1- (INTERNALIZATION/INITIAL RELAXATION)
(Setting Up):
Prepare for the practice of Yoga Nidra by lying on your back in Shavasana – if this is not comfortable put a pillow under your head or if back hurts bend knees or put pillow or blanket under knees, lying on side if you are pregnant, Sitting in a chair, on the floor back to the wall. You might want a blanket because the body temperature tends to drop in Yoga Nidra. Also put a blanket under any area that is sensitive. Try to be aligned, symmetrical from feet to head. Feel your spine aligned. In shavansasana, arms away from sides palm up or down.
If anything is on you tight like glasses or a wrist watch you can take it off. Eyes should be closed to avoid visual distraction. .
Say to yourself mentally “I am practicing Yoga Nidra. . . I will stay awake for Yoga Nidra.”
(Relaxation): Take a full breath in with the exhalation think letting go. Do this at least 2 more times….
Bring awareness to the right leg. Stretch out the right leg from the hips to the toes. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the right leg and be aware of all the muscles from the toes up to the hip. INhale and raise the leg just a few inches. Exhale and relax the leg.
Bring awareness to the left leg. Stretch out the left leg from the hips to the toes. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the left leg and be aware of all the muscles from the toes up to the hip. Inhale and raise the leg just a few inches. Exhale and relax the leg
Bring awareness to the right arm. Make the right hand into a fist. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the right hand and arm and be aware of all the muscles from fingers to the shoulders. Inhale and raise the arm just a few inches. Exhale and relax the arm
Bring awareness to the leftt arm. Make the left hand into a fist. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the left hand and arm and be aware of all the muscles from fingers to the shoulders. Inhale and raise the arm just a few inches. Exhale and relax the arm
Bring awareness to the buttocks. Inhale and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the buttocks and feel all the muscles in the buttocks. Exhale and relax the buttocks.
Bring awareness to the abdomen. Inhale and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the abdomen and feel all the muscles in the abdomen. Exhale and relax the abdomen
Bring awareness to the shoulders. Inhale and bring the shoulders up to the ears and hold. Lift, lift, lift the shoulders and exhale and relax the shoulders.
Bring awareness to the face and inhale and squeeze the face and pucker the lips as if you were a raisin or prune. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze and exhale and relax the face.
Become aware of the body relaxing. Feel supported across the whole body. Feel the feet supported,
Feel arms and hands supported, feel the legs supported, feel the shoulders and head supported. Feel every place where the body is supported and allow yourself to release more deeply.
Let go of all effort of holding the body. For a short time notice the rhythm of the breath. Now, extend the awareness outward listening for sounds in all directions.
Be aware of distant sounds. . . sounds outside the room . . . sounds inside the room . .. sounds of the body… Become aware of the sound of your breath.
In Yoga Nidra, it is best if the body remains still. If you become uncomfortable you may move but come back to stillness as soon as you can. Say to yourself mentally “I will remain still for Yoga Nidra.” (pause)
Anxiety is the name used to describe the experience of the body's fight or flight response. There are varying degrees of anxiety, from general worrying and tension... all the way to full blown panic attacks. We all experience anxiety from time to time, and this is normal. When anxiety starts to happen frequently it can be problematic.
Anxiety is a fear-based emotion. Anxiety is in the 3rd chakra and Stomache, Spleen, Pancreas.
Frequent anxiety is an emotional cancer that eats away peace of mind and enjoyment of life. TCM says that anxiety literally eats us up by consuming the life force, prana, chi of our digestion and absorption organs, the stomach spleen and pancreas
When anxiety takes over our lives we become unbalanced beings living in our heads.
Our minds become monkey minds with endless chattering about the dire consequences that will probably never happen.
Therefore, we are wasting our energy on useless thoughts.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine anxiety has brother and sister emotions of worry, guilt, shame, and self-pity.
All these emotions are housed in our stomach, spleen and pancreas.
