Yoga nidra

Yoga Nidra, which literally means "sleep of the yogis", is used to prepare both mentally and physically prior to seeking deeper levels of consciousness and awareness through meditation. However Yoga Nidra is also regularly practiced on its own as a daily relaxation technique. Adherents claim that half an hour of Yoga Nidra can replace up to three hours of normal sleep, although its regular use as a sleep substitute is not recommended as the body and mind still requires sufficient rest through standard sleep.

Yoga nidra is enjoyed so much because it gives a feeling of total relaxation. It is one of the most powerful opportunities that people can take in order to escape from the tension of materialistic life, the whizz and the bang of all the things that have to be done. By entering the state of yoga nidra we get a chance to see the softness and beauty which is inside. It is just a