Yoga Nidra FAQ by Julie Lusk as PDF

What Is Yoga Nidra? Yoga Nidra means “yogic sleep.”  It powerfully combines ancient yoga with contemporary science. It starts with a systematic process for shedding physical, mental, and emotional stress. Energy and alertness increase and unconditional peacefulness and quiet is uncovered. No yoga experience is needed. It is typically done lying down. It feels great!

What are the benefits of Yoga Nidra?  With regular practice, your health will improve.  Scientific studies have shown that real relaxation and yoga nidra helps with a variety of physical and mental problems.  It can boost your immune system, lower blood pressure, and decrease pain.  Though it’s not a substitute for sleeping, one hour of yoga nidra equals about 4 hours of typical sleep because the brain wave state we’re in is extremely restful and relaxing.  You’ll enjoy living with a clear head.  Eventually, mood swings and emotional upsets won’t bother you.  Your creativity and intuition will flourish in a positive and productive way.   Plus, your energy increases.   See more documented benefits of yoga nidra here.

Is Yoga Nidra different from hypnosis?   Yes.  In hypnosis, we’re in a brain wave state that is not as deep as in yoga nidra.  With hypnosis, someone else makes suggestions to us in this altered state.  In Yoga Nidra, positive suggestions originate and come from within ourselves for lasting and constructive change.  This is called setting a resolve, or sankalpa.

How is Yoga Nidra Done?  The purpose of yoga nidra is to completely relax physically, energetically, mentally, and emotionally.  Doing so is deeply soothing and it naturally awakens innate wisdom and intuition.  During the yoga nidra process, you’ll be invited to get comfortable lying down in the relaxation pose (savasana)  This is done on a yoga mat or something similar.  Specialized relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery are utilized for becoming extremely relaxed and to replenish energy. Yoga nidra effectively handles everyday tension and is capable of healing deep-seated stress. It is much more than a quick fix.

How does Yoga Nidra help me make positive changes?  What is a resolve, also called a sankalpa? The brain wave state we’re in during Yoga Nidra is fertile ground.  We’re both very relaxed and very receptive.  Setting a resolve during this time makes it completely possible to clear out useless habits and bring about positive and permanent changes in your personality and life.  So, choose something worthwhile that has meaning and significance for you as your resolve. Some examples are kindness, courage, and love or something to give meaning to your life purpose.  The sankalpa (resolve) is stated briefly, sincerely, and in the present tense at the beginning and end of yoga nidra.  Use the same one until it becomes a living reality.  Get more help on sankalpas here.

How often should I do Yoga Nidra?   Regular practice (daily to several times a week) is strongly recommended, especially if you want to reap the benefits.

Note:  Refer to Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief by Julie Lusk (NHP 2015) for a clear and complete information on yoga nidra.  It’s available at the WholesomeResources.com store and other online outlets.

The Map of Consciousness used during Yoga Nidra

One technique that is used to achieve the state of conscious awareness known as yoga nidra, is to mentally scan the body using a specific order and duration based on the sensory-motor cortex, also called the homunculus.  It is recommended to follow the same sequence to help bring about the movement of prana (life force) and create a healthy flow of energy.

If you look closely at the diagram of the brain’s sensory-motor cortex below, you will notice that more area is devoted to certain places than to others.  For instance, compare the relatively large amount of area dedicated to the hands and fingers with the small amount dedicated to the hips.  This is why more time is intentionally spent scanning the areas of the body with more of the brain dedicated to it during the practice.

Sensory-motor cortex © as shown in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief by Julie Lusk. Click image to enlarge.

The diagram below shows the subtle energy centers, called chakras, that are also mentally scanned.  Chakras are associated with physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health, and more.

