Free Script #2: Nondual Yoga Nidra – Self Realization & Spiritual Enlightenment
Welcome to the transformative journey of yoga nidra. Please find a quiet space where you can recline in shavasana, lying flat on your back with your body fully extended. Position your arms slightly away from your body, palms facing upwards, and ensure your legs are gently apart, creating a sense of balance and symmetry. Allow yourself this moment to make any minor adjustments needed to achieve complete physical comfort and alignment. As you settle into stillness, invite every muscle in your body to soften and let go of all tension. Embrace a state of deep relaxation, allowing your breath to flow freely and naturally.
Contemplate the following question, what is that highest level of pure subjectivity for which everything else is an object.
Consider the formless silent Self, which is of the nature of pure consciousness and fully expanded awareness, as you contemplate on this question a bit further: What is that highest level of pure subjectivity for which everything else is an object.
Now, gently introduce your Sankalpa, your heartfelt intention or resolve, and repeat it quietly to yourself three times. If you do not have a Sankalpa, repeat the following affirmation:
“I am the embodiment of pure awareness, expansive and luminous, beyond the fluctuations of the mind and body.”
“I am the embodiment of pure awareness, expansive and luminous, beyond the fluctuations of the mind and body.”
“I am the embodiment of pure awareness, expansive and luminous, beyond the fluctuations of the mind and body.”
Now, bring your awareness to the right hand. Scan your awareness around the body starting with the right hand thumb, second finger, third, fourth, and fifth finger. Palm of the hand, back of the hand, right wrist, lower arm, elbow, upper arm and shoulder. Arm pit, right side of the torso, waist, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, knee cap, back of the knee, shin, calf muscle, right ankle, heel, sole, top of the foot, right big toe, second, third, fourth and fifth toe. The whole right side of the body.
Now feel stillness and steadiness spreading through 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 arm and shoulder. Arm pit, left side of the torso, waist, hip, thigh, back of the thigh, knee cap, back of the knee, shin, calf muscle, left ankle, heel, sole, top of the foot, left 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 brow center, right eyelid, left eyelid, right eye, left eye, right ear, left ear, the nose, tip of the nose, right nostril, left nostril, right cheek, left cheek, upper lip, lower lip, the muscles inside of the mouth, and tongue, the chin, throat, pit of the throat, right collar bone, left collar bone, right chest muscle, left chest muscle, and the sternum, Upper abdomen, navel, lower abdomen, and the groin.
The right thigh, left thigh, right knee, left knee, right shin, left shin, right ankle, left ankle, right foot, left foot, right toes, and left toes. The sole of the right foot, sole of the left foot, right heel, left heel, right calf muscle, left calf muscle, back of the right knee, back of the left knee, right hamstring, left hamstring, right buttock, left buttock, small of the back, muscles along the right side of the spine, muscles along the left side of the spine, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, back of the neck, back of the head, right side of the head, left side of the head,and the crown of the head.
The whole right leg, whole left leg, both legs together.
The whole right arm, whole left arm, both arms together.
The whole front side of the body, whole back, both the front and back sides together.
The shoulders, neck, all the muscles of the face, and head.
The whole body together at once.
Envelop your entire body in awareness.
As we delve deeper into the heart of yoga nidra, let us now direct our attention to the life-giving flow of our breath. Begin by inviting yourself to take deep, full breaths, each inhalation expanding your body with vitality and each exhalation releasing every ounce of tension. Allow yourself a few moments to engage with this intentional breathing, creating a rhythmic harmony between your inner and outer worlds.
Inhale visualizing the breath ascending from the navel to the nostrils, and exhale watching the breath descend from the nostrils back down to the navel.
Breath deep and full, utilizing the full lung capacity with every breath.
Now, gently encourage your breath to find a new depth of tranquility. With each exhale, allow a natural pause, elongating the space between the release of your breath and the next incoming breath. It is within these sacred pauses that the mind can touch a profound stillness, a space where thoughts cease and pure awareness emerges.
Again, take four to five full deep breaths, flooding your body with oxygen and prana, and then allow the breath the remain suspended outside the body at the end of the exhalation. Invite these pauses to lengthen, not by force but with gentle anticipation, allowing the breath and mind to suspend momentarily. In this suspension, you may find a glimpse of pure awareness, a serene and luminous expanse where the eternal light of the Self shines brightly, untouched by the narratives and fluctuations of the ego-mind.
As you continue to explore these pauses between rounds of full deep breathing, notice how the boundaries between you and the vast stillness that surrounds you begin to dissolve. Here, in the silent embrace of suspended breath, experience the essence of your being, a state of consciousness that exists beyond words, beyond thoughts, a timeless eternal presence that is inherently peaceful and whole.
Allow this experience of pure awareness to recharge your being, illuminating the deepest parts of yourself with the knowledge that you are more than your thoughts, more than your physical sensations. You are a beacon of expansive light, ever-present and unchanging amidst the ebb and flow of thoughts and perceptions.
Continue to alternate between taking four to five full, deep, conscious breaths and experiencing moments of total breath suspension between the exhalation and inhalation.
Now, direct your attention to the vast, mental space that unfolds before your inner vision. This space, known as ‘chidakasha’, is a canvas for the mind, where thoughts, images, and visions float freely. In this moment, allow yourself to step back and adopt the role of a detached observer, silently witnessing the continuous play of mental forms as they appear and disappear on this inner screen. Understand that these forms, these fleeting images, are merely objects perceived by the mind, which acts as the subjective witness to their transient existence. The forms you observe are impermanent, constantly shifting and changing, yet they are observed by the same, unchanging mind.
Now, gently shift your awareness deeper, focusing on the mind itself and the thoughts that give shape to these forms. Because you can observe your thoughts, that means there is an intelligence beyond the mind. Recognize that the mind, with all its fluctuations and modifications, is itself an object of perception, while the pure awareness that perceives the mind’s activity stands apart as the ultimate observer. This stream of thoughts, ever-changing and impermanent, contrasts starkly with the unchanging nature of pure awareness, which remains constant and unaltered throughout.
Experience yourself as pure awareness, the very essence of consciousness, which is the highest form of pure subjectivity, for which everything else is a mere object. Experience yourself as pure awareness, expansive and boundless, which is the source of the inner light that illuminates every thought and every perception, with its presence, allowing them to emerge and fade away without attachment or judgment.
As pure awareness, you exist beyond the confines of the ego-mind, free from preferences, agendas, likes, and dislikes. As the light of pure consciousness, you are the source of all contentment, bliss, and joy. In the stillness of the body and the silence of the mind, you are fully immersed in this present moment, untouched by worries, suffering, attachments, or expectations. This state of perfect contentment and serenity is not something external to be sought after; it is your innate nature, the very essence of who you are. It is the source from which all happiness and satisfaction flow.
Embrace this understanding as you dwell in the silence of meditation. Let this realization deepen with each breath, each moment of stillness: you are this pure, choiceless awareness, the inner seer, the source of all that is. In this recognition lies the path to true peace, to an unshakeable joy that is not dependent on the transient phenomena of the external world. This is your true nature, your ultimate reality. Rest in this awareness, and let its profound tranquility permeate every aspect of your being, guiding you back to the source of all contentment and joy.
Now begin to externalize your awareness through the five senses facilitating the waking state of mind. Create a mental image of your surrounding environment. See a mental image of the room you’re lying in. Feel your body lying against the surface beneath you, and whenever you are ready – very gently begin to reinitiate movement with the body.
Take a deep breath in, and sigh out loud – gently stretching and opening your eyes to end this session.
Thank you for listening!
The practice of Yoga Nidra is now complete.
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti’hi
Hari Om!