The positive emotions that are stored here are: stability, fairness, honesty and powerful intention
Place palms under left ribs with fingers perpendicular
The healing sound of the stomach, spleen, pancreas is whoooooooooooooooooooooo
Exhale sound whooooooooooo
Release and anxiety, anxiety negative emotions
Smile to stomach, spleen, pancreas
Breath in golden light
Exhale cloudy gray substance – the guilt – and let it transform and fade away
Start by saying these affirmations:
“I forgive myself for not being perfect”
“It is natural to anxious sometimes”
“I am a good person”
“I can learn from and transform my anxiety”
Listen in all directions for sounds ………………
2- (SANKALPA)
It is time for the Sankalpa. A sankalpa is a short positive statement in the present or future tense. It is a resolve, intention affirmation. Repeat the sankalpa 3 times with the exact same wording and full attention. If you do not have yet have a sankalpa use the resolve “I will find the right sankalpa for me” or “I can learn from and transform my anxiety. Repeat your resolve 3 x each time with same wording.
3 - (BODY ROTATION)
Moving on to the rotation of consciousness through the body. The body remains motionless. When a part of the body is named either repeat the name of the body part in mentally, bring awareness to the part of the body, or visualize the body part. We will begin on the right hand side body.
Right hand thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, right palm, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, arm pit, right waist, the right hip, the right thigh, the right kneecap, the right lower leg, the right ankle, the right heel,the right instep, the right sole of the foot, top of the foot, the right big toe, 2nd toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe
Bring awareness to the left side of the body starting with the left thumb. Left hand thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, left palm, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, arm pit, left waist, the left hip, the left thigh, the left kneecap, the left lower leg, the left ankle, the left heel, left instep, the left sole of the foot, top of the foot, the left big toe, 2nd toe, third toe, fourth toe, left 5th toe. Stay awake.
Bring awareness to the top of the head, the forehead, both sides of the head, right temple, left temple, the right eyebrow, the left eyebrow, eyebrow center, the right eyelid, the left eyelid, the right eye, the left eye, the right ear, the left ear, the top of the nose, the right nostril, the left nostril, the right cheek, the left cheek, the upper lip, the lower lip, teeth, tongue, jaw, front of the neck, right collar bone, left collar bone, the hallow between the collar bones, right chest, left chest, center of chest, upper abdomen, navel, lower abdomen, pelvis, buttocks, lower back, middle back, upper back, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, the whole spine, back of the head, top of the head.
4- (AWARENESS OF INNER PARTS OF THE BODY)
Bring awareness to the Inner Parts of the body
The brain, the nasal passage between the nose and the throat, the tongue, the teeth the roof of the mouth, the right eardrum, the keft eardrum, the throat through wch the air passes, the alimentary canal or food passage
The right lunch, the left lung, the heart
Feel the heart by concentrating on the heartbeat
The stomach which is above your navel towards the left side
The liver above the navel towards the right side
The right kidney and the left kidney towards the back above waist levlel
And in the abdomen a very long coiled tube called the small intestine and
An inverted U shaped tube called the larhe intestines
Once again faster
The brain, nasal passage, tongue, palate, right eardrum, left eardrum, throat. Alimentary canal, right lunch, left lung, heart, stomach, liver, right kidney, left kidney, small intestine, large intestines, whole abdomen….
Bring awareness to Whole right arm ……… the whole left arm..........Both arms together...........
The whole right leg.................The whole left leg..................Both legs together...............Both arms and legs together.................The whole front of the body.....................The whole back of the body.............The front and back together................The whole inside of the body...............The whole outside of the body...................The inside and the outside of the body together.........
The whole body together
The whole body together
The whole body together
(big pause)
Not let go of the body scan and come back to natural breathing
5 - (BREATHWORK)
Rise and Fall of the breath at the stomach
The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen.
Counting backwards from 18 to 0
Emotions can be understood as simply forms of stuck energy: kind of like legos, that have been "shaped" in a particular way.
The healing sounds break up a particular emotion/shape, so that the energy bound in that shape can once again flow freely.
The emotions are not gotten rid of. Instead, the energy of the emotion is transformed.
If the mind wanders during this practice, no problem. Simply notice that this has happened, and come back to the practice.
