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yoga nidra or yoga sleep isa guided meditation to induce full body relaxation,and deep rest. yoga nidra helps quietthe overactive mind, inviting it into a deep,conscious meditative state in which the brain waves slow downand a subtle euphoria may occur. the practice of yoga nidra hasbeen found to reduce symptoms of anxiety, post traumatic stressdisorder, chronic pain and insomnia. prepare for yoga nidra by lyingon your back, on the floor,

sofa or bed, making sure you'reas comfortable as possible. place a pillow under your kneesto support the low back, and cover yourself with a blanketto make sure you're warm enough. allow the legs to rest softlyapart, feet turned out. let the arms rest slightlyaway from the body so that the armpits can breathe. and turn the palms face up. a small folded towel maybe placed behind the head. so, that the chin islevel with the forehead.

an eye pillow can helpawareness move inward. now let the body be evenlybalanced between the right and left sides. and adjust your blanket,clothing, and position, so that you can practice yoga nidra inabsolute stillness and comfort. the practice of yoganidra is received through the acts of hearing andfeeling. these are the onlyimportant factors. allow the eyelids tosoftly close, and

let them remain closedthroughout the entire practice. in yoga nidra you functionon the level of awareness, plus the level of hearing. say to yourself mentallyi will remain awake, i will listen to the voice. repeat i will remain awake. give yourself time tobecome calm and steady. take a deep breath and as you inhale, feel calmnessthroughout the body.

as you exhale silentlysay to yourself, relax. become aware of the soundsin the distance. become aware of the most distant sounds you can hearbeyond the room. let your sense of hearingsearch out distant sounds and follow them for a few seconds. move your attentionfrom sound to sound. without attempting toidentify the source. gradually bring your attentionto the sounds inside

the building. and in the soundsinside the room. and now develop yourawareness of this room. visualize the walls,the ceiling, [music] the floor. your body lying down. become aware of yourphysical body lying down. total awareness of your bodylying in perfect stillness.

feel the points of contactwhere your body is supported. become aware ofa natural breath, become aware of the deep,natural. spontaneous breath. allow the breath to be natural. listening to the voice and now that you are breathing, say mentally to yourself,i am going to practice nidra. i will remain awake throughoutthe practice of yoga nidra.

now make an intention orsankalpa. a sankalpa is a simple, short, positive statement,stated three times with awareness,feeling, and emphasis. let your sankalpa bein the present tense. for example,rather than stating, i will feel peaceful,state, i am peaceful. the sankalpa you make duringyoga nidra is a seed you plant at the beginningof yoga nndra, and

then water throughoutthe practice the sankalpa you make duringyoga nidra will manifest for you. we'll now rotate consciousnessthroughout the different parts of the body. stay with the voice. mentally repeat the nameof each part after me. and simultaneously becomeaware of the part, remaining perfectly still.

beginning with the right hand. sense the right hand thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, fifth finger. palm of the hand. back of the hand. wrist, lower arm. elbow.

upper arm, right shoulder, arm pit, right ribs, waist. hip. thigh. knee. calf. ankle. heel, sole,

top of the right foot, right big toe, second toe, third toe. fourth toe, fifth toe. feel the whole right side. the whole right side. now feel the left hand thumb. second finger. third finger.

fourth finger. fifth finger. wrist. upper arm left shoulder. armpit ribs waist. left hip.

heel. sole. top of the left foot. left big toe. second toe. third toe. fourth toe. fifth toe. feel the whole left side.

the whole left side. and now sensing the back body. feel the right shoulder. right shoulder blade. left shoulder blade. right buttock. left buttock. the spine. the whole spine.

the whole back, together. now the front body. feel the top of the head. forehead. right eyebrow. left eyebrow. eyebrow center. right eyelid. left eyelid.

right eye. left eye. right ear. left ear. right cheek. left cheek nose tip of the nose right nostril

left nostril upper lip. lower lip. chin. jaw. neck. right collar bone. left collarbone. right chest.

left chest. middle of the chest. navel. abdomen. lower abdomen. feel the front the whole front body. and now feelthe whole right leg. the whole left leg.

both legs together. the whole right arm. the whole left arm. both arms together. the whole of the back. the whole of the front. the whole head. together. legs.

arms. back. front. head. the whole body. feel the whole body. become aware of the spaceoccupied by the body. become aware of the body. and the space that isoccupied by the body.

body and space. become aware of the wholebody being supported. the whole body in relationto the connection points. these are very subtle physicalpoints where the body connects to the earth. feel the meeting pointsat the back of the head. shoulder blades. elbows. back of the hands.

