Centering - Yoga Nidra
Centering Yoga Nidra Script III/ Golden Egg
Let’s start today in Mountain pose, eyes closed breathing naturally. Take notice of your body. While you check in with your alignment, feet shoulder distance apart, your weight is evenly distributed on your feet side to side and front to back. knees in line with your feet, hips in line with your knees, shoulders in line with your hips, head straight, jaw relaxed. Arms are by your sides palms up in receiving. Breathing in and breathing out. Breathing in and breathing out. Welcome yourself into this restful space. Continue breathing in and breathing out.
DEEP BREATH and let’s slow down
Mountain Pose - standing or sitting, ….
All are welcome here, each and every one of you are welcome in this space as we practice together.
3 part breathing Breath in filling your belly then the center of your chest and then your upper chest. Exhale upper chest, then center of your chest, then empty your belly. repeat.
Focus on your breathing, breath in and breath out
Nadia Shodhana - Alternate nostril breathing. In through your left nostril and exhale through your right nostril. Continue breathing in and breathing out.
Notice how you feel, scan your body what do you notice?? Are there any places that are sore or tender?? Are there any places that feel especially good today?? Are there some muscles that feel very strong?? Or maybe there is a muscle that feels a little shaky.
Our yoga Nidra practice today is an opportunity for you to rest. And to rest within your community here.
Let’s get into our nest for our practice today
Position yourself in such a way that your head, neck and trunk are aligned left and right. With a hand towel or something similar just under your head, not to raise it but to bring it in alignment with your body. If this is comfortable for you.
Roll a blanket or a place a bolster under your knees then
Allow your feet to be a comfortable distance apart, adjust them as needed for comfort.
Allow your arms to be a comfortable distance from your sides. Palms up if it is comfortable.
If not, palms down.
Make yourself more comfortable, wiggle and make yourself more comfortable.
Breath in, breath out
Breath in, breath out
Hear the ringing of the chime simply sink into the sounds, where do you feel the sounds inside of you?? Notice that place
While you are breathing and allowing your muscles to relax and letting go of the things going on in the real world, I’m going to tell you about today’s practice.
We will be working on centering ourselves. breath in and out. Explore what’s going on in your body, and your minds and notice where and perhaps by how much you may be off center.
Bring up the question, what exactly is one’s center?? How do we define that?? How can we locate it??
One of my teachers consistently speaks about one’s center being found by first defining one’s boundaries. Think of it this way,
“The center of a circle can only be found by first establishing the diameter of the circle, which can only be found by observing the perimeter of a circle. Knowing the outer edges of a
circle, or any shape for that matter, is the only possible way to define the center of that shape or object.”
our center is best found by first expanding ourselves wide. When we explore the edges of our being and feel safe doing so, then we might discover we have an easier time exploring what really lies within.
Where are the boundaries of our bodies and where are the boundaries of our minds? The mind part is maybe something for you to journal on, but with our physical practice, it’s best to open ourselves up before we decide to dive in deep. The only way we can really get there is to first expand the body and then work our way inward.
This is one of the reasons why we practice yoga Nidra. Along with centering today we will also be going through some Visualizations today- some feelings that we experience and Symbols that we experience - When I queue a feeling or a symbol, I invite you to visualize as much detail as you can with feeling or symbol. bring in sight, sounds, smell, taste, touch. Try to see all the minute details of the symbol. View that feeling or symbol like an explorer or a child seeing or feeling it for the very first time.
a memory may come up while we are experiencing these feelings and symbols comes up, use this present moment awareness to ask yourself How does this make me feel?? How does this feel in your heart?? Know that this is just a memory, and you can just view it and then gently let it go.
If you fall asleep today that is ok, that is what your body is needing.
Breathing in
Breathing out
Everyone is welcome here
Everyone is welcome here
Relax into Earth
Relax into the earth
This Practice is completely effortless.
Take a few slow, comfortable breaths. Breath in and breath out
With each exhale feel your body relax more deeply.
Feel the surface you are resting on can you feel the smoothness
Settle into this space of resting
Settle into your nest, allowing your whole body to melt into the floor.
Feel your entire body from the toes to the head letting go of tension and relaxing into the floor.
Feel your feet relaxing.
Feel your legs relaxing.
Feel your hips and buttocks relaxing.
Feel your abdomen and low back relaxing.
Feel your chest and mid/upper back relaxing.
Feel your arms and hands relaxing.
Feel your shoulders and neck relaxing.
Feel your face and head relaxing.
Begin to collect your attention for a few moments
Take long, deep abdominal breaths letting your awareness focus on your breathing. (pause)
Repeat to yourself, “I am comfortable and relaxed"
Begin to listen to sounds.
First listen to the most distant sounds you can hear.
Do not try to identify the source of the sound, but simply listen for any sounds at all.
Then listen to sounds closer to where your body is resting.
Feel attention coming into the room.
Feel your body resting, open, perfectly comfortable on the floor.
Now listen to sounds within your body.
These may be physical sounds such as the sound of your own heart beating or
the breath in your lungs, or you may hear electrical sounds within you. Let’s just listen for a few moments
Let’s now create a Heart-felt Resolve or intention, goal, prayer, goal, prayer maybe this is something you want for the week ahead, maybe it’s work related, maybe it has to do with a friendship or a family member relationship or maybe it’s a goal you have set for yourself this week. Think of that intention, goal, prayer in a positive way. What is that intention, goal, prayer?? Now let’s
bring our awareness to the heart and visualize something, someone or some place that you are grateful for.
Feel gratitude spreading from your heart through your entire being.
Then carrying this feeling of gratitude in your heart, repeat your intention, goal, prayer to yourself,
feel and/or see an image of your intention, goal, prayer.
