Welcome to this whole body deep relaxation practice known as Yoga Nidra or psychic sleep. Just during the day when your energy is flagging, not only will it restore you, but very importantly it will also help you to sleep better at night. So let us begin. Please take off your shoes, your watch and loose and tight clothing, especially around your waist and your neck. And remember to switch off your phone. The practice is best done lying on your back on a firm but comfortable surface, but if that is not possible at the moment, then simply relax into a comfortable armchair. Lie or sit with your feet a little apart, toes falling outwards. You may like to cover yourself with a sheet or a blanket. Your temperature can fall when you are deeply relaxed and it is so important to stay warm and away from draughts. Rest your hands a little away from your body, palms turned upwards, allowing your fingers to gently curl and your elbows to relax. If you are lying down and having discomfort in your lower back, try placing a cushion or pillow support under your knees. Avoid pillow support for your head if it brings your chin towards your chest. The back of your neck should, if possible, be aligned with your spine. To enhance a feeling of balance and harmony in the practice, try and make sure that your body is resting more or less symmetrically either side of your spine. Close your eyes. Your eyes remain closed throughout the practice. If you are lying or sitting, in an attitude of openness, of letting go, tell yourself this is your special time. The outside world and its worries are going to be left behind completely as you surrender to voice guidance and move into an inner space of calmness and stillness. If you fall asleep during the practice, that is fine. Some deep part of you will continue to listen and respond. You are likely to find yourself moving in and out of sleep. Take a few deep breaths and sigh them out. Ah, an audible sigh. Give meaning to the expression, a sigh of relief. You may feel like yawning. Have a deep yawn. It's so good for releasing tension in your face. Continue to take some deep breaths and feel your whole body letting go of tension with every exhalation. And now, lick your lips and leave them slightly apart, allowing your jaw to relax. Your whole face softening. Before moving into a deep state of relaxation, I invite you to make a resolve for yourself that relates to your sleep difficulties. For example, I will enjoy a good night's sleep tonight. Or you could resolve to let go of a problem that you know affects your sleep. Formulate a resolve that suits your current sleep concerns. And repeat it three times to yourself. Feel it as your heart's desire. You're going to relax more deeply now by rotating your awareness through your body. Just rest your attention effortlessly on each part as I mention it. If your mind wanders out, that is perfectly normal. Just gently bring yourself back to the voice guidance and your body awareness. We begin with the right side of your body. Awareness to the right side of your head. The whole right side of your head. To your right eye, right ear, right cheek, right side of your mouth, right side of your neck, right shoulder, right upper arm, right forearm, right wrist, and right hand. Awareness to the right side of your chest, right waist, right side of your belly, right hip, right thigh, right knee, right lower leg, right ankle, and right foot. Whole right leg, whole right side of your body, relaxing, letting go, melting. Awareness now to the left side of your head, the left side of your head, left eye, left ear, left cheek, left side of your mouth, left side of your neck, left shoulder, left upper arm, left forearm, left wrist, and left hand. Awareness to the left side of your chest, left waist, left side of your belly, left hip, left thigh, left knee, left lower leg, left ankle, and left foot. Whole left leg, whole left side of your body, relaxing, letting go, melting. Awareness now to the base of your spine, the base of your spine, to your left buttock, your right buttock, to your lower back, your left shoulder blade, your right shoulder blade, to your spine between your shoulder blades, to your upper back, back of your neck, back of your head, top of your head, top of your head. Awareness to your forehead, to your right eye, to your left eye, your right ear, your left ear, your right cheek, your left cheek, to your nose, upper lip, lower lip, teeth, tongue, jaw, throat. Awareness to your right shoulder and right arm, to your left shoulder and left arm, both arms soft and easy and relaxed. Awareness to the center of your chest, whole chest, softening, relaxing, letting go. Awareness to your belly, your navel center, whole belly, softening, relaxing, letting go. Awareness to your whole right leg and foot, your whole left leg and foot, awareness to both legs together, both legs together, both legs soft and relaxed, melting, both arms soft and relaxed, melting. Awareness