How to Facilitate Yoga Nidra and

Write your own Scripts

Learn to Impart the Inner Experience to your Yoga Students
 © Copyright 2019 by Sri Devidas - All rights
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 Table of Contents

Introduction
Definition
History
Stages of Yoga Nidra
Practical Applications for Yoga Nidra
How Yoga Nidra Assists our Meditations
Theory of Yogic Meditation
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Dharana
Dhyana
Cultivating Higher Awareness
Pashubhava versus Shivabhava
Releasing Habitual Nervous Tension
Learning to Fully Relax the Mind
Becoming Aware of your True Nature
Stages of Yoga Nidra
The Eight Stages of Yoga Nidra
Preparatory Exercises
Beginning the Actual Practice
Access the Mp3 Practice Yoga Nidra Session Here!
Preliminary Practices
Sankalpa
Sankalpa Shakti
Discovering your Purpose
The Subtle Art of Relaxation
 How to Deliver your Instructions
Body Scan (Sample Script)
The Role of the Breath
Breathe Well, Live Well
Anuloma Viloma
The Breathe is the Link to your Inner Power
Feelings and Sensations
Visualizations and Guided Meditations
Transcending Past Limitations
Inner Illumination
Samadhi the Goal of Yoga
Experience is King
Structuring the Experience of Samadhi
Writing your own Scripts
Physical Body
The Pranic Body
The Mental Body
The Higher Intellectual Body
Atman
How to Pace your Sessions
Ending the Practice
Therapeutic Applications of Yoga Nidra
Psychosomatic Illnesses
Yoga Nidra for Insomnia
Yoga Nidra for Addictions
Yoga Nidra for Anxiety
Conclusion
Short Duration Script
Sankalpa
Body Scan
Breath Awareness
 Visualizations
Silence
Sankalpa
End
Medium Duration Script
Listening to Sounds
Sankalpa
Body Scan
Breath Awareness
Polarities
Guided Visualization
Silence
Sankalpa
End
Long Duration Script
Listening to Sounds
Sankalpa
Body Scan One, Points of Contact, Body Scan Two
Breath Awareness and Anuloma Viloma
Antar Mouna
Silence
Sankalpa
End
 Introduction

Y oga Nidra is a very simple meditation technique done lying down

on your back in shavasana, which is gaining in tremendous
popularity more and more every day and quickly becoming an
integral part of every yoga session. The benefits of yoga nidra are
seemingly endless. It gives people who cannot sit in advanced meditation
postures all the same benefits as meditation; you can even achieve Samadhi,
total meditative absorption, during yoga nidra.
Offering a short meditation session to your yoga students at the end of
your classes is a great way to offer your participants a chance to become
silent, still and turn their senses within towards exploring and discovering
their own true nature!
Yoga nidra is first begun by lying down on your back in the pose
known as shavasana (which is a deceivingly simple pose). However, don't
be fooled, shavasana is actually one of the most difficult poses to do
correctly, for it requires that you maintain a state of total physical stillness
and muscular relaxation for extended durations of time.
In order for every muscle in the body to remain loose and supple, your
mind must become silent and serene. However, for most of us it is not
enough to simply ask the mind to become silent, or to willfully demand for
the mind to sit still. We all know how well that works out! As much as we
might like to think we are in total control of our mind, there is no off switch
for just shutting down our thoughts to be able to enjoy the perfect bliss of
the inner Self; rather, it's a process of becoming increasingly more calm and
quiet. Like a glass of murky water, eventually all the particles of dirt settle
down to the bottom and you can see everything clearly once again.
Such moments of clarity can bring total inner illumination in an
instant, allowing you to spontaneously transcend those limiting patterns
which have had you stuck at a certain point of your spiritual development.
 Yoga nidra is an incredibly valuable practice for the very reason
described above. Most of us don't have a reliable way for connecting with
that place of inner silence and stillness within. We search for a way to
satisfy our senses all the hours of the day, only to find exhaustion. It isn't
until we withdraw our senses completely and rest in our own inner being
each night before going to sleep that we find that deep inner peace and
contentment, which recharges our body, mind and psyche.
The sad truth is, and the way you can help others the most as a yoga
nidra facilitator, is that most people don't know how to really relax. We
want to relax, but often times, there is so much pent up energy and tension
being stored just beneath the surface, trapped there from whatever stress
there might be in our lives, that as soon as we stop clenching that trapped
energy becomes free again, coming to the surface, and we experience it as
various forms of anxiety, fear and even more stress.
So what do we do? Typically we do anything but turn within! We
inundate our senses with more stimuli. Visual stimuli, audio stimuli,
intellectual stimuli, emotional stimuli, anything to distract us from facing
that torrent of nervous energy just waiting to overwhelm us!
However, as a yoga nidra facilitator, you have the unique opportunity
to give your participants that valuable chance to enjoy a brief moment of
total stillness and silence, without all the tension; to be able to just rest in
the perfect peace of their own true nature, as the inner Self, the inner being
beyond the ever changing body and mind.
Just this single chance to experience total stillness and silence, even if
for only one breath, even if just for one instant, is more therapeutic than
many days and weeks of traditional counseling. Whatever it is people need
relief from, they will find it in the bliss and silence of the inner Self. This
chance to become totally still and silent is the greatest gift you can give
your participants, and is the underlying purpose behind each instruction you
give during every session: It is to structure the opportunity to withdraw the
senses, still the mind and allow one's own inner awareness to naturally
unfold.
When the body and mind are perfectly still and totally silent, and the
awareness has remained full, without slipping into unconsciousness, then
one perceives their own higher Self spontaneously, it is not something that
must be attained, it is only your own true Self that you must recognize.

Definition
Yoga nidra is defined most literally as 'the sleep of union'. Yoga means
union, and nidra means sleep. In all yogic practices we are seeking to unite
with our higher Self. Dropping the fear-based ego-centered awareness of 'I
am a bound soul' (pashubhava); and becoming aware of that fully liberated
knowingness, 'I Am Spirit' (Shivabhava).
It is the process of re-orientating your sense of identity, rather than
identifying with the changing aspects of your apparent outer Self, you
transition to identifying with the eternal aspects of your non-apparent inner
Self, the silent witness consciousness; aspects such as joy, love,
contentment, peace and serenity.
Empowering your own intelligence, or buddhi, to make that distinction
between the temporal and the eternal through the constant practice of higher
awareness, Self-study and discernment can achieve this.
Although yoga nidra is literally defined as 'the sleep of union', perhaps
a more useful definition would be 'psychic sleep'; for yoga nidra allows
each participant to withdraw their awareness beyond the realm of the
senses, beyond the realm of the body and the gross conscious mind, and
into the realm of the psyche, where your latent impressions, habitual
tendencies, unconscious reactions and response patterns all hang out and
have a party; determining the course of your mental and emotional makeup.
However, with yoga nidra you get the chance to bring a torch with you into
the deep caverns of your own consciousness, to reveal those unconscious
parts of your personality, and bring total illumination, along with the
ultimate realization of 'I Am Spirit', Shivo'ham! Now you are free.

History
 Yoga nidra was developed from an ancient tantric practice called
nyasa. Nyasa is the technique of consecrating your body with the mantras
of a particular form of cosmic archetypal energy, divine energy, or the
Shakti of a particular tantric deity.
Although yoga nidra has been practiced in various forms since time
immemorial, the current practice, as we know it today came out of the Bihar
School of Yoga tradition founded by Swami Satyananda.
Swami Satyananda developed the practice of yoga nidra from the
ancient tantric practice of nyasa sometime while living with his guru,
Swami Sivananda, in Rishikesh, India.
I had the great good fortune of living in Bihar School of Yoga ashrams
between the years 2008 and 2010, which is where I met Swami Satyananda
on many occasions and learned the practice of yoga nidra from several of
his senior Swamis.

Stages of Yoga Nidra

The stages of yoga nidra are as follows:
First, there are the preliminary techniques for inducing physical and
mental relaxation. The physical posture of the body is adjusted and the
oscillating mind is gradually brought to a state of single-pointedness. By
focusing on the raw qualities of external sounds, the thought patterns are
interrupted and the participants will be able to follow along to your
instructions better.
Next, there is the sankalpa, a firm resolution or affirmation to be
planted in the depths of the psyche, which is repeated three times silently.
The sankalpa will be repeated twice during the course of a single session.
First the seed of sankalpa is planted in the beginning of the session, and
then the fruit of the sankalpa is harvested at the end of the session.
Next comes the body scan component, probably the most distinguished
aspect of yoga nidra, where the awareness rotates around the various parts
of the body bringing perfect relaxation and stillness.
 Next you begin developing a subtle level of awareness to the feelings
and sensations in your environment.
You then introduce a series of visualizations (or one powerful
visualization) to stimulate the deeper centers of the brain into becoming
active.
Next you reflect on a psychic symbol or a psychic center, such as a
chakra or nadi, or the symbol Aum.
This culminates in Samadhi, meditative absorption, where the mind is
completely disengaged but your awareness remains fully awake! A few
minutes of silence must be given at the end of each session to allow for this
inner experience to occur.
Finally, we very slowly and gently begin returning our awareness to
the physical environment around us, bringing the body and mind back to
this present moment by wiggling your fingers and toes and opening your
eyes to end the session.

Practical Applications for Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra can be applied to provide relief to any form of stress; or
mental, physical and emotional pain. It is helpful in providing relief from
all psychosomatic illnesses. It can also assist with creative visualization,
relieving stress, escaping the endless ramblings of the monkey mind,
experiencing your own true nature, as well as for endless therapeutic
applications such as to provide relief from insomnia, anxiety, chronic
fatigue, chronic pain such as fibromyalgia, and so much more.
Yoga nidra returns you to your own inner Self, giving you a chance to
experience that perfect contentment and Self-born bliss which is beyond the
mind and body. The benefits of experiencing that state while awake are
truly beyond description; it re-energizes you on the deepest level possible.
Encountering your own higher Self truly is the greatest form of therapy and
Self-empowerment.
 How Yoga Nidra Assists our Meditations
For those who enjoy a regular practice of meditation, yoga nidra clears
the junk from the depths of the psyche so that your meditation sessions can
become much deeper and bear greater fruit.
No matter what purpose you and your attendees wish to use it for,
whether spiritual, therapeutic or for Self-improvement, yoga nidra gives
each and every person who practices it exactly what they need. Even if you
fall asleep after the first two minutes, many people pay good money and
must resort to dangerous pharmaceuticals and all sorts of various means just
to get those same results. Just be sure you don't fall asleep if you're the
facilitator!
 Chapter One

Theory of Yogic Meditation

Y ogic meditation is unique in that it has six stages beginning with

asana, the postures, and culminating in Samadhi, meditative
absorption. The stages of meditation naturally lead you from an
extroverted awareness to an introverted awareness, where you withdraw the
senses from their respective objects and come to dwell in the tremendous
peace of your own inner state of being.
Each of the six stages of yogic meditation takes you deeper and deeper
into the various levels of your own being; from the body, to the emotions, to
the mind, to the psyche, and finally to the Spirit, or atman.
Each of the six stages of yogic meditation correlate to one of the five
sheaths, or panchamayakoshas, these five sheaths are like the skins of an
onion with the outer layer being the most gross and the inner layer being the
subtlest. The outer most layers are the physical body, anamayakosha; next
comes the breath body, pranamayakosha; followed by the mental body,
manomayakosha; higher intellect, vijnanamayakosha; and finally the causal
layer of the Spirit, anandamayakosha.
The teaching on the five koshas is revolutionary, as it describes how
the manifest physical dimension of matter is not separate or at odds with the
Spirit, but is rather the outer manifest layer of it. Thus, there is no war
between the body and Spirit; on the contrary, the Spirit is the inner causal
source of the outer physical body and mind.
The six stages of yogic meditation are as follows: Asana
(anamayakosha), pranayama (pranamayakosha), pratyahara
(manomayakosha), dharana (manomayakosha), dhyana (vijanamayakosha)
and Samadhi (anandamayakosha).
 Asana
The asana used in yoga nidra is shavasana, corpse pose. However, you
might want to lead your class through three rounds of naukasana, boat
pose, before beginning each yoga nidra session. During naukasana you
tense all the muscles of your body, which helps you to achieve a much
deeper state of total release and relaxation when you come into shavansana.

