Welcome to the practice of Yoga Nidra as taught from the lineage of the yogic monk,
Sathyananda Saraswati.
This practice is as per the ancient Hatha Yoga traditions of India.
The purpose of Yoga Nidra is not to put you into a state of sleep.
The purpose of the session is to take your consciousness into a state of complete restfulness and relaxation.
It is said that 20 minutes of Yoga Nidra is equal to 2 hours of deep sleep.
If you however drift into sleep during the session,
It's completely okay.
This can be practiced at any point of time during the day.
I usually prefer evenings when I'm tired and in desperate need of relaxation.
Lastly,
An integral part of the session is to sow a seed of intention,
A sankalpa,
What your heart needs right now.
So set an intention,
Have that intention ready for the session.
Let's begin,
Beautiful soul.
Lie down comfortably.
In Yoga we call it Shavasana.
Flat on the ground.
Allow your arms to be slightly away from the body so there's enough space between your armpits.
Relax your body and allow yourself to make any final changes.
See if you can be 10 to 15% more comfortable in this posture.
Relax into a sense of well-being.
Surrender to rest.
Nothing to do,
Nowhere to go.
Visualize your surroundings.
The room in which you are.
The walls,
The floor and the surroundings.
Visualize your body relaxing on the floor.
Visualize the sense of touch,
The touch of the body on the mat,
The mattress,
The bed or the floor.
The touch of your clothes on your skin.
Now experience taste,
The taste in your mouth.
The aroma of the air entering your nostrils.
In this practice all your senses except hearing will be put to sleep.
So all you need to do really is to let go,
Relax and listen to the sound of my voice.
Focus your attention on the sounds you can hear.
Allow your sense of hearing to travel as far as you can.
Identify any sounds that you can hear.
Now listen to any sounds inside the room.
It's time to think of your sankalpa,
Your intention.
Think of what your heart really needs right now.
Bring the intention into your consciousness.
Repeat your sankalpa three times.
The body relaxed in a state of complete ease.
The breath flows in and out of the body effortlessly.
Become sensitive to any sensations in the body.
Feel the slow and easy inhale and feel the release of that long and relaxed exhale.
See inhale irrigating the soul of your sacred body and the exhale opening the doors to relaxation.
Allow your breath to be a synchronized dance of slow inhale and relaxing exhales.
I will now mention names of body parts.
As I mentioned each body part,
Bring your mental attention to that part and give permission for that particular body part to relax.
The thumb of the right hand,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
The palm of the right hand,
The back of the palm,
The wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Right shoulder,
Right side of the chest,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Shin,
Ankle,
Heel.
Soul of the right foot,
Right big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
The thumb of the left hand,
Index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Little finger.
The palm of the left hand,
The back of the palm,
The wrist,
Forearm,
Upper arm,
Left shoulder,
Left side of your chest,
Left hip,
Left thigh,
Knee,
Calf,
Shin,
Ankle,
Heel.
Soul of the left foot,
Left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe.
The lower back,
Middle back,
Upper back,
Pelvis,
Stomach,
Chest,
Hollow of your neck,
Back of the neck,
Back of the head,
Top of the head,
Forehead,
Temples,
Eyebrows,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right ear,
Left ear,
Nostrils,
Cheekbones,
Upper lip,
The lower lip,
Both lips touching,
The chin,
The entire face,
The whole right arm,
The left arm,
Right leg,
Left leg,
The entire body,
The whole body,
The entire body.
Focus back on the waves of inhale and exhale.
As you breathe,
Count backwards from 10.
One inhale and one exhale is a 10.
The next inhale and exhale is a 9.
And so on.
As your body is completely relaxed,
Experience a sense of lightness.
Your head is light.
Shoulders light and floating.
Your arms and your legs light like a feather.
Now experience a sense of heaviness.
Your head is heavy.
Shoulders heavy like a rock.
Your arms and legs heavy and sinking into the ground.
Feel the sense of lightness in your body.
Switch to the sense of heaviness.
And now return back to the anchor and normalcy of the sacred breath.
It's time to relax and visualize.
Visualize the deep roots of a big tree.
The earth and soil.
A red square.
A red square.
Visualize birds singing on a branch.
A rainy day.
A honeybee sucking nectar from a flower.
An orange ball of light.
Visualize the sun rising on a mountain.
A group of happy kids running.
A yellow inverted triangle.
Visualize thick evergreen forest.
The wide expanse of an ocean.
A green colored star.
Visualize a path through the woods.
The sound of a flute.
An arrow leaving a bow.
A blue colored triangle.
Visualize a beautiful house on a mountain.
A lighthouse at night on a beach.
A beautiful indigo colored flame.
Visualize a beam of white light.
Raindrops falling.
Birds flying.
A violet colored lotus.
Visualize your reflection in the mirror.
And in the reflection you are content.
You are smiling.
You're in your power and you're joyful.
Let's slowly get back to our breathing.
Experience the sense of touch of the clothes on your body.
Visualize the room in which you are,
The ceiling,
The wall,
The surroundings.
Repeat your sankalpa.
Become aware of the sensations on your body.
And whenever you feel like,
Whenever you're comfortable,
Very slowly,
Very gently,
Open your eyes.
