Welcome to this Prana Nidra meditation practice.
To begin,
Find a comfortable meditation posture.
This can be seated on the floor or in a chair to help you stay awake.
Or you can lie down in Shavasana.
Or in any position that feels best for you today.
Feel free to add props,
Blankets,
And make sure that your clothes are comfortable.
Many of you have practiced yoga nidra with me before.
And Prananidra is very similar.
Both practices promote a sleep-like state of physical relaxation.
While keeping the mind awake.
We'll start with a body scan as usual to help you relax.
But as we go deeper,
You'll notice that our focus is a little bit different.
In yoga nidra,
Our intention is to create integration between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
To create harmony and union.
Between the conscious and subconscious mind by using the body as an anchor for this process.
This helps us to integrate toward trauma,
Promotes better sleep,
Mental focus,
And creativity,
And ultimately transforms our lives.
Prananidra takes this integration of the conscious and subconscious mind a step further by making us more in conscious control of our body's otherwise automatic processes like respiration,
Heart rate,
Blood pressure,
And elimination,
Which are usually happening on a strictly subconscious level.
During this practice,
I'll guide you to intentionally begin moving breath and energy through your body.
This clears away any energetic blockages,
Which can help to promote physical and mental health.
Bring balance to the automatic functions of the body.
And minimize pain and fatigue.
They say that all disease begins on the energetic level.
So if we can address it there first.
Then it won't manifest in the physical or mental body.
So this is a perfect complement to the self-care practices and medical health care that you're already doing.
Prananidra is also a helpful practice for empaths,
People who tend to take on the energy and emotions of others,
Since it clears that foreign energy out of the auric field.
And it can also help you to develop more spiritual and energetic awareness.
This is a perfect practice for beginners,
And it's very gentle.
You can do it weekly to start,
And if desired,
Gradually increase the frequency until you are doing the practice daily.
Make any final adjustments to your posture now.
We'll be here for about 30-ish minutes,
So make sure you're fully comfortable.
If you feel the need to get up or make any additional adjustments before I say so throughout the practice,
Please honor your body.
Take a breath at your own pace now.
Settle in.
Relax.
Close the eyes.
Do your best to stay awake throughout this practice.
But if you do fall asleep.
.
.
Trust that your body is doing what it needs most in the moment.
To promote your healing.
Take another breath in and out.
As you continue to breathe,
Let your inhales connect with your exhales.
So there's no pause between each breath.
Allow the breaths to be smooth and easy and natural.
So there's no force or control or strain.
Keep the breath relaxed and smooth.
Easy.
As we begin with a body scan.
As I say the name of each body part.
Mentally send your attention to that body part.
And feel the sensations there without moving.
If you find it's difficult to feel your body.
You can try visualizing the body part in your mind's eye.
Another option would be to silently repeat the name of each body part as I call it out to you.
This is meant to feel relaxing,
So choose the option that feels the easiest for you in this moment.
Option that requires the least amount of effort so there's no sense of mental strain or stress.
Start by bringing your attention to your right hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger.
Fifth finger.
Palm of the hand.
Back of the hand.
The whole hand together.
Right wrist.
Forearm,
Elbow upper arm.
Shoulder armpit,
Right side of the chest.
Waste.
Thigh.
Me.
Lower leg.
Ankle.
Top of the right foot.
Sole of the foot Right big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe Now take your awareness to the left hand thumb.
Second finger.
Third finger.
Fourth finger,
5th finger.
The palm of the left hand.
Back of the hand.
The entire left hand.
Wrist forearm.
Elbow Upper arm Left shoulder.
Armpit left side of the chest.
Waste.
Thigh.
Knee.
Lower leg.
Ankle top of the foot.
Heal,
Sole of the foot.
Left big toe.
Second toe.
Third toe.
Fourth toe.
Fifth toe.
Feel both of the heels.
The right heel.
Left heel to the floor.
The right calf muscle.
Left calf muscle.
Right hamstring.
Left hamstring.
Right butter Left buttock.
Length of the spine.
Right shoulder blade.
Left shoulder blade.
The back of the neck.
The back of the head.
Top of the head.
The Right Temple left temple.
Right eye.
Left eye.
Nose.
Tip of the nose.
Upper lip.
Lower lip.
Both lips together.
Jaw.
Right collarbone.
Left collarbone.
Right arm from shoulder to fingertips.
Left arm from shoulder to fingertips.