6 - (WORKING WITH THE TAOIST HEALING SOUNDS)
Connect to the stomach, pancreas, spleen by placing hands under the left rib cage
You’ll be touching your stomach and your spleen is inside the left rib cage
Notice any guilt anxiety worry, shame self-pity, constriction, or imbalance there
If you find any ask for a message
In hale and turn your fingers perpendicular to the floor and press them gently into your abdomen, just below the ribs. Make your right hand line up underneath the and to the left og sternum but still on the abdomen and the left hand line up with the nipple still on the abdomen
Inhale softly and exhale Whooooooooo
Visualize any anxiety, worry, guilt shame or self pity leave the stomache as a cloudy gray substance that disappears into the earth
Looking left and looking right to delete any remnants of the anxiety, guilt, self pity, etc
Inhale healing golden light
Return hands to below left rib cage
Be grateful for the roles the play in digestion and absorption
Still smiling, breathe naturally as you imagine you are breathing a golden yellow light into these organs
Sense your stomach, spleen and pancreas are larger and moister and softer and anxiety, anxiety, guilt, shame self –pity have been release and
Openness, fairness, intention and stability have increased
Inhale and exhale Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
7 - (WORKING WITH OPPOSITES)
(HEAVY)
Feel all the points of contact between the body and the floor. Feel the weight of the body. The body is heavy... The head is heavy... The shoulders are heavy... The arms are heavy.... The back is heavy... ... The legs are heavy..........The body is so heavy that it feels as if it is made of stone.....the body is so heavy that it feels as if it is made of lead.. Experience the body as heaviness... Now let go of heaviness and come to the opposite experience of lightness
(LIGHT)
Now come to the opposite experience of lightness. The hair is light.....the fingers are light.....the toes are light.....the nose is light .....the eyelashes are light.....The body is so light that it feels as if it could rise above the floor like a feather ... the body is so light that it could blow in the wind like a life in an autumn wind...Experience the body as lightness...Now let go of lightness
(ANXIETY)
And remember an experience of anxiety, remember any anxiety,,,,try to remember the experience as it in has happening right now ....remember the anxiety, feel the anxiety, ,feel the anxiety in any part of the body or in all parts of the body (pause) Concentrate the mind wherever the anxiety has been awakened...asssemble the energy particles of anxiety,,,manifest the experience of anxiety. Not let go of anxiety and calm to the oppositness experience of calmness.
(CALMNESS)
Remember an experience of calmness,... try to remember the experience as if it is happening right now... Whatever the experience is, whether a big experience or a little experience, it should be concentrated and developed into a total calm feeling (long pause) Deepen the awarenesss...assemble the total energies of willl.,.and manifest the experience of calmness. Now let go of calmness and let go of the opposites practice. And bring awareness to the chidakasha, the mind space in front of the closed eyes.
8 - (RAPID IMAGERY)
Bring awareness to the chiddakasha, the mind screen in front of the closed eyes and notice if there are any colors or patterns there. Bring the awareness to the chiddakasha the mind movue and visualize the simple images that will be suggested.
A Tall Tree (x 2)
A Crescent Moon (x2)
Stars in the Night Sky (x 2)
A Meadow full of Wild Flowers (x 2)
A Friend's Laugh (x 2)
A Hearty Smile (x 2)
Ocean Waves at Sunset (x 2)
Snow Capped Mountains (x 2)
A Rainbow (x 2)
9 - (THE JOURNEY)
Keep the awareness at the chidakasha the mind space in front of the closed eyes.
Feeling soft and comfortable, allow yourself to travel to a place that is safe and
free….a place where you have no anxiety, no responsibilities, only peace and
pleasure…….perhaps it’s a place where you’ve vacationed……a place from your childhood….a
place you’d like to visit…….your home……..somewhere that is free of deadlines, free of
pain……..
If you are having difficulty settling on a location, simply take a full breath and exhale, and allow
the place to present itself….to come into focus.
And so you are arriving…. and have arrived. This special place of peace and safety is coming
clearly into focus……. Allow yourself to take in your surroundings…..notice the
colors……perhaps sky blue, or water’s blues and greens, perhaps the earth tones of a
forest…….the sandy beach…..maybe the glow of a fire……the colors of flowers or
vegetation…..Notice the light of this place…
And what do you hear? Maybe the wind in trees, or waves crashing upon a shore…..birds
singing, the pop or crackle of a fire….
What do you smell? Perhaps the fragrance of flowers or blooms……the salt of ocean air….the
aroma of your favorite food being prepared…..the cool earthly smells of the forest
What other sensations are in this place? Maybe the sun on your face or hands, the softness of
pine needles beneath your feet, or the shifting of sand beneath and between your toes……maybe
you notice the comfort of a sofa or chair upon which you’re resting…maybe you notice the
warmth of a fire’s glow…..
