Stress Reducing Yoga Nidra Meditation

Welcome yourself to this practice of yoga nidra.

For this practice you should be lying on your back with your knees slightly bent and supported.

Make sure that you're warm enough and that your position is one that you'll be comfortable in for the duration of the practice.

It is best that you remain still during yoga nidra so that both your body and your brain have a chance to fully relax.

However if you do become uncomfortable please feel free to change your position.

Allow your eyes to close and keep them closed until the practice has ended.

The practice of yoga nidra is a practice of yogic sleep that will guide you into a hypnagogic state,

A state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleeping.

Try to remain awake by listening to the sound of my voice.

You will be asked to move your awareness to various body sensations,

Emotions and images.

Try not to concentrate too intensely as these may prevent you from fully relaxing.

During this meditation please use and absorb whatever it is you need in the moment and leave the rest behind.

If the mind becomes overactive with thoughts and worries just come back to the sound of my voice.

Become aware of any sounds you can hear in this moment.

Nothing else but what you can hear without strain.

Begin to focus on the most distant sounds that you can hear.

Let your sense of hearing radiate outwards,

Searching out the distant sounds and following them for a few moments.

Move your attention from sound to sound without labeling the source.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.

The sounds outside of your space.

The sounds inside your space.

The sounds within.

Without opening your eyes visualize the four walls of your room.

The ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying in its place.

Visualize your body lying on the floor of the bed.

The position of your body,

Your clothing,

Your hair,

Your face.

Become acutely aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor or in your bed.

Become aware of your natural breath now.

Become aware of your natural and spontaneous breath.

The breath that moves in and out without any effort.

The natural breath flows in through both nostrils.

Notice the feeling of the breath as it comes in and out of the nostrils.

Maybe you notice a sense of coolness as you inhale the breath.

Follow this feeling into your nose,

Your sinuses,

The back of your throat,

Down into your lungs.

Maybe you notice a sense of warmth as you exhale the breath.

Feel this warmth on your upper lip as you breathe out.

The natural breath flows through both nostrils during the inhale and the exhale.

Allow your breath to become longer and slower.

Take a long slow inhalation followed by a longer slower exhalation.

When your next breath make your exhale even slower.

Maybe notice the slight pause after the exhale.

Slowly inhale,

Even slower exhale and pause.

Feel the urge to breathe in,

Bubble up inside of you.

Whenever you need to inhale,

Do so.

Long slow inhale,

Longer slower exhale.

And then noticing the pause where the body is neither breathing in nor out.

Just continue to breathe in this way.

Slow inhale,

Longer slower exhale and then pause where the body is neither breathing in or out.

Now go back to the natural easy breath,

Releasing any control over the inhale or the exhale.

The practice of yoga nidra begins now.

At this moment you should make your sankalpa for your dedication.

The sankalpa should be a short positive statement in a simple language.

Try to discover one naturally and then state your sankalpa clearly with awareness three times.

The sankalpa you make during yoga nidra plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transformation and healing.

Repeat your sankalpa three times to yourself.

Reminding yourself that you are practicing yoga nidra.

You are awake and you are relaxed.

We will now begin a systematic journey of sensory awareness throughout the body.

You'll move your awareness to different parts of your body as soon as you hear them named.

You can say the name of the part to yourself and feel that part of your body but do not move any part.

The practice begins on the right side.

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the right foot,

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,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

Wrist,

Forearm,

Elbow,

Upper arm,

Shoulder,

Armpit,

Waist,

Hip,

Thigh,

Knee,

Calf,

Ankle,

Heel,

Sole of the left foot,

Top of the foot,

Left big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now go to the back of the body,

Right heel,

Left heel,

Right calf,

Left calf,

Right thigh,

Left thigh,

Right buttock,

Left buttock,

Lower back,

Middle back,

Upper back,

The entire length of the spine,

Right shoulder blade,

Left shoulder blade,

Back of the neck,

Back of the head,

Top of the head,

Forehead,

Right temple,

Left temple,

Right ear,

Left ear,

Right eyebrow,

Left eyebrow,

Middle of the eyebrows,

Right eye,

Left eye,

Right nostril,

Left nostril,

Right cheek,

Left cheek,

Upper lip,

Lower lip,

The space between the lips,

Chin,

Jaw,

Throat,

Right collarbone,

Left collarbone,

Right side of the chest,

Left side of the chest,

Upper abdomen,

Navel,

Lower abdomen,

Right hip,

Left hip,

The pelvic floor,

The whole right leg,

The whole left leg,

Whole right arm,

Whole left arm,

The whole face,

The whole head,

The whole torso,

The whole body,

The whole body,

The whole body.