Pranayama
Now that the body is relaxed, we come to the next stage of yogic
meditation: Pranayama, the breathing practices. The breath correlates to the
energy body, or pranamayakosha. In yoga nidra you develop subtle
awareness of the breath after body scan. Breath awareness is practiced
during this first phase of yoga nidra, not conscious breathing. The
difference is that in breath awareness you are not trying to manipulate or
control the durations of the inhalation, exhalation and retention of the
breath; you are merely watching and witnessing the natural spontaneous
rhythms of the breath.
Breath awareness allows you to slow down the patterns of the mind
and come into a much deeper level of absolute physical and mental
relaxation.

Pratyahara
The next stage of yogic meditation is called pratyahara, sense
withdrawal, in which the awareness is turned away from the outer world
and brought inwards to dwell on the power of your own Self. Pratyahara is
for the senses and the gross conscious mind, or the manomayakosha.
During yoga nidra you rotate your awareness around the various parts
of the body during the body scan component. This acts as a pratyahara, or
as a sense withdrawal method, allowing you to now concentrate your
awareness and go deeper into the following phases of the practice.
 Dharana
The next stage of yogic meditation is called dharana, concentration.
Dharana is also for the manomayakosha, the mental body. Now that the
body is relaxed, the breath stilled, and the senses have been withdrawn from
the distractions of the objective world, you can begin concentrating your
awareness by taking up the theme of your meditation, such as focusing on a
candle flame, or yantra, reciting a mantra verbally or mentally, focusing on
a psychic symbol or other such methods for bringing the oscillating mind to
a state of one pointedness. Achieving one-pointedness of mind is the
purpose for dharana.
In yoga nidra, you focus on the various feelings such as hot, and cold,
pleasure and pain, gravity and levity. By oscillating your awareness
between the pairs of opposites you naturally bring your mind to a state of
equanimity and detachment. Your participants are now ready to enter into
the deeper stages of meditation.

Dhyana
The next stage is called dhyana, or meditation. Now that the senses are
withdrawn and the mind is concentrated you begin transcending the
body/mind awareness and begin experiencing the dimensions of pure
consciousness more and more. Dhyana is for the vijnanamayakosha, your
wisdom body or intellect.
Dharana becomes dhyana, there is no point of distinction between the
two, one naturally merges into the other; as you are focusing on the theme
of your meditation you begin experiencing deeper states of meditative bliss,
until you completely lose body awareness and experience yourself as the
pure state of Universal Spirit.
In yoga nidra you focus on a psychic symbol, a psychic center such as
a chakra, a series of visualizations, or one powerful visualization. Common
chakras to focus on would be the Heart chakra, anahata, experienced
directly back from the sternum; and the Divine Eye Charka, ajna,
experienced at the brow center.
Finally comes the sixth stage of yogic meditation, Samadhi, in which
you transcend the mind completely and come to experience the total
intoxicating bliss of Universal Consciousness, waking up to the higher
intelligence beyond the mind. It is as if the body and mind are in total deep
sleep, but the consciousness has remained awake! In order to experience
Samadhi the meditator must pass through the threshold of sleep, nidra,
which prevents most people from experiencing the supra conscious states.
However, as you progress in yoga nidra, and continue harvesting awareness
and improving your wakefulness, you will have deeper and deeper
experiences of Samadhi every time you practice yoga nidra.
In yoga nidra we structure time for Samadhi through a couple minutes
of total silence at the end of every session. These few minutes of silence are
for the fifth dimension of your being, the anandamayakosha, or bliss body.
This is why it is incredibly important to give your attendees two to ten
minutes of absolute silence during every session, so that the previous stages
can bear fruit and the inner experience can unfold.
These are the six stages to every form of yogic meditation, including,
but not limited to, yoga nidra. This is a scientific approach to meditation.
These six stages progressively lead your attendees deeper into absolute
states of relaxation on every dimension of their being - physical, emotional,
mental, psychic, and Spiritual. You will want to keep this formula in mind
as you are writing your own scripts and crafting your own yoga nidra
sessions for your future classes.
 Chapter Two

Cultivating Higher Awareness

T he primary reason we suffer is because we identify with the wrong

parts of who we are. We identify with the temporal outer
manifestation of ourselves, rather than the non-manifest inner being.
In fact, all our pain and misery is due to a case of mistaken identity.
All our anxieties, fears and attachments all stem from this inability to
recognize our true inner Self. We think we are this body, and so we suffer.
We think we are our thoughts, emotions, beliefs and concepts and so we
suffer. But meanwhile, the inner being is always content, whole and
complete!
Who you truly are, the inner Self, is pure consciousness, pure existence
absolute. The body changes, the mind changes, even your identity changes,
but the sovereign inner Self, the silent witness within, remains ever content
and blissful.

Pashubhava versus Shivabhava

When we are identifying with being the mortal outer being, we are in
the mode of existence known as pashubhava - identifying as a mortal,
limited and bound creature. However, when we begin to identify with pure
and eternal Spirit, as the inner being seated within the heart of all sentient
beings, then we are in the mode of existence known as Shivabhava -
identifying as eternal Spirit.
Shivabhava is characterized as liberation from the mire of delusion that
falsely attaches to the temporary as though it were permanent, and falsely
sees the permanent as though it were temporary.
So the question arises: How does one make that enlightened transition
from pashubhava to Shivabhava, from identifying with being mortal flesh
to identifying with Self? The answer lies in awareness. We learn to cultivate
higher awareness through all of our various yogic practices, and especially
during yoga nidra
From awareness of the body we traverse to the emotions and the mind,
from awareness of the emotions and mind we traverse to the intellect, until
we transcend all the four outer layers of our being and arrive at the causal
eternal dimension of pure Spirit; the anandamayakosha, where there is no
more mind, no more duality, only the sheer and perfect bliss of eternal
existence.
Yoga nidra is the process of putting to sleep all the four outer layers of
your being so that you can arrive at that causal level of your existence
which is just you; without the filter and constant chatter of the mind and
ego, without the constant demands of the body, far beyond the play of the
outer senses and the sense organs.
As the outer layers of your being are transcended the awareness is
directed deeper and deeper within. During yoga nidra one will eventually
encounter many aspects of their personality both pleasant and not so
pleasant. Most of the time you will experience restful relaxation to one
extent or the other, however, it will not always be a walk in the park! There
will be times when emotional and even physical pain will manifest during
the course of a yoga nidra session. We must be ready to face all the various
aspects of who we are in order to transcend the gross outer layers of our
being, and finally arrive at that causal inner source, the Self.
Do not fight with or over analyze these experiences, they are often
simply the expressions of some deeply repressed memories and experiences
which do not necessarily need to be understood as much as they need to be
released so that the process of transformative inner healing can truly begin.

Releasing Habitual Nervous Tension

How do you deal with a negative mind? Go on adding more positivity,
more altruistic character traits, and more beautiful visions from your heart
until the good outweighs the bad.
 As a yoga nidra facilitator you must progressively guide your listeners
through increasingly deeper levels of relaxation coupled with wakeful
awareness. You will guide them through each dimension of their being
according to the yogic model of the five sheaths.
For the anandamayakosha; we hold unconscious nervous tension in the
physical body, especially the neuromuscular system. Assist your listeners to
become aware of where they are habitually holding nervous tension in their
body in relation to various thought patterns, memories and emotions. You
can do this by saying something such as, 'become aware of where nervous
tension habitually forms in your body as soon as the mind begins to
wander.'
So much from our past is stored in our body; we literally clench and
carry this tension with us in certain areas of our body. When we learn to
release these muscle groups, we have an inverse effect on the corresponding
mental tension, which is released, as well.
Sometimes releasing this physical tension can cause a surge of nervous
energy to come to the surface to be expressed and released, this can be
uncomfortable, but remind your participants that this release of nervous
energy is to be expected and to just 'hang in there'; it will surely pass as you
continue the stages of the practice, and a certain Self-mastery will be
achieved over time as a direct result.
We hold unconscious nervous tension in the pranamayakosha in the
form of breathing patterns, there is a correlating breathing pattern for each
and every human emotion. In fact, you cannot experience certain emotions
without the correlating breathing patterns that facilitate it. Try being angry
when you are observing deep conscious breathing, you literally can't do it!
By becoming aware of the breaths role in facilitating emotions, we gain
increased Self-control as that awareness continues to grow and blossom.
We hold unconscious nervous tension in the manomayakosha by
obsessing on various thoughts, worrying too much, and over inundating
ourselves with too much sensory stimuli.
We hold unconscious nervous tension in the vijnanamayakosha
through the various repressed traumatic experiences stored in the
subconscious mind. This is often where the greatest amount of work is to be
done in the more advanced stages of yoga nidra. This is also the level of our
karmas that are stored in the karmashaya, which we bring with us from life
to life during the transmigration of the soul. That is why the experiences
here neither always make sense, nor need to understand intellectually as
much as they need to be released and transcended.
The fifth dimension of our being, the anandamayakosha, is beyond all
duality. When we arrive at this dimension we experience the infinite bliss of
pure and eternal consciousness, the bliss of our own true nature.

Learning to Fully Relax the Mind

We call the mind the sixth sense because it is the sense that processes
all the other senses. Most of us never give the mind a break, it is always
going non-stop, to the point that even when you sit down to relax, you are
only consuming more mental energy; even when you lie down in your bed
to sleep at night the mind won't stop there either. Why should it? It has not
been taught to restrain itself at any point during the day, why should it
restrain itself now at night?
Yoga nidra gives your participants the opportunity to still the monkey
mind and enjoy true relaxation; so you can experience revitalizing, re-
energizing, and rejuvenating inner peace and silence.
Beyond the mind, there are, of course, the abysmal depths of the
psyche, where all the latent impressions, memories and components of your
psychological makeup are stored.
All that we are is stored in our psyche, and in order to effect any long
term lasting personal change and transformation, we must be able to access
and impact this level of our being. This is done in several ways during yoga
nidra.
First there is the opportunity to stay awake beyond the threshold of
physical and mental sleep. In the hypnogogic state of yoga nidra, the mind
and body are asleep but the inner Self is still very much wide awake;
allowing for the contents of the psyche to begin revealing themselves.
 Second, there is the sankalpa. Sankalpa is an incredibly powerful tool
for planting seeds in the subconscious mind, and harvesting their fruit in our
daily lives. When the body and mind are calm and relaxed is the opportune
moment to declare your determined and ardent resolve, which can alter the
course of your thinking in one single yoga nidra session when done with
firm faith and conviction.
Third, in more advanced sessions of yoga nidra, the process of antar
mouna, or inner silence, is implemented. In antar mouna your participants
are first asked to observe the mental space of chidakash, the space in front
of the closed eyes, and observe any shapes, images, colors, or visions that
might arise. They are then told to create a single train of thought at will and
develop that thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts. After a minute
they are told to completely drop that train of thought completely. This is
repeated a few more times before the participants are told to now allow the
mind to remain blank and as soon as any other though or image comes to
mind, to totally wipe it out.
This process for inducing mental silence and stillness works by first
asking the mind to run its course until it exhausts everything it has to dwell
on. By asking the mind to continue one train of thought after the other, it
natural wants to rebel and do the exact opposite of what it's being told.