This is a place to which you’ve traveled to receive the comfort, the peace, the restorative power
that is here for you…….you can come here any time you choose……it is a place you carry within
yourself at all times…..always available…….this is a place of connection…..a place where you
will find and reconnect with your inner strength, your wisdom, your true or higher self……….the
sensations of calm peacefulness you experience here are even now helping you find clarity,
strength, healing……in this place, you receive what you need to be and feel whole – to recognize
yourself in this place of safety, of freedom, of connection…
Each time you travel here, you are reminded, renewed, replenished……in this place you may
Bring the awareness back to the chiddakasha and let go of the visualization practice and come back to natural breathing.
10 - (SANKALPA)
In the natural breath hear the whisper of the Sankalpa the same resolve or affirmation you made in the beginning of the Yoga Nidra practice and again repeat it 3 times mentally with the exact same wording and the confidence that it will come true.
(pause for Sankalpa)
11 - (EXTERNALIZATION)
Listen for the sound of the heart beat,,,listen for the sound of the breath... listen for any sounds of the body.....listen for sounds in the room....listen for sounds outside the room... find the furtherst sound that you can hear outside the room.....Now remember the room..... remember the walls....remember the ceiling.... remember the floor.....remember your place on the floor.....and remember the topic of this Yoga Nidra, Anxiety.
We get anxious because we buy into our thoughts and feelings. We take them at face value and get overwhelmed. Yet our thoughts don’t warrant this undivided attention. Again, it’s just our minds spinning a slew of worries and what-ifs.
Meditating helps us stop over attending to our thoughts and feelings and “allows us to get off the hamster wheel, catch our breath, and get some perspective.”
It also cultivates an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance. “The goal is not to get to a place where your life is free of problems — that’s not possible — but rather to develop the skill of accepting the existence of those problems without overvaluing them.”
Bring the awareness back to the breath and make each inhale deeper and deeper (pause) and make each exhale fuller and fuller, inhaling and exhaling deeply and fully.... and say to yourself mentally. The practice of yoga nidra is now complete (pause)
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Roll your wrists and ankles one way .... and now the opposite direction.... and when you are ready roll over to a fetal position and when you are ready make your way up to seated.
HARI OM TAT SAT
NAMASTE
(Setting Up):
Prepare for the practice of Yoga Nidra by lying on your back in Shavasana – if this is not comfortable put a pillow under your head or if back hurts bend knees or put pillow or blanket under knees, lying on side if you are pregnant, Sitting in a chair, on the floor back to the wall. You might want a blanket because the body temperature tends to drop in Yoga Nidra. Also put a blanket under any area that is sensitive. Try to be aligned, symmetrical from feet to head. Feel your spine aligned. In shavansasana, arms away from sides palm up or down.
If anything is on you tight like glasses or a wrist watch you can take it off. Eyes should be closed to avoid visual distraction. .
Say to yourself mentally “I am practicing Yoga Nidra. . . I will stay awake for Yoga Nidra.”
(Relaxation): Take a full breath in with the exhalation think letting go. Do this at least 2 more times….
Bring awareness to the right leg. Stretch out the right leg from the hips to the toes. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the right leg and be aware of all the muscles from the toes up to the hip. INhale and raise the leg just a few inches. Exhale and relax the leg.
Bring awareness to the left leg. Stretch out the left leg from the hips to the toes. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the left leg and be aware of all the muscles from the toes up to the hip. Inhale and raise the leg just a few inches. Exhale and relax the leg
Bring awareness to the right arm. Make the right hand into a fist. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the right hand and arm and be aware of all the muscles from fingers to the shoulders. Inhale and raise the arm just a few inches. Exhale and relax the arm
Bring awareness to the leftt arm. Make the left hand into a fist. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the left hand and arm and be aware of all the muscles from fingers to the shoulders. Inhale and raise the arm just a few inches. Exhale and relax the arm
Bring awareness to the buttocks. Inhale and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the buttocks and feel all the muscles in the buttocks. Exhale and relax the buttocks.
Bring awareness to the abdomen. Inhale and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze the abdomen and feel all the muscles in the abdomen. Exhale and relax the abdomen
Bring awareness to the shoulders. Inhale and bring the shoulders up to the ears and hold. Lift, lift, lift the shoulders and exhale and relax the shoulders.
