yoga nidra
Yoga nidra is sleep with trace awareness that occurs between waking and dreaming consciousness. You lie down in savasana with your eyes closed and follow prompts given by the guide, all while remaining awake. The practice allows you to travel through the layers of your existence, otherwise known as the koshas, to hopefully arrive to a blissful state where you may experience deep healing. Yoga nidra offers an efficient and effective kind of psychic and physiological rest that rejuvenates your entire being— much more than conventional sleep. Swami Satyananda Saraswati says,
“Through the practice of yoga nidra, we are not only relaxing, but restructuring and reforming our whole personality from within. Like the mythological phoenix, with every session we are burning old samskaras, habits and tendencies in order to be born anew. This process is not only much quicker then other systems which work on an external basis only, but the results are also more reliable and permanent.”
I was taught the Yogic lineage of yoga nidra, as the Vedantic lineage is more suitable for those living a monastic life. The intention of the Yogic lineage is to expand individual consciousness. Through this practice we heal on the most subtle level of our existence where the benefits are long lasting and profound. Below are some additional health benefits one may experience from the yoga nidra practice:
BODY
Stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest & digest)
Improves digestion and assimilation of food
Improves elimination of wastes from the body
Improves circulation
Decreases inflammation
Improves and stabilizes mood
MIND
Can bring conscious realization to suppressed thoughts, emotions, desires and fears and may aid in releasing them!
Reduces stress and anxiety
Fosters a sense of well-being and ease
SPIRIT
May encourage spiritual insights
Release and purify samskaras, or deep impressions in the unconscious mind, which can then lead to the releasing of karmas
Can lead to moksha, or spiritual liberation!
You can purchase yoga nidra recordings under the “Yoga Nidra” tab in the navigation menu. Please read on that page about how you can apply Ayurvedic principles to your set-up to further enhance the benefits of your practice.