Becoming Aware of your True Nature

Finally, after we become aware of all the outer levels of our being, and
successfully put them to sleep, we are left with only the Atman, our eternal
and true Self: The real you! When you experience it once you recognize
yourself immediately and remember that experience the rest of your life.
What is it that becomes enlightened? It is after all, one's own
intelligence, which is called in Sanskrit, buddhi. The soul's intelligence is
what directs all the other faculties of the mind. Intelligence is fed by
awareness. As you have more awareness, you notice patterns more and
develop a heightened understanding of yourself and your environment. As
you increase your power of awareness, you gradually come to know your
Self more and more, you know true freedom by separating out all the outer
parts of yourself that are only temporary, have been imposed on you by
others, by your culture, society, community, religion or family, and you
come to know that which you truly are.
It is an enlightened intelligence, buddhi, that is able to discern between
the temporal and the eternal, between the illusion and the essence; and
identifies with either being a bound mortal creature, or as infinite and
eternal Spirit. And this higher intelligence is fed by higher awareness;
awareness of all the various dimensions of our selves, and this awareness is
what is being cultivated during the yoga nidra sessions that you are leading.
 Chapter Three

Stages of Yoga Nidra

I n this chapter you will be learning the structure of yoga nidra so you
can develop your own sessions and write your own scripts, which is
what you purchased this book for. The order that the various
instructions in yoga nidra are to be given in correlate to the yogic model of
the five sheaths, or the panchamayakoshas, as was briefly described in the
previous chapter. In yoga nidra we start with the outer grossest levels of our
being, and gradually work our way inward.

The Eight Stages of Yoga Nidra

The eight stages of yoga nidra are meant to naturally lead your
listeners to a hypnogogic state between sleep and normal wakefulness,
where they can illumine the depths of the psyche and reveal any limiting
beliefs, Self-defeating habits and tendencies, as well as have a direct
experience of their own true inner nature.
 By becoming still and silent you are able to receive intuitions from
your unconscious mind, and find all the answers to your problems within
your own Self. Others can always misguide you; even the most well trained
psychotherapists, but the inner revelations you receive from your highest
Self will never lead you astray.
The eight stages of yoga nidra lead your participants deeper and deeper
into their own selves where they can encounter their own true nature as
totally liberated and perfectly blissful Spirit, thus empowering them to live
more meaningful lives in whatever current circumstances they may find
themselves in.
The inner peace experienced during yoga nidra transfer over into every
other area of our lives, psychologically, emotionally and even for our
physical health by eliminating all tension and stress. We subconsciously
clench and hold stress in the neuromuscular system of our physical body;
yoga nidra begins the process of unwinding and relearning how to release
habitual nervous tension and stress.
 Your participants come into a state of perfect relaxation combined with
total awareness, which allows them to transcend the gross conscious state of
mind and explore the subconscious and unconscious dimensions while fully
awake. The implications of this, and the benefits derived from it, are
profound and will be covered in greater depth in a later chapter; for now, we
want to understand what the purpose for each of the eight stages are.
Ultimately, the purpose behind yoga nidra is to structure the
opportunity for your listeners to have their own personal experience. This
inner experience is more likely to happen in the silent spaces between each
instruction, and each instruction should be spoken in a way to lead your
listeners to the next phase of silence where they can have the experiences
you are describing for themselves. For this reason the silence between
instructions is just as important as the words you speak.

Preparatory Exercises
A full yoga nida session is typically between twenty and forty minutes,
however, there really is no limit. The duration will depend on the setting,
context and ability of your participants.

The very first stage of yoga nidra is the preparation exercises. Here you
ask your participants to lie down in shavasana, corpse pose, and assume a
symmetrical position by spreading their arms and legs a comfortable
distance apart. You tell them to adjust and become comfortable one last
time before beginning the practice.
The purpose for the preparation exercises are to lead your listeners to
become as comfortable as possible, while interrupting the habitual thought
patterns so that they are more able to listen to your instructions. One way of
interrupting the habitual thought patterns of your listeners is to instruct
them to listen to any various sounds in their environment, ask them to
perceive any sound or silence they may perceive outside the building you
are in, inside the building and, in advanced stages, within their own bodies.
 You ask your listeners to focus on the raw qualities of sounds without
any past associations attached to them because this requires them to listen
so intently that they must silence all other thoughts to the exclusion of
whatever sound they happen to be perceiving.

Encourage them to listen to these sounds as if they have never heard

them before, as if they were totally foreign and new. This can be a fun game
to play with yourself, and makes it easier to listen to the quality of sounds
we typically attribute as being mundane, such as the sound of a fan or air
conditioner, or the sound of traffic outside.
All sounds are only energy, and energy is neutral; it is the mind that
makes it pleasant or unpleasant, good or bad.
After some time of listening to external sounds, the mind becomes
disinterested in the outer world and is now ready to withdraw the senses and
really begin the process of relaxing and listening to your instructions.

Beginning the Actual Practice

The next stage of yoga nidra, stage two, is when yoga nidra truly
begins. Now that your listeners are relaxed both physically and mentally,
you can plant the seed of sankalpa. A sankalpa is your determined resolve
to achieve something, become something or experience something great. It
is more than a desire or intention. It is your firm determined willpower
concentrated into a single potent statement. When you know what you want
in life without any doubt, and you are working towards that with all your
energy and focus each and every day, the words to your sankalpa will come
to you spontaneously. Until then, it is better to choose a positive
affirmation.

You may want to consider facilitating an entire yoga nidra session only
devoted towards helping your participants discover their own sankalpa.
 After the sankalpa, the nest stage is body scan, where you will begin
rotating the awareness around the various body parts; always in a set
definite pattern. Do not change the pattern that you do body scan.
Traditionally we start at the right hand thumb and hit all the major body
parts along the right side of the body, terminating at the right small toe.
Then the next circuit begins at the left hand thumb and progresses in the
same pattern to the left small toe. Subsequent circuits proceed from the top
of the head, down the facial features, all the way down the front side of the
torso to the legs and toes. There is also the backside of the body, the organs
and the major groupings of body parts altogether. (Refer to the scripts in the
appendixes for a complete description of the body scan technique).
Traditionally the rotation of awareness around the body is done rapidly,
however, I have found that a lot of people get anxious when you move at a
fast speed, so in my own yoga nidra sessions I have added three to four
seconds of silence between each body part to make it more calming and
soothing. However, that adds a lot of time to the yoga nidra session, and it
will be difficult to end a full session in less than forty-five minutes.

If you want to have shorter sessions you will need to oscillate the
awareness around the body at a faster rate, in which case, you can give your
listeners a fair warning by saying something such as: 'During body scan you
will be asked to rotate your awareness around the body from part to part
very quickly and rapidly, do not allow your awareness to spend too much
time at one body part, but feel the momentum of energy flowing swiftly
with the awareness from body part to body part, starting with... the right
hand thumb' and continue.
Next, in stage four we begin breath awareness. At this point the body
has effectively been put to sleep and we are working on bringing stillness
and tranquility to the energy body, characterized by the breath and
emotions. The breath and the emotions are intimately tied to each other, as
one goes - so goes the other. In yoga nidra we do not do conscious
breathing, we merely become aware of the spontaneous rhythms of each
breath; like a surfer riding on the wave of the breath, not trying to change it,
or alter it, merely flowing along with it united as one.
 There is a verse in the Tripura Rahasya that very beautifully states the
following:

"Therefore, realize with a still mind your own true nature, which is the
one pure, undivided consciousness underlying the restless mind which is
composed of the whole universe in all its diversity. Realize, with a still
mind, the state between sleep and wakefulness... This is the real Self,
inherent in which one is no longer deluded."

Next, in stage five, we begin relaxing the dimension of feelings and

sensations. The mind always has a preference for one thing over the other,
either it wants to be a little warmer, or a little colder, a little more
comfortable and feeling a little less painful. The oscillating mind is
constantly swinging back and forth between the pairs of opposites, from
one desire to another. So in order to transcend this wandering oscillating
state of the mind you begin guiding your participants to focus on the
sensations belonging to the pairs of opposite feelings, such as heat and cold,
lightness and heaviness, pain and pleasure. The pairing of the opposite
feelings in yoga nidra harmonizes the opposite hemispheres of the brain and
helps bring about a state of equanimity and even-mindedness.
Your listeners are now ready to go much deeper into mental and
psychological relaxation, however there is also a good chance they are in a
light stage of sleep. You may want to remind them now to remain alert and
awake. Tell them, 'do not sleep'!

In stage six of yoga nidra you introduce a series of visualizations to

your listeners. The items you ask them to visualize often have a universal
archetypal significance and are meant to stir and awaken the deeper centers
of the psyche. Images you will ask your participants to visualize include
landscapes, famous monuments such as the pyramids, oceans, mountains,
deserts, ancient monolithic temples at dawn, saints and flowers, stories from
the Upanishads or Puranas, and powerful descriptions of psychic symbols
such as Aum, or psychic centers such as the chakras and nadis.
 The purpose for the visualization stage is to relax the mind fully. The
visualizations lead the mind deeper within, where it can become relaxed
and single-pointed. This single pointedness is the stage of dharana that
naturally leads to meditative states and eventually, Samadhi.

In stage seven, you introduce the final visualization. The final

visualization is given as a support for meditation. It is the base of
concentration the mind focuses on while becoming more one-pointed and
serene. The mind needs an object to focus on, so the final visualization
should be something that is pleasant and powerful, such as a vision of an
endless vast dark blue Ocean under a cloudy night sky, with rolling waves,
rolling on and on endlessly across the surface of the sea.
The eighth stage is the silence at the end of each session, which is
incredibly important, as it is the culmination of all the previous stages. If
you have done the previous seven stages correctly then your listeners will
have profound inner experiences within the stillness and silence of their
own being; as they now enjoy the state of yoga nidra, or what is called in
modern psychology as the hypnogogic state.
Finally you will begin to call your listeners back to this world, this
present time and location. Lead them to repeat their sankalpa one more
time; this is the perfect time to reap the fruits of sankalpa. Next you guide
them to visualize the room they are lying in, and their own body lying on
the floor. Tell them to keep their eyes shut and only move one single finger
at first. Then another, and finally, to wiggle their fingers and toes, stretch
and open their eyes to end the session.
As is traditional, I end all my sessions with a blessing for peace by
saying the Sanskrit word for peace, shanti, three times with meaning.

Access the Mp3 Practice Yoga Nidra Session Here!

In order to learn the structure of yoga nidra more thoroughly please go
through the yoga nidra scripts included in the appendixes of this book. The
first of these three scripts has also been included in Mp3 form, at my
website to help you learn the stages and structure of yoga nidra while going
through an actual session. To access this practice session please visit:
TripuraYoga.org/practice-session.
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 Chapter Four

Preliminary Practices

I n the beginning you want to encourage your participants to lie down

and get comfortable. They should lie down on the floor on a yoga mat
or wool blanket. Traditionally wool blankets are used rather than yoga
mats because the wool fibers help to maintain the bioelectrical charge of the
human body. Synthetic fibers do not hold the body's natural electrical
charge and, in fact, only dissipate it into the surrounding environment.
There are all sorts of additional supports your participants can chose
from, such as pillows under the knees and head, a light sheet to cover the
body, or even a cloth over the eyes which can help them transition into a
sacred space awareness; conducive for inner work and spiritual
transformation.
Ask your participants to lie down in shavasana, corpse pose, with the
body straight from head to toe and the arms and legs equidistant from each
other.
The palms should be turned upwards, however a few people feel more
comfortable with their palms turned down.
After the initial posture has been made, ask them to adjust their body
and clothing one last time, making themselves absolutely perfectly
comfortable before the practice of yoga nidra begins.
Remind them that after this final adjustment they should remain totally
still for the entire remainder of the session, without even lifting a finger.
Total stillness is a must for yoga nidra. This is because we are
systematically putting each dimension of the body to sleep, starting with the
grossest outer layer of the body and ending up at the subtlest inner layer of
the Spirit. Each time the physically body is moved, we must start over again
at the physical dimension, like it or not.
 At this point you may wish to give your participants any further
instructions that you want them to have before commencing the stages of
the practice. You may want to give them a stern reminder to remain awake,
as well as a reminder to remain relaxed and functioning only on the levels
of listening and feeling for the entire session.
Now that the body is comfortable, it's time to prepare the mind.
At this stage, you need to interrupt the habitual thought patterns of
your participants so they can listen to your instructions without being
distracted by their own thoughts. If you ask the mind to sit still it wants to
do the opposite, so by asking the mind to chase every sound in their
environment, it finally decides to withdraw from the objects of the senses
and sit still.
In this sense, you can say that the component of listening to sounds is a
bit like reverse psychology. By asking the mind to do so much, it eventually
bucks and revolts by becoming still and silent, which was our desired result
to begin with.
Other preparatory techniques include asking your participants to say to
themselves mentally that they will not sleep. Or you may ask them to
extend the exhalation and even sigh out loud deeply to release any pent up
nervous tension.
In stage one, you want to prepare the three dimensions of your listeners
bodies, that is, the physical body, the mental body, and breath body. One
technique for each of these three dimensions will allow your yoga nidra
participants to become fully relaxed, silent and ready to follow along with
your instructions. This concludes the preparatory exercises and stage one.
 Chapter Five

