Yoga Nidra
"The best relaxation in the world! Even when I am too tired to do many postures,
I always enjoy relaxing during Yoga Nidra and leave feeling so much better.
Sometimes it is all I come to class for." [Student]
Buy my CD, Yoga Nidra 'The Blissful Relaxation' now Relax in your own home with this guided practice. |
Perhaps the most popular practice in my yoga classes is the relaxation practice known as Yoga Nidra. I find students of all ages really welcome the opportunity to lie down, knowing that they have nothing to do except to listen and to relax. Once experienced, never forgotten, always keen to repeat!
Ironically, lying down can be far from easy. I'm often amused by classes full of children who twitch and move seemingly endlessly resisting before eventually allowing themselves to be still, bringing relaxation. Adults are more often able to be physically still, but inside their minds may be racing and their bodies full of tension induced by their thoughts and emotions.
Yoga Nidra is a powerful technique in which you progressively learn to relax consciously; first by withdrawing your mind from events and people outside; then by allowing your consciousness to travel systematically around the body, relaxing all of the body's neural pathways; then visualization is used to calm the mind and stabilise emotions.
A Yoga Nidra practice generally lasts for 30 to 50 minutes. It is a simple practice, ideally suited to end yoga lessons, but which can also be practised separately, and can be done at home using a CD. All that is needed is a quiet room in which to lie down. The aim is to reduce touch sensations by reducing contact between your limbs and your body. The fingertips are extremely sensitive organs so the palms of the hands are kept facing upwards to reduce stimulation. Simply closing the eyes removes sight stimuli. in this way, the senses are rested and the mind is calmed. During Yoga Nidra we use only our sense of hearing.
The next stage of Yoga Nidra is the 'rotation of consciousness', a conscious journey around different parts of the body. This requires no physical movements; one has only to listen to the voice of the person leading the practice and to allow the mind to move rapidly from part to part of the body. The sequence of body parts is systematic, beginning with the right hand and ending with the left foot. Following this sequence has a direct effect on the sensory motor cortex of the brain. All the body parts through which the awareness passes have neural networks in this cortex and, during rotation of consciousness, the following of the sequence induces a flow of energy within the cortex; accompanied by an experience of relaxation.
The final stage of Yoga Nidra is visualization. The images used often have powerful associations, bringing the hidden contents of the deep unconscious into the conscious mind. The practice of visualization develops self-awareness and relaxes the mind.
The unconscious mind is very open to suggestions when relaxed. For this reason, Yoga Nidra ends with a resolve, repeated mentally, clearly and positively. The repetition of a resolve is like planting a seed from the conscious to the unconscious mind, enabling changes of attitude, behaviour, habits and many other aspects of like. Profound life changes can be brought about by use of a clearly stated resolve used regularly during this practice.