Pure awareness needs silence and editing

This is a Yoga Nidra practice aimed at helping people experience deep relaxation and restoration. It begins by finding a comfortable position and creating a cozy rest nest. The practice involves bringing awareness to different parts of the body energetically, rather than physically. There is no need to concentrate or have any expectations. The goal is to be awake and aware, yet in a state of peaceful ease. The practice guides the listener through various energetic points in the body, allowing for a release of the mind and a drop into stillness and silence. After 10 minutes of rest, the practice concludes with a focus on the breath and gentle movements in the body. The session ends with chanting and gradually returning to the present moment. Welcome to Yoga Nidra. This Yoga Nidra script is being recorded from the book Yoga Nidra Scripts 22 Meditations for Effortless Relaxation. I'm sharing it with my clients and friends as a way of helping the people in my community experience a deeper, richer relaxation leading to rest and restoration in their lives. Sitting comfortable, lying on your back, or if it's not comfortable, lying on your side, or sitting up supported, getting ready for this Yoga Nidra practice of sleep, getting ready for this Yoga Nidra practice of sleep with Trace awake. Maybe making a cozy rest nest with cushions, blankets, bolsters, whatever your body needs. Feel free, whatever your body needs to feel free, as comfortable as possible in this moment. Getting ready to do nothing, nothing you need to do, nothing you need to be, nothing you need to feel, no one you need to please. There is only you, no expectation, no goal, no agenda, no way you can get this wrong. There's nothing you need to think about. Just getting comfortable for now, for this practice of non-doing, adjusting your body or your props in any way you need, so you can sink into the comfort. Check in with how you feel. Your setup should make you feel at ease, but not sleepy. If you do feel sleepy, you can make it slightly less warm, slightly less dark. You can also check your head position. If your chin is tucked in, it can simulate sleep. Try moving your head into a neutral alignment, chin neither tucked nor raised, and notice how it might change your energy and alertness. Try moving your head into a position where you feel relaxed, yet still alert, not sleepy. Set yourself up so you can stay awake and aware, and at the same time in peaceful ease. Check that your feet and ankles are relaxed, calves, knees, and thighs relaxed, hips relaxed, lower back, middle back, upper back relaxed, whole back melting, hands and arms relaxed, shoulder and neck relaxed, jaw, tongue, and cheeks relaxed, eyes, forehead, and scalp relaxed. Whole body is completely relaxed, nothing to do. Body is at ease. Awareness continues on. Yoga Nidra has now begun. Bring awareness within the body. Experiencing energetically, rather than physically. Several points will be mentioned. They are energetic pathways. Allow attention to move freely from one point to the next. No need to concentrate. Just moving awareness effortlessly. If at any time you feel the urge to let go of the guidance and drop into meditation, then drop in. If at any time you need to move, then move. Be effortless. Begin with the energetic point between the eyebrows. Effortless awareness of the point between the eyebrows, the hollow of the throat, shifting freely unattached, the right shoulder joint, elbow joint, wrist joint, the right thumb, tip of the index finger, tip of the middle finger, tip of the ring finger, tip of the little finger. Experiencing energetically the right wrist joint, elbow joint, shoulder joint, hollow of the throat, over to the left shoulder joint, elbow joint, wrist joint, the left thumb, tip of the index finger, tip of the middle finger, tip of the ring finger, tip of the little finger. Back up to the left wrist joint, elbow joint, shoulder joint, hollow of the throat, the heart center, the right side of the chest, the heart center, the left side of the chest, the heart center, the navel center, tip of the tailbone, the right hip joint, right knee joint, ankle joint, the right big toe, tip of the second toe, tip of the third toe, tip of the fourth toe, tip of the baby toe. Back up to the right ankle joint, knee joint, hip joint, tip of the tailbone, sweeping awareness to the left hip joint, left knee joint, ankle joint, the left big toe, tip of the second toe, tip of the third toe, tip of the fourth toe, tip of the baby toe. Back up to the left ankle joint, knee joint, hip joint, tip of the tailbone, the navel center, the heart center, hollow of the throat, the eyebrow center, the eyebrow center, the eyebrow center. Feel as if you're breathing in and out through the point between the eyebrows in a straight line from the point between the eyebrows to the center of the brain. Breathing like this for several breaths now. Allow each breath to become subtle, breathing in a straight line from the point between the eyebrows to the center of the brain. Breath becoming subtler and subtler until the breath is almost imperceptible. Almost all doing has halted. Only listening remains. Preparing to leave, even listening behind, to experience what lies beyond. And when all doing ends, what remains is pure awareness, ever free, ever present, present through doing and non-doing, constant, eternal. Awareness is what remains when all doing ends. Pure awareness. This is your essence. This is who you are. You, the awareness, are present through all of your walking life, dreaming life, deep sleep, and once again when you wake. You are the thread. You are the awareness. Aware through the pleasant and the unpleasant, success and failure, get ever free and unaffected by any. Free and unaffected. You are the pure awareness. There beneath all thinking and doing, you are at peace. You are at peace. You are the peace you've been looking for all along. You, yourself, there's nothing to seek, nothing to gain, no distance between what you seek and what you already are. You are it. So now, allow the brain to rest. There's nothing left to do. Release the mind, like an instrument you're holding on to. Release the mind. Let it go. Drop into the stillness and silence that remains. Drop into the stillness and silence. Rest in the peace of your own self. And 10 minutes here. Aum. Bringing awareness back to breath. Notice your body breathing. Feel your body breathing. Take a moment to enjoy the non doing of your breathing. Feel energy and awareness coming back into the body. Yoga Nidra is now complete. Take another breath. And if you feel like making gentle movements in the body, make them. If you feel like making larger movements, make them. Listening and moving when and how you like. And if you're lying down, roll to the side if it feels right. And if you like, take a moment to recall your experience. What will you take from your experience today? Make your way to sitting upright. Keep the eyes closed if you can. Feel the energy rising upward as you sit. Feel the body activating. The mind activating. And yet still remaining relaxed. I'll finish by chanting Aum and Shante three times each. Join in if you like. Notice the energy rise with the chant. Aum. Aum. Aum. Shante. Shante. Shante. If you have a Aum and a Shante that you can put in here that sounds better than me, that would be great. Thank you. Slowly, softly, open your eyes. And when you're ready, adjusting back into the room, back into your day, reconnected with the essence of your being.