Sankalpa

A fter the preliminary exercises are finished and your participants are
relaxed both physically and mentally it is time to lead them to
mentally recite their own personal sankalpa. The word 'sankalpa'
means a determined resolve. But it is much more than just a positive
affirmation or New Year’s resolution. When you know what your purpose
is, and what you want to achieve in the world (and for the world) then the
words to your sankalpa will come to you spontaneously.
For example: Can you remember the last time you were so determined
about having, achieving or experiencing something that the words to your
desire practically formulated and spoke themselves from your lips?
Just take a moment this very moment as you read these words and
recall the last time you wanted something so bad that the words to your
desire came to you spontaneously.
Can you remember that feeling of determination stemming from the
core of your being? It's like your very spirit is coming alive and taking
control of your body/mind complex to get the job done.
Whatever it is you are struggling to attain or become in life, you can
achieve through sankalpa Shakti, the power of resolve.
Whatever is currently holding you back, or has been holding you back
for years or perhaps even lifetimes, you can transcend with the sankalpa;
your main sticking point, that dark secret you don't tell anyone else about -
yes, that one too!

Sankalpa Shakti
You can build up a tremendous amount of sankalpa Shakti by choosing
a resolution, achieving it, and then moving on to achieve your next
resolution without fail. As you get in the habit of achieving and realizing
your determined resolutions, your willpower and ability to think your
destiny into reality becomes stronger and stronger.
The secret to building up sankalpa Shakti is to first start with an easy
resolution you know you can and will achieve, and then do it. Then move
on to something slightly more difficult, and accomplish it, as well.
It is important to realize each and every sankalpa you chose, and to
stick with the same one until it has been realized.
The next part of building up sankalpa Shakti is to do what you say, and
say only what you will for sure do. Most people have lost all power in their
words; even they don't believe them anymore. Is it any wonder people don't
even know how to listen to each other? It's really so important to manage
your words and speak from the heart, always. Eventually you can even
develop vak siddhi, the power over speech, where whatever you say about
the future will definitely happen.
Words are sound, and sound is the most basic form of energy. We know
that energy is never destroyed, so the words you speak are literally
broadcasting out into the universe forever and ever!
Just think of that! Each and every word you speak lasts for all time;
long after this current body is gone.
Sound is energy and energy is vibration.
What vibrations are you projecting out into this world?
Your creative power is generated at the lower chakras situated near the
sex organs, however, your creative power is expressed and projected out
into the world from the throat chakra, vishuddhi.
From the throat chakra, vishuddhi, you create your external reality in
accordance with your internal reality; and this is done with words.
By always following through and never telling a lie, your words gain
more and more potency. Soon your sankalpa Shakti will bring you anything
you want in life with greater ease. This is your natural creative power, and
the practice of yoga nidra gives you the opportunity to harness it during the
sankalpa phase.
 There is nothing you cannot achieve through the sankalpa, so be sure
to aim high! You can choose a sankalpa for personal improvement and to
quit addictions or correct personality flaws, but truly, the sankalpa is
capable of so much more than only that. Through the power of the sankalpa
you can awaken kundalini Shakti, experience Samadhi, or achieve Self-
realization and remember your true eternal Self.
The sankalpa is mentally recited at two different times during yoga
nidra, first in the very beginning, that is, right after the preliminary stages
but just before the body scan. At this point the body is relaxed and the brain
waves are starting to slow down, this is the ideal time to plant suggestions
into the subconscious mind.
The second time the sankalpa is repeated is at the very end after the
few minutes of silence and just before extroverting your awareness and
coming back to your physical surroundings. At this point the sankalpa can
have a very deep impact, as the psyche is more receptive than during any
other time. Your listeners will experience the actual feelings associated with
their sankalpa at this second repetition much stronger than the first time.
I usually give my participants twenty to thirty seconds to mentally
recite their sankalpa, or the time of about five natural breaths. By the way,
learning to pace different parts of your script using breaths is a great way
you make sure you are not going too fast and are always maintaining a pace
most conducive for relaxation and meditation.

Discovering your Purpose

Most people do not know what they want in life, which is the main
reason they don't have that which they know is missing; and others do know
what they want in life, but they can't decide - or stick with any decision for
any great length of time. For this reason I like to offer my clients an entire
yoga nidra session just for discovering their life's purpose and to figure out
what they want to contribute to the world. Once the inner vision is clear,
then they can begin refining the actual words of their sankalpa to make it
most compelling and empowering.
 The sankalpa is the crux of yogic mental brainpower; through the
power of the sankalpa people have achieved truly extraordinary things to
improve their lives, as well as all of humanity.
An example of the power of sankalpa was the determined resolve to go
to the moon by NASA and the US Space Program in the 1960's. They were
so determined to find a way to put a man on the moon that they eventually
achieved the impossible and made our species become interplanetary.
The truth is, there is nothing that cannot be achieved through the
sankalpa. As you build up sankalpa Shakti you intuitively learn how to best
apply the fantastic tool of your brain to compute how to turn the vision in
your heart into your living breathing reality each and every day.
 Chapter Six

The Subtle Art of Relaxation

L earning to relax is a process that takes time in order to derive the

most benefits. Most of us think we know how to relax, but in fact
the relaxation we get is superficial; and often times just leads to
more stimulation of the senses and consumption of energy.
In order to truly relax we must become still and silent. We must be able
to simply be alone with ourselves and release the mind's grip over the body.
There is so much nervous tension that we unconsciously carry with us
out of habit. This nervous tension is the result of inner turmoil, stress,
anxiety, fear, and past traumatic experiences. The challenge comes when we
release that energy by trying to fully and deeply relax, only to have that
stored nervous energy rise to the surface again to disrupt our state of
relaxation.
This is where you have a tremendous opportunity to lead your listeners
into deeper states of relaxation by encouraging them to still the body and
silence their thoughts, and just follow along with the practice, which
encourages them to stay with the practice and transcend that temporary
release of pent up nervous energy.
Relaxation is an art, and takes practice and perseverance to learn. To be
able to just sit down, still the body and totally silence the mind is a rare skill
to have, and an increasingly more important one in this modern age where
there are so many outer stimuli and distractions from experiencing the inner
union and natural bliss of the Self.
In yoga nidra, we first relax the body through the body scan technique,
then we relax the emotional state of our being by increasing our awareness
of the breath; just watching the breath and releasing all tension in the
muscles of respiration brings you to a state of inner calm and tranquility.
Next we relax the mind by naming various visualizations. The objects that
are named during the visualization stage help calm the mind and lead your
listeners into a state of total peace and serenity.
Now that the body, emotions and mind have been brought into a state
of total relaxation the state of yoga nidra can be experienced.
The state of yoga nidra is also known as the hypnogogic state, which is
between waking and dreaming. However, in yoga nidra there is full
awareness and you are able to illumine the various aspects of the
unconscious - such as limiting beliefs or outdated thought patterns. This is
where tremendous personal growth and evolution can occur within an
instant of inner revelation.
The importance of the previous stages of relaxation is to deliver your
listeners to this hypnogogic state of yoga nidra. This is why a period of
silence is so important towards the end of every session, even if it is only
two to four minutes.
For short yoga nidra sessions, give two to four minutes of silence at the
end. For medium length yoga nidra sessions give five to eight minutes of
silence; and for long duration yoga nidra sessions give eight to ten minutes
of silence. This period of silence at the end of every session is crucial for
allowing the previous stages of the practice to culminate into an inner
experience for each participant.

How to Deliver your Instructions

Your role as a facilitator is to lead your listeners into deeper states of
relaxation while encouraging them to remain awake. In order to experience
the state of yoga nidra you must be able to pass through the threshold of
sleep, which acts as a barrier between waking and the state of yoga nidra.
Therefore, your whole approach, including tone of voice and your pace for
delivering instructions, should always be given in a way that encourages
and leads to deeper relaxation and surrender. Your voice should be both
soothing and strong, allowing your listeners to have greater faith and
confidence in your voice.
 The whole first phase of yoga nidra is for physical relaxation, as you
guide your listeners to come into a comfortable position as they prepare for
the practice. You should encourage your listeners to lie down on their back
in shavasana, corpse pose, with their legs and arms equidistant apart. Ask
them to adjust their clothing and posture one last time before beginning the
practice, trusting their body and breathe to know exactly how to really let
go and relax.
Once the initial relaxation is complete you then guide them to silently
repeat their chosen sankalpa three times and then begin body scan. By this
point, the physical body is relaxed and you can begin the process of leading
the deeper layers of their being into a state of perfect relaxation.
The entire practice of yoga nidra is actually a process of relaxing each
layer of your participant’s outer body and inner being. With perfect
relaxation and total wakefulness the inner experience of the Self occurs
spontaneously.

Body Scan (Sample Script)

After the preliminary exercises and the sankalpa has been repeated
three times silently the next phase is body scan. Body scan belongs to the
pratyahara component of the six-fold yogic meditation sequence, which
means sense withdrawal. During body scan you are relaxing the first of the
panchamayakoshas, the physical body.
A typical body scan sequence is as follows:
Begin by bringing your awareness to the right hand.
The right hand thumb, second finger, third, fourth and fifth finger. The
palm of the hand, back of the hand, the right wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper
arm, shoulder, and armpit. The right side, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, right
knee cap, back of the knee, ankle, heel, sole of the right foot, top of the foot,
right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth toe; the whole right side of the
body.
 Now bring your awareness to the left hand; the left hand thumb,
second, third, fourth, and fifth finger; palm of the hand, back of the hand,
left wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper am, shoulder, armpit, left side, hip,
thigh, back of the thigh, left kneecap, back of the knee, right shin, calf
muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the left foot, top of the foot, right big toe,
second, third, fourth and fifth toe; the whole left side of the body.
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, right
eyebrow, left eyebrow, the center of the brows, right eyelid, and left eyelid;
the right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, tip of the nose, upper lip,
lower lip, right cheek, left cheek, and the chin.
Now bring your awareness to the throat, right collarbone, left
collarbone; the right chest muscle, left chest muscle, the sternum, abdomen
and the navel.
Now the major groups of body parts, starting with the whole right leg,
whole left leg, both legs together; the whole right arm, whole left arm, both
arms together; the whole of the back, buttocks, spine, and shoulder blades;
the whole of the front, abdomen and chest; the whole of the front and back
sides of the body, together; the whole body, together.
After this you are ready to move onto breath awareness and the
practices for the second panchamayakosha, which is the pranamayakosha.
 Chapter Seven

The Role of the Breath

I t has been said that the secret is in the breath. The breath is the link
between Universal Spirit, Paramatman and the individual spirit,
jivanmatman. In yoga nidra we first practice simple breath awareness,
without trying to consciously alter or change the breath in any way. Only
after breath awareness has calmed the pranamayakosha do we move on to
conscious breathing techniques such as anuloma viloma.
Always remember the sequence of the panchamayakoshas. Once the
first dimension of the physical body is relaxed the next level is the breath.
Breath awareness should commence directly after body scan.
A subtle level of breath awareness is maintained throughout the entire
session, and we constantly return to the breath during transitions. By
default, bring the awareness back to the soothing ebb and flow of the
breath; if you should get lost for a brief moment, or need something to fall
back on, bring your participants awareness back to the breath while you
find your place.