now to your whole body, whole body. Divide your awareness evenly, simultaneously, throughout your whole body. Experience your body as a relaxed, harmonious whole. And now, bring your awareness to your belly, your navel center. Visualize a golden light at the center of your belly behind your navel. With every inhalation, feel that you're feeding the light with the energy of your breath. It becomes like a warm, golden sun deep inside your belly. It is as though your breath is feeding a fire in the center of your belly. And now, with every exhalation, feel the warm, golden light from your sun radiating outwards into your whole lower torso. Feel healing, nourishing light infusing your digestive organs. Feel it radiating into your lower back and buttocks, softening, soothing. Every inhalation feeds the golden sun in your belly, and with every exhalation, its nourishing energy is spreading through your body. Feel it, see it flowing into your pelvis, down through your hip joints, your thighs, your knees, right down to your feet, lighting up your toes. Both legs filled with the soothing, golden light. Whole lower half of your body filled with the warm, nourishing energy radiating out from the center of your belly with every exhalation. And now, lift your awareness to the center of your chest, your heart center. Visualize there a seed of soft, golden light. Feel your inhalation nourishing the light until it begins to glow like a golden sun in the center of your chest. And now, with every exhalation, feel the light radiating outwards, softening, soothing away all tension in your chest. Feel it, see it radiating into your physical heart and your lungs, into your liver and your right rib cage. Into your stomach and spleen under your left rib cage. Healing, golden light flowing out from the center of your chest with every exhalation. Stay with your breath. Become your breath. And now, raise your awareness to your throat. Visualize a source of light in the center of your throat, behind your Adam's apple. Feed it with your breath and your awareness. And now, with every exhalation, begin to see or feel the light radiating out into your upper back, softening all tension across your shoulders. See it, feel it radiating down into your arms, your upper arms, your forearms, and into your hands, lighting up your fingertips. Both arms filled with the soothing light energy radiating out from your throat with every exhalation. Stay with your breath. Become your breath. And now, raise your awareness to the center of your head, behind your eyebrows. Visualize there a seed of golden light. Feed it with the energy of your breath until it begins to glow and radiate warm, golden light throughout your head. With your exhalations, feel it soothing the inside of your head, nourishing your brain, calming your thoughts. See it, feel it flowing into your face. Soothing your forehead and your eyes, softening your jaw. And now, visualize a source of golden light above your head, a golden sun above your head. Feel the sunlight radiance above your head flowing down through your whole body like cleansing warm water. Over and through your head, into your neck and across your shoulders, down through your shoulder blades and through both arms. Feel the sunlight radiance entering your chest, your belly. Feel it flowing down into your pelvis, through your hips and into both legs. Every cell in your body has become infused and nourished by the golden energy of the sun above your head. Whole body, whole body bathed in soothing golden light. You have lost your solidity. You have become a body of light, cocooned in an ocean of healing, soothing golden energy. And now, take your awareness again to your heart center, the center of your chest. And repeat your resolve three times with your awareness in your heart center. It is your heart's desire. And then move your awareness to the center of your belly, your will center. Repeat your resolve there three times, engaging your will. I will. And now, feel your body becoming heavy. Feel the contact of your body with the floor or your chair. Whole body in contact with the floor or chair. And begin to wake yourself up. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Gently move your head from side to side. You may feel like yawning and stretching your body, as an animal often does when it awakens from a deep sleep. And then very gently, roll over onto your right hand side, bringing your left leg across your body. Rest there for a moment, reflecting on how you feel after your yoga nidra practice. And when you are ready, push yourself up into a comfortable sitting position. Open your eyes and gaze out into the world from your space of inner peace. Realize that deep within you, there is always a nourishing space of calm. Befriending your breath and practicing yoga nidra will help you to be able to enter that space whenever you need it. I greet you from my heart and wish you sweet dreams. www.mooji.org