath.

Then the body requests an in-breath and you feel that building urge and you let the air flood in.

Continue to breathe in this way for the next few moments,

Acknowledging any sensations that arise from this type of breathing.

Now release any control you have over the breath and allow your body to resume its own natural and easy breath.

Let's set our intention or sankalpa.

This can be a word,

A phrase or mantra or a positive statement that means something to you today.

It usually starts,

I am.

It can be as simple as,

I am at peace or it can be very specific to something that you hold dear to your heart.

In a fully present state,

Repeat this sankalpa three times silently and clearly to yourself.

This intention will plant a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring transformation and healing.

We're now going to begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You will move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.

Keeping that part of your body still,

Repeat the name of the part to yourself and feel the part of your body.

We'll start with the right hand side.

Bring your attention to your right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Right side of body,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of foot,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and fifth toe.

Moving now to 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,

Left side,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Shin,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe and little toe.

Bring the awareness to the back of the body now starting with the right heel,

Left heel,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The entire spine,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

Both lips together,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right groin,

Left groin,

The pelvic floor,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Your whole right arm,

The whole left arm,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

Your whole body,

Your whole body,

Your entire body.

Imagine your whole body becoming heavier.

Feel the weight of each body part.

Your legs are heavy,

Your pelvis is heavy,

Your back feels heavy,

The arms are heavy and the head is heavy.

The whole body feels much heavier and you can feel yourself sinking deeper into the floor or surface.

Now imagine the whole body becoming lighter,

The legs becoming lighter,

The arms lighter,

The torso lighter,

The head lighter and it feels as if your body could float away from the floor and toward the ceiling.

The whole body light and weightless.

You are rising higher and higher away from the floor.

Can you now bring forth a feeling of cold in the body as if you're standing outside in the snow with a t-shirt on?

How would that chilly wind feel against your skin?

Can you feel the cold permeating through to your bones?

How does your skin react?

Now visualize yourself standing in the sunshine on a beautiful summer's day.

You can feel the warmth of the sun on your skin,

The heat radiating through your clothes.

You can feel the heat all around your body and the warm air on your skin.

What does it feel like to stand in a meadow full of flowers?

What can you smell?

What about standing next to a river in the Canadian Rockies?

What can you hear?

What can you taste?

What is the air temperature like?

What does it feel like to stand in the desert?

How does the earth beneath you feel?

What is the air around your body like?

What is the temperature?

What can you smell?

Imagine standing in the middle of a thick dense jungle.

What can you hear?

What can you smell?

What does the air feel like?

Can you taste anything?

What does it feel like to be sat around a campfire?

What does it look like?

What can you smell?

What can you feel on your skin?

What can you taste?

And now let's just be in the here and now back in our room enjoying this time.

Thoughts may make themselves known to you.

Welcome them without judgement,

Without being drawn into their story.

Be present in the experience of them just as they are without trying to change or fix anything.

Allow them to come and go as light images and feelings that ebb and flow away.

Welcoming whatever emerges just as it is.

Recall your intention or sankalpa from the start of this session.

Repeat it silently three times to yourself with conviction.

Now gently bring your awareness back to the breath and notice the feeling of the breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Allow your awareness to expand to take in the rest of your physical body.

You are relaxed and at ease in a comfortable position.

Get a feel for the position that you are in and how your body feels resting upon the surface.

Feel the clothing that touches your skin.

Become aware of all the points of your body that are in contact with the surfaces that are supporting you.

Your back,

Your head,

Your bottom,

Legs,

Feet,

Arms and hands.

Without opening your eyes allow your awareness to sense once again the space around you and where you are in relation to the rest of the room and objects within it.

Enjoy this stillness until at time when you feel ready to start to move.

Begin with small movements from the hands and feet.

Gently awakening the body.

There's no need to rush or move quickly.

You have all the time you need.

Allow the body to make some bigger movements.

It will tell you what it wants to do.

Take your time and gradually become more and more awake.

Once you feel fully awake allow your eyes to open.

If you're lying down roll onto the right hand side and take a few moments in this position.

When you're ready use your hands to press yourself up from the floor and let your head be the last thing to come up.

Welcome back.

You have just completed a yoga nidra practice.

I hope you enjoy this meditation and I wish you all the best.