Breathe Well, Live Well

The breath is the vehicle for the second layer of our being, the
pranamayakosha. This is the layer of our being corresponding to not only
the psycho-emotional dimension, but our vitality, as well. If you observe the
way high-energy people breathe you will notice that they only breathe
through their nostrils, they breathe deep and full. The way you breathe
directly correlates to the way you live. If you breathe strong and powerfully,
from the abdomen, you will notice an immediate improvement in your
quality of living - this I promise to you!
During yoga nidra there is an entire section specifically for practicing
breath awareness. This comes directly after the body scan section. During
this stage you encourage your participants to simply observe the
spontaneous rhythms of the breath, without trying to exert any conscious
influence over the breath. One breath may be short and shallow, another
may be deep and long, however the breath is flowing is just fine, what is
important is to observe it fully.
Eventually the breath becomes more deep and rhythmical as a result of
increased awareness. Encourage your participants to become aware of all
the muscles of respiration, and to feel all the subtle movements associated
with the breath throughout their entire body.
Next, the awareness is brought to the lower abdomen. The belly is a
place where we all carry a lot of unconscious emotional tension. There is
often so much unconscious nervous energy being held in the muscles within
the belly that an entire yoga nidra session can be devoted just to helping
your listeners learn how to release this group of muscles.
Assist your listeners towards releasing the tension in the muscles of
respiration by guiding them to feel a soothing and expansive energy flowing
outwards from the belly, allowing the belly to become soft and relaxed.

Anuloma Viloma
The breath also energizes and balances the dual hemispheres of the
brain. When the left nostril (ida nadi) is flowing the right hemisphere is
dominant. When the right nostril (pingala nadi) is flowing the left
hemisphere is dominant; and when both nostrils (sushumna nadi) are
flowing evenly, both hemispheres are equalized.
By asking your listeners to alternate the breath between the nostrils you
give them the chance to balance the brain and come into a state of even
mindedness. You can ask your audience to count their breaths backwards
from twenty-seven, fifty-four, seventy-two, or one hundred and eight, while
performing mental alternate nostril breathing.
An example of this instruction is as follows:
 Begin by breathing in through the right nostril, and out through the
left; then in through the left nostril and out through the right. This is one
round, continue twenty-six more rounds at your own pace. If you should
lose count, or come to zero then come back to twenty-seven and continue.
It is not important that a full twenty-seven rounds are performed, what
is important is that each and every count is done with full awareness. The
reason for counting is to be sure that your participants are focusing on each
and every breath, one breath at a time.

The Breathe is the Link to your Inner Power

The breath is the link. Breath is life. The breath is your own inner
power, which animates your body and mind. By improving the quality of
your breath you are improving the quality of your life. The enlightening
Self-awareness we are cultivating through our yogic practices is achieved
via the breath. The breath gives you direct access to life. By becoming more
intimate with the breath, you discover the greatest miracle of all: You
discover this precious life force flowing within you!
Breathe fully, breathe powerfully, and wake up to who you really are.

Chapter Eight

Feelings and Sensations

O nce the breath body has been subdued we can move on to the
practices for transcending the emotions and mind. This is achieved
by rotating the awareness between the various pairs of opposite
physical, emotional and mental sensations. The mind is very attached to
various feelings and always prefers to have things one way or another.
It seems the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and
duality keeps us trapped in a state of constant longing and craving. In order
to experience our natural state of perfect contentment we must transcend the
feelings, emotions and mind, altogether. This is easier said than done and is
achieved in stages.
By oscillating our awareness between the various polar opposite
sensations and emotions the mind eventually becomes disillusioned and
detached from duality, and retreats within itself to the seat of consciousness
beyond the dualistic tendencies of the conscious mind.
This inner state of detachment and tranquility is achieved by first
becoming aware of the sensation of gravity. You ask your participants to
experience the heaviness of the body as if your body was made of stone and
is sinking into the surface beneath them. Next the focus on the sensation of
levity and experience their body to be as light as a feather, naturally lifting
up off the ground and floating into the air.
After gravity and levity you ask them to focus on the sensations of hot
and cold. Exaggerating the feelings as if they were in a scorching hot
furnace, or without any clothing in the middle of the arctic. To magnify the
sensation of heat you can direct your listeners to focus on the solar plexus
chakra, manipura, as well as the solar nadi, pingala at the right nostril. To
magnify the sensation of cold you can direct them to focus on the throat
chakra, vishuddhi, as well as the lunar nadi, ida.
Finally you guide them to recollect the acute sensation of pain before
finishing with the most exquisite feelings of pleasure that they can recall.
Be sure to spend thirty to sixty seconds on each different sensation
separately without mixing the two together. First they must focus on gravity
to the exclusion of everything else, then they must focus on the sensation of
levity. Next they must focus on the sensation of heat to the exclusion of all
else, then only on the sensation of freezing cold. Finally they are to focus
on the sensation of pain for a while before then concentrating on only
pleasure.
By oscillating the mind back and forth between these pairs of opposites
your listeners very naturally become disillusioned with the world of the
senses and withdraw into the inner core of their being.
 Chapter Nine

Visualizations and Guided Meditations

W e know how to calm the body with body scan, and we know
how to calm the emotions with breath awareness and polar
opposite sensations. But how do we calm the mind? This is the
exact reason for the visualizations and guided meditations section within
yoga nidra. During this section various objects and scenes are mentioned,
with a silent period of several seconds between each item to allow the
vision to unfold in their mind's eye.
Soothing mental scenes are briefly described, such as the red clouds of
the morning sunrise, a blue lotus on a still lake, a log cabin in the
mountains, a thunderstorm over the desert, Egyptian pyramids, the Milky
Way galaxy stretching across the night sky, a pink rose, the long white
sandy beach of a tropical island, and more.
These mental images allow the mind to become serene and tranquil,
however, you should give the suggestion to remain awake before the
visualization sequence begins, and even during, to encourage your
participants to remain wakeful as this is when the threshold of sleep is most
likely to occur.
You may also wish to lead them through a guided meditation at this
stage. The theme of your guided meditation can be anything you chose,
such as a chakra sequence, climbing a sacred mountain, lowering themself
down a stone well into the abysmal depths below, walking through a
botanical garden, a monolithic stone temple, or a shamanic experience.
These practices are for the mind, or the manomayakosha, so should be
after practices for the body, breath and feelings/emotions.
 Chapter Ten

Transcending Past Limitations

N ow that the body, emotions and mind have been stilled, silenced, and
calmed, your participants are either asleep or in the hypnogogic state
of yoga nidra. They are in the fourth and fifth layers of our being, the
wisdom body and Spirit.
This is when you can assist your listeners to transcend whatever effluents
are lingering in the psyche by encouraging them to remain as a detached
witness to all they are experiencing. Tell your listeners to bring their awareness
to chidakash, the inner space behind the closed eyes, and allow any patterns,
shapes and visions to manifest.
During this time some people will have more profound experiences than
others. It is during this stage that various memories, traumas and repressed
emotions may manifest in the form of pain, giddiness; outbursts of laughter,
crying or the sudden impulsive need to move, sit up and end the practice. It is
of paramount importance to remain still, silent and observing all that unfolds
within from the perspective of the silent witness consciousness.
Whatever is preventing your participants from total and absolute relaxation
will begin to manifest during this phase of yoga nidra, to one extreme or
another. It usually manifests as an anxiousness to move, disturbing thought
patterns accompanied by strong emotions, or pain in various muscles such as
the throat. All these sensations will eventually pass. Some of this may make
sense, but a lot of it won't, what's important is not to psychoanalyze every
experience that bubbles up to the surface, but to remain alert, aware and
observant to the play of the body and mind.

Inner Illumination
During this state of yoga nidra sudden insights may come in an instant.
Just a flash of insight can be powerful enough to empower you to transcend
outdated beliefs and behavioral patterns that may have been holding you back
for years. It is these moments of clarity that reveal not only the obstacles in our
path, but who you really are beyond the body/mind complex, as well.
As we continue illuminating the psyche, bringing the pure white light of
spiritual awareness into all the corners of our being, we gradually purify all the
dross of attachments and aversions; and are eventually left with only the Self,
the true you; eternal, complete, content and full of Self-born bliss.
All the various hang-ups, personality flaws, and Self-sabotaging tendencies
each person has are the results of a deeper underlying inner cause. That cause
often has to do with a lack of Self-awareness to one extent or the other, a lack
of Self-love, Self-affirmation, or Self-acceptance. We can try for years and
years to change the behavior, but until the underlying spiritual cause is
identified, no lasting change can be gained. However, as soon as the underlying
spiritual cause is fully illuminated by the mind's eye, and revealed by the
knower, then it loses all power.
This is the potential for the state of yoga nidra, the in between state, where
you bring the light of awareness into the depths of the unconscious.
As a yoga nidra facilitator you structure the opportunity for this process of
inner illumination to occur by leading your participants through all the
preliminary stages correctly; the body scan, breath awareness, and visualization
stages are all preparatory practices for bringing about the state of yoga nidra.
The state of yoga nidra is not a technique; it is the result of the previous stages
if done correctly.

Chapter Eleven

Samadhi the Goal of Yoga

W hat lies beyond the mind? Is it possible to be known? We meditate

not to know what can be known by the mind, but to know that
which can only be known where all thoughts vanish. Beyond the
other side of the illusion of reality created by the mind, there is the
incomparable absolute bliss of Self. The bliss of Self is not something foreign
to us, or something we must gain or achieve; it is your own true nature and
must only be recognized.
 The no-mind state of awareness called Samadhi is the fruit of meditation;
we practice yoga nidra, ultimately, to have an experience of our true nature.

A philosophy without a practical component is useless, and we can

speculate and theorize about Spirit all day long without any actual
transformative results in our own personal perspectives or behaviors, unless
there has been a personal experience.

Experience is King
Experience is king, and to have this inner experience of your true eternal
nature is the ultimate purpose behind everything we do in yoga nidra. Yoga
nidra, in this sense, is the pathway of involution back to your essential Self. We
progressively calm and still all the outer layers of our being, until there is
nothing left but your Self, the real you, beyond the ever changing outer cloak of
this body and mind. This experience of realizing the Atman, the eternal spirit
that you truly are, is Samadhi.
Samadhi is an incredibly vulnerable state, as there is no illusion of
protection provided by the ego-consciousness, which is completely absent in
the state of Samadhi.
The conscious mind and ego create our basis for existing in this realm of
duality, we could not function without them, however, all our suffering comes
from falsely believing these outer expressions of our being are the real actual
'us'. So, yoga nidra provides us the safe and structured environment for
allowing the inner experience to unfold, without any of the pressures of the
outer world.
Each of us has so many roles to uphold in our societies, families, and
communities. Mitigating all the responsibilities attached to those roles is a
daunting task; on one hand you are a child, a spouse, a parent, an employee, a
friend, and so much more. However, during yoga nidra you don't have to worry
about being any of these things, all the hats from the various roles you play are
hung up on the rack, for the entire duration of a session.
It is this liberation from the outer world that allows you to transcend all the
various layers of your being, arriving back at the seat of consciousness, the
source of your existence, the inner being residing on the throne of your heart.

Structuring the Experience of Samadhi

The pure spiritual experience is known as Samadhi, and during yoga nidra
you structure the opportunity for this experience to occur for your participants
by observing a few to several minutes of total stillness and silence.
Inner silence combined with wakeful awareness yields an inner experience
of serenity and tranquility, which brings you deeper and deeper in to the inner
core of your being.

