Yoga Nidra For Rest And Relaxation

Please get ready for yoga nidra.

Lie down in shavasana,

The pose of relaxation,

And make yourself as comfortable as possible.

Keep your feet slightly apart and let them flop a little to the side of the body.

Your arms slightly away from the body with the palms of your hands turned upwards.

Adjust your blanket,

Your clothing,

Your position so that you can practice yoga nidra without moving and with no physical discomfort.

Please close your eyes and keep them closed.

The practice of yoga nidra is the act of hearing and the act of feeling.

These are the only important factors.

In yoga nidra you function on the level of awareness plus the level of listening.

In dreams you have no control.

In yoga nidra you are the creator of the dream.

Say to yourself mentally,

I will not sleep.

I shall only listen to the voice.

Repeating silently to yourself,

I will not sleep.

I shall only listen to the voice.

Give yourself some time to become calm and steady,

Taking a deep breath in through your nose.

And as you breathe out,

Saying to yourself mentally,

Relax,

Relax.

Feeling the calmness spreading throughout the body.

Begin to bring your awareness to the sounds in the distance.

Become aware of the most distant sounds that you can hear.

Let your sense of hearing operate like a radar,

Searching out distant sounds and following them for a few seconds without attempting to identify the source.

Gradually bring your attention closer to sounds closer to you.

Starting with sounds outside this building and then bringing your awareness to sounds inside this building.

Now develop your awareness of this room without opening your eyes visualizing the four walls around you,

The ceiling above you,

The floor beneath you,

Your body lying on the floor.

See your body lying on the floor.

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

Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness.

Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness.

Your body is lying on the floor.

Develop your awareness of all the physical meeting points between your body and the floor.

Begin to become aware of the natural breath.

Become aware of the deep,

Natural,

Spontaneous breath.

Do not concentrate for this will interfere with the natural process.

Keep listening to me and know that you are breathing.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

Say mentally to yourself,

I'm going to practice yoga nidra.

I'm going to practice yoga nidra.

Now is the time to make your resolve,

Your intention.

The resolve is like planting a seed into the field of the unmanifest.

A seed of intention.

Say to yourself,

A simple resolve,

A simple resolve.

Please state your resolve clearly with feeling and awareness,

Silently to yourself.

Repeating it three times.

Slowly begin to rotate your consciousness through the different centers of the body.

As quickly as possible,

The awareness will jump from point to point.

Please repeat mentally the name of each part after me and simultaneously become aware of that part.

The practice always begins with the right hand.

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The palm of the hand,

The back of the hand,

The wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Right thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Right big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe,

Left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

The palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Lower arm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Left thigh,

Knee,

Calf muscle,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now bringing your awareness to the back of the body.

The back of the body,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

The spine,

The whole of the spine,

Right heel,

Left heel,

The whole of the back together,

The whole of the back together.

Bringing your awareness to the front of the body,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

The eyebrow center,

Right eyelid,

Left eyelid,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

The nose,

The tip of the nose,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The chin,

The jaw,

The throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right chest,

Left chest,

The middle of the chest,

The navel,

The abdomen,

And the lower abdomen.

Now bringing your awareness to the whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

And both legs together.

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

And both arms together.

The whole of the back,

The whole of the front,

The whole of the head together.

Legs,

Arms,

Back,

Front,

Head together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

The whole body together.

Begin to develop awareness of the whole body,

Becoming aware of the space occupied by the body.

Become aware of the body and the space that is occupied by your body.

Body and space.

Space and body.

Become aware of the whole body and the floor.

The whole body in relation to the floor.

At the same time,

Becoming aware of the meeting points of the body and the floor.

These are very subtle physical points between the body and the floor.

Feel the meeting points between the back of your head and the floor.

The shoulder blades and the floor.

The elbows and the floor.

The back of the hands and the floor.

The buttocks and the floor.

The calves and the floor.

The heels and the floor.

Awareness of all meeting points between the body and the floor.

The sensation of all points simultaneously.

Continue feeling these points clearly and distinctly.

Please do not sleep.

Continue awareness of the body and the floor.

Now switch your attention to the eyelids.

Feel the narrow line of meeting between the upper and lower eyelid.

Feel the sharp points where they meet.

Intensify your awareness between the eyelids.

And then the lips.

Center your attention on the line between the lips.

The space between the lips.

From the lips we go to the breath.

Draw your attention to the natural,

In-going and out-going of the breath.

Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the throat.

As you inhale it rises from the navel to the throat.

And as you exhale it descends from the throat to the navel.

Be completely aware of your breathing.

Navel to throat.

Throat to navel.

Do not try to force the breath.

Simply awareness.

Just awareness.

Maintain your awareness and at the same time start counting your breaths backwards as follows.

I am breathing in fifty-four.

I am breathing out fifty-four.

I am breathing in fifty-three.

I am breathing out fifty-three.

I am breathing in fifty-two.

I am breathing out fifty-two.

And so on from fifty-four to one.

Count to yourself mentally as you follow the rise and fall of your breath from navel to throat and back again.

Total awareness of breathing and counting.

Total awareness of breathing and counting.

The breathing is slow and relaxed as you continue counting.

Total awareness.

Total awareness.

Breathing and counting.

Total awareness.

Continue counting.

Slow and steady.

Relaxed breathing as you continue counting.

Total awareness of breathing and counting.

