Yoga Nidra With Sukhmani (Nothing To Do)

So,

Getting comfortable lying on your back or if it's not comfortable lying on your side or sitting up supported is always fine too.

Getting ready for this yoga practice of sleep with trace awareness.

So taking a little time making a cozy nest with cushions,

Blankets,

Bolsters,

Whatever your body needs to feel as comfortable as possible in this moment.

Taking a little longer.

Settling in,

Making sure nothing's touching your arms or your legs that might distract you moving any clothing might be ruffled up.

And we'll open the space by chanting Aum three times the mantra Aum for creation for becoming.

So taking a deep breath in through the nose.

Fully exhale.

And inhale to begin.

Aum.

Aum.

Aum.

Good.

And getting ready to do nothing.

My kind of training.

Getting ready to do nothing.

Nothing you need to do in this moment.

Nothing you need to be.

Nothing you need to feel.

No one you need to please.

There's only you.

No expectation.

No goal.

No agenda.

No way you can get this wrong.

Nothing you need to think about.

Just getting comfortable now for the practice of non doing.

Adjusting your body.

Your props.

Any way you need so you can sink into the comfort.

Check in with how you feel.

Your setup should make you feel at ease,

But not sleepy.

If you feel sleepy,

Make it slightly less cozy,

Warm,

Less dark.

Check your head position.

If the chin is tucked too close,

You can stimulate sleep.

So try moving your head into a neutral alignment.

Neither chin raised or too low.

And as you make those adjustments,

Notice how it might change your energy or alertness.

Setting ourselves up to stay awake and aware.

And at the same time in peaceful ease.

Check that your feet and ankles are relaxed.

Hips relaxed.

The lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back relaxed.

The whole back of the body melting,

Softening.

Hands and arms relaxed.

Lower back.

Middle back.

Upper back relaxed.

Arms and neck relaxed.

Jaw,

Tongue,

Cheeks relaxed.

Head and scalp relaxed.

The whole body is completely relaxed.

Nothing to do.

Body is at ease,

But your awareness continues on.

Your practice of yoga nidra has begun.

Let's take you deep into the heart to discover your sankalpa.

This is your heart's desire,

Your heartfelt resolution,

Resolve.

This is something we use in yoga nidra to help us manifest things in our lives.

It's a short statement in the present tense.

Something like,

I am whole.

I am healthy.

Or I accept myself as I am.

Repeat the statement or phrase three times.

This needs to come from the heart.

Allow the mind to surrender so the heart can be heard.

If you don't have a sankalpa,

Don't worry.

Maybe it could be I am open to receiving the information to discover my heart's desire.

If you try to decide or think your way to your sankalpa,

It won't hold as much power.

Allow the mind to surrender so the heart can be heard.

Let go of any ideas about what you should want.

Allow the message of what you do want to naturally arise.

Switch to feeling.

Relaxing your body into stillness.

You can take some deep breaths.

Begin to receive what you need.

You can let the sankalpa go.

Know that it's been heard.

Or your willingness to receive one has been heard.

Trust any body parts at this moment to become completely comfortable.

Allow yourself to feel so fully supported,

You can completely sink in.

Deeply letting go to gravity.

This isn't a thinking practice,

It's a feeling practice.

Feeling,

Listening to your whole body.

Receiving energetically rather than mentally.

Being aware of the breath and the nostrils.

Feel the cool air coming in.

Notice the warm air going out.

Each breath cool on the inhalation and warm on the exhalation.

Notice that as you inhale,

Your abdomen rises and your chest rises.

And as you exhale,

It falls.

Chest falls.

Inhaling abdomen rises.

Chest expands.

Exhale,

Abdomen falls.

Chest falls.

Allowing your awareness now to start to drop down from the head into the body.

Bring the head into the heart center.

Bring awareness and light to the heart center.

All awareness coming in.

Shifting from thinking to feeling.

Breathe in and allow a golden glowing light to arise at the heart center.

Beautiful glowing light.

As you exhale,

Allow the heart space to settle,

Fill with that beautiful golden light.

Each breath more and more of that beautiful light filling the heart center.

The heart is so filled with this light,

It can no longer be contained.

Allow it to spill out with your exhale,

Flowing out to all parts of your body.