Crown Chakra – Wisdom. Spirituality – Purple
Third Eye – Intuition.  Insight – Indigo Blue
Throat – Self expression. Communication – Blue
Heart –  Compassion.  Love. Kindness – Green
Solar Plexus – Self esteem. Confidence – Yellow
Sacral – Sensuality, intimacy, creativity – Orange 
Root –  Safety. To have.  To be – Red

Yoga_nidra_FAQ_by Julie Lusk as PDF

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NEW! Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation

Experience peace and deeply restorative rest that heals your body, mind & spirit. Features 24 Yoga Nidra scripts written by author Julie Lusk and 12 of the world's master teachers. Enjoy 6 levels of relaxation for a joyful meditative experience. Learn to use yogic sleep to revitalize your inner reservoir of intuitive understanding and unconditional joy. Audiobook available. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief - Print Book & Audio download

Yoga Nidra can stop tension in its tracks with a wonderfully, powerful & unique state of deep relaxation, mental clarity & insightful awareness. These practical, empowering relaxation exercises, meditations that soothe and visualizations that renew are based on classic yoga and backed by modern science. They’ll help you unwind, replenish, and feel refreshed with durable peace and unconditional joy. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra Essentials CD

Find your calm spot. Brighten your energy. Enjoy a more meaningful life. Experience 6 levels of relaxation. Reclaim optimal health for your body, mind & heart. Laura says "My focused mind easily. I was 100% worry-free. It's wonderful." By Julie Lusk, 6-time author. Digital downloads available.

Real Relaxation: Yoga Nidra CD (Shop @ Amazon / iTunes = We are sold out temporarily)

This takes you into a deeply relaxing and powerful state of being fully aware while being in the state of deep sleep.

Its many benefits include:

• Listening for 1 hour equals 4 hours sleep
• Improves immunity
• Increases heart health
• Relieves stress
• Brings inner peace and balance

Digital downloads are available.

CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra: Guided Meditations for Relaxation & Renewal Download

Get clear guidance to experience 6 levels of relaxation done lying down. This meditation replenishes energy. It delivers mental clarity as restless thoughts and emotional upsets fade away. Specialized breathing, guided imagery & mindful awareness are used. An inner reservoir of heartfelt peace, intuitive understanding & unconditional joy is revealed. One hour of practice equates to 4 hours of sleep.

Hi

I never thought I’d ever be a writer, national speaker or recording artist.  In fact, I had good reasons for those beliefs, but that’s a different story.  But here I am, living proof that if you allow the flow of life, intuition, grace, good relationships, synchronicity, inspiration and action to be your guide and foundation, surprising things happen.  Somehow, your own true purpose and path will find you and support your efforts (yes, it also takes honing your skills and hard work too).

These days, I’m fortunate to regularly offer weekly yoga classes in-person and virtually. National and international  workshops on yoga, meditation, guided imagery and deep relaxation are given.  This combo gives me a nice balance of having the joy and comfort of cultivating ongoing relationships and watching people grow in body, mind and spirit, with the stimulation and challenge of designing original workshops and retreats, meeting new people and traveling to interesting places.

Businesses, schools and various organizations often invite me in to offer training in Desktop Yoga (R), stress management, and wellness strategies.  It’s so rewarding to watch people begin feeling energized and empowered on the spot!

I love learning.  I earned a graduate degree from VA Tech in counseling and have received training in numerous types of yoga ranging from extremely relaxing to quite vigorous. This centered me on the middle path.  There have been plenty of courses and retreats in yoga nidra, meditation, guided imagery, deep relaxation, energy work, and music.  Of course, living life, and my family and friends, have taught me the most.  See more about my education, training, and publications here.

Wholesome Resources is the interesting business I developed over 20 years ago.  We believe that stress relief, wellness strategies, and mind-body techniques are essential ingredients for personal and professional happiness.  We offer training and workshops for large and small groups at both worksites and retreat centers.  Individual mentoring too.

In the past, my work has included being regional director of six hospital-based holistic health and wellness centers (2 yrs), director of a health management center at a large medical clinic (10 yrs), assistant dean of students at a liberal arts college (7 yrs), director of a community college special services program (4 years), volunteer director of the Alive & Well Coalition (5 yrs), an awareness counselor in WV (2 yrs) … and other duties as assigned.