Bring awareness to the face and inhale and squeeze the face and pucker the lips as if you were a raisin or prune. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze and exhale and relax the face.
Become aware of the body relaxing. Feel supported across the whole body. Feel the feet supported,
Feel arms and hands supported, feel the legs supported, feel the shoulders and head supported. Feel every place where the body is supported and allow yourself to release more deeply.
Let go of all effort of holding the body. For a short time notice the rhythm of the breath. Now, extend the awareness outward listening for sounds in all directions.
Be aware of distant sounds. . . sounds outside the room . . . sounds inside the room . .. sounds of the body… Become aware of the sound of your breath.
In Yoga Nidra, it is best if the body remains still. If you become uncomfortable you may move but come back to stillness as soon as you can. Say to yourself mentally “I will remain still for Yoga Nidra.” (pause)
Anxiety is a fear-based emotion. Anxiety is in the 3rd chakra and Stomache, Spleen, Pancreas.
Frequent anxiety is an emotional cancer that eats away peace of mind and enjoyment of life. TCM says that anxiety literally eats us up by consuming the life force, prana, chi of our digestion and absorption organs, the stomach spleen and pancreas
When anxiety takes over our lives we become unbalanced beings living in our heads.
Our minds become monkey minds with endless chattering about the dire consequences that will probably never happen.
Therefore, we are wasting our energy on useless thoughts.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine anxiety has brother and sister emotions of worry, guilt, shame, and self-pity.
All these emotions are housed in our stomach, spleen and pancreas.
The positive emotions that are stored here are: stability, fairness, honesty and powerful intention
Place palms under left ribs with fingers perpendicular
The healing sound of the stomach, spleen, pancreas is whoooooooooooooooooooooo
Exhale sound whooooooooooo
Release and anxiety, anxiety negative emotions
Smile to stomach, spleen, pancreas
Breath in golden light
Exhale cloudy gray substance – the guilt – and let it transform and fade away
Start by saying these affirmations:
“I forgive myself for not being perfect”
“It is natural to anxious sometimes”
“I am a good person”
“I can learn from and transform my anxiety”
Listen in all directions for sounds ………………
2- (SANKALPA)
It is time for the Sankalpa. A sankalpa is a short positive statement in the present or future tense. It is a resolve, intention affirmation. Repeat the sankalpa 3 times with the exact same wording and full attention. If you do not have yet have a sankalpa use the resolve “I will find the right sankalpa for me” or “I can learn from and transform my anxiety. Repeat your resolve 3 x each time with same wording.
3 - (BODY ROTATION)
Moving on to the rotation of consciousness through the body. The body remains motionless. When a part of the body is named either repeat the name of the body part in mentally, bring awareness to the part of the body, or visualize the body part. We will begin on the right hand side body.
Right hand thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, right palm, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, arm pit, right waist, the right hip, the right thigh, the right kneecap, the right lower leg, the right ankle, the right heel,the right instep, the right sole of the foot, top of the foot, the right big toe, 2nd toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe
Bring awareness to the left side of the body starting with the left thumb. Left hand thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, left palm, back of the hand, wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, arm pit, left waist, the left hip, the left thigh, the left kneecap, the left lower leg, the left ankle, the left heel, left instep, the left sole of the foot, top of the foot, the left big toe, 2nd toe, third toe, fourth toe, left 5th toe. Stay awake.
Bring awareness to the top of the head, the forehead, both sides of the head, right temple, left temple, the right eyebrow, the left eyebrow, eyebrow center, the right eyelid, the left eyelid, the right eye, the left eye, the right ear, the left ear, the top of the nose, the right nostril, the left nostril, the right cheek, the left cheek, the upper lip, the lower lip, teeth, tongue, jaw, front of the neck, right collar bone, left collar bone, the hallow between the collar bones, right chest, left chest, center of chest, upper abdomen, navel, lower abdomen, pelvis, buttocks, lower back, middle back, upper back, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, the whole spine, back of the head, top of the head.
