Yoga Nidra, also known as “yogic sleeping” or “effortless relaxation, ” is guided meditation. The practice is usually done lying down, with a teacher leading the session. This practice helps us to focus inwardly and allows us to transition between wakefulness and sleep. When our bodies find their natural equilibrium (homeostasis), breathing becomes more relaxed, and our minds’ conscious and unconscious aspects become clearer. We then fall into a state of blissful, deep awareness.
As we rest here, we can quickly and effortlessly turn our attention to the nature of awareness and consciousness. You begin to feel the ‘deeper” aspects of yogic teachings, which you may have previously considered intangible. For example, you can feel your interconnected wholeness and become aware of your precise, unified nature, which is expansive, inclusive, restful, and fully present.
Yoga Nidra allows us to enter a harmonious and restful state effortlessly. You can then be restored, healed, and awakened into your deepest, all-knowing, most-welcoming Self. It is a beautiful practice that has gained popularity all over the world. Research continues to show its effectiveness.
It is for whom?
Yoga Nidra is open to anyone. However, it appeals to those unable or unwilling to let go. It is also highly beneficial for anyone suffering from insomnia, trauma, anxiety, depression, or other conditions. It is also ideal for people who are curious about deep states of meditation that they may have read about or found but never managed to achieve.
iRest is the form of Yoga Nidra I teach and practice. A lot of research supports its effectiveness in relieving the symptoms mentioned above. It is also proven to be a powerful boost to your well-being. Check out some of the studies below.
Many people are surprised by the effectiveness and power of Yoga Nidra in my private practice. Yoga Nidra is the missing piece in my yoga therapy toolbox. It doesn’t attempt to fix everything, paradoxically. Through deep listening and acceptance, many of our problems can be solved. This paradox is what I love to teach. It shows that we can transcend the things we cannot be with. This is yoga’s heart and the essence of enlightened living. To be in the present moment and to feel a deep surrender to life and ourselves is yoga.
What is Yoga Nidra?
You lie down and take a break. The teacher will lead you for approximately 35 minutes. The teacher will guide you for around 35 minutes. Next, we spend time creating the foundations for an ‘inner resources’ – a list of feelings and associations that makes you feel secure and well. We are given our right to well-being, belonging, and security by connecting with a multisensory reflection based on memory, imagery, and a felt sense.
After the foundations are laid and we feel ok, we can increase our concentration and sensory awareness by exploring the body, breathing, and other aspects of the body. You use your senses to examine, listen, and welcome every part of the body. This practice can lead to a deep state of relaxation for the mind and body.
This is where various emotions, thoughts, and beliefs can emerge. These emotions or experiences could be ones you have not had the opportunity to address, or they might be overwhelming feelings you choose to suppress. Our body and mind can be redirected to a neutral state to respond to and accept these thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. To help us trust and get deeper into our experiences, we can use classical yogic techniques to reflect on opposites.
When the mind and emotions are indeed seen, heard, and accepted and then connected with, they become more subtle. The final phase of the practice is exploring consciousness. Are you aware of who you are? Do you know your true nature? Are you aware of what it means to be sentient? Yoga Nidra allows us to get in touch with our Self and experience an unbounded, open, expansive, unbounded, unlimited state of awareness. This is the greatest liberation and highest realization that we can attain.