My home, with my husband and dogs, is in the greater Cincinnati area.  For fun, I enjoy making friends, hiking, playing music (flute, drums, harmonium, didgeridoo), making art messes, and reading all sorts of stuff.  I look forward to meeting you!

Julie Lusk, M.Ed., NCC, RYT-E500

Wholesome Resources ~~  Founder & Chieftess

Wholesome Resources and Services Provided

Julie is available as a business and conference speaker and consultant to groups and individuals.  Her books, recordings and other materials are plentiful.

Presenter and Professional Speaker (partial list)

• Businesses: Procter & Gamble, Fidelity Investments, General Electric, City of Staunton, Ethicon/J&J, Xpedx, Convergys, Cincinnati Bell, Lewis-Gale Medical Center, Allstate Insurance and more
• Yoga and Meditation Centers:  Kripalu (19 years), Jesuit Spiritual Center (9 years), Discovery Yoga (4 years), Sivananda / Bahamas, Satchidananda (10 years)– Satchidananda Ashram/Yogaville (7 years) and more
• Colleges and Universities:  University of Cincinnati, Roanoke College, Virginia Tech, University of Western Australia, Hollins College, and more.
• National Conventions:  National Wellness Conference (16 years), NICABM ( 10 years), Speaking of Women’s Health  (4 years), National Flute Convention (2 years), International Symposium on Community Health (Washington, Hong Kong, Japan) and more.
• Non-Profit Groups:  American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Jamaican Cancer Society, Council of Community Services, American Red Cross and more.

Published Books 

• Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation, Llewellyn, Woodbury, MN. 2021
• Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, CA. 2015
• Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices for Awakening, Whole Person Associates, Duluth, MN. 2005
• Desktop Yoga, Penguin Group / Perigee Books, New York, NY.  1998.  Translated into Spanish, Dutch and German
• 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, Vol. 2, Whole Person Associates, Duluth, MN.  1993
• 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, Vol. 1, Whole Person Associates, Duluth, MN.  1992. Translated into Spanish and Italian

Audio Recordings

• Refreshing Journeys and many others (Whole Person Associates, Duluth, MN)
• Real Relaxation: Yoga Nidra (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Guided Mindfulness Meditations (Health Journeys)
• Yoga Nidra: Guided Meditations for Relaxation & Renewal (Health Journeys)
• Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Power of Presence CD (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Wholesome Relaxation CD (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Wholesome Energizers CD (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Blue Moon Rising CD (Kunaki Publishers / WR)
• Many other

E-Books 

• Mind Body Mastery:  Guided Imagery, Meditation, Real Relaxation
• Stress Solutions Now
• Power Napper – Guided Relaxation
• 108 Easy Energy Answers
• Yoga on the Go (coming soon)
  
• The Original Desktop Yoga (coming soon)
• Desktop Yoga Strategies to Calm Down, Get Energized, Spark Creativity & Reduce Frustration (coming soon)

Clients

Her clients have included Procter & Gamble, Fidelity Investments, University of Cincinnati, General Electric, City of Staunton, Ethicon/J&J, Xpedx, Convergys, Cincinnati Bell, Lewis-Gale Medical Center, Allstate Insurance and more.

Julie has developed stress management materials and wellness programs for such organizations as the City of Staunton, Roanoke College, Medco Health and many others.

Her relaxation, imagery and affirmation CD’s are being used on an ongoing basis at Good Samaritan Hospital, American Heart Association, Hospice of Cincinnati, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, American and Jamaican Cancer Societies, VA Tech and other organizations nationwide.

Media

She has appeared as a guest on numerous radio and television shows for CBS, ABC, FOX, ESPN and NBC affiliates, as well as South China Morning Post and Hong Kong Metro News Radio.

Yoga Journal, New Woman Magazine, Cincinnati Enquirer, Business Courier, Vegetarian Times, Body& Soul Journal for Holistic Living, Cincinnati Woman, IDEA Today, Roanoker, Wellness Management, among other publications, have featured Julie’s work in articles.