4- (AWARENESS OF INNER PARTS OF THE BODY)
The brain, the nasal passage between the nose and the throat, the tongue, the teeth the roof of the mouth, the right eardrum, the keft eardrum, the throat through wch the air passes, the alimentary canal or food passage
The right lunch, the left lung, the heart
Feel the heart by concentrating on the heartbeat
The stomach which is above your navel towards the left side
The liver above the navel towards the right side
The right kidney and the left kidney towards the back above waist levlel
And in the abdomen a very long coiled tube called the small intestine and
An inverted U shaped tube called the larhe intestines
Once again faster
The brain, nasal passage, tongue, palate, right eardrum, left eardrum, throat. Alimentary canal, right lunch, left lung, heart, stomach, liver, right kidney, left kidney, small intestine, large intestines, whole abdomen….
Bring awareness to Whole right arm ……… the whole left arm..........Both arms together...........
The whole right leg.................The whole left leg..................Both legs together...............Both arms and legs together.................The whole front of the body.....................The whole back of the body.............The front and back together................The whole inside of the body...............The whole outside of the body...................The inside and the outside of the body together.........
The whole body together
The whole body together
The whole body together
(big pause)
Not let go of the body scan and come back to natural breathing
5 - (BREATHWORK)
Rise and Fall of the breath at the stomach
The stomach is a muscular organ located on the left side of the upper abdomen.
Counting backwards from 18 to 0
Emotions can be understood as simply forms of stuck energy: kind of like legos, that have been "shaped" in a particular way.
The healing sounds break up a particular emotion/shape, so that the energy bound in that shape can once again flow freely.
The emotions are not gotten rid of. Instead, the energy of the emotion is transformed.
If the mind wanders during this practice, no problem. Simply notice that this has happened, and come back to the practice.
6 - (WORKING WITH THE TAOIST HEALING SOUNDS)
Connect to the stomach, pancreas, spleen by placing hands under the left rib cage
You’ll be touching your stomach and your spleen is inside the left rib cage
Notice any guilt anxiety worry, shame self-pity, constriction, or imbalance there
If you find any ask for a message
In hale and turn your fingers perpendicular to the floor and press them gently into your abdomen, just below the ribs. Make your right hand line up underneath the and to the left og sternum but still on the abdomen and the left hand line up with the nipple still on the abdomen
Inhale softly and exhale Whooooooooo
Visualize any anxiety, worry, guilt shame or self pity leave the stomache as a cloudy gray substance that disappears into the earth
Looking left and looking right to delete any remnants of the anxiety, guilt, self pity, etc
Inhale healing golden light
Return hands to below left rib cage
Be grateful for the roles the play in digestion and absorption
Still smiling, breathe naturally as you imagine you are breathing a golden yellow light into these organs
Sense your stomach, spleen and pancreas are larger and moister and softer and anxiety, anxiety, guilt, shame self –pity have been release and
Openness, fairness, intention and stability have increased
Inhale and exhale Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
7 - (WORKING WITH OPPOSITES)
(HEAVY)
Feel all the points of contact between the body and the floor. Feel the weight of the body. The body is heavy... The head is heavy... The shoulders are heavy... The arms are heavy.... The back is heavy... ... The legs are heavy..........The body is so heavy that it feels as if it is made of stone.....the body is so heavy that it feels as if it is made of lead.. Experience the body as heaviness... Now let go of heaviness and come to the opposite experience of lightness
(LIGHT)
Now come to the opposite experience of lightness. The hair is light.....the fingers are light.....the toes are light.....the nose is light .....the eyelashes are light.....The body is so light that it feels as if it could rise above the floor like a feather ... the body is so light that it could blow in the wind like a life in an autumn wind...Experience the body as lightness...Now let go of lightness
(ANXIETY)
And remember an experience of anxiety, remember any anxiety,,,,try to remember the experience as it in has happening right now ....remember the anxiety, feel the anxiety, ,feel the anxiety in any part of the body or in all parts of the body (pause) Concentrate the mind wherever the anxiety has been awakened...asssemble the energy particles of anxiety,,,manifest the experience of anxiety. Not let go of anxiety and calm to the oppositness experience of calmness.
(CALMNESS)
Remember an experience of calmness,... try to remember the experience as if it is happening right now... Whatever the experience is, whether a big experience or a little experience, it should be concentrated and developed into a total calm feeling (long pause) Deepen the awarenesss...assemble the total energies of willl.,.and manifest the experience of calmness. Now let go of calmness and let go of the opposites practice. And bring awareness to the chidakasha, the mind space in front of the closed eyes.