Holding on to this feeling or image, say your intention, goal, prayer three times clearly, with absolute certainty that the intention, goal, prayer, goal, prayer will manifest and be fulfilled.
state your intention, goal, prayer 3 times and after all three repetitions give thanks, foster a feeling of gratitude
Now we will move into the setting of our energy points. This is effortless, allow any sensations to arise, they might be physical, or energetic, a feeling awareness, or maybe a pulse of light.
Bring your awareness to
Your Eyebrows
Throat- be effortless
Right shoulder
Right elbow- be effortless
Right wrist
Tip of the right thumb
Tip of the right index finger
Tip of the right middle finger
Tip of the right ring finger
Tip of the right little finger
Right wrist- effortless
Elbow
Shoulder
Throat
Go to Left shoulder
Left elbow
Left wrist
Thumb
Index finger
Middle finger
Left ring finger
Little finger
Left wrist
Elbow
Left shoulder
Throat
Move down to center of the breast bone
Left chest
Center of chest
Right chest
Center of chest
Navel
tailbone- be effortless
Right hip
Right knee
Ankle
Big toe
2nd toe
3rd toe
4th toe
5th toe- Be effortless
Right ankle
Knee
Hip
Tailbone
Left hip
Knee
Ankle
Left big toe
2nd toe
3rd toe
4th toe
5th toe
Ankle
Knee
Hip
Tailbone
Navel- Be effortless
Center of the chest
Throat center
Point between eyebrows
Be aware of the whole body (Repeat 2 times.)
Bring attention to the breath.
See the breath as it moves in and out of the nostrils like two separate flows in and out
With complete effortlessness, just watch your breath as it rises and falls.
Practice relaxation and awareness of the breath without trying to alter or control the breath.
Remaining completely relaxed begin to see or visualize a mental alternate nostril breath without forcing.
See the breath rise through the left nostril, fall through the right nostril, rise through the right, fall through the left.
Simply follow the breath with the mind.
While you are watching your breath rising and falling, coming in and going out. Count your breaths… in and out 1, in and out 2, in and out 3……
You can stop counting now. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve counted or if you’ve finished or lost track.
Feelings and Sensations:
Now we are going to cultivate different sensations.
The First one is heat.
Imagine you are outside on a very hot day. You are in the midday sun and there is no shade in sight. Can you smell the heat??
Feel the heat penetrating your body as the sun shines down with incredible intensity. You are sweating profusely as heat permeates your entire body.
Allow the heat to dissipate now, let it go.
(Pause)
The next sensation is cold.
Cultivate the feeling of cold. Feel that you are lying on a cold surface. The air is cold, your bones are chilled, your muscles are contracted. Can you feel the cold in your lungs??
The cold reaches through the surface of your body to your bones and internal organs.
Allow the cold to dissipate now, let it go.
(Pause)
Now you feel heavy. Legs heavy, arms heavy, head heavy, ribs heavy. Your body feels leaden.
You are so heavy; you cannot move and you feel that you are sinking down into the earth. Even your feelings feel heavy??
Allow the feeling of heavy to dissipate, just let it go
(Pause)
Lightness.
Feel light. Your body is as light as a feather. Feel space between your body and the floor.
Your body feels like it could float away from the floor. Does your breath even feel light??
Allow this lightness to dissipate.
(Pause)
Release all of these sensations. Breath in and breath out, in and out.
(((Pratika Dharana: Concentration on Visual Symbols)))))
Now we will move through some visual symbols. See these visions in your mind or directly
in front of your forehead.
Visualize these symbols with as much detail as you can. See all the small details.
circle (Repeat 3x)
cross (Repeat 3x)
concentric circles (Repeat 3x)
balanced rocks (Repeat 3x)
bridge (Repeat 3x)
a level (Repeat 3x)
Orange Sunset (Repeat 3x)
Tall yellow sunflower (Repeat 3x)
Grassy green meadow (Repeat 3x)
Blue sky (Repeat 3x)
Lavender (Repeat 3x)
Gleaming afternoon sun (Repeat 3x)
Your body resting (Repeat 3x)
Tree lined road (Repeat 3x)
The light shining and sparkling on water (Repeat 1x)
Finally bring your attention to your heart.
There in your heart see a white lotus resting on a still lake.
On the white lotus, resting on the lake is an illumined being.
Feel comforted, supported by this illumined being resting in your heart. As you look closely at the illumined being, you see a certain transparency to the heart of the being.
Contained within its heart you see a golden egg. Ask yourself, "Who am I?"
"Am I the body? Am I the mind? Am I the senses? Am I the emotions? Am I the karma?
Who am I?"
Say to yourself silently, “I am that. I am that light, that golden egg light in my heart. I am not the body.
I am not just the mind. I am not just the senses. I am not just the emotions. I am way more than all of these.
Take a moment to look around the lake there you are. Notice how still and silent the place is. enjoy the stillness and the silence.
We are going to Rest here in silence for the next several minutes.
(Allow for 8-10 minutes of silence)
Now begin to draw awareness back to the heart center.
Deepen your breath
As our practice come to a close today
Hold on to the stillness and the silence
While you are feeling the stillness and the silence
Thank yourself for the gift of self-care you gave yourself.
Now let’s Feel gratitude for all the events of your life.
All the events and circumstances that have led you to where you are now.
As you are feeling the stillness and silence
Come back to the breath. Slowly bring your awareness back to this room and into your body. Begin to move your thumbs and fingers.
Move your toes and feet.
Take a long moment to stretch and hold on to the stillness and silence.
As you feel ready Roll to your side. And hold on to the silliness and silence
Rise to a simple cross legged position.
Take a few moments to process any feelings or memories that you felt today.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Mary People think excitement is happiness... But when you are excited, you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.
I believe that peace comes from being balanced and centered.
Here is a link to Retreat House video.