Julie’s Professional Awards and Commendations include 

• National Certified Counselor since 1985.  Julie was a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia for 20 years
• Registered E-500 Yoga Teacher via the Yoga Alliance since 2001
• YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider) since 2015
• Award for Excellence in Health Promotion – Wellness Councils of America
• Outstanding Community Service Award – Council of Community Services, Roanoke, Virginia
• Business Associate of the Year- American Business Women’s Association    

Please contact Julie Lusk now.

513-248-9642 (yoga)

Click here to email.

by Julie Lusk

30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing provides

• Reliable ways to relax, get stress relief and boost your energy
• Ways to look inside yourself so you can make valuable, well-informed decisions.
• Uncover a powerful resource – our intuition and instincts
• Safely benefit from your true feelings

PRINT BOOK: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 - NEW Print Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...

EBOOK Edition: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 -EBOOK Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK the green title link to find out more...

30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing is packed full of

• Fresh, easy-to-follow relaxation scripts
  to use personally or with others
• Designed for professionals and semi-professionals
• Includes strategies for stress relief and relaxation training exercises
  • Progressive muscular relaxation
  • Breathing techniques
  • Creative visualization
  • Guided imagery and guided meditation
    

    

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Table of Contents:  30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing   –  Vol.  2

Julie Lusk
Whole Person Associates Publisher

Becoming Relaxed
The cornerstone of all guided imagery work lies in the ability to relax the body, mind, and emotions. This is true whether you would like to awaken your intuition, communicate with your inner guide, connect with nature, or benefit from the healing visualizations. You will be wasting your time if you don’t relax first.

Practice the following exercises until you become comfortable doing them. The method used for relaxing isn’t important; being able to relax is. Relaxation opens the door to your inner resources. Try out each exercise several times and choose the ones that work best for you.

After you’ve mastered the relaxation exercises, explore the different types of guided visualizations in the other sections of this book, or of those from volume 1.

• Relaxing while Lying Down
  Learn to  lie down and relax by alternately tensing and relaxing all muscle groups and by mentally releasing tension. (10 minutes)
• Expanding and Contracting
  This short relaxation exercise, performed while lying down, combines progressive relaxation with breathing and body scanning techniques. (4 minutes)
• Magic Carpet Ride
  This deep breathing exercise works well for people who have difficulty with relaxed breathing. (15 minutes)
• Threshold Relaxation
  In this exercise, you will slightly tense a specific part of their body until it begins to feel tense. Once tension is felt, it is held a moment and then relaxed. Threshold Relaxation teaches participants to be sensitive to small changes in the body. Through practice (several times a day at first) the body learns what relaxation feels like in each muscle and how to regulate itself in automatic and unconscious ways. (12 minutes)
• Heavy
  This script helps you experience the freshness of spirit and calmness of mind that results from passive attention to the rhythm of their breathing and the relaxed heaviness in their hands and feet. (15 minutes)
• Warm
  This autogenic relaxation routine asks participants to gently focus on warmth spreading through their bodies, bringing complete relaxation and a sense of personal peace and renewal. (15 minutes)
• Relaxation Training for Children
  This entertaining relaxation script is perfect for children (and adults) because it teaches them how to tense and relax their muscles while utilizing their fantasy and imagination skills. (12 minutes)

Nature and the Environment
This section contains a variety of guided meditations that will help deepen your ability to relax and sharpen your ability to visualize, whether you visualize by using your imagination to see, feel, smell, or hear the scenes described. When you practice using all your senses, your experience will be enriched.

Getting in touch with nature is soothing, inspiring, and healing. To get the most out of these visualizations, first take the time to thoroughly relax. Remember to briefly describe the content of the guided visualization to the people you are working with. If a particular setting makes anyone uncomfortable, select a different script.