buttocks. calves. heels. awareness of allthe meeting points. the sensation of allthe points simultaneously, evenly. feel these points clearly anddistinctly. remaining awake and now bringing yourattention to the eyelids.

feel the narrow line ofmeeting between the upper and lower eyelids. feel the points where they meet. intensify your awareness. and now the lips. bring your tension tothe line between the lips. the space between the lips. and from the lips,now bring attention to the nose. drawing your awareness tothe natural ingoing and

outgoing breath. feel the breath moving along thepassage between the throat and the belly. want inhalation, allow it to rise fromthe belly to the throat. want exhalation that descendsfrom the throat to the belly. let the breath be natural,not forced or controlled. just awareness and breath. [sound]

maintain your awareness and now begin counting the breathsbackwards as follows. breathing in 27,breathing out 27. breathing in 26. breathing out 26. breathing in 25. breathing out 25. and so on. counting the breathbackwards from 27 to one.

count to yourself mentally as you follow the rise and fall of your breath from belly to throat and back again. remaining awake. just awareness of breath andcounting of breath. the breath is slow and relaxed. [sound]continuing counting.

breathing in. breathing out. we'll now move to sensations. [sound]so imagine the feeling ofheaviness in the body. allow the body tofeel very heavy. your body is twiceas heavy as normal. imagine your body is fourtimes as heavy as normal. you are sinking down,

letting go,the body is so heavy. feel your body very heavy. now awaken the feelingof lightness. awaken the feeling of lightness. [sound]the body is very, very light. light as a featherfloating through the air. as light as the breathyou are breathing. you're practically floating. the body is so light.

now experience cold. [sound]awaken the experience of bitter cold. [sound]imagine you're walking acrossa frozen lake in winter. you are icy cold. cold all over. awake in the feelingof coldness. the feeling of coldness.

now awakenthe sensation of heat. the sensation of heat. the whole body is hot. you are hot all over. imagine you're out inthe heat of summer. the sun heating your whole body. heat all around. awareness of heat. now recallthe experience of pain.

remember the feeling ofpain you have experienced. mental, physical, or emotional? recollect that feeling ofpain throughout the body. and now recollectthe feeling of pleasure. any kind of pleasure. physical, mental or emotional. recollect this feeling andmake it vivid. awaken the feeling of pleasurethroughout the whole body.

remain awake. say to yourself, i am awake. now imagine yourselflying on a big raft. gently floatingdown a quiet river. [sound]your body is lying on a raft. it is a beautiful day andthe temperature is ideal. the sun is glisteningoff the water. you can see the riverbankson both sides. and the lush foliagein the river's edge.

you float easilywith the current. the current moves you naturally. the river is ever moving. sometimes faster. sometimes slower. you are moving with the river. let yourself breathe deeply andeasily. and like the rhythmof the breath. relax into the slow rhythmof the moving waters.

you're floating on the raft,on the water, on the river. sensing the gentlemotion of the river. and now let the boundary betweenyou and the river dissolve. let yourself become the river. ever flowing,gently moving forward. let yourself becomethe natural flow of the river. flowing as the grace of thecurrent that is naturally moving forward. going with the flow.

breathe deeply. body feels peaceful. you are perfectly safe. sometimes the flow carriesyou on swiftly moving waters. let go of the earth,resist the current. let go. trusting the riverwill carry you forward. you are one with the flow. and now let your bodyreturn to the raft.

gently moving withthe current on the river. know that all is well. and now, gently bringawareness back to your body. lying in this room. become aware of your breathentering the nostrils. bring awareness to the breath. become aware of yournatural breathing. awareness of breathing andawareness of relaxation. now repeat your intention orsend kalpa.

the same intention you made atthe beginning of your veneta practice. repeating it three timeswith awareness and feeling. feel your physical existence. become aware of your arms andlegs, and your body stretched. become aware of the meetingpoints between the body and the earth. recall the room. walls.

ceiling. the sounds in the room. the sounds beyond. take your mind out. become completely external. lie quietly for a few moments,and keep the eyes closed. now allow the fingersto begin to wiggle. feel the connection betweenthe fingers and the hands. we'll have the toesto begin to wiggle.

feel the connection betweenthe toes and the feet. now allow the whole body tobegin stretching and moving. still letting go of any sighs orsounds. taking your time. and as you're ready,gently roll to one side. pausing for a few breaths. for slowly transitioning backup to a seated position. allowing your eyes to open. become aware of the breathas you take in the sound of

the bell.