Welcome to the practice of yoga nidra.
Make sure you're in a quiet and private place where you will not be disturbed.
Come to lie on your back,
Taking the time to arrange your body,
Whenever you need to feel comfortable and supported.
You may have to place a cushion under the head,
Or pillows under the knees.
Make sure to remove any tight clothing or watches.
When you feel you are able to rest comfortably,
Settle in your chosen position and allow the body to become still,
Knowing that there's no need for any further physical movement during the practice.
Experience the state of zero desire for movement.
Become aware of the position of the body as it rests on the floor.
Feel into the points of contact between the body and the floor.
Begin to become aware of the gentle rhythm of the natural breath,
Feeling the breath as it moves in and out.
Feel as it moves through the nostrils,
Filling the abdomen and the lungs from bottom to top.
Begin to allow the outgoing breath to release the weight of the body down into the support beneath you.
With every exhalation,
Consciously transfer the weight of the body down through the points of contact with the floor,
And feel the floor beneath supporting you.
With every exhalation,
Letting go as if you could give away the whole weight of the body.
Be with the gentle rhythm of the natural,
Easy breath,
Allowing the body to settle deeper into stillness with every outgoing breath.
Taking a moment to observe the stillness and the quietness of the body,
And as the body comes into a state of deepening stillness,
Allow the breath become more spacious and free.
Listen to the sound of the natural breath,
And taking your focus out to hear the other sounds around you,
From the quietest sound to the loudest sound.
Now let the focus rest on the intimate sound of the natural breath,
The sound closest to you.
Now invite the mind to follow the example of the body and the breath to become stiller and quieter.
Allow the focus of the mind to accompany the breath.
We will now set a sankalpa or an intention.
You begin the sentence with I will or I am.
Must be something achievable in the very near future.
Once you have a sankalpa or an intention in mind,
Repeat it to yourself three times with conviction and belief.
Let go of the sankalpa.
Now bring the attention back to the physical body.
Prepare to guide the mind around the body as if the light of the mind's attention comes to shine on each part of the body in turn.
Allow for the light of the mind's attention to take the form of a small bright star.
As the consciousness travels to each part of the body that is named,
Place a star on that part of the body and leave it to twinkle there.
It will start as if the whole body were a dark night sky and as the mind travels around it,
Bringing bright starlight to each part,
The body will become illuminated like a great constellation of stars in the night sky.
Bring the awareness to the tip of the tongue and shine a bright star at that point.
Place twinkling stars along the floor of the mouth,
The roof of the mouth,
The upper teeth and gums,
The lower teeth and gums,
Along the inside of the right cheek and the inside of the left cheek.
Moving the awareness to the inner part of the right ear,
Shine bright stars all the way through and around the ear canal until you reach the outer part of the right ear and place a star on the lobe of the ear,
The shell of the ear.
Become aware of all the stars shining in the right ear.
Move the awareness along the inner part of the left ear,
Placing shining bright stars along the whole canal before placing a star on the left ear lobe,
The shell of the left ear.
Become conscious of all the stars shining in the left ear.
Feel both ears twinkling with the starlight of conscious awareness.
And now shine a bright star on the back of the head,
The place between the two ears.
Shine a star on the top of the head,
Twinkling bright star on the crown of the head,
Then place a star on the right temple,
Left temple,
And a twinkling star on the forehead,
Right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Eyebrow centre,
The right eye and the left eye,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
Bridge of the nose,
Tip of the nose.
Shine a bright star on the right nostril,
Left nostril,
Moving the awareness down to the upper lip,
Lower lip,
Place a bright star on the chin and all along the jawline.
Be aware of the whole head,
Feel the whole head twinkling with tiny stars.
Moving the awareness down to the neck,
Place a shining star on the throat,
The right collarbone,
The left collarbone,
Between the collarbones,
Then move to shine a star on the right shoulder,
Right armpit,
Right upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Right wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the right hand.
Take the awareness to the right hand thumb and shine a tiny little star there,
One on the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger,
Pinky finger.
Be aware of the whole right hand twinkling with the starlight of conscious awareness.
Now carry the attention over to the left shoulder,
Placing a star on the left shoulder,
Armpit,
Upper arm,
Elbow,
Forearm,
Left wrist,
Back of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
Left thumb,
Shining star on the index finger,
Middle finger,
Ring finger and pinky finger.
Be aware of the whole left hand twinkling with starlight.
Now carrying the awareness back to the centre of the chest,
Place little stars twinkling along the length of the breastbone,
Down and to the right side along the ribs,
Down along the left side ribs,
Shining a star in the middle of the right shoulder blade,
Left shoulder blade,
Place a star at the back of the waist to the right side of the waist,
Left side of the waist,
Place twinkling stars along the lower back on the right side of the pelvis,
The left side of the pelvis,
The right buttock and the left buttock,
Place a bright star at the navel and a star at the pubic bone.