• Finding Your Own Sacred Place
  Participants are gently guided into a relaxed state of being and then given instructions for discovering and exploring a comfortable, personal sacred place. (20 minutes)
• Mountain Tops
  A mountain top is the setting for this relaxing journey to relaxation and renewal. (8 minutes)
• Caribbean Vacation
  This guided meditation promotes inner peace, beauty, renewal, and release of negativity. Participants are encouraged to feel connected and grounded to the universe. (10 minutes)
• Mighty Pine
  Participants take an imaginary walk into a grove of trees to find a mighty pine tree from which they draw strength and energy. (10 minutes)
• Listening to Mother Earth
  This script can help participants experience their connection to Mother Earth and learn from her wisdom. (5 minutes)
• Flying
  This script begins with a relaxation exercise that emphasizes the feelings of heaviness and lightness to help participants more fully experience the imagery of flying. (20 minutes)
• Hot Tubbing
  Participants experience feelings of peace and understanding by imagining they are lounging in an outdoor hot tub. (5 minutes)

Inner Answers
Using the guided imagery exercises in this section will help you listen to what you already know. In other words, you will awaken your intuition to help you be consistent and in alignment with your own inner, individual truth.

These scripts are written to unlock your creative potential, provide you with insights, help you see patterns and possibilities, and understand yourself better. In order for this to happen, it is crucial to relax your body and quiet your mind first. So be sure to use a relaxation exercise whenever you are instructed to do so.

Read Awakening Intuition by Frances E. Vaughan for more information about accessing your intuitive self.

• Cruise Meditation
  This script helps participants receive special messages from their own personal inner guide. (8 minutes)
• Imagery for Nurturing Your Inner Child
  In this guided imagery, each participant is invited to meet and lovingly nurture his or her inner child. (10 minutes)
• Your Private Space
  This visualization works well with individuals in weight classes and in other classes dealing with the need for boundaries, protection, positive body image, healing, and unconditional love. (15 minutes)
• Body, Mind, Soul
  Help your clients get in touch with their body, mind, and soul while they increase personal awareness and create personal strength and well-being. (8 minutes)
• Visiting Your Heart’s House
  In this script, participants equip themselves to meet lifeís challenges by receiving insightful and helpful gifts from an ancient chest located in their heart’s house. (18 minutes)

PRINT BOOK: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 - NEW Print Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...

EBOOK Edition: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 -EBOOK Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK the green title link to find out more...

Healing
The mind and body are one, and what you believe and feel are reflected in your body. Sometimes your thoughts may lead to illness, aches, and pains; and other times, they can lead to exhilarating feelings of joy, pleasure, and peacefulness. Likewise, the condition of your body and the way it is feeling affect your thoughts. This is why it is impossible to worry when you feel relaxed.

Much of the benefits derived from the following healing imageries come from the necessary first step of calming and centering the body and mind. Therefore, it is important to perform a relaxation exercise whenever a script calls for one. Read the works of Bernie Siegel, Jeanne Achterberg, Joan Borysenko, Patrick Fanning, and Deepak Chopra for an in-depth look at how and why healing imageries work.

• Healing Firemen
  This visualization was developed for aiding in the healing process for any illness. It is particularly well-suited for cancer patients who are receiving radiation treatment or taking drugs. (12 minutes)
• At Peace with Pain
  This visualization is designed to help meet the challenge of severe and persistent pain. It relies on the paradox of acceptance and surrender as a way of gaining power, not of giving up. (20 minutes)
• Pond of Love
  In this script, participants sit beside an imaginary pond that radiates love. Endless variations can be created by substituting different characteristics and virtues radiating from the pond. For instance, the pond may be full of peace, understanding, or forgiveness. You may also want to let participants choose the characteristics on their own. (8 minutes)
• Inner Smile
  This gentle relaxation exercise has its roots in Zen meditation and will leave participants feeling inner harmony and happiness. (10 minutes)
• Thoughts Library
  This script can help participants control wandering, stressful, distracting thoughts by having them exchange these thoughts for relaxing ones. Participants visualize putting away unwanted thoughts in a book with vinyl see-through pages and then opening up another imaginary book to experience a relaxing and beautiful ocean scene. (15 minutes)

Personal Growth
Many people find it hard to make decisions, and many others find it difficult to make positive lifestyle changes. If this is true for you or your clients, try out these guided visualizations. Give your body and mind the chance to work for you instead of against you.