There are many degrees of Samadhi, from Samadhi with from (sabija) to
Samadhi without a trace of any form at all (nirbija). Each person will
experience the level of Samadhi that they are ready for. The depth of Samadhi
depends on several factors, how deep one is able to surrender and become
totally vulnerable has a lot do with it, as well as one's ability to remain alert,
awake and concentrated in the present moment.
Your role as a facilitator is to do your part in all the previous stages,
guiding your participants into deeper states of comfort and relaxation, so that
the inner experience can occur of its own accord.
Samadhi is not something you can do; it is something that happens when
the conditions are conducive. Creating those conditions for Samadhi to occur is
the role you play as a yoga nidra facilitator.

Chapter Twelve

Writing your own Scripts

W hen you set out to write your own script you want to keep in mind
what your overall objective is for the session, and the amount of
time you have available. Let's discuss setting and achieving your
objective first. The traditional objective in yoga nidra is to experience the
hypnogogic state referred to as yoga nidra, and eventually, Samadhi.
 However, there are many other therapeutic applications for yoga nidra as
we will discuss in the next section. In this section I want to help you get used to
writing your own scripts, the structure, flow, pace and how to choose the right
content.
In general you will be following the model of the panchamayakoshas,
leading your listeners deeper and deeper into themselves starting with the gross
physical body and withdrawing the senses further within to the breath body,
mental body, intellect and Spirit, or Atman; your true Self.
For each kosha there are various techniques you can chose from.
Starting with the physical body, or anamayakosha.

Physical Body
First you instruct your listeners to lay down on their back in shavasana,
and guide them through the process of becoming comfortable and ready for the
practice. You can ask them to listen to any sounds in their environment at this
time, this practice helps them to disengage from their habitual thought patterns,
so that they can be present and follow along with your instructions.
You achieve this by asking them to focus on the raw texture and qualities
of each sound, without associating with its source, listening as if they have
never heard it before, as if it was totally foreign and new. Listening intently like
this is the key to bringing the mind out of its ramblings and back on track.
Once the initial stages of relaxation have been achieved you now mentally
recite your sankalpa three times and begin body scan.
The sequence you rotate the awareness around the body is not important,
however, once you decide upon a certain sequence, you should stick to it and
not deviate in future sessions. This is because the subconscious mind learns to
associate this pattern of rotating the mind around the various body parts to
relaxation and letting go, which you are able to do more and more as you
progress in your practice of yoga nidra over the years.
For example, I always start with the right hand thumb and then go through
all five fingers, palm of the hand, back of the hand and then the whole hand.
Then I work my way up the right arm mentioning the wrist, elbow, shoulder,
and armpit. This is followed by the right side, waste and hip. Next comes the
right thigh, hamstring, knee, back of the knee, shin, calve muscle, ankle, heel,
sole of the right foot, top of the foot, right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth
toe.
I will then repeat for the whole left side of the body, starting with the left
hand thumb and repeating all the way through to the fifth toe.
From here I go to the top of the head and work my way down the front side
of the body, including the face, neck, chest, abdomen legs and feet.
From there you can either chose to do the back side of the body back up to
the head, or go to the groups of body parts, starting with the right leg, left leg,
both legs together; right arm, left arm, and both arms together. Then the
awareness is directed down the front side of the torso, chest and abdomen; back
side of the body, buttocks, spine and shoulder blades. Next feel both the front
and backsides of the body, together, followed by the shoulders, neck, face and
head. After the major groups of body parts direct your listeners to become
aware of the whole head together.
At the very end, tell your participants to visualize their whole body
together all at once, from head to toe.
Another technique for the physical body is to focus on the points of contact
where the body meets the surface beneath you. This can be used in place of the
body scan for very short sessions, as it achieves the same end result of total
physical release.
By rotating your awareness around the various subtle points where your
body meets the surface beneath you, you spontaneously release all habitual
nervous tension and surrender your body to the floor and the Earth's force of
gravity.
The points are: The back of the head, right shoulder blade, left shoulder
blade, right elbow, left elbow, right hand, left hand, right buttock, left buttock,
right heel, and the left heel.
At the end, ask your participants to feel all these subtle points of contact
together at once, and to feel the line of gravity between themselves and the
floor.
If you are going to do multiple rounds of body scan, you can do one round
of focusing on points of contact between them in the following series: Body
scan one, points of contact, body scan two.
 There are many variations of body scan, including the backside of the body
and mentioning the internal organs, as well. There are sample scripts with
variations for you to choose from in the appendixes of this book. Be sure to
print these out and use them as a guide for constructing your own sessions.

The Pranic Body

Next is the pranamayakosha, or the breath body of feelings and emotions.
Once the body has been relaxed bring the awareness of your listeners to the
breath. First, breath awareness should be practiced, simply observing the breath
without elongating it, holding it or requiring it to follow a meter. Simple breath
awareness is what allows the breath to become calm and tranquil. When the
breath is calm and tranquil the mind and emotions are also calm and tranquil.
After this initial stage of breath awareness you can either move on to the
mental body, or if time permits you can do a brain balancing technique, which
is very helpful for bringing about a state of mental equipoise. For this you guide
your listeners through mental alternate nostril breathing, anuloma viloma, in the
following manner: Breathe in through the right nostril, out through the left
nostril, in through the left nostril and out through the right nostril, this is one
round, instruct your listeners to perform another twenty-seven, thirty-six, fifty-
four, seventy-two, or one hundred and eight rounds (depending on the time
available).
In more advanced stages you can add a meter. A traditional meter would be
to breathe in through the right nostril to a count of four, hold in to a count of
four, breathe out through the left nostril to a count of eight, hold out to a count
of four; breathe in through the left nostril to a count of four, hold in to a count
of four, breathe out through the right nostril to eight, hold out to a count of
four.
Again that ratio is as follows: four: four: eight: four, alternating between
the right and left nostrils.

The Mental Body

 Now the body is relaxed, the breath is still and calm, and we can begin
working on the mental body, the manomayakosha.
You have several techniques to choose from here. Rotating the awareness
between the polar opposite sensations is for the mental body. After that you can
do a list of visualizations, objects and sights that calm the mind. You can do a
guided visualization, such as a guided trek up a sacred mountain, walking
through a botanical garden and lowering yourself down a stone well into the
soothing darkness below, visiting ancient ruins and walking down a hidden
staircase, or just imagining the rolling ocean waves of the infinite sea.
You may also wish to utilize the technique of antar mouna, as described in
a previous session. Here the mind is asked to create scene after scene, and run
the course of each train of thought until the mind naturally exhausts itself and
wants to become still.

The Higher Intellectual Body

After the previous stages described above you can begin the techniques for
the higher intellectual mind, or the vijnanamayakosha. Here you may wish to
instruct your listeners to observe the mental space in front of the closed eyes,
known as chidakasha, and observe whatever appears with a detached
awareness. Ask them to witness any phenomenon from the detached
perspective of the silent witness consciousness, not identifying with any
thoughts, feelings or sensory perceptions, simply watching.

Atman
This section naturally bridges into the final last few minutes of silence
before ending the session. The silence is for the fifth dimension of our being,
the Spirit, which is beyond all the various layers bound to duality. Atman is on
the dimension of non-duality; it is pure consciousness and eternal existence.
This dimension of your being is the real you, the non-apparent Self within, the
enjoyer, the perceiver, and the knower!
To have an encounter with your true higher Self means that everything else
has to become calm, still and silent. This is the true purpose for yoga nidra; for
when we wake up to Self-remembrance all our fears vanish, all our concerns
seem so petty and insignificant when the supreme white light of Atman shines
forth.
Some advanced practices for helping induce this experience of the Self
includes instructing your listeners to notice a tiny speck of bluish-white light in
the center of chidakash, between the two eyes. This point of white light
becomes a tiny star, and grows larger and brighter until it totally consumes your
vision.
As an alternative, you can guide your participants to behold a golden egg,
and in the center of that golden egg is a tiny white light, which becomes
stronger and brighter, until it is flooding your inner being with divine and
ecstatic white light. There is no more darkness, your eyes are closed but you see
only brilliant white light.

How to Pace your Sessions

Now I want to discuss about how to pace your sessions. Most people go
too fast, so it helps to set a number of breaths you will pause between certain
instructions. You can write these in parenthesis after the last instruction in a
group of instructions. For example, after the body scan I might tell my Self to
wait six breaths before beginning the next session for the breath.
Silence between instructions is incredibly important, because that is the
space in which your participants actually experience and process whatever was
just said. If you go to fast, you don't give the opportunity for them to really
have their own experiences. Therefore, silent space is necessary. Learn to make
each word count, and minimize unnecessary instructions.
A beginner’s class will need less time between instructions than a more
advanced class. Some beginners may feel frustrated if you give too much time
between instructions, as they are not yet fully able to relax deep enough to
really listen and follow along; their minds are too busy.
After any sustained period of silence is over, assume that some of your
listeners may have lost attention and their thoughts have wondered off. At this
point you can bring them back to the practice by first telling them to quickly
scan their body and release any habitual muscular tension that may have crept
in, or you may wish to ask them to bring their attention back to the soothing ebb
and flow of the breath.

Ending the Practice

This is a perfect time to repeat the sankalpa again, as they are deeply
relaxed and the subconscious mind is very suggestible in this state. After
mentally reciting their chosen sankalpa, guide your listeners to return to their
normal wakeful operating state by first becoming aware of their immediate
environment, the room they are lying in and any sounds they may hear. Then
bring their attention to their physical body and guide them to very slowly and
gently begin stretching, and moving the body, and to open their eyes to end the
practice.
I also like to give my class a peace blessing by saying 'Om shanti shanti
shanti' at the end of each and every session; however, do what feels right for
you!

Chapter Thirteen

Therapeutic Applications of Yoga Nidra

M editation is by far the most powerful form of therapy, not only

because we learn how to still and silence the outer layers of our
being, but because those few moments of inner silence allow us to
experience the perfect joy of our own true nature; the bliss of Self.
In this era of constant sensory stimuli with smart phones and personal
computers we do not even know how to relax without bombarding or senses
with even more stimuli.
What most of us need is just the chance to become still and experience the
perfect serenity of inner peace and silence.
When the mind slows down and eventually becomes perfectly tranquil we
experience the bliss of this eternal moment. We experience this moment by
observing the living flow of silence. Rather than seeing silence as a vacuum of
sorts, learn to see it as a living flow.
It does not matter what particular issues your participants are suffering
from, yoga nidra provides the extremely rare opportunity to just become still
and serene. In those moments of inner silence relief from the mind, emotions
and even physical pain can be found. In fact, just a brief moment of yoga nidra
is enough to recharge and revitalize the deepest levels of the psyche.
When we transcend the body and mind while still awake we are left with
only the experience of the Self; the perfect bliss of eternal being.

Psychosomatic Illnesses
Psychosomatic illnesses are those physical conditions caused by a mental
factor such as stress. When mental factors cause physical symptoms we call
these conditions psychosomatic illnesses; examples would be eczema, psoriasis,
high blood pressure, ulcers, fibromyalgia, and even heart disease.
However, from the yogic perspective all illnesses and disorders originate in
the mind and are stored in the psyche. Yoga nidra provides therapeutic relief by
progressively providing your listeners with deeper levels of relaxation on the
four outer dimensions of their being.
By staying awake they can relax deeper than when unconscious. By
remaining still and relaxed for extended durations of time, the mind relearns
how to release nervous tension. Your listeners gradually develop heightened
awareness to where they habitually hold nervous tension in the physical body,
as well as how they manifest various emotions by restricting certain respiratory
muscles. As this awareness matures they are able to transcend these previously
unconscious habits off the mat.
The glory of the therapeutic applications of yoga nidra is that it begins a
process a releasing and relearning; where the meditator develops Self-mastery
over their own nervous system each and every time they practice yoga nidra.
Rather than being helpless victim of the mind and its habits, they eventually
become its master.
In this sense yoga nidra is truly a great form of Self-therapy and provides
therapeutic relief for everyone who listens even those who are not consciously
aware of any psycho-emotional issues.
We all have skeletons lurking in the shadows of our inner closets, yoga
nidra gives you the chance to remain awake beyond sleep thus bringing the
illumination of awareness into the depths of the psyche.

