Yoga Nidra 101 Resources Page
Photo by David Newkirk
Online Yoga Nidra Course: Sourcing Your True Power
You are more powerful than you can imagine, with much more control over how your life plays out than perhaps you realize. Ancient wisdom teaches us that if we were to understand our True Self, we would see that we are no different than the thing we are searching for (Gayatri Mantra). These teachings may be easy to understand but may take a lifetime to realize. I've developed a highly specialized and very relaxing course that uses Yoga Nidra meditation to help you discover your True Self and Source Your True Power.
Teacher Mentor Program
I believe that the world needs excellent yoga teachers. One of my passions is to help yoga teachers achieve excellence by first helping them understand then source their own unique gifts and through those gifts to change the world for the better. I draw upon the trial-and-error of my many years of teaching experience to help teachers reach teaching excellence quicker and better than I did.
Contact me to schedule a Zoom session: scott@scottmooreyoga.com
Buddha at the Gas Pump Interview with Richard Miller
Swami Janakananda Yoga Nidra on Spotify
Loving Kindness Meditation
Countdown Meditation--count your breaths down from 30. Start over if you lose count or get to zero. Set a timer however long you'd like to meditate.
"I Don't Need to Have an Opinion about That"
Meister Eckhart When I Was the Forest
Mary Oliver Bone
Myth of Shiva and Shakti. I heard this myth from Sanskrit scholar, Chris Tompkins
Basic Yoga Nidra Script by Scott Moore
10-15 minutes
Welcome to Yoga Nidra. Please lie down, close your eyes and prepare to relax. Give yourself a few breaths out your mouth and tell your body, mind, and heart to let go. If there is any way that you can prepare to relax deeper or more effectively, please do that now.
As we go through the process of Yoga Nidra, I invite you to welcome anything and everything that comes into your Awareness. From this point on, and through the duration of our Yoga Nidra practice, abandon all assessment of things and become the observer only.
Consider your intention or purpose for practicing Yoga Nidra. In your own mind, repeat, “My intention for practicing Yoga Nidra is . . .” and fill in the blank in your own head. Again, what is your intention for practicing Yoga Nidra? Repeat that to yourself in your own mind one more time.
Now I invite you to relax 10% more than you’re currently relaxed. Relax your face. Relax your entire head. Relax your arms, your chest, belly, and back. Relax your pelvis and your legs. As we go through this process, don’t try to control your experience. Simply pay attention to my words and welcome, recognize, and witness everything that comes into your awareness without the need to change or fix anything.
Today we are going to explore sensations and feelings in our body to practice experiencing ourselves as Awareness.
Begin by noticing everything you are aware of in this moment. Notice sounds, smells, the temperature, etc. Notice also emotions, thoughts, and internal sensations. Simply welcome, recognize, and witness everything in your awareness, without any judgement, just awareness. Begin to identify as Awareness itself, Awareness manifesting itself in the form of body, thoughts, emotions, sounds, or anything you are aware of in this moment. Simply allow yourself to welcome, recognize, and witness all things as a way of experiencing yourself as Awareness.
Remember that sensations will come and go and will reveal your underlying Awareness. Be Awareness itself.
As Awareness, experience yourself as sensation. Follow my words as you become more aware of your body and as Awareness, allow yourself to become increasingly more relaxed. Bring your Awareness to the sensation of your mouth. Simply notice its presence. Welcome, recognize, and witness, the sensation of your mouth. Eyes. Ears. Entire face. Entire head.
Now feel the sensation of your neck and throat. Your shoulders. Arms. Feel your left arm as sensation, top to bottom. Feel your right arm, top to bottom. Left arm. Right arm. Feel both arms as sensation. Feel both arms at the same time.
Bring Awareness to the sensation of your trunk, your chest . . . feel your breathing . . . your belly, your back. Simply welcome, recognize and witness the sensation of your trunk. Simply notice its presence as Awareness.
Now bring Awareness to the sensations of your pelvis, the front, back and sides of your pelvis. Simply notice it as sensation. Simply welcome, recognize, and witness anything that arises spontaneously such as thought, emotion, or sensation.
Bring Awareness to the sensation of your legs. Feel your left leg, hip to toes. Feel your right leg, hip to toes. Left leg. Right leg. Left. Right. Now feel both legs, both legs as sensation.
Now feel the entire left side of your body, head to toe. Feel the entire right side of your body, head to toe. Left side. Right side. Now feel both sides. Feel your entire body.
Begin to feel as if your entire body is very large. Now adopt the feeling of being very small. Very large, again. Now small. Now adopt the feeling of being both large and small simultaneously. This does not need to make sense. Simply feel both large and small simultaneously.
What are you aware of in this moment? Sensations will come and go. In one moment, you may feel small and another large. What is the part of you that can be both small and large? Sensations reveal your unchanging, underlying, awareness.
Be Awareness itself. Become extremely aware of all things in this moment as Awareness itself. Simply welcome, recognize and witness all things in this moment as Awareness itself.
(optional additional Kosha exploration)
As Awareness, I invite you to begin to feel your body lying on the floor. Feel the sensations of your legs, feet, pelvis, trunk, arms, and head. As Awareness become acutely aware of the sensations in your hands and feet.
Now I invite you to remember your stated intention for practicing Yoga Nidra.
In a moment, we will be ending our Yoga Nidra practice. Because we have practiced experiencing ourselves as deep Awareness, you will find yourself moving back into your every-day life with clarity, purpose, and focus. You will find answers to your questions, and presence in your relationships. You’ll be more compassionate. You will feel less stress in your life and less reactive to stress. Through our practice of experiencing ourselves as Awareness, your life will feel richer and more vibrant.
In a moment, I will ring a bell (or count down from 5) and that will signal the end of our Yoga Nidra Practice. (Ring, or count). Yoga Nidra is over.
Additional Resources:
Radiolab Episode about limits. Fascinating!