Read Creative Visualization and Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain for a description of the principles used in these scripts.

As always, be certain to use a relaxation script whenever advised to do so, and feel free to modify these scripts to fit your situation.

• Visualizing Change
  In this script, participants spend time exploring and visualizing a desired behavioral change to enhance the change process. (10 minutes)
• Stop Smoking Relaxation Exercise
  This script is intended to be used in conjunction with a smoking cessation program or a strategies for quitting program. It begins with a passive progressive muscle relaxation exercise to put participants at ease then offers positive suggestions on becoming smoke-free. (18 minutes)
• Imagery to Increase Basal Metabolic Rate (Learning Script)
  This and the following imagery script focus on weight control by having participants imagine increasing their basal metabolic rates (BMR), which stands for the number of calories burned at rest. (12 minutes)
• Imagery to Increase Basal Metabolic Rate (Shorter Script)
  This script should be used after participants have gone through the preceding script several times. (8 minutes)
• Peace for People Experiencing Grief
  This gentle and loving script helps people deal with their grief by guiding them to a special place full of beauty and healing energy. In this place, the grief and pain surrounding loss begins to be soothed and relieved. (25 minutes)
• On Being a Wellness Professional
  This guided visualization helps participants discover a career path to follow that is in keeping with their inner talents and interests. Although it is written with a focus on professionals in the field of wellness, it can be adapted for almost any profession. (15 minutes)

PRINT BOOK: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 - NEW Print Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...

EBOOK Edition: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing - Volume 2 -EBOOK Edition

Enjoy and benefit from over 30 scripts for learning and leading guided relaxation and imagery techniques. Volume 2. CLICK the green title link to find out more...

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Data Used: To deliver this functionality and record activities around site management, the following information is captured: user email address, user role, user login, user display name, WordPress.com and local user IDs, the activity to be recorded, the WordPress.com-connected site ID of the site on which the activity takes place, the site’s Jetpack version, and the timestamp of the activity. Some activities may also include the actor’s IP address (login attempts, for example) and user agent.

Activity Tracked: Login attempts/actions, post and page update and publish actions, comment/pingback submission and management actions, plugin and theme management actions, widget updates, user management actions, and the modification of other various site settings and options. Retention duration of activity data depends on the site’s plan and activity type. See the complete list of currently-recorded activities (along with retention information).

Data Synced (?): Successful and failed login attempts, which will include the actor’s IP address and user agent.

Carousel
Image views are only recorded if the site owner, has explicitly enabled image view stats tracking for this feature via the jetpack_enable_carousel_stats filter.

Data Used: If image view tracking is enabled, the following information is used: IP address, WordPress.com user ID (if logged in), WordPress.com username (if logged in), user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code.

Activity Tracked: Image views.

Comment Likes

Data Used: In order to process a comment like, the following information is used: WordPress.com user ID/username (you must be logged in to use this feature), the local site-specific user ID (if the user is signed in to the site on which the like occurred), and a true/false data point that tells us if the user liked a specific comment. If you perform a like action from one of our mobile apps, some additional information is used to track the activity: IP address, user agent, timestamp of event, blog ID, browser language, country code, and device info.

Activity Tracked: Comment likes.

Contact Form
Data Used: If Akismet is enabled on the site, the contact form submission data — IP address, user agent, name, email address, website, and message — is submitted to the Akismet service (also owned by Automattic) for the sole purpose of spam checking. The actual submission data is stored in the database of the site on which it was submitted and is emailed directly to the owner of the form (i.e. the site author who published the page on which the contact form resides). This email will include the submitter’s IP address, timestamp, name, email address, website, and message.