Yoga Nidra for Insomnia

Yoga nidra is truly a godsend for insomniacs, no other method provides
relief from sleeping disorders so reliably, consistently and without any side
effects or chemical dependencies.
One of the most difficult challenges for yoga nidra as a meditation
technique is to stay awake beyond the states of total physical and mental
relaxation. Sleep is the threshold that separates the conscious states from the
supra conscious states experienced during meditation.
Since sleep is the largest barrier for meditators in general, consider how
much more so that is when you are lying down on your back in shavasana! Fact
is just trying to do yoga nidra will help most people fall asleep if they do it late
at night in their bed. However, there are a few techniques that are most useful
for inducing sleep. These techniques for sleep include the body scan technique,
the points of contact between the body and the bed, listening to sounds, and
mental alternate nostril breathing.
Listening to sounds as if they have never been heard before interrupts the
thought patterns and causes the oscillating mind to become single pointed. Now
that the mind is still you can lead your listeners into deeper states of relaxation
by doing two rounds of body scan, with points of contact between each round,
and finally mental alternate nostril breathing. This should be enough to put
most of your audience to sleep.
Alternate nostril breathing, anuloma viloma, is a useful technique for
insomniacs as it balances the brain hemispheres naturally bringing about a state
of mental equanimity.

Yoga Nidra for Addictions

 Yoga nidra is also an incredibly important practice for people struggling
with addictions and chemical dependencies. Just remaining still for an entire
session helps overcome impulsiveness and gradually builds Self-control. The
most important aspect of yoga nidra for addiction recovery is to remain awake
and totally still, as well as the sankalpa. For this reason it is better to start off
with shorter duration sessions, around twenty minutes for beginner addiction
recovery sessions, and then work your way up as your audience is able to
remain still for longer.
Another important aspect of yoga nidra for addiction recovery is the deep
calm and inner peace that is experienced in the culminating phases of the
practice. If done correctly this period of stillness and silence at the end will give
them a powerful experience of their inner Self and the deep Self-born bliss
experienced there will overshadow all the fleeting worldly joys of the senses
they were attached to prior.
The bliss of the Self is totally satiating, it is the pure joy of being alive and
is what we search for in everything we pursue in the world, when we
experience this incomparable joy all the bondage of outer illusions are broken
and we experience the absolute freedom and tremendous peace of our own true
nature all substances such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs and even sex are crutches
we use to try and fill that God shaped hole in our heart. In yoga nidra we go
withdraw our senses within ourselves to discover that place at the very core of
our being, and discover there our true Self.

Yoga Nidra for Anxiety

Yoga nidra is incredibly useful as a treatment for anxiety because it brings
the patterns of the breath under our conscious control. Anxiety and the breath
are intimately interwoven; one affects the other.
In yoga nidra we become aware of how we habitually hold and even clench
various muscles and groups of muscles in the body. Upon becoming aware of
these previously unconscious tendencies we gain conscious control over them
and can begin to transcend these nervous habits; then when you begin to feel
that anxiety forming you gain relief by turning your awareness to the
neuromuscular system, especially the muscles of respiration, and chose to
release and relax.
 Choosing to relax and let go when faced with situations that formerly
caused you anxiety begins the process of developing new neuropathways, new
perceptions and new behaviors.
To help you listeners overcome anxiety spend more time on the breath and
in particular the belly. Guide your listeners to release all tension in the muscles
of respiration feeling the belly become soft and supple. Guide them to feel a
calming and soothing energy expanding outwards from the belly.
All emotions are only undirected energy. Understanding this, you may
wish to guide your listeners to channel their breath through the frontal or spinal
passages, known as arohan and awarohan. Channeling the breath through
arohan and awarohan allows them to subdue the breath and channel the raw
energy of their emotions, as well.
Aside from these suggestions, going through a list of pleasant
visualizations will also help calm the mind, and bring about a state of inner
peace and tranquility. During your visualization sequence chose objects that are
particularly soothing and easy to imagine; the simpler and soothing the better.
In closing yoga nidra is a powerful therapeutic technique that works on the
deepest levels of the body, emotions, mind and psyche and brings about more
inner illumination than any other known method. Yoga nidra brings you deep
within your Self where you can go straight to the psycho-spiritual root of any
issues causing tension or illness; bringing the illuminating white light of pure
consciousness to alleviate any repressed emotions, traumatic memories, inner
pain and frustration. Upon airing out your heart you can more fully enjoy the
supreme bliss of being alive on this precious planet Earth.

Conclusion

I n conclusion, the best way to get used to teaching others is to start writing
your own scripts and even practicing on your Self by recording your own
voice using your smart phone, and then playing it back for yourself while
you learn what works and what needs improvement.
 Remember to follow the guide of the five sheaths, the panchamayakoshas,
and to structure the opportunity for deeply relaxing silence to culminate into a
profound inner experience of your own true nature.
Remember the role of the breath at all times! Constantly come back to the
breath again and again. Using breath awareness to transition between sections.
When speaking and delivering instructions, it is not important that your
tone of voice is trained or untrained, what is important is that you are in control
of your breath and speaking from the diaphragm.
One secret to leading great guided meditations is that you must go first into
the states you wish your participants to follow you into. The extent to which
you are relaxed is the extent to which you are allowing your participants to
relax, as well. So always deliver your instructions with total breath awareness,
then your listeners will find it easy and natural to follow along with your voice.
Finally, I have placed a tremendous amount of effort into compiling the
sample scripts and mp3 sessions at TripuraYoga.org/practice-session. If you
have not done so yet, go to the website and download this valuable mp3 file for
both your enjoyment and continued education.
 And finally, if you liked the book, I humbly ask you to do me a favor and
leave an honest review for the book on Amazon. Just go to your account on
Amazon or click on the link below.

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A REVIEW ON AMAZON!

Thank you and good luck!

 Appendix One

Short Duration Script

P repare your Self for yoga nidra by lying down on your back on the
floor in corpse pose, shavasana, with the legs slightly apart and the
arms a short distance away from the body. Adjust everything one last
time, your body, position and clothes. (Pause).
Now allow your Self to remain absolutely still for the entire duration of
this session.
Take a deep breath in, and as you breathe out feel all your cares and
worries leave your body with the exhalation.

Sankalpa
Now formulate your sankalpa, your determined resolution and deepest
intention for practicing yoga nidra. State your sankalpa as a short positive
affirmation three times silently.

Body Scan
We now begin rotating the awareness through the various body parts.
Allow the awareness to move quickly from body part to body part, with full
awareness. Beginning with the right side of the body.
First bring your awareness to the right hand. Feel a wave of relaxation
spreading from your right hand thumb to your second finger, third, fourth
and fifth finger; the palm of the hand, back of the hand, right wrist, lower
arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder; the armpit, the right side, hip, thigh,
back of the thigh, right kneecap, back of the knee, right shin, calf muscle,
ankle, heel, sole of the right foot, top of the foot, right big toe, second, third,
fourth and fifth toe; awareness of the whole right side of the body.
 Now bring your awareness to the left hand. Feel a soothing wave of
relaxation flowing from the left hand thumb to the second finger, third,
fourth, and fifth finger; palm of the hand, back of the hand, left wrist, lower
arm, elbow, upper am, and shoulder; the armpit, left side, hip, thigh, back of
the thigh, left kneecap, back of the knee, left shin, calf muscle, ankle, heel,
sole of the left foot, top of the foot; the right big toe, second, third, fourth,
and fifth toe; the whole left side of the body.
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, right
eyebrow, left eyebrow, the center of the brows; the right eyelid, left eyelid,
right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, and the tip of the nose; the
upper lip, lower lip, right cheek, left cheek, and the chin; the throat, right
collarbone, left collarbone, right chest muscle, left chest muscle, the
sternum, abdomen, navel, and the groin.
Now the major groups of body parts: The whole right leg, whole left
leg, both legs together; the whole right arm, whole left arm, both arms
together; the whole of the back, buttocks, spine, and shoulder blades; the
whole of the front, abdomen and chest; the whole of the front and back
sides of the body, together; the whole body, together.
Please do not sleep. Remain alert and aware of your body lying on the
floor in shavasana. See a mental image of your Self lying on the floor in
this room.

Breath Awareness
Now bring your awareness to the spontaneous rhythms of the breath.
Watch the breath flowing in and out while the belly gently rises up and
down with each incoming and outgoing breath.
Bring your awareness to the navel. Inhale filling your entire body with
air, all the way to the navel, and exhale releasing and letting go.
Watch the breath flowing in a straight line from the navel to the
nostrils, and watch the breath flow out in a straight line from the nostrils
back down to the navel.
 Allow each breath to flow spontaneously. One breath may be deep and
long, another may be short and shallow. Just continue watching the wave
like motions of the breath flowing from the nostrils to the navel with the
inhalation, and from the navel back to the nostrils with the exhalation.

Visualizations
Now stop focusing on the breath and bring your awareness to the warm
dark space in front of your closed eyes.
Listen to the various scenes and objects I will now describe.
Experience each vision on as many levels as possible, utilizing feeling,
emotion, and imagination. If you have any difficulty visualizing, just ask
your Self what it would be like if you could visualize and because there are
no pretend experiences, once you are pretending to visualize you are
already there.
Silence your mind and picture a burning candle, an endless desert,
Egyptian pyramids, torrential rainfall, snowcapped mountains, Greek
temples at sunrise, corpse burning on a funeral pyre, birds flying across the
sunset, red clouds drifting across the horizon, stars at night, the brilliant full
moon, the smiling face of Buddha, Christ showing compassion, waves
breaking on the beach, the refreshing sea breeze caressing your face, rolling
ocean waves, rolling on and on across the surface of the sea; an infinite and
eternal Ocean beneath a dark and cloudy night.

Silence
We will now observe four minutes of silence. Continue remaining
perfectly silent and still, as you enjoy this rare state of absolutely physical
relaxation. Four minutes of silence begins now. (Silence).

Sankalpa
 Now, again recall your sankalpa, using the same exact wording as
earlier. Silently repeat your sankalpa three times with firm faith and
conviction.

End
Bring your awareness back to your physical body lying in shavasana.
See your body lying on the floor in this room. See the four walls, ceiling
and floor.
Listen to any sounds in your environment. When you are ready, very
slowly and gently begin moving and stretching your body, and open your
eyes to end this session.
The practice of yoga nidra is complete.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Appendix Two

Medium Duration Script

G et ready for yoga nidra. Lie down in shavasana and give yourself
this time to allow your thoughts to slow down and for your body to
become still. Adjust your blanket, clothes, and posture one last
time, so that you can enjoy the practice of yoga nidra in perfect comfort.
Say to your Self mentally, 'I will not sleep. I will remain awake for the
entire duration of this session.

Listening to Sounds
Become aware of the sounds in the distance. Listen to the most distant
sounds that you can hear. Allow your sense of hearing to operate like a
radar beam, searching out distant sounds and tracking them for a few
seconds. Listen to the pure texture and quality of each sound, as if you have
never heard it before. As if it were totally foreign and new.
Intensify your perception of sound.
Gradually bring your awareness to the sounds closer and closer to you.
Listen to the sounds outside your building; the sounds inside the building.
Listen to the most near sounds that you can perceive.

Sankalpa
Now is the time for your sankalpa, which is your intention for doing
this practice, formulated into a short positive affirmation. Silently repeat
your sankalpa three times.

