Relaxation Meditation 06

Transcript

Start to ease yourself into your Yoga Nidra practice. Make sure you won’t be interrupted for the next ten minutes so that you can completely relax.

Find your comfortable posture; lying on your back. This position is probably becoming more familiar to you now — it’s a little easier to settle yourself into it.

Give yourself permission to become as comfortable as possible. Make those adjustments you need to make to remove any distractions of discomfort, and allow you to feel blissfully at ease.

And then come to the breath. Your body knows how to do this, now. Focus your conscious awareness on the inhales and exhales.

Don’t worry if you do get distracted. You’re a human, so other thoughts will undoubtedly enter your mind. Some days it’s easier to concentrate than on others. That’s fine — notice it. Observe any resistance you feel to concentration — any resistance you feel to the present moment.

And then gently bring your awareness back to the breath.

[Pause]

Great. Now, this practice will build on something we touched upon in the very first practice of this course, by drawing in the meditative power of sound.

Start by sending your awareness out — beyond the room you’re in. Become aware of any sounds you can hear outside, or elsewhere in this building. There’s nothing to do — no need to know where any of the sounds are coming from, or what they mean.

Simply notice the sounds you hear, with concentration.

[Pause]

Now, bring the awareness into this room. There are less sounds in here than there are beyond the room. But notice them.

Any sounds you can hear inside this room.

Notice them, and allow them to be there.

[Pause]

And then bring the awareness to any sounds you can hear in your own body.

Maybe the gentle sound of the breath. Maybe even more subtle sounds — sounds that you can feel more than you can hear.

[Pause]

Use this awareness of sound to notice where the body is. On this floor — perhaps on a rug, or yoga mat. Within these four walls. In this building. In this place — wherever you are. In this country. In this world. In this universe.

[Pause]

You are here. Completely here. You are present in this moment. You are connected with your body. There is nothing to do — nowhere to be. No one to be.

Pressure lifts up and away from you, and you are peaceful in the knowledge that all you are is present.

Perhaps you can feel the joy of the present moment vibrating in the tips of your fingers and toes. The heat of it in the palms of your hands.

[Pause]

Focus the awareness, again, on sound. Start to focus fully on my voice. And then in a few moments, you’ll hear another sound; keep the awareness on that sound until you can’t hear it anymore.

You are here. You are completely present. You are peaceful.

[Bell rings and fades away to complete silence, x 3]

Come back to the breath for a moment. Notice the natural rhythm of the breath. Notice that the body is wonderfully relaxed.

And again, listen to the sound that comes.

[Bells rings and fades away to complete silence, x 3]

Start to come back to the body now. We’ll do this slowly. Notice both of the feet first — you don’t need to move them; just notice. And then notice the legs. The hips; the abdomen and the ribcage. The chest and the back. Become aware of the shoulders; the arms; and the hands. And notice the neck. The head. The face.

Become aware of the whole body. The body is still but you can feel strength and energy flowing through every part of you.

[Pause]

In a moment, you’ll hear the sound one more time. Listen until it fades to silence.

When you can’t hear it anymore, your practice is complete. Take three deep breaths and blink your eyes open gently.

[Bell rings once]

All posts in this category