Yoga Nidra for Dream Recall: Guided Meditation

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is Yoga Nidra?
3. Benefits of Yoga Nidra for Dream Work and Increased Dream Recall
4. How to Prepare for a Yoga Nidra Session
5. The Yoga Nidra Session for Dream Work and Increased Dream Recall
6. Exploring Mental Fogginess and Mental Clarity
7. The Experience of Forgetfulness and Remembrance
8. Shifting Focus to the Intuitive Wisdom Body
9. Conclusion
10. Additional Resources

The Yoga Nidra Session for Dream Work and Increased Dream Recall

Welcome to The Yoga Nidra session for dream work and increased dream recall. My name is Aaron, and I'll be guiding You on this Journey. In this practice, you will be guided to reprogram your mind to more easily remember multiple dreams each night, as well as to Create a deeper connection with yourself via the dream state.

What is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a powerful meditation technique that allows you to enter a state of deep relaxation while remaining fully conscious. It is often referred to as "yogic sleep" because it induces a state of consciousness that is similar to the state of mind that occurs just before falling asleep.

Benefits of Yoga Nidra for Dream Work and Increased Dream Recall

Yoga Nidra has many benefits for dream work and increased dream recall. It can help you:

• Enter a state of deep relaxation, which can help you fall asleep more easily and sleep more soundly.
• Increase your awareness of the dream state, which can help you remember your dreams more easily.
• Develop a deeper connection with yourself and your inner wisdom.
• Reduce stress and anxiety, which can interfere with dream recall.

How to Prepare for a Yoga Nidra Session

Before beginning a Yoga Nidra session, it is important to create a comfortable and quiet space where you will not be disturbed. You may want to lay on your yoga mat or even in your bed. Once you have found your spot, lay in a position with the back, Spine, and energy centers aligned. Rest your arms comfortably at your side or place one HAND on the stomach and the other on your heart.

The Yoga Nidra Session for Dream Work and Increased Dream Recall

In this Yoga Nidra session, you will be guided to reprogram your mind to more easily remember multiple dreams each night, as well as to create a deeper connection with yourself via the dream state.

Begin by taking in a deep breath through the nose, holding at the top, and releasing through the mouth on a sigh, letting go of any tension, tightness, or stress in the body. Do this on your own three more times, then release control of the breath and allow it to settle into its natural rhythm.

Allow awareness to open into the room space or environment in which you lay. Note the sensations of firmness and comfort beneath the body. Feel yourself supported by the Earth rising to meet you. Feel yourself supported by space holding you in its soft, warm, luminous embrace.

Take a moment to connect to your goal of remembering your dreams when you wake in the morning and even perhaps realizing you're dreaming while you're dreaming during the night. Envision yourself waking in the morning, not moving, not opening your eyes. Envision yourself rousing from slumber and asking yourself, "What was I just doing? Who was I just with? Where was I just at?" and Sense all the details flowing into your mind with ease and effortlessness.

Envision yourself writing in your dream journal. The date of the previous night is written at the top of the page, followed by the title that you gave the dream, as well as any emotions that characterize the dream. See yourself writing your dream in Vivid Detail.

Bring the focus of awareness to the heart center. Allow a sensation of joy, appreciation, and gratitude to rise in the heart space. It is here because of your appreciation for having remembered your dreams. On each natural, effortless inhale, allow this sensation to grow, and on each natural, effortless exhale, Continue to release any tension from the body.

Shift the focus of awareness to the throat chakra at the pit of the throat. Resolve in your mind once again to remember your dreams. Allow the sensation of your intention to travel to the third eye chakra point, the space between the eyebrows. In this open, boundless space of awareness, you can implant your intention deeper into the mind, and with proper nurturing, it will manifest itself into your reality.

Allow a short, precise statement of intention to remember your dreams to flow into the space of the mind, such as "I always remember my dreams" or "I am a master of remembering my dreams," or any other statement that you like. Repeat this to yourself mentally three times.

Shift the focus of awareness into the space of the physical body, the Annamaya kosha. Rotate consciousness throughout the body, releasing and relaxing while placing the affirmation "I remember my dreams" at each location.

Place your focus on your right hand, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, the back of the hand, the right Palm, the entire right hand, the right wrist, forearm, elbow, upper right arm, right shoulder, the right side of the chest, right armpit, the right side ribs, the right upper abdomen, the right lower abdomen, the right pubic bone, right side of the pelvis, right hip, right glute, the right thigh, knee, shin, the right ankle, right heel, sole of the right foot.

Settle the focus of awareness on the right big toe, Second toe, third toe, fourth toe, pinky toe, and the entire right foot. All the right toes and the entire right foot. Right leg, right side body, right arm, right hand. Settle the focus of awareness on the entire right side of the body, relaxing, settling, and infusing your intention to remember your dreams into the entire right side of the body.

Shift your focus to your left hand, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, pinky finger, back of the left hand, the left palm, the entire left hand, left wrist, forearm, elbow, upper left arm, left shoulder, the left side of the chest, left armpit, left side ribs, left upper abdomen, left lower abdomen, the left pubic bone, left side of the pelvis, left hip, left glute, the left thigh, knee, shin, the left ankle, left heel, sole of the left foot.

Settle the focus of awareness on the left big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, pinky toe, the entire left foot. All the left toes and the entire left foot. Left leg, left side body, left arm, left hand. Settle the focus of awareness on the entire left side of the body, relaxing, settling, and infusing your intention to remember your dreams into the entire left side of the body.

Shift the focus of awareness to the tip of the tongue, all the way down to the root of the tongue, the roof of the mouth, the upper gums and teeth, the lower gums and teeth, the inner right cheek, inner left cheek, the upper lip, and the lower lip. Left cheekbone, right cheekbone, and down into the jaws. Allow the eyes to rest back in their sockets. Release all the muscles behind the eyes and around the eyes. Each eye itself, the right eye, the left eye, the right eyebrow, the left eyebrow, the space between the eyebrows, the forehead, right temple, left temple, the crown of the head, and the entire scalp.

Settle the focus of awareness on the right hemisphere of the brain. Imagine that it's a muscle and relax the entire right hemisphere of the brain. Then the left hemisphere of the brain. Relax the entire left hemisphere of the brain. Sense and relax the entire central nervous system, both hemispheres of the brain, the entire brain from the prefrontal cortex, both hemispheres, back down into the brain stem and down the entire spinal column.

Experience both the left and right hemispheres of the brain, the entire central nervous system, the left and right sides of the body, both legs, torso, and back, both arms, neck, head, and face. Experience the entire body all together, the entire body as one.

Shift the focus of awareness to the Prana Maya kosha, the energetic breath body. Sense the breath permeating the space of the entire body like a light in a room, like perfume in the air. Allow the body to breathe the breath easily, naturally, and effortlessly.

Starting at 50 and counting down to zero, note the count at the top of each inhale and at the bottom of each exhale. If you lose track of your count, start back over at 50. Release counting the breath. Release any attachments to any desires to count the breath or to reach zero or to finish. There is nothing to finish.

Shift the focus of awareness into your emotional body, the Manomaya kosha. In this space of your being, you will explore opposing sensations and elements while strengthening your ability to rest in equanimity and harmony no matter what experience presents itself.

Explore the sensation of mental fogginess in the mind. Allow the sensation or experience of mental fogginess or haziness to arise in the space of the mind. Notice if there are any accompanying sensations or experiences that arise in any other place of the body when mental fogginess arises in the mind. Note how mental fogginess affects the memory capacity to think or to remember. If there is a memory of mental fogginess that arises accompanying the sensation, allow it to arise and witness it. Do not judge it, criticize it, pull it in, or push it away. Simply observe it and allow it to be. Observe the experience of mental fogginess, how it arises in the mind and the body.

Now allow all sensations, memories, and experiences of mental fogginess to be released from the space of awareness. Allow them to collapse back into the pure, unconfigured potential, back into emptiness. Release them from your experience and rest in a place of neutrality.

Explore the sensation of mental clarity. Allow the sensation or the experience of mental clarity to arise in the space of the mind. Notice if there are any accompanying sensations or experiences that arise in the body when the experience of mental clarity arises in the mind. Note how mental clarity affects the memory capacity to think or to remember. If memories, stories, or narratives surrounding mental clarity begin to also arise in the space of awareness, do not judge them, criticize them, pull them in, or push them away. Simply observe and allow them to be while you observe and remain present with what arises.

Allow the experience of mental clarity to fill the space of the body, body, and the mind. Notice how does it feel to be mentally clear. Experience mental clarity.

Now return to the experience of mental fogginess. Mental fogginess, then back to mental clarity. Allow the focus of awareness to shift and alternate between mental fogginess and mental clarity until you can hold space for both without judgment and without criticism. Allow both experiences to arise as a single experience. If you feel yourself shifting into a place of imagining and visualizing, see if you can gently release the need or desire to Visualize and rest in a place of observation, observing the pure experience of both mental fogginess and mental clarity.