A few more long slow breaths.

Beautiful glowing light flowing out into all directions.

To the arms,

To the legs,

And beyond.

Never ending stream flowing out.

Allow the image of a person or a place or an activity you really love to arise that glowing light at the heart center.

See that image glowing in your heart.

Something that lights you up,

Makes you feel alive.

Without moving,

Absolute stillness.

Allow that image to arise in the heart space and absorb the positive feelings associated with it.

Allow those feelings to fill you with joy.

Feeling it in every pore of your being,

Absolute joy.

Bring your awareness within the body,

Experiencing energetically rather than physically.

No points will be mentioned.

They're energetic pathways.

Allow attention to move freely from one point to the next.

No need to concentrate.

Just moving awareness effortlessly.

If at any time you feel the urge to let go of the guidance and drop into meditation,

Feel free.

If at any time you need to move,

Then move.

Be effortless.

Let's begin with awareness to the point between the eyebrows.

Energy between the eyebrows.

Less awareness of the point between the eyebrows.

Awareness to the hollow of the throat.

Openness of the throat center.

Bring your awareness to the right shoulder.

Elbow.

Rest.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Tip of the little finger.

The right thumb.

Experience energetically the right wrist,

The elbow,

The shoulder,

The center of the throat.

Awareness to the left shoulder.

Elbow.

Rest.

Left thumb.

Tip of the index finger.

Tip of the middle finger.

Tip of the ring finger.

Tip of the baby finger.

Left wrist.

Elbow.

Shoulder.

Center of the throat.

The heart center.

The right side of the chest.

The heart center.

The left side of the chest.

The heart center.

The navel point.

The tip of the tailbone.

The right hip.

The right knee.

Ankle.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Baby toe.

Right ankle.

Knee.

Hip.

Tailbone.

Left hip.

Left knee.

Ankle.

Left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Baby toe.

Left ankle.

Knee.

Hip.

Tailbone.

Navel center.

Heart center.

Center of the throat.

Third eye center.

Third eye point.

Feel as if you're breathing in and out through the point between the eyebrows.

In a straight line from the point between the brows to the center of the brain.

Breathing like this for several breaths.

Allowing the breath to become more and more subtle.

Breathing in a straight line from the point between the eyebrows to the center of the brain.

Breath becoming softer.

Subtler.

The breath is almost imperceptible.

Almost all doing is halted now.

Only listening remains.

Preparing to leave even the listening behind to experience what lies beyond.

When all doing ends,

What remains is pure awareness.

Ever free,

Ever present.

Present through space.

Doing and non-doing.

Constant.

Eternal.

Awareness is what remains when all doing ends.

Pure awareness.

This is your essence.

This is who you are.

You,

The awareness,

Are present through all of your waking life,

Dreaming life,

Deep sleep.

And once again when you wake,

You are the thread.

You are the awareness.

Aware through the pleasant and unpleasant.

Success and failure.

Yet ever free and unaffected by any.

Free and unaffected.

You are the pure awareness.

There beneath all the thinking and doing.

You are at peace.

You are at peace.

You are the peace you've been looking for all along.

Nothing to seek.

Nothing to gain.

No distance between what you seek and what you already are.

You are it.

Allow the brain to rest.

Let it go.

And tapping into the silence and stillness that remains.

Again,

Noticing the breath as it comes in the nostrils.

Cool.

Cool on the in breath,

Warm on the out breath.

If you created your sun copa repeated three times once again.

Resting in the feeling of your sun copa for a few moments.

Just relaxing in the openness to receive.

Permeating every part of your being.

Sinking in deeply.

Resting in the beautiful joyful feeling of your son coppa.

Now begin to take deeper breaths.

Begin to make a gentle movements with your body.

Wiggling fingers,

Toes,

Stretching your body from head to toe.

Rolling yourself slowly on the right side.

Taking a few breaths there feels comfortable.

Perhaps once again recalling your sun copa.

You can come back to it anytime.

Knowing that it's been heard.

Take another deep breath.

Inside out.

We'll finish by chanting the mantra three times again.

Stay right where you're at.

Ah.

Oh.

And your practice is now complete.

Feel free to take a couple of moments.

If you have any notes or if you'd like to write anything down in your journal,

Feel free.