8 - (RAPID IMAGERY)
Bring awareness to the chiddakasha, the mind screen in front of the closed eyes and notice if there are any colors or patterns there. Bring the awareness to the chiddakasha the mind movue and visualize the simple images that will be suggested.
A Tall Tree (x 2)
A Crescent Moon (x2)
Stars in the Night Sky (x 2)
A Meadow full of Wild Flowers (x 2)
A Friend's Laugh (x 2)
A Hearty Smile (x 2)
Ocean Waves at Sunset (x 2)
Snow Capped Mountains (x 2)
A Rainbow (x 2)
9 - (THE JOURNEY)
Keep the awareness at the chidakasha the mind space in front of the closed eyes.
Feeling soft and comfortable, allow yourself to travel to a place that is safe and
free….a place where you have no anxiety, no responsibilities, only peace and
pleasure…….perhaps it’s a place where you’ve vacationed……a place from your childhood….a
place you’d like to visit…….your home……..somewhere that is free of deadlines, free of
pain……..
If you are having difficulty settling on a location, simply take a full breath and exhale, and allow
the place to present itself….to come into focus.
And so you are arriving…. and have arrived. This special place of peace and safety is coming
clearly into focus……. Allow yourself to take in your surroundings…..notice the
colors……perhaps sky blue, or water’s blues and greens, perhaps the earth tones of a
forest…….the sandy beach…..maybe the glow of a fire……the colors of flowers or
vegetation…..Notice the light of this place…
And what do you hear? Maybe the wind in trees, or waves crashing upon a shore…..birds
singing, the pop or crackle of a fire….
What do you smell? Perhaps the fragrance of flowers or blooms……the salt of ocean air….the
aroma of your favorite food being prepared…..the cool earthly smells of the forest
What other sensations are in this place? Maybe the sun on your face or hands, the softness of
pine needles beneath your feet, or the shifting of sand beneath and between your toes……maybe
you notice the comfort of a sofa or chair upon which you’re resting…maybe you notice the
warmth of a fire’s glow…..
This is a place to which you’ve traveled to receive the comfort, the peace, the restorative power
that is here for you…….you can come here any time you choose……it is a place you carry within
yourself at all times…..always available…….this is a place of connection…..a place where you
will find and reconnect with your inner strength, your wisdom, your true or higher self……….the
sensations of calm peacefulness you experience here are even now helping you find clarity,
strength, healing……in this place, you receive what you need to be and feel whole – to recognize
yourself in this place of safety, of freedom, of connection…
Each time you travel here, you are reminded, renewed, replenished……in this place you may
Bring the awareness back to the chiddakasha and let go of the visualization practice and come back to natural breathing.
10 - (SANKALPA)
In the natural breath hear the whisper of the Sankalpa the same resolve or affirmation you made in the beginning of the Yoga Nidra practice and again repeat it 3 times mentally with the exact same wording and the confidence that it will come true.
(pause for Sankalpa)
11 - (EXTERNALIZATION)
Listen for the sound of the heart beat,,,listen for the sound of the breath... listen for any sounds of the body.....listen for sounds in the room....listen for sounds outside the room... find the furtherst sound that you can hear outside the room.....Now remember the room..... remember the walls....remember the ceiling.... remember the floor.....remember your place on the floor.....and remember the topic of this Yoga Nidra, Anxiety.
We get anxious because we buy into our thoughts and feelings. We take them at face value and get overwhelmed. Yet our thoughts don’t warrant this undivided attention. Again, it’s just our minds spinning a slew of worries and what-ifs.
Meditating helps us stop over attending to our thoughts and feelings and “allows us to get off the hamster wheel, catch our breath, and get some perspective.”
It also cultivates an attitude of nonjudgmental acceptance. “The goal is not to get to a place where your life is free of problems — that’s not possible — but rather to develop the skill of accepting the existence of those problems without overvaluing them.”
Bring the awareness back to the breath and make each inhale deeper and deeper (pause) and make each exhale fuller and fuller, inhaling and exhaling deeply and fully.... and say to yourself mentally. The practice of yoga nidra is now complete (pause)
Begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Roll your wrists and ankles one way .... and now the opposite direction.... and when you are ready roll over to a fetal position and when you are ready make your way up to seated.
HARI OM TAT SAT
NAMASTE
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