We will be practising Yoga Nidra at:
Christmas Gentle Yoga & Supper Night on 7th December 2023
https://www.zestyoga.co.uk/yoga-christmas-supper
Goa Yoga Retreat in February 3rd-10th 2024
https://www.zestyoga.co.uk/goa-yoga-retreat
Please join our friendly community, beginners are welcome too, and experience this wonderful practice and see the benefits it has on your mental well-being.
Yoga Nidra is yogic sleep, a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping.
Yoga Nidra can be practised by anyone. It has heaps of benefits which we will look at later. s
It may sound simple but there’s an art to Yoga Nidra. It’s a conscious relaxation practice providing deep restoration to body and mind and can be described as a guided form of active meditation.
Yoga Nidra allows us to move away from body consciousness, away from the thinking, and analytical mind, to come to understand that what we are is so much more than either of them.
Yoga Nidra means "yogic sleep". It is an ancient meditation technique where practitioners enter a deeper state of conscious relaxation, moving awareness from the external world to the internal.
Yogic sleep brings us to a state of deep relaxation, verging on sleep, where our senses, intellect, and mind can completely let go and rest. In this dreamless sleep, we are free from the concepts of time, space and reason. When this happens, brain activity reduces and the body goes into a healing state, removing toxins at a cellular level, refreshing the mind, and eliminating emotional baggage from the subconscious.
With regular practice you will become the witness, watching the activities of the body and mind without becoming involved with either. The activities, the thoughts, and everything we are currently passing through are all a result of our past and are for our soul’s education to make progress in self-realisation. As we come to see this more clearly, we can rest, recharge, and heal while in savasana, and this will help us in every other aspect of life.
As a result, one hour of this psychic slumber is said to give the same benefit as four hours of sleep.
Even though Yoga Nidra is often described as meditation, there are some key differences.
Traditional meditation practices generally are engaged sitting, to increase perception and intuition and being able to direct our attention and awareness. Yoga Nidra is practised lying down and is based on entry into altered states where the body is consciously asleep, but awareness is present.
Relaxation
It has become quite popular to use the term ‘Yoga Nidra’ for any yoga technique that provides relaxation. This sleep-like begins with relaxation but it goes much further. In yogic sleep, relaxation is necessary for the body to heal, repair and grow; but that is not the final goal. Rather the aim is to keep the consciousness active and in an observing state, allowing you to connect with the inner world.
Guided Visualisations
Guided visualizations are often used in Yoga Nidra to focus the mind and body. However, these methods are vastly different in their end goals. The purpose of yogic sleep is to focus the awareness inwards, while guided visualisations mostly encourage us to become conscious of our senses and therefore move the awareness externally. Guided visualisation is merely one step in the journey toward this sleep-like state.
Dreaming State
In the beginning, it is possible to dream during practice; but Yoga Nidra is not a state of dreaming. When you’re dreaming, your senses and the mental processes are still fully active; however, during sleep meditation, the mental processes cease, our senses rest, and the mind becomes clear and calm.
Savasana
Savasana or Corpse Pose, is a resting yoga pose where the physical body and the mind are meant to be silent and still. On the other hand, Yoga Nidra is a state of consciousness, in between sleep and awake. Practitioners typically lie down in Shavasana in a Yoga Nidra session it’s the most effortless and balanced resting position, but the two are independent concepts. Proper use of Shavasana may help you experience yogic sleep however Shavasana is not required for the practice.
Is Yoga Nidra Hypnosis?
In Yoga Nidra and hypnosis, the body is deeply relaxed, and the subconscious is very active. But these are the only similarities. As both can be used to influence the mind, many people think that yogic sleep is a form of hypnosis; however, the practice and its purpose are very different.
Although they both begin with guided relaxation, Yoga Nidra continues in one direction and hypnosis in another. It’s true that when the senses and the mind calm down you may pass through a hypnotic state; however yogic sleep promotes a deeper level of consciousness that bypasses the state of hypnosis. This is why teachers often remind students to stay awake. During this dreamless sleep, your conscious mind remains active and can take charge whenever needed. In contrast, the conscious mind can be subdued during hypnosis, leading to potential memory gaps in the experience.
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Benefits of Yoga Nidra
Rejuvenates the Body
Regular practice of yogic sleep helps the body enter deeper dimensions of healing and rejuvenation. During this state, bodily functions are minimal, metabolism slows down, and hormonal functions increase, giving your body the chance to repair and purge toxins from your system. This process also helps you conserve energy, decreasing fatigue and rejuvenating the brain.
Reduces Stress
Everyone experiences stress, whether it's positive or negative, left unchecked, negative stress can push our bodies into an overactive mode, leading to issues like burnout, anxiety and depression. Moreover, buried emotions can consistently stress both our mind and body. Regular practice of Nidra helps us relax and become more aware of our subconscious and any underlying problems. With greater awareness, we can address and release these issues.
Increases Concentration
Concentration means keeping your mind focused on one thing. For many, this is challenging because our minds are often in the Kshipta state, jumping from one thought to another like a restless monkey. In Yoga Nidra, the teacher's guidance helps participants focus on various body parts and sensations. At first, the mind may drift, but with practice, it becomes easier to stay focused and distractions decrease. This training can improve overall focus and concentration, and its success has even led to several schools incorporating it into their curriculum.
Improves Memory
Practising yogic sleep can also boost our memory. By clearing out mental clutter, we create space for our subconscious to operate more efficiently. This is like tidying up a computer's hard drive to make it run better. Normally, we rely on the left side of our brain for learning, but Yoga Nidra engages the right side, which aids in information retention.
Improves Autonomic Nervous System Response
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) controls bodily functions like metabolism, healing, and growth without our direct input. It has two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
The SNS gears us up for action, supplying energy to muscles and the heart. Its main job is to help us handle these stressors. On the other hand, the PNS focuses on rest and recovery and operates when we're calm, aiding in healing, growth, and digestion. Ideally, both systems should work when needed. However, because of ongoing stress, many people have an overactive SNS even when it's time to relax. This can delay body repair and lead to health issues.
Yoga Nidra encourages the PNS to take charge, helping us to release stress and maintain a calm state. Regularly falling into this sleep-like state can also decrease an overactive SNS and promote better health.
Final Thoughts
Yoga Nidra is a subtle, yet very powerful practice that can help us deal with everyday stress and triggers. But it can offer us so much more healing and growth, as the practice holds the potential to release deep-seated traumas and guide our awareness toward our most authentic selves.
Satyananda Saraswati was a Sanyasi, yoga teacher and guru in both his native India and the West. He was a student of Sivananda Saraswati, the founder of the Divine Life Society, and founded the Bihar School of Yoga in 1964. He wrote over 80 books, including the popular 1969 manual Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha.
In the words of Swami Satyananda:
“It is a state in which you are neither asleep nor awake. If you fall asleep, it is not Yoga Nidra. If you remain awake, then it is also not Yoga Nidra. If dreams overtake you, it is not Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a state in which there is awareness of the conscious, subconscious and unconscious fields of your mind all at one time. It is a perfect therapy. It removes all psychological abnormalities and sanskaras, and helps you to become your normal, natural self.”
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