Data Synced (?): Post and post meta data associated with a user’s contact form submission. If Akismet is enabled on the site, the IP address and user agent originally submitted with the comment are synced, as well, as they are stored in post meta.

Google Analytics

Data Used: Please refer to the appropriate Google Analytics documentation for the specific type of data it collects. For sites running WooCommerce (also owned by Automattic) and this feature simultaneously and having all purchase tracking explicitly enabled, purchase events will send Google Analytics the following information: order number, product id and name, product category, total cost, and quantity of items purchased. Google Analytics does offer IP anonymization, which can be enabled by the site owner.

Activity Tracked: This feature sends page view events (and potentially video play events) over to Google Analytics for consumption. For sites running WooCommerce-powered stores, some additional events are also sent to Google Analytics: shopping cart additions and removals, product listing views and clicks, product detail views, and purchases. Tracking for each specific WooCommerce event needs to be enabled by the site owner.

Infinite Scroll
Data Used: In order to record page views via WordPress.com Stats (which must be enabled for page view tracking here to work) with additional loads, the following information is used: IP address, WordPress.com user ID (if logged in), WordPress.com username (if logged in), user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code.

Activity Tracked: Page views will be tracked with each additional load (i.e. when you scroll down to the bottom of the page and a new set of posts loads automatically). If the site owner has enabled Google Analytics to work with this feature, a page view event will also be sent to the appropriate Google Analytics account with each additional load.

Jetpack Comments
Data Used: Commenter’s name, email address, and site URL (if provided via the comment form), timestamp, and IP address. Additionally, a jetpack.wordpress.com IFrame receives the following data: WordPress.com blog ID attached to the site, ID of the post on which the comment is being submitted, commenter’s local user ID (if available), commenter’s local username (if available), commenter’s site URL (if available), MD5 hash of the commenter’s email address (if available), and the comment content. If Akismet (also owned by Automattic) is enabled on the site, the following information is sent to the service for the sole purpose of spam checking: commenter’s name, email address, site URL, IP address, and user agent.

Activity Tracked: The comment author’s name, email address, and site URL (if provided during the comment submission) are stored in cookies. Learn more about these cookies.

Data Synced (?): All data and metadata (see above) associated with comments. This includes the status of the comment and, if Akismet is enabled on the site, whether or not it was classified as spam by Akismet.

Likes

Data Used: In order to process a post like action, the following information is used: IP address, WordPress.com user ID, WordPress.com username, WordPress.com-connected site ID (on which the post was liked), post ID (of the post that was liked), user agent, timestamp of event, browser language, country code.

Activity Tracked: Post likes.

Mobile Theme
Data Used: A visitor’s preference on viewing the mobile version of a site.

Activity Tracked: A cookie (akm_mobile) is stored for 3.5 days to remember whether or not a visitor of the site wishes to view its mobile version. Learn more about this cookie.

Notifications
This feature is only accessible to registered users of the site who are logged in to WordPress.com.

Data Used: IP address, WordPress.com user ID, WordPress.com username, WordPress.com-connected site ID and URL, Jetpack version, user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code. Some visitor-related information or activity may be sent to the site owner via this feature. This may include: email address, WordPress.com username, site URL, email address, comment content, follow actions, etc.

Activity Tracked: Sending notifications (i.e. when we send a notification to a particular user), opening notifications (i.e. when a user opens a notification that they receive), performing an action from within the notification panel (e.g. liking a comment or marking a comment as spam), and clicking on any link from within the notification panel/interface.

Protect
Data Used: In order to check login activity and potentially block fraudulent attempts, the following information is used: attempting user’s IP address, attempting user’s email address/username (i.e. according to the value they were attempting to use during the login process), and all IP-related HTTP headers attached to the attempting user.

Activity Tracked: Failed login attempts (these include IP address and user agent). We also set a cookie (jpp_math_pass) for 1 day to remember if/when a user has successfully completed a math captcha to prove that they’re a real human. Learn more about this cookie.