Center of the chest.
Belly.
Pelvis.
Right leg from hip to toes.
Left leg from hip to toes.
Upper body.
Lower body.
The right side of the body.
Left side of the body.
The entire body.
As a whole.
Feel the entire body.
As a whole.
Now send your awareness down to the soles of the feet.
Feel the sensation of the soles of the feet.
The tops of the feet.
Start to sweep your awareness up the ankles and lower legs.
All the way up to the kneecaps.
The ties.
Hips,
Invite the legs to relax.
Soften.
Become heavy against the earth.
Now bring your awareness to the ball of the pelvis.
The abdomen.
The chest,
Let the entire torso relax.
Take your awareness to the shoulders.
Let that awareness trickle down the arms to the elbows.
And through the forearms.
Wrists,
Hands.
Let each of the arms become heavy and relaxed.
Bring your awareness to the throat.
Up to the jaw.
The forehead.
Top of the head.
And down the back of the head.
Let the whole head be heavy and relaxed.
Feel each of the shoulder blades.
The entire back.
Relax.
Feel the hips,
Backs of the legs.
The calf muscles.
Heels.
Soles of the feet.
Relax.
Whole body relaxed.
Now we'll do this body scan a little faster with the rhythm of the breath.
With each inhale,
Let your awareness travel up the front of the body.
And exhale,
Your awareness moves down the backside of the body like a closed circuit of energy.
If you're having trouble feeling these sensations.
You can visualize or imagine that there's a pool or a well or a ball of energy at the soles of the feet.
As you inhale.
Prana,
The energy which is carried by the breath.
Flows up from that reservoir up the front of the body.
And exhale,
That energy sweeps down the backside of the body.
Inhale,
Draw that energy up the front of the body.
Exhale,
That energy flows down the backside of the body.
Keep going eight more times like this.
If you feel like your breath or your awareness gets stuck in any places,
Just keep going.
Keep breathing.
Finish that eighth cycle of breath.
Notice how you feel physically,
Emotionally,
Mentally,
Energetically.
Now we'll reverse this flow of energy.
As you inhale,
Feel that wave of your breath travel up the back side of your body.
Exhale energy down the front of the body.
Inhale the flow of prana rises up the back Exhale,
Prana descends down the front of the body to the feet.
8 more times like this.
Release any visualization.
Relax your breath.
Notice how you feel.
Now bring your awareness to the inside of your body.
Feel the sensation of the inside of your body.
If it's difficult to feel,
You can visualize the inside of your body as a dart.
Quiet space.
Let your awareness settle on the column of your spine.
And go a little deeper.
To the spinal cord.
Along the spinal cord is the main energetic highway called Shashumna Nadi.
You can visualize Shashumna Nadi as a cord of white or golden light.
Holding your awareness of Shishunanadi.
Begin to notice your breath.
The rhythmic,
Effortless flow of the breath.
As you inhale.
Feel or visualize the breath.
Travel up through Shishumna Nadi from the base of the spine.
To the center of the brain.
Exhale,
The breath flows back down from the head to the tailbone.
Keep breathing at your own pace.
Inhale,
Energy travels up,
Shashumna Nadi.
Exhale,
Energy travels down.
As you continue to breathe like this with the visualization.
You may start to notice the breath.
So relaxed it's as if you're no longer controlling it at all.
Might become a little more shallow.
A little more short uncontrolled.
Allow the breath to be whatever it is,
Whatever shape,
Whatever form it wants to take.
Just keep visualizing that energy traveling up and down Shashumna Nadi.
You'll hear my voice again in a few minutes.
Release the visualization now.
Take a moment to consciously feel the energy inside your body.
Feel the energy outside and around your body.
Notice any sensations that are present.
And if you can't feel anything,
That's okay too.
Just notice whatever is there and whatever is not there without judgment.
There's no right or wrong experience.
Take your awareness now to the palms of the hands.
Feel the palms of the hands.
Now the soles of the feet.
Feel the soles of the feet.
Experience the backside of your body.
Now the front side of the body.
Notice the sensation of the face.
Eyes.
Corners of the mouth.
Feel the sensation of the breath flowing in and out of the nostrils.
Begin to intentionally deepen and lengthen your breath.
Count out three more inhales and exhales.
When you're ready,
Open your eyes.
Take in your physical environment.
Reconnect your energy to the physical plane.
Take a couple more deep breaths in and out at your own pace.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
Namaste.
