Yoga Nidra is known as the “conscious sleep” or conscious relaxation.
It is a type of meditation where you can experience total relaxation.
In tantra, it is believed that relaxation can only come through total awareness and can not be achieved through unconscious sleep.
45 minutes of Yoga Nidra equals 3 hours of sleep.
The practice of Yoga Nidra
First stage
You are lying in savasana, your body is relaxing on the floor.
For 45 minutes or less you get verbal instructions that you have to follow mentally while your body remains still on the floor.
Yoga nidra starts with a total body relaxation and a full relaxation of the senses.
Second stage
You are then called to choose your “sankalpa”, an intention formed by the heart and the mind that harnesses the will, focuses and harmonizes mind and body. Sankalpa is going to be planted in your mind to be worked through out the practice.
An example of Sankalpa could be, “I have a strong and healthy body “ or “ I am healthy”.
Third Stage
Rambling of Consciousness around the body. This is a mental process and no movement of the body is needed. You just have to listen to the voice of the instructor and to make sure that you are not falling asleep.
Fourth Stage
Bringing the awareness to the breath.
You just breath normally in your pace, no effort is needed to change or to control your breath.
This stage brings a deeper relaxation to your system and awakens the higher realms of energy by bringing them down into your vital cells.
Fifth Stage
Senses & Emotions.
The goal in this stage is to awaken and recall the unexpressed emotions, bring it forth and then release it so that your emotional state can be relieved from past experiences and memories.
Sixth Stage
Visualization for mental relaxation.
In this stage you just visualize the images that the instructor describes.
This stage clears your mental state from unwanted thoughts and leads your brain into “darana”, a full concentration so that visualization can become meditation and you can experience unity.
Last Stage
The practice finishes with an image of deep calmness that makes your brain receptive to positive afirmations.
This is the time that you repeat your sankalpa.
The yoga nidra finishes, the instructor asks you to come back to your full awareness and slowly sit up again.
The Benefits of Yoga Nidra
1. Stress Relief
Yoga nidra promotes deep rest and relaxation that isn’t found in your average meditation practice.
2. Brings Joy Into Your Life
The practice of yoga nidra has some pretty powerful psychological benefits as well. It can assist in healing psychological wounds and assists those dealing with depression and dependency. It supports your wellbeing.
3. Helps with Insomnia
The practice of Yoga Nidra calms and balances your nervous system.
By visualization and breathing awareness unwanted thoughts and unexpressed feelings that makes it hard for you to sleep, are released.
4. Connects you with Yourself
When you are fully relaxed you are able to connect fully with yourself. Through the practice of yoga nidra you observe your inner world and your awareness is awakened that allows you to feel connected, to experience the unity between your body, mind, emotions, psyche, spiritual realms.
Taking this one step further, yoga nidra is also a way to connect with your deeper.
5. Creates the space for new
By releasing the old, yoga nidra creates the space for new things, ideas, people to enter your life.
In this way, you become more creative, more positive and change occurs easier in your system.
///Yoga Nidra should be always guided by a certified instructor.