Now bringing the attention to the right groin,
Shine stars along the right groin,
Top of the right thigh,
Back of the thigh,
Place a twinkling star on the kneecap,
Back of the knee,
Calf,
Shin,
Ankle and heel,
Shine stars along the sole of the right foot,
Top of the right foot,
Shine a little star on the big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe.
Become aware of the whole right foot and leg twinkling with starlight of conscious awareness.
Now taking the attention to the left groin,
Shine stars there,
The top of the left thigh,
Back of the left thigh,
Place a twinkling star on the kneecap,
The back of the knee,
Calf,
Shin,
Ankle and heel,
Shine stars all along the sole of the left foot,
The top of the left foot,
And to the big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe and fifth toe.
Become aware of the whole left foot and leg twinkling with starlight.
Bring the light of the mind's attention to shine now inside the body into the womb space.
Let the light here shine in the form of a little moon,
A moon inside of you.
See the light of the inner moon shining.
And see now the little stars twinkling as a constellation of the whole body,
Bringing the mental awareness to the whole right arm,
The whole left arm.
Now become aware of both arms and hands together,
Taking the awareness to the right foot and leg,
The left foot and leg,
Becoming aware of both legs and feet together,
Becoming aware of the whole right side of the body from foot,
Leg,
Arm and hand,
Twinkling with the light of conscious awareness.
And become now aware of the stars twinkling along the whole left side of the body,
Foot,
Leg,
Arm and hand.
Now be aware of both sides of the body together,
Both arms and both legs together.
Be aware of starlight twinkling in the whole head and the moonlight shining in the womb space.
Be aware of the whole body like the night sky,
Twinkling with lights.
Begin to feel the whole body resting on the floor.
As the breath goes out,
Experience the sensation of extreme heaviness.
Feel the physical body so heavy that the bones might settle right down into the earth,
So heavy.
And as the breath comes in,
Experience the sensation of lightness,
As if the body was so light that it might float up,
So light,
Almost weightless.
And as the breath transitions from in to out,
Alternate between these two sensations,
Feeling heaviness on the exhalation and lightness on the inhalation.
Exhaling heavy,
Inhaling light.
Begin to stop alternating between these two extreme sensations and instead invite both to be held simultaneously,
Being aware of both heaviness and lightness at the same time.
Begin now to feel heat in the body,
Feeling the body hot.
Begin now to feel cold in the body,
Feeling the body cold.
Now feel both hot and cold in the body.
Recall a time when the body felt tired,
Feel tired through the body.
Recall a time when the body felt light,
Feel lightness in the body.
Begin to feel both lightness and heaviness in the body simultaneously.
And now feeling sensations of pain in the body,
Feel pain in the body.
Begin to feel sensations of pleasure,
Feel pleasure in the body.
Now begin to feel both pain and pleasure simultaneously in the body.
Allow the body to hold both of these sensations.
Recall a time when the body felt restricted,
Feel restriction and through the body.
Recall a time when the body felt ease,
Feel easeful through the body.
Now allowing both of those sensations to be held in the body,
Feeling both easeful and restricted.
Letting go of any sensations,
Simply be aware of the physical body as it rests on the floor in its physical form.
Be aware of the body as it breathes,
Letting the mind's attention focus on the breath.
Begin to introduce counting to the breath.
Starting on the next exhale,
Count out the number nine,
Breathing in nine.
And exhale for eight.
Breathing in eight.
Begin to count down towards zero.
As the counting grows astray,
Simply begin again.
The point of the counting is simply to keep the mind attentive to the breath.
Let go of any counting.
Recall the sankalpa made at the beginning of the practice.
Repeat it again to yourself three times with conviction.
Feel how it might be to actually live the reality of this resolution.
Experience the feeling of embodying this reality,
Living your sankalpa.
Allow your sankalpa to be embedded deep within the mind.
Once again,
Direct your attention to the rise and fall of the natural breath.
Allow the breath to become a little deeper and a little noisier so that you can hear the sound of your own breath entering and leaving the body.
Listen to the sound of your breath and feel your body move with each inhalation and exhalation.
Sense now that each inhalation is a waking breath,
Bringing vitality and strength into the body.
With each inhalation,
Feel the body returning to a waking state,
Full of energy and life.
Be aware now that the body is refreshed,
The mind is fully awake.
Begin to make tiny movements,
Touching the tip of each finger to the tip of the thumb.
You may like to stretch out the fingers and wriggle them and wriggle the toes.
Make gentle wrist circles and ankle circles.
If it feels inviting,
You might like to stretch the muscles in the arms and legs.
You can turn the head gently side to side.
Rolling over to the side of the body and pausing here for a few breaths,
Resting.
You are wide awake.
You are wide awake.
You are wide awake.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
When you feel ready,
You can slowly ease yourself up into a sitting position.
Blinking open the eyes.
Hariyam tat sat.