Total awareness of breathing and counting.

Begin to awaken the feeling of heaviness in the body.

The feeling of heaviness.

Become aware of heaviness in every single part of the body.

You are feeling so heavy that you are sinking to the floor.

You are feeling so heavy that your body is sinking into the floor beneath you.

Awareness of heaviness.

Awareness of heaviness.

Now begin to awaken the feeling of lightness.

Awaken the feeling of lightness in the body.

A sensation of lightness and weightlessness in all parts of the body.

Lightness and weightlessness in all parts of the body.

Your body feels so light that it seems to be floating away from the floor.

Just as a balloon flies into the sky,

Floating away with lightness and weightlessness.

Awareness of lightness.

Awareness of lightness.

Begin to experience and awaken the feeling of coldness in the body.

The experience of cold.

Awaken the experience of bitter cold in the body.

Imagine that you are walking on a cold floor in the winter.

Your feet are very cold.

You feel cold all over.

Awareness of coldness.

Awareness of coldness.

You feel very cold.

You feel cold all over.

Awareness of coldness.

Awareness of coldness.

Now begin to awaken the sensation of heat.

Awaken the experience of heat in the body.

The whole body is hot.

The whole body is hot.

You feel hot all over.

Recollect the feeling of heat in the summer when you are out in the sun with no shade.

Heat all over the body.

Heat all over the body.

Awareness of heat.

Awareness of heat.

Heat all around the body.

Heat all around the body.

Awareness of heat.

Now begin to withdraw your mind as you concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyes.

The space we call the Chittakasha.

Imagine before you a transparent screen through which you can see infinite space.

A space that extends as far as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this dark space and become aware of any phenomena that manifests within it.

Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue your awareness of this space.

Of this dark transparent screen.

Of this infinite space.

Continue your awareness of this space but do not become involved.

Awareness only as you practice being detached.

Awareness only.

Bring your awareness back to Chittakasha.

The dark space in front of your closed eyes.

Keeping the awareness here as you continue to practice remaining detached from whatever manifests on this transparent screen.

As your awareness remains,

Begin to imagine that it is a very clear,

Beautiful morning.

Still dark and you are walking through the hills,

Climbing up towards some mountains.

You are alone.

You are walking east and if you look back you can see a crescent moon low in the sky.

Soon the sun will rise over the mountains ahead of you.

Far below in a valley the lights of a small town twinkle through an early morning mist.

The track twists back and forth on the side of a steep slope.

It winds between huge boulders and over bridges suspended across deep rivers.

A gap between two hills gives a glimpse of a huge snow covered mountain ahead.

The pale sky behind it heralds the dawn.

You climb up through the snow and as you walk it makes a crunching sound under your feet.

As your feet sink in a glacier lies across your path.

There are creeks of moving ice as you quickly move across.

Near the top of the mountain it becomes very cold.

The wind howls around your body and snatch at your clothes.

Snow and ice cling to your shoes.

You reach the top and a magnificent scene reveals itself before your eyes.

To the east a vast range of snow covered peaks and dark valleys.

And to the west hills leading to rolling plains and a big beautiful sea.

Intensify your imagination and visualize this scene.

You see the sun rise like a golden ball in the east.

Scattering rays of golden light off snow that dazzles your eyes.

Sweep your eyes around the sky.

To the west it is still gray.

Above you blue.

And in the east a delicate pink as it nears the sun.

Watch the sunlight strike the tops of the mountains and move down their sides.

Deep valleys emerge as the shadows retreat.

You sit with your legs crossed and contemplate this grand scene.

The dawn of a new day.

Let yourself experience this beauty for some time.

Let your mind flow freely with this experience.

Slowly begin to deepen your breath as you bring your awareness back to the space in between your eyebrows.

Watch the darkness in front of your eyes on this transparent screen.

Watch the darkness that you see before you very carefully with detachment.

Do not become involved.

Rest your mind in this warm and friendly darkness.

If any subtle phenomena manifest,

For example colors or patterns,

Simply take note of these and continue practicing awareness.

Resting in awareness.

Resting in this silence,

In this darkness,

In this nothingness.

As you feel a warmth coming over your body as if you are cradled by the mother.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go.

But continue watching the dark space and resting in this awareness.

Now slowly begin to remember your resolve,

Your intention,

Your sankalpa.

Repeat the same resolve you made at the beginning of your practice in the same words with the same attitude.

Repeat your resolve now three times silently and clearly with a feeling of fullness and positivity.

Repeat your resolve silently three times.

Become aware of your breathing.

Become aware of your natural breathing.

Awareness of breathing and awareness of relaxation.

Develop awareness of your physical existence.

Become aware of your arms,

Your legs,

Your body lying stretched out on the floor.

Become aware of the meeting points between your body and the floor.

Develop awareness of the room,

The walls,

The ceiling,

The noises inside the room,

The noises outside the room.

Take your mind out of the equation,

Becoming completely external.

Lie quietly for a few moments and keep your eyes closed,

Keeping your awareness on your breath as you feel the air entering your nostrils with warmth and exiting through the mouth with effortless ease.

Slowly begin to move the body,

Stretching yourself gently,

Easefully.

Please take your time,

Do not hurry.

When you feel awake,

Slowly begin to roll to your right side and sit yourself up slowly,

Opening your eyes when you're ready.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.

Hari Om Tat Sat.

Hari Om Tat Sat.