Now imagine the whole body becoming light as though your body could float away from the floor and towards the ceiling.

The head is light and weightless.

The limbs are light and weightless.

The torso is light and weightless.

The whole body light and weightless.

You are rising higher and higher away from the ground and the earth beneath you.

Imagine your body becoming heavy.

Feel the heaviness in all parts of your body,

Like your body is being filled with sand,

Each part becoming heavier and heavier and heavier.

The head is heavy.

The limbs are heavy.

The torso is heavy.

The whole body is heavy,

So heavy that it is sinking down in towards the earth.

Now awaken the experience of cold in the body,

The experience of a chilly,

Chilly cold.

Imagine being outside in winter without enough clothing.

You can feel this chill permeating your entire body.

Now allow the sensation of warmth to spread throughout the entire body.

Remember the feeling of heat in the summer when you're out in the sun with no shade.

You can feel heat radiating onto your skin.

Heat all around the body.

Recollect the experience of anxiety,

Intense anxiety and worry.

Feel the stress in your mind and body,

But do not concentrate on its source.

Create the experience of anxiety as clearly as possible,

Remembering what it feels like to feel the anxiety,

To feel it in your mind,

To feel it in your body.

Now allow the feeling of complete calm and peace to wrap you.

Manifest the experience of calm in your entire mind,

Body and emotions.

You are relaxed and aware.

You are completely calm.

Begin to concentrate on the space in front of your closed eyelids.

Imagine before you a transparent screen as though you were at a movie theater.

The screen is as high and as wide as the eyes can see.

Concentrate on this mind screen and become aware of anything that manifests within it.

Colors,

Patterns,

Light,

Whatever you see is the manifesting state of your mind.

Continue your awareness of this space,

But do not become involved.

Practice with detached awareness only.

If any subtle images make themselves known,

Simply notice them without directing the images.

If thoughts occur,

Let them come and go.

Continue watching the dark space.

Continue this with detached awareness.

Now a number of different things will be named and you should envision them on the level of emotion,

Memory and imagination as best as you can.

Jumping from image to image as soon as you hear it.

Red desert,

A peacock feather,

Buddha meditating,

A good night's rest,

Full moon,

Your reflection in a mirror,

A foggy morning,

Waiting for results,

Sun shining overhead,

A bouquet of flowers,

A tall tree,

Receiving help from others,

Cool clear water,

A relaxing afternoon,

Laughing with friends,

A warm embrace,

Burning candle,

Temple on a mountain,

A path in the woods,

A vibrant sunset,

Taking a deep breath,

A cat stretching,

A beautiful garden path,

Your favorite song,

The sound of my voice,

Your body lying in your space.

It is now time to repeat your sankalpa.

Repeat the same statement you made at the beginning of the practice,

Repeating it three times mentally now.

Come back to the feeling of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Maintain your awareness of breath and at the same time start to develop your awareness of your physical body.

Your body is relaxed and lying in its space.

Feel the container of your skin and your clothes and any props or blankets that are touching you.

Notice the heaviness of your body as it rests in its space and take into your awareness all the points that are touching towards the earth.

The back of your heels,

Thighs,

Buttocks,

Shoulder blades,

Arms,

Hands and head.

Don't open your eyes just yet but visualize the surrounding room.

Imagine where you are in the room and the other objects that are around you.

Lie here quietly until you feel ready to move.

Start by slowly moving your hands and feet,

Taking your time.

There's no hurry.

When you are sure that you are fully awake,

Gently open your eyes and roll over to your right side.

Staying here on your right side for a few moments,

Reconnecting with your breath.

Using your hands to press yourself up from your space,

Allowing the head to come up last.

Finding a nice tall spine.

Breathe in through your nose,

Breathe out through your mouth.

Breathing in through the nose and out from your mouth.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.