Yoga Nidra - Pure And Peaceful Rest

Please get ready for yoga nidra.

Lie down on your back and adopt the pose called shavasana.

You may be lying on your bed if you would like to practice this yoga nidra to get to sleep.

Or if you just need a break in your day,

Lying down on a mat on the floor.

In the position of shavasana,

The body should be straight from head to toe,

The legs slightly apart and the arms a little away from the body with the palms of the hands turned upwards.

Adjust everything,

Your body your position,

Your clothes until you are completely comfortable.

During yoga nidra,

There should be no physical movement.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath in and as you breathe out,

Feel the cares and worries of the day flow out of you.

In the practice which follows,

You are going to develop the feeling of relaxation in the body.

It is not necessary to make movements or deliberately relax your muscles.

Simply develop the feeling of relaxation.

It is like the feeling you have just before sleep.

When relaxation becomes deep sleep might come upon you.

Try to keep yourself completely awake during this practice.

But should you fall asleep,

That's okay too.

During yoga nidra,

You are functioning on the levels of hearing and awareness.

And the only important thing is to follow my voice.

Do not attempt to intellectualise or analyse my instructions as this will disturb your mental relaxation.

Simply follow my voice with total attention and feeling.

And if thoughts come to disturb you from time to time don't worry just continue the practice.

Allow yourself to become calm and steady.

Become aware of sounds in the distance.

Become aware of the most distant sounds that you can hear.

Let your sense of hearing operate like a radar beam searching out distant sounds and following them for a few seconds.

Move your attention from sound to sound without attempting to identify the source.

Gradually bring your attention to closer sounds.

To sounds outside the building.

And then to sounds inside the building.

Now develop your awareness of the room.

Without opening your eyes visualise the four walls,

The ceiling,

The floor,

Your body lying on the floor.

See your body lying on the floor.

Become aware of the existence of your physical body lying on the floor.

Total awareness of your body lying in perfect stillness.

Your body is lying on the floor.

Your body is lying on the floor.

Develop your awareness of all the physical meeting points between your body and the floor.

Become aware of the natural breath.

Become aware of the deep,

Natural and spontaneous breath.

Do not concentrate too hard this will interfere with the natural process.

Keep on listening to me and know that you are breathing.

The practice of Yoga Nidra begins now.

Say mentally to yourself I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.

I am going to practice Yoga Nidra.

I am practicing Yoga Nidra.

At this moment you should make your resolve,

Your sankalpa.

This resolve is very simple.

Try to discover one naturally.

It should be a short positive statement in simple language.

I am rested.

I am healing.

I am awake.

I am calm.

Whatever you choose as your sankalpa state it now three times with awareness,

Feeling and emphasis.

The resolve you make during Yoga Nidra is bound to come true in your life.

We now begin rotation of consciousness.

Rotation of awareness by taking a trip through the different parts of the body.

As quickly as possible the awareness is to go from part to part.

Repeat the part in your mind and simultaneously become aware of that part of the body.

Keep yourself alert but do not concentrate too intensely.

Become aware of the right hand.

Right hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand.

Become aware of your palm,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The right waist,

The right hip,

The right thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the right foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Become aware of the left hand thumb,

Second finger,

Third finger,

Fourth finger,

Fifth finger,

Palm of the hand,

Back of the hand,

The wrist,

The lower arm,

The elbow,

The upper arm,

The shoulder,

The armpit,

The left waist,

The left hip,

The left thigh,

The kneecap,

The calf muscle,

The ankle,

The heel,

The sole of the left foot,

The top of the foot,

The big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

Fifth toe.

Now bring your attention to the back of the body,

Become aware of the right shoulder blade,

The left shoulder blade,

The right buttock,

The left buttock,

The spine,

The whole back together.

Now bring your awareness to the top of the head,

The top of the head,

The forehead,

Both sides of the head,

The right eyebrow,

The left eyebrow,

The space between the eyebrows,

The right eyelid,

The left eyelid,

The right eye,

The left eye,

The right ear,

The left ear,

The right cheek,

The left cheek,

Nose,

The tip of the nose,

The upper lip,

The lower lip,

The chin,

The throat,

The right chest,

The left chest,

The middle of the chest,

The navel,

The abdomen,

The whole of the right leg,

The whole of the left leg,

Both legs together,

The whole of the right arm,

The whole of the left arm,

Both arms together,

The whole of the back,

The buttocks,

The spine,

The shoulder blades,

The whole of the front,

Abdomen,

Chest,

The whole of the back and front together,

The whole of the head,

The whole body together,

The whole body together,

The whole body together.

Do not sleep.

Total awareness.

No sleeping.

No movement.

The whole body on the floor.

Become aware of your body lying on the floor.

Your body is lying on the floor.

See your body lying perfectly still on the floor in the room.

Visualize your body in your mind.

Become aware of your breath.

Feel the flow of your breath in and out of your lungs.

Do not try to change the rhythm.

The breathing is natural,

Automatic.

You are not doing it.

There is no effort.

Maintain awareness of your breath.

Continue complete awareness of breath.

With total awareness,

Start counting your breaths backwards from 27 to 1.

Breathing in 27.

Breathing out 27.

Breathing in 26.

Breathing out 26.

Breathing in 25.

Breathing out 25.

If you lose track,

Start again at 27.

With total awareness that you are counting,

Count your breaths from 27 to 1.

Keep counting backwards in synchrony with your breath from 27 to 1.

Counting and awareness.

Awareness and counting.

Concentrate on the movement of air flowing in and out of your nostrils.

Counting down.

Counting down.

Continue counting.

Counting backwards.

Counting backwards.

Stop your counting and leave your breathing.

We now come to visualization.

A number of different things will be named and you should try to develop a vision of them on all levels.

Feeling,

Awareness,

Emotion,

Imagination as best you can.

If you were able to find this vision,

Your relaxation will be complete.

Burning candle,

Endless desert,

Egyptian pyramid,

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain,

Torrential rain,

Snow-capped mountains,

Greek temple at sunrise,

Coffin beside a grave,

Birds flying across a sunset,

Birds flying across a sunset,

Birds flying across a sunset,

Red clouds drifting across above a church,

Stars at night,

Full moon,

Full moon,

Full moon.

Smiling grandmother,

Wind from the sea,

Waves breaking on a deserted beach,

The restless sea,

Eternal restless sea,

Eternal restless sea,

Waves breaking on a deserted beach of an eternal restless sea.

Now is the time to repeat your resolve,

Your sankalpa.

Repeat the same resolve that you made at the beginning of the practice.

Do not change it.

Repeat your resolve three times with full awareness and feeling.

Relax all efforts.

Draw your mind outside and become aware of your breathing.

Become aware of the natural breath.

Awareness of the whole body and awareness of breathing.

Your body is lying totally relaxed on the floor.

You are breathing quietly and slowly.

Develop awareness of your body from the top of the head to the tips of the toes.

Become aware of the floor and the position of your body lying on the floor.

Visualize the room around you.

Become aware of your surroundings.

Lie quietly for some time and keep your eyes closed.

Drift off into sleep if it's time for bed.

If you want to get back into your day,

Start moving your body and stretching yourself.

Please take your time.

Do not hurry.

When you are sure that you are wide awake,

Sit up slowly and open your eyes.

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Hariyom Tat Sat.

Hariyom Tat Sat.

Hariyom Tat Sat.