Reinvigorate your spirit by deeply experiencing the essence of your sankalpa and re-establishing it firmly.
Recommended Routines Before and After:
This activity presumes a foundational understanding of what a sankalpa is. Should clarification be required, dedicate a brief period to outlining the fundamentals.
Integrate this either preceding or following a session of yoga or supplementary therapeutic work. If performing this session independently, it is advisable to commence with approximately sixty to one hundred and twenty seconds of gentle physical movements designed to alleviate muscular tightness—examples include rotating the shoulders while seated or upright, gentle spinal twists, lateral stretches, and a forward flexion.
Prior to the main practice, settle your focus by employing a heart-attuning hand gesture, such as the Hridaya Mudra or Anjali Mudra, for several minutes.
Settling
Getting settled in, finding a position for lying down or sitting, with support.
Selecting any posture that feels right for you at this moment. Preparing for this session to refresh the sensation of your sankalpa, or if you don’t have one, choosing one that resonates now.
Placing a thin cushion or covering under your head if desired. Covering yourself with a blanket if you wish.
Making any adjustments necessary to find maximum comfort. (long pause)
Search for any bunched fabric, jewelry, or anything else that might hinder your repose.
If you locate anything, correct it at this time. (pause)
Gently scan your entire physical form, ensuring you are as at ease as possible. Feet relaxed… lower body… pelvis… spine… upper limbs… shoulders… jaw… brow area. Checking in and making any further shifts that will enhance your comfort. (pause)
Sense yourself grounding. (pause)
And now, consciously leave behind anything that occurred prior to this instant. Release anything slated to happen following this practice.
Direct your entire focus toward this experience for the next fifteen minutes.
Setting everything else aside for these moments to rejuvenate and reconnect.
Inhale deeply… and upon the exhale, allow release. Let go of any thoughts, any pressure to perform. Simply exist.
This spans a period dedicated solely to you.
Your opportunity to purely savor tranquility. (pause)
Make any final required adjustments if you haven’t already. (pause)
Start to deepen your experience of the quietude even further. Understand that movement is permissible, yet if it feels beneficial, permit yourself to delight in this stillness. This moment to effortlessly *be*.
Resting. Exactly as suits you.
If it feels restorative, let these words be absorbed intuitively rather than analyzed mentally. Even the thinking mind can pause now.
In its stead, a state of unforced awareness emerges. (pause)
Notice all experience becoming progressively smoother and less constrained. Tranquil and unimpeded. (pause)
The process of Yoga Nidra is now initiated. (pause)
Sankalpa
This is the moment to articulate your sankalpa, your deep-seated intention.
If you already hold a sankalpa, invite the genuine feeling associated with it to surface now. (pause)
Should you lack a sankalpa, you may employ phrases like: “I am well,” “I am serene,” “I am vibrant,” or whatever surfaces naturally within you.
Truly inhabit the sankalpa; visualize it – with the greatest clarity you can muster. What does it look like? What sounds accompany it? How does it feel internally? (pause)
When the sensation is present, your intention is inevitably taking form.
At this juncture, declare your sankalpa aloud three times, imbued with conviction and feeling. (pause)
Your heartfelt resolve has been registered and is already manifesting.
Circulation of Awareness
Next, a sequence of energetic locations will be named.
Allow your attention to drift freely from one location to the next. Commence by guiding your awareness to the space between the eyebrows. Unforced awareness focused on the point between the eyebrows.
The hollow of the neck. The right shoulder joint. Awareness drifting easily.
The right elbow joint. The wrist joint.
The right thumb.
The tip of the index finger. The tip of the middle finger. The tip of the ring finger. The tip of the little finger. Unconstrained awareness. The right wrist joint. Elbow joint.
Shoulder joint. The hollow of the neck.
Shifting awareness across to the left shoulder joint. Elbow joint.
Wrist joint.
The left thumb.
The tip of the index finger. The tip of the middle finger. The tip of the ring finger. The tip of the little finger. Moving freely.
The left wrist joint. Elbow joint. Shoulder joint. The hollow of the neck. The center of the heart.
The right side of the chest region.
The center of the heart.
The left side of the chest region. The center of the heart.
The center of the heart. The center of the heart.
Letting awareness settle at the heart center. Not analyzing conceptually, but purely sensing. (pause)
Breath Observation
Observe the chest gently ascending and descending with each in-and-out flow. There is nothing you need to actively manage.
The body breathes itself. You are merely the witness. (pause)
Now, direct your focus to the nostrils. (pause) Guide your attention to the right nostril.
Sense that with every intake of breath through the right nostril, drive and vitality are being stoked.
Right nostril, activation of drive and vitality. (pause for 3 breaths) Now shift attention to the left nostril.
Perceive that with every current of breath entering the left nostril, repose and placidity are being nurtured.
Left nostril, fostering relaxation and calm. (pause for 3 breaths)
Now gather your awareness at both nostrils and feel the equilibrium of two breath currents entering, right and left sides, balancing energetic drive with tranquil rest.
Take several deep breaths now, fully alert and conscious, experiencing a harmony between active drive and soothing calm. (pause for 3 breaths)
Heart Resolve (Sankalpa)
Allow your sankalpa to resurface once more.
Let your chosen intention reappear in words and feeling.
Embrace the vision of your sankalpa as vividly as possible. (pause) If the feeling resonates, its manifestation is inevitable.
At this precise moment, reiterate your sankalpa, three times with conviction and deep feeling. (pause)
Your resolve has been accepted and its manifestation is already underway.
Rest now immersed in the joyful sensation of your manifesting sankalpa. (pause for 30 seconds)
Bringing Awareness Outward
Now retrieve your focus back to the heart center.
Note the heart area expanding on the inhale and contracting on the exhale. Reorient attention to your physical form.
Feel your physical structure resting peacefully. The conscious relaxation, Yoga Nidra, is now concluding. (pause) Sense the surface supporting you. (pause)
Acknowledge the ambient temperature of your environment. (pause) Tune into any surrounding sounds. (pause)
Incorporate gradual movement back into your body with a deep inhalation. (pause)
Now, gently flex your fingers and toes. Permit the energy to return to the body, like electrical pulses.
Move or stretch your frame in any direction that feels appropriate. Continue to feel the revitalization flowing back in. (pause)
And if you are situated lying down, when you feel ready, purposefully roll onto your right side. Pause here for a few deep breaths. Reconnect with your sankalpa and the wonderful feeling it brings, one last time. Carry that sensation with you. (pause)
If you were reclined, slowly and softly guide yourself into a seated position, maintaining closed eyes if comfortable, and take one profound breath. (pause)
We shall conclude by sounding “Om” three times and “Shanti” three times. Om represents the universal resonance. Shanti signifies peace.
Om, Om, Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (pause)
When the moment feels right, softly open your eyes and carry the beautiful essence of your sankalpa into this space and throughout the remainder of your day.