Yoga Nidra: Becoming The Witness

So this is Becoming the Witness,

And we will go through a practice of detaching a little bit so that,

Not dissociating,

But detaching,

So that we observe,

And that we don't necessarily buy into the feelings right away.

And if we do feel,

We do feel,

But we feel with a certain sense of curiosity.

So let's start without further ado.

So starting just by some grounding,

Noticing some objects,

Some colors,

Some sounds around you,

Perhaps reaching for water or tea or candy,

Anything that helps you and is helpful to ground,

And you may reach for headphones to keep this practice private.

You could also adjust the lighting in the room that you're in,

Or in the space that you're in,

If that helps you.

And as far as the position in which we practice yoga nidra,

Typically traditionally practice lying down,

But it is entirely up to you which position you want to be in.

You could be seated in a chair or on a yoga mat,

You could be lying down on the floor on a yoga mat or not,

You could be lying down in your bed or on a couch,

You could also remain standing if that's your choice.

And there's no need to close the eyes if you don't want to close your eyes.

If you feel more comfortable closing your eyes,

Please do so,

But please keep the eyes open if that's more comfortable for you,

Or choose something in between,

Maybe a soft glance at something flickering like the flame of a candle.

And I remind you,

You can step away at any time.

So let's start with the optional setting of an intention,

Or sankalpa,

And that is a supportive phrase that you repeat to yourself inwardly three times.

And you could come up with a phrase of your choice,

And I offer a few choices here if you prefer to go with that.

So it could be something like,

I am safe,

Or I choose rest.

So repeating either of those phrases or a phrase of your own making three times inwardly,

Like planting a seed in the soil and it will bear fruit.

And if you've chosen to participate in this,

We will come back to this at the end.

We'll revisit this.

So moving on to the rotation of consciousness or a body scan,

I'd like to invite you to bring your awareness gently to the crown of the head.

Notice the scalp,

The skin,

The sensation of your hair,

The gentle contact of air or breath on your head,

And allowing the forehead to soften,

Smoothing away any tension.

And then bringing attention to the eyes,

Letting them rest in their sockets,

Softening the eyelids,

Noticing the cheeks,

The ears,

And the jaw,

Releasing any tightness.

And if the jaw is clenched,

Allow it to soften,

And even letting the tongue resting comfortably in your mouth.

And shifting the awareness now to the neck and throat,

Noticing the sensations here,

Could be tension,

Warmth,

Or stillness,

Allowing the shoulders to relax,

Feeling heavy yet supported,

Letting them drop away from the ears.

And moving your attention down the arms,

From the upper arms to the elbows,

To the forearms,

The wrists,

And the hands,

Noticing the palms and the fingers resting soft and alive,

And using your mind to trace each finger individually from the thumb to the index,

To the middle finger,

The ring finger,

And the little finger,

Feeling them supported and warm.

Bringing next your attention to the chest and the heart center,

Feeling the rise and the fall of each breath,

Each subtle pulse of the body,

Noticing the warmth and sensation of breath or stillness,

A soft space inside the ribcage,

And shifting to the upper back,

The shoulder blades and the spine,

Feeling the support of the floor or the chair beneath you,

Noticing the contours of the back,

The subtle sensations along the spine,

Feeling the weight and the lift that coexist here.

Moving to the abdomen and the lower back,

Sensing the belly,

Perhaps it's soft and warm,

Noticing any subtle movements,

Tightness,

Or relaxation,

And letting your awareness trace trace the lower back and the pelvis,

Noticing the contact between the ground and the body.

The ground is steady and supportive,

And bringing your attention to the hips,

The thighs,

The knees,

The shins,

The ankles,

And the feet.

Notice how the legs feel heavy when they meet the surface,

Yet they're alive with sensation,

And scanning each toe individually,

Just noticing,

Softening,

Letting go.

And finally,

Expanding your awareness to the entire body,

The front,

The back,

The sides,

The internal spaces.

Feel the body as a complete living system supported by the ground and held in your awareness.

Notice the subtle sensations,

The temperature contrasts,

The points of tension,

The points of ease,

Simply observing without judgment.

And take a few deep reflective moments here to feel the body as a single connected presence,

The anchor that allows you to step back and become the witness.

We'll move on to awareness of the breath,

The body,

And other anchors.

So now that your body is fully present,

Bringing attention to a single anchor,

It could be a point of steady awareness that you can hold throughout this practice.

This could be the breath,

By noticing its natural rhythm,

The movement in the chest or the belly,

The sensation of warmth somewhere in your body,

That could be in the heart,

In the hands,

Along the spine.

It could be a softer external sound,

Something distant,

Subtle,

And constant,

Something that you can rest your attention on.

And alternately,

You could choose any other anchor that speaks to you,

On which you can focus.

So wherever you place your anchor,

Let it be steady,

Neutral,

And supportive.

There's no need to change your experience.

There's no need to make anything happen.

Simply rest in awareness.

Notice how this anchor allows you to observe the body,

Thoughts,

And emotions without needing to act on them.

And as sensations,

Feelings,

Or mental images arise,

Imagine them floating past like clouds in the sky,

Or leaves drifting on a slow-moving river.

You don't have to follow them.

You don't have to hold them.

Your anchor holds you instead,

Calm,

Steady,

And present.

And bringing your attention now to the contrast of inner and outer experience,

Sensations that can be heavy or light,

Thoughts that are fast or slow,

Emotions that either surge or settle.

Again,

Noticing them without judgment,

Simply observing.

Your anchor is the witness that remains unshaken,

Gentle,

And aware.

With each inhale,

A quiet steadiness rises to the surface.

Through your body,

Gentle,

Supportive,

Alive.

And with each exhale,

Release tension,

Stress,

Or scattered thoughts,

Letting them flow out,

Carried by the ground beneath you.

Spend a few minutes resting here,

Anchored,

Witnessing,

Noticing the flow of life in your body and mind.

And remembering that even when the world is uncertain,

Even when your mind is restless,

You can return to this calm presence.

The anchor is always here,

Quietly steady,

Patiently holding you.

And we'll move on to our visualization,

A sensation of contrast.

You can imagine yourself as a quiet observer,

A gentle presence sitting back from the flow of thoughts,

Emotions,

And sensations.

You don't need to control anything.

You don't need to fix or change anything.

You're just here,

Noticing.

Noticing your thoughts and feelings without following them,

Without trying to catch or push them away.

And your anchor,

Your inner presence,

Remains calm,

Observing and unfazed.

And now bringing awareness to the body,

Noticing any sensations.

Could be warmth,

Coolness,

Pressure,

Or subtle movement.

Observing how these sensations arise and fade,

Shifting naturally without your interference.

You're the witness of the body,

The mind,

And emotions,

A steady observer of the flow of your experience.

And extending your awareness outward,

Noticing sounds in the room or environment,

Noticing how your inner calm can coexist with any external activity.

Even when distractions arise,

Your witness presence remains anchored,

Quiet,

And spacious.

And if you will,

Imagine that your inner witness is like a gentle flame or a soft light inside you.

It doesn't compete with the clouds,

The leaves,

Or the noise around you.

It simply persists.

No matter how fast or chaotic the world seems,

You can return to this quiet flame,

Observing with calm and care.

And spend a few moments resting here as the witness.

Notice the ebb and flow of thought,

Sensation,

And feeling all held in the safety of your awareness.

Breathe into this perspective,

A calm,

Steady observer in the midst of uncertainty.

And beginning to bring your awareness back to the body as a whole.

Let's integrate and return.

Feeling the weight of your body resting fully on the ground or a chair or whatever surface you're on.

Notice the steady presence you've cultivated,

Your inner witness gentle and unshaken.

All this sense of perspective can settle in every part of your body,

The head,

The shoulders,

The spine,

The arms,

The legs,

The feet.

Feel how the anchor that you chose earlier,

Whether it was your breath,

A sensation of warmth,

A sound,

Or something of your choosing,

Continues to support you.

Even as your awareness begins to expand outward,

The steady,

Quiet flame of observation remains inside.

And taking a few deeper breaths,

Feeling grounded and present.

Notice any subtle movements,

Sensations of contact with the surface beneath you,

The rhythm of your heartbeat.

And beginning to bring gentle movement back to your fingers and toes,

Your hands and feet,

Allowing the body to awaken gradually while holding the calm and clarity of your witness awareness.

And when you feel ready,

Returning to the room around you and carrying this perspective with you that even in uncertainty,

You can step back.

You can observe and you can remain steady.

You are the witness.

Pause here and for a final breath,

Feeling your inner steadiness integrated fully into your body and mind.

This will be the close of our practice.

And if anything felt unsettling,

Please take some time to ground or reach out to a trusted person.

And I'd like to thank you for taking time to take care of yourself today.

Namaste.