Body Scan
Now you will rotate your awareness around the various parts of your
body. Allow the mind to jump from body part to body part very quickly.
Mentally repeat the name of each body part after you have heard me say it.
Begin by bringing your awareness to the right hand, your right hand
thumb, second finger, third, fourth and fifth finger; the palm of the hand,
back of the hand, right wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder;
the armpit, the right side, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, right kneecap, back
of the knee, right shin, calf muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the right foot, top of
the foot, right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth toe; awareness of the
whole right side of the body.
Now bring your awareness to the left hand, the left hand thumb, second
finger, third, fourth, and fifth finger; palm of the hand, back of the hand, left
wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper am, and shoulder; the armpit, left side, hip,
thigh, back of the thigh, left kneecap, back of the knee, left shin, calf
muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the left foot, top of the foot; the right big toe,
second, third, fourth, and fifth toe; the whole left side of the body.
 Bring your awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, right
eyebrow, left eyebrow, the center of the brows; the right eyelid, left eyelid,
right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, and the tip of the nose; the
upper lip, lower lip, right cheek, left cheek, and the chin; the throat, right
collarbone, left collarbone, right chest muscle, left chest muscle, the
sternum, abdomen, navel, and the groin.
Now the major groups of body parts: The whole right leg, whole left
leg, both legs together; the whole right arm, whole left arm, both arms
together; the whole of the back, buttocks, spine, and shoulder blades; the
whole of the front, abdomen and chest; the whole of the front and back
sides of the body, together; the whole body, together.

Breath Awareness
Now draw your awareness to the natural ebb and flow of the breath.
Witness the soothing wave-like motions of the breath, flowing in and out,
causing your belly to gently rise up and down.
Feel the breath moving along the passage between the navel and the
throat. Inhale in a straight line from the navel up to the throat, and exhale in
a straight line back down from the throat to the navel. Utilize the full
capacity of your lungs, inhaling navel to throat, and exhaling throat to
navel.
Be completely aware of the breath and nothing else. The mind is
riding on the waves of the breath, not missing a single inhalation or
exhalation. Be with your breath fully now.

Polarities
Now awaken to the feeling of heaviness in the body. Experience the
force of gravity pulling your body down into the earth beneath you. Have
the sensation that you are so heavy that you are sinking down, deeper and
deeper. Intensify your awareness of the heaviness of the body.
 Now awaken to the feeling of levity. The body has become as light as a
feather and has begun rising up off the surface beneath you and drifting into
the air. Your body feels so light; you seem to be floating on air. Intensify
your awareness of the levity of the body.
Experience the sensation of bitter cold. Experience the feeling of
freezing cold, all throughout your body. See your Self in a winter
landscape; shivering cold. You feel the chill of freezing coldness all over
your body. Intensify your awareness of cold.
Now experience the sensation of heat. Your whole body is scorching
hot. Recollect the sensation of the searing hot sun in the middle of summer.
You are burning red hot, as red as the embers of a large fire. Intensify your
awareness of heat.
Now recreate the experience of pain. Feel the pain of the body, mental
anguish or emotional distress. Any pain you have experienced in your life,
allow your Self to relive the intensity of that sensation here and now.
Intensify your awareness of pain.
Now pleasure. Recreate the exquisite sensations of pleasure. Allow
your Self to feel the deep pleasure of the body, the bliss and ecstasy of your
inner most state of being. Make this sensation of pleasure as vivid as
possible. Intensify your awareness of pleasure.

Guided Visualization
Now see your Self in a beautiful park early in the morning. The sun has
not yet risen and you are all alone here. Your surroundings are so peaceful,
calm and relaxing, you listen to the birds whistle and call as they welcome
the first rays of light of a new day.
There is a large open meadow with wildflowers blossoming and
waiting for the sun. Everything is perfectly still and silent. There isn't even
the slightest breath of wind. In the center of the park is a large natural pond,
with water lilies, tadpoles and the random fish leaping from the surface.
 You walk away from the pond passing between groves of trees, down a
path, which leads you to a clearing in the forest. In the center of the clearing
is a stone temple, with an aura of bright light surrounding it. You go the
entrance of the temple and walk inside. It is cool and dark. There are
intricate carvings on the walls of what appear to be mythical creatures,
saints, yogis, shamans and deities.
You sit down on the floor, close your eyes and become still and
perfectly silent. A deep sense of harmony spreads throughout your entire
being, as all sounds, lights and shadows fade further and further away from
you.
You stay inside the temple meditating for some time, until perfect
peace and harmony pervade your entire being.

Silence
We will now be observing five minutes of total silence. Continue
remaining still, relaxed and awake. Five minutes of silence begins now.
(Silence).
Now, again quickly scan your body and release any habitual muscular
tension may have crept in. Let go of your physical body and relax.

Sankalpa
Now, again recall your sankalpa. Repeat your sankalpa with absolute
faith and determination three times silently.

End
Bring your awareness back to your body lying in shavasana, and
become aware of your immediate physical surroundings. Experience the
senses of sound and touch, the sounds of the world around you, the touch of
your clothes and the air on your skin. When you are ready, very slowly and
gently begin stretching and moving your body, and open your eyes to end
this session.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Appendix Three

Long Duration Script

G et ready for the practice of yoga nidra. Lie down on your back in
shavasana, feet and arms apart with palms facing upwards. Close
your eyes, and become motionless. Just release all muscular
tension in your entire body, and surrender to the Earth beneath you.
Adjust your body and clothing one last time. From this point forward
there should be absolutely no physical movements until this session is
complete; just for the next hour or so, forget all your problems, thoughts
and concerns. Forget all your cares in this world and focus only on the
practice of yoga nidra.
Take a few deep breaths, feeling your body totally releasing and
relaxing with each exhalation.

Listening to Sounds
Become aware of any and all outside sounds. Listen to the distant
sounds outside this building. Allow your sense of hearing to broadcast out
into the distance. Perceive the most distant sounds that you can hear, and
then gradually withdraw your focus on sounds to the noises most nearby
you.
Develop your awareness of the room you're lying in. Become aware of
your body lying on the floor in shavasana. Develop total awareness of your
body, and awareness of your breath.
 Remember your purpose for doing this practice, say to yourself
mentally, 'I am now practicing yoga nidra, I will remain awake, I will not
sleep.'

Sankalpa
Now formulate your sankalpa, your determined resolve and intention
for practicing yoga nidra. Now state your resolve three times silently.

Body Scan One, Points of Contact, Body Scan Two

We will now begin body scan. Allow your mind to jump freely from
body part to body part, starting with the right hand, your right hand thumb,
second finger, third, fourth and fifth finger; the palm of the hand, back of
the hand, right wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder; the
armpit, the right side, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, right kneecap, back of
the knee, right shin, calf muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the right foot, top of
the foot, right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth toe; awareness of the
whole right side of the body.
Now bring your awareness to the left hand, the left hand thumb, second
finger, third, fourth, and fifth finger; palm of the hand, back of the hand, left
wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper am, and shoulder; the armpit, left side, hip,
thigh, back of the thigh, left kneecap, back of the knee, left shin, calf
muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the left foot, top of the foot; the right big toe,
second, third, fourth, and fifth toe; the whole left side of the body.
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, right
eyebrow, left eyebrow, the center of the brows; the right eyelid, left eyelid,
right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, and the tip of the nose; the
upper lip, lower lip, right cheek, left cheek, and the chin; the throat, right
collarbone, left collarbone, right chest muscle, left chest muscle, the
sternum, abdomen, navel, and the groin.
Now the major groups of body parts: The whole right leg, whole left
leg, both legs together; the whole right arm, whole left arm, both arms
together; the whole of the back, buttocks, spine, and shoulder blades; the
whole of the front, abdomen and chest; the whole of the front and back
sides of the body, together; the whole body, together.
Now bring your awareness to the subtle points of contact between your
body and the floor. Feel each one of these points of contact where your
body meets the floor: The back of the head and the floor, right shoulder
blade, left shoulder blade, right elbow, left elbow, right hand, left hand,
right buttock, left buttock, right calf muscle, left calf muscle, right heel and
the left heel.
Feel all these subtle points of contact between your body and the floor,
together.
Again bring your awareness to the right hand, your right hand thumb,
second finger, third, fourth and fifth finger; the palm of the hand, back of
the hand, right wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm, and shoulder; the
armpit, the right side, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, right kneecap, back of
the knee, right shin, calf muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the right foot, top of
the foot, right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth toe; awareness of the
whole right side of the body.
Now bring your awareness to the left hand, the left hand thumb, second
finger, third, fourth, and fifth finger; palm of the hand, back of the hand, left
wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper am, and shoulder; the armpit, left side, hip,
thigh, back of the thigh, left kneecap, back of the knee, left shin, calf
muscle, ankle, heel, sole of the left foot, top of the foot; the right big toe,
second, third, fourth, and fifth toe; the whole left side of the body.
Bring your awareness to the crown of the head, forehead, right
eyebrow, left eyebrow, the center of the brows; the right eyelid, left eyelid,
right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, and the tip of the nose; the
upper lip, lower lip, right cheek, left cheek, and the chin; the throat, right
collarbone, left collarbone, right chest muscle, left chest muscle, the
sternum, abdomen, navel, and the groin.
Now the major groups of body parts: The whole right leg, whole left
leg, both legs together; the whole right arm, whole left arm, both arms
together; the whole of the back, buttocks, spine, and shoulder blades; the
whole of the front, abdomen and chest; the whole of the front and back
sides of the body, together; the whole body, together.

Breath Awareness and Anuloma Viloma

Now bring your attention to the soothing ebb and flow of the natural
breath. Just become aware that you are breathing slowly and calmly. Focus
on each incoming and outgoing breath to the exclusion of all else.
Become aware of the flow of the breath through the frontal passage
between the navel and the throat. Inhale navel to throat, and exhale throat to
navel. Feel the breath flowing in a straight line between the navel and the
throat. Utilize the full range of the breath filling your lungs fully, and
exhaling fully.
Bring your awareness to the sensation of the breath flowing through
the nostrils, the natural breath flowing through both nostrils and meeting at
the top to form a triangle.
Think of the breath as starting at a distance outside your body as you
draw the air in with the breath, uniting at the brow center.
Now begin mental alternate nostril breathing, anumola viloma, by
counting the breaths backwards from fifty-four in the following manner;
inhale right, fifty-four. Exhale left, fifty-four. Inhale left, fifty-four. Exhale
right, fifty-four. Inhale right, fifty-three. Exhale left, fifty-three. Inhale left,
fifty-three. Exhale right, fifty-three, and continue.
There should be no mistake and no sleeping. If you make a mistake or
lose count, come back to fifty-four and continue.

Antar Mouna
Now drop the practice of counting the breaths and bring your
awareness to chidakasha, the inner space you see behind your closed eyes.
Develop your awareness of inner space. Just watch any shapes, colors or
visions that might appear from the detached perspective of the silent
witness consciousness.
Be totally aware of what you are witnessing, but remain uninvolved
and impartial to whatever may arise.
Now formulate a single train of thought at will. It should be a totally
random train of thought, not a habitual thought pattern from your daily life.
Create a storyline or theme and watch that theme play out in your mind's
eye. Watch the story of this random train of thought like a movie, from the
perspective of the audience.
Now wipe out that last train of thought totally and allow a totally new
and unrelated train of thought to form. Watch the scene of this new train of
thought play out.
Allow this thought to become vivid and real, as you remain detached.
Again, wipe clean the screen of your mind, dropping the previous
thought completely, however, this time do not create any new thoughts. If
any thought form should arise, immediately wipe it from your mind, and
continue watching the peaceful inner space of chidakash.
Block all modifications of the mind and senses. Drop all thought
patterns. And rest in the perfect peace of your own inner state of being.

Silence
We will now observe 10 minutes of perfect silence. Remain still, silent
and awake, as you enjoy this nonmanifest state of pure consciousness. Ten
minutes of silence begins now. (Silence).
Now come back to your body, breath and physical surroundings. Listen
to any sounds in your environment and feel any all sensations... the air and
clothes on your skin.

Sankalpa
 Just be with your body now, as you recall your sankalpa, your
intention for doing yoga nidra. Repeat your sankalpa three times silently.

End
Now. Keep your eyes closed as you very slowly and gently move just a
single finger at first. Remain aware and mindful. When you are ready begin
rotating your wrists and ankles, and open your eyes to end this session.
The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti