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Śaṅkarācārya Madhyāmam, Asmadācārya Paryantam, Vande Guru Paramparām. Gurur Brahmā, Gurur Viṣṇu, Gurur Devo Maheśvaraḥ, Gurur Sākṣāt Para Brahma, Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. Mannātha, Śrī Jagannātha, Madguru, Śrī Jagadguru, Mamātmā, Sarvabhūtātmā, Tasmai Śrī Gurave Namaḥ. Salutations to the Cosmic Self. My greetings to the Cosmic Me, my sincere greetings to our Paramparā, my Daṇḍavat Praṇām to Vishwagurujī, my greetings to all the Sannyāsīs. Hari Om, and good evening to all of you. For those watching via webcast from the beautiful Strelka, welcome. Today we will practice Yoga Nidrā. Please lie on your backs, head towards the altar. This will be a special Yoga Nidrā. Sometimes we go to the seaside or the forest, but today we are going somewhere special—a surprise you will see later. Place your hands beside your body, palms facing upwards. It is a warm day, but if you feel cold, you may cover yourselves. Close your eyes. Adjust your body so you will not need to move. Yoga Nidrā is a mental practice, not a physical one. There should be no physical movements. Relax. Relax your whole body. Relax your hands, arms, legs, and eyes. No concentration, no imagination, no thoughts. Just listen and follow my words and my voice. Now we will repeat our saṅkalpa three times. Make it short and positive—something you know and are manifesting to come true. Relax the whole body. Feel the whole body. Take a deep inhalation and a deep exhalation. Relax the body from the tips of your toes to the crown of your head, and from the top of your head to the bottom of your toes. Relax every muscle, every nerve, and the breathing process. Feel your natural breath flowing from the navel up to the throat with each inhalation, and from the throat back to the navel with each exhalation. When we inhale, we draw prāṇa, the vital energy, inside. When we exhale, we remove all toxins and negative energies. Try not to fall asleep, but do not fight sleep. If sleep comes, simply tell yourself, "I am practicing Yoga Nidrā." Try to witness your sleep. The main point is to be relaxed. Say to yourself, "Relax, my friend. Relax for the time being. Relax and let me be one with myself." Relax your arms, shoulders, neck, face muscles, jaw, eyelids, eyebrows, all back muscles, stomach, hip joints, buttocks, and legs. Feel your relaxation. Feel how good it feels. While relaxing, notice that with inhalation your body feels slightly expanding, and with exhalation it contracts. With inhalation, your body feels very light; with exhalation, it feels very heavy. Feel the natural breath throughout the whole body. Inhalation feels like floating upwards; exhalation feels deeply relaxing, like after a full night’s sleep. It is dawn in the high Himalayas. The air is thin, fresh, and cool. Snow peaks glow golden with the first sunlight. You are standing in Mana village near Badrinath. Vishwagurujī is beside you, smiling warmly. He says, "Come, we will walk to Ālapurījī’s cave." You begin walking along a narrow, stony path. To your left, deep valleys open, filled with the sound of the Alaknandā river rushing below. On your right, tall cliffs rise towards the sky. The wind carries the scent of pine and cold mountain water. You cross a small wooden bridge over a glacial stream. The water is icy and clear. As you walk, the path rises gradually and the air becomes crisp. You pass herds of Himalayan goats grazing on the grass, the bells around their necks jingling softly. Snow patches appear along the path, shining in the sunlight. Ahead, you see Vasudhara Falls, a tall, silvery ribbon of water tumbling down from the rocks above. The mist from the falls touches your face, cool and pure. The path becomes steeper now, winding upwards along rocky steps. You hear nothing but the waterfall, the wind, and your own breath. Finally, you reach a narrow ledge, and just beyond it is the cave—the sacred cave. Above the doorway, you see the name: Alakpurījī Cave. Vishwagurujī steps inside, makes praṇām, and lights a beautiful dīpak. We all sit down and make praṇām from outside. Gurudev comes out and sits near the door of the cave. It is cool and silent, lit by the flame of the dīpak. The sound of the waterfall outside is soft now, like distant rain. Feel your breath slowing down. Inhale, and the cave fills with light. Exhale, and the light spreads to the whole world. Vishākhā Gurujī closes his eyes, entering a deep meditation, and you follow. The cave feels timeless, as if saints have been meditating there for thousands of years. A deep peace settles in your heart. Every thought disappears. There is only the presence of the Guru, the cave, and eternal silence. We feel the energy of Śrī Alakpurījī, who sat there meditating for years and years. We feel blessed to be part of this journey. We feel blessed that Gurudev has taken us on this journey with him. We feel the immense energy from the paramparā flowing through all of us. We feel an extreme wave of light coming through us, throughout the whole body. Tears flow from some of us—not from sadness, but from happiness, from the immense energy flowing through us, from the blessings of Gurudeva. We hear Viśvagurujī’s voice chanting, the sound going around the whole valley. Slowly, we make praṇām and come one by one to have darśan of the cave and Gurudev. Uvědomte si tu úžasnou energii—that immense blessing which we would wish for an entire hundred lives, we have finally received. He tells us, "I am always with you." And he says, "It is time to return." You step outside into the crisp mountain air. When we open our eyes, we see the sun is higher now, making the snow peaks shine brighter. You walk carefully back down the rocky steps. The mist of Vasudhara Falls touches your skin once more. You pass the same herds of Himalayan goats, still grazing. We cross the bridge again, hearing the icy stream rushing below us. The cliffs are now on the left, and the deep valley is to your right. The Alaknandā river sparkles far below. The path leads you back to Mana village. You arrive at the same spot where you began. Vishwagurujī looks into your eyes. He gazes and says, "The cave’s silence is now in your hearts. Carry it always." We bow to Viśvagurujī, making praṇām in gratitude. Feel your whole body. Relax and feel your right thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, back of your hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, right armpit, chest, waist, hip, thigh, ankle, heel, sole of the foot, top of the foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, and fifth toe. Left thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger, palm, back of the hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, left armpit, chest, waist, hip, thigh, ankle, sole of the foot, top of the foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe. Right buttock, left buttock, lower back, middle back, upper back, right shoulder blade, left shoulder blade, spine, back of the neck, back of the head, crown, forehead, right temple, left temple, right eye, left eye, eyelids, nose, nostrils, cheeks, lips, chin, jaw, throat, collarbone, right chest, left chest, center of the chest, ribs, stomach, navel, abdomen. Feel the whole body. Feel how relaxed you are, very light and very relaxed. Now we will repeat the saṅkalpa again three times. The saṅkalpa must be repeated at the beginning and end of Yoga Nidrā. Repeat it with the same feelings. Slowly become extroverted. Become aware of my voice, the sounds around us, the sound of your breath, the color of your clothes. Try to remember the friend lying beside you, the whole environment around you. Feel your breath. You know that you are not sleeping, but practicing Yoga Nidrā. Are you aware of the instructions I have given? You are completely relaxed. Feel the whole body from the toes to the top of the head, and from the top of the head to the toes. The body is comfortable and relaxed. If someone is sleeping beside you, please do not wake them. Just be sure for yourself that you are awake. Deeply inhale and exhale. Feel the body from the outside. Inhale and exhale deeply and slowly. Move your toes and fingers. Move your neck right and left. Move your hands and knees to the left. With closed eyes, slowly sit up facing the altar. Remain with closed eyes. Just feel yourself, and notice how relaxed and good you feel after the Yoga.