Now allow all sensations, memories, and experiences of both mental fogginess and mental clarity to be released from the space of awareness. Allow them to collapse back into pure, unconfigured potentiality, back into emptiness. Release them from your experience and rest in a place of neutrality.

From this place of groundedness, allow the experience of forgetfulness to arise in the space of awareness. Allow the experience of forgetfulness to fill the space of the mind and simply observe. Observe the experience of forgetfulness in the mind and note if there are any corresponding sensations or experiences of forgetfulness that arise in the space of the body. What places in the body does forgetfulness arise? Notice how forgetfulness feels when it arises. If there are any stories, memories, or narratives that arise that illustrate your experience of forgetfulness, once again, do not judge them, criticize them, pull them in, or push them away. Simply allow them to be while you observe and remain present with what arises.

Now allow all sensations, memories, and experiences of forgetfulness to be released from the space of awareness. Allow them to collapse back into pure, unconfigured potentiality, back into emptiness. Release them from your experience and rest in a place of neutrality.

From this place of groundedness, allow the experience of remembrance to arise in the space of awareness. Allow the experience of remembrance to fill the space of the mind and simply observe. Observe the experience of remembrance in the mind and note if there are any corresponding sensations or experiences of remembrance that arise in the space of the body. What places in the body does remembrance arise? Notice how remembrance feels when it arises. If there are any stories, memories, or narratives that arise that illustrate your experience of remembrance, do not judge them, criticize them, pull them in, or push them away. Simply allow them to be while you observe and remain present with what arises.

Allow the experience of remembrance to fill the body and the mind. Notice how does it feel to remember. Experience remembrance.

Now return to the experience of forgetfulness. Forgetfulness, then back to remembrance. Allow the focus of awareness to shift and alternate between forgetfulness and remembrance until you can hold space for both without judgment and without criticism. Allow both experiences to arise as a single experience. If you feel yourself shifting into a place of imagining and visualizing, see if you can gently release the need or desire to visualize and rest in a place of observation, observing the pure experience of both forgetfulness and remembrance.

Now allow all sensations, memories, and experiences of both forgetfulness and remembrance to be released from the space of awareness. Allow them to collapse back into pure, unconfigured potentiality, back into emptiness. Release them from your experience and rest in a place of neutrality.

Shift the focus of awareness into the intuitive wisdom body, the Vijnana Maya kosha. Allow the focus of awareness to settle in the space between the eyebrows at the third eye chakra point. In this open, boundless space of the mind, allow the following images in this rapid visualization sequence to arise. Allow any accompanying sensations to arise in the space of the body, but do not become attached to any image or sensation. Allow them to arise and collapse back into the space of awareness while you remain grounded in the witnessing mode of experience.

• A staircase spiraling into infinity
• Illegible text on a page shifting and moving
• A kaleidoscope of vibrant, changing colors
• A finger being pushed through the palm of a hand
• A butterfly emerging from a cocoon
• Feet floating effortlessly up from the ground
• Rows and rows of books lining the walls, the floors, and the Ceiling
• Your face being reflected back to you in a giant mirror
• A clear Blue sky on an Autumn afternoon
• A hand and writing in a dream journal

Shift the focus of awareness back to the body. Quickly scan the body and notice if any habitual tension has come back into the space of the body. Release and relax this tension, allowing it to flow away.

Allow your Sankalpa or positive statement of intention that you started this session with to flow back into the space of the mind. Mentally repeat it to yourself three times with the exact same wording and intonation as when you first began this session.

Become aware of the natural rhythm of the breath. Witness the body breathing quietly and rhythmically.

Shift the focus of awareness back to the body. You may begin to gently stimulate it with a bit of motion. Then, whenever you're ready, Roll onto the right side of the body into the fetal position. You can continue to lay here or rise whenever you're ready.

Conclusion

Yoga Nidra is a powerful meditation technique that can help you enter a state of deep relaxation while remaining fully conscious. It can help you increase your awareness of the dream state, develop a deeper connection with yourself and your inner wisdom, and reduce stress and anxiety.

In this Yoga Nidra session, you were guided to reprogram your mind to more easily remember multiple dreams each night, as well as to create a deeper connection with yourself via the dream state.

Remember to practice this Yoga Nidra session regularly to reap the benefits of increased dream recall and deeper connection with yourself.

Additional Resources

If you wish to dive deeper into dream work and lucid dreaming, check out the 2023 Workshop series on Dream Work and lucid dreaming for self-care and personal development. In the description box, you'll find a number of resources, including a link to all of the 2023 Dream Work workshops and a free Dream Work practice guide.