Data Synced (?): Failed login attempts, which contain the user’s IP address, attempted username or email address, and user agent information.

Search

Data Used: Any of the visitor-chosen search filters and query data in order to process a search request on the WordPress.com servers.

Sharing
Data Used: When sharing content via email (this option is only available if Akismet is active on the site), the following information is used: sharing party’s name and email address (if the user is logged in, this information will be pulled directly from their account), IP address (for spam checking), user agent (for spam checking), and email body/content. This content will be sent to Akismet (also owned by Automattic) so that a spam check can be performed. Additionally, if reCAPTCHA (by Google) is enabled by the site owner, the sharing party’s IP address will be shared with that service. You can find Google’s privacy policy here.

Subscriptions
Data Used: To initiate and process subscriptions, the following information is used: subscriber’s email address and the ID of the post or comment (depending on the specific subscription being processed). In the event of a new subscription being initiated, we also collect some basic server data, including all of the subscribing user’s HTTP request headers, the IP address from which the subscribing user is viewing the page, and the URI which was given in order to access the page (REQUEST_URI and DOCUMENT_URI). This server data used for the exclusive purpose of monitoring and preventing abuse and spam.

Activity Tracked: Functionality cookies are set for a duration of 347 days to remember a visitor’s blog and post subscription choices if, in fact, they have an active subscription.

Video Hosting

Data Used: For video play tracking via WordPress.com Stats, the following information is used: viewer’s IP address, WordPress.com user ID (if logged in), WordPress.com username (if logged in), user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code. If Google Analytics is enabled, video play events will be sent there, as well.

Activity Tracked: Video plays.

WordPress.com Secure Sign On
This feature is only accessible to registered users of the site with WordPress.com accounts.

Data Used: User ID (local site and WordPress.com), role (e.g. administrator), email address, username and display name. Additionally, for activity tracking (see below): IP address, WordPress.com user ID, WordPress.com username, WordPress.com-connected site ID and URL, Jetpack version, user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code.

Activity Tracked: The following usage events are recorded: starting the login process, completing the login process, failing the login process, successfully being redirected after login, and failing to be redirected after login. Several functionality cookies are also set, and these are detailed explicitly in our Cookie documentation.

Data Synced (?): The user ID and role of any user who successfully signed in via this feature.

WordPress.com Stats
Data Used: IP address, WordPress.com user ID (if logged in), WordPress.com username (if logged in), user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code. Important: The site owner does not have access to any of this information via this feature. For example, a site owner can see that a specific post has 285 views, but he/she cannot see which specific users/accounts viewed that post. Stats logs — containing visitor IP addresses and WordPress.com usernames (if available) — are retained by Automattic for 28 days and are used for the sole purpose of powering this feature.

Activity Tracked: Post and page views, video plays (if videos are hosted by WordPress.com), outbound link clicks, referring URLs and search engine terms, and country. When this module is enabled, Jetpack also tracks performance on each page load that includes the Javascript file used for tracking stats. This is exclusively for aggregate performance tracking across Jetpack sites in order to make sure that our plugin and code is not causing performance issues. This includes the tracking of page load times and resource loading duration (image files, Javascript files, CSS files, etc.). The site owner has the ability to force this feature to honor DNT settings of visitors. By default, DNT is currently not honored.

WordPress.com Toolbar
This feature is only accessible to registered users of the site who are also logged in to WordPress.com.

Data Used: Gravatar image URL of the logged-in user in order to display it in the toolbar and the WordPress.com user ID of the logged-in user. Additionally, for activity tracking (detailed below): IP address, WordPress.com user ID, WordPress.com username, WordPress.com-connected site ID and URL, Jetpack version, user agent, visiting URL, referring URL, timestamp of event, browser language, country code.

Activity Tracked: Click actions within the toolbar.

Events:  We use Google services to generate maps and provide autocompletion when searching for events by location, which may collect data via your browser in accordance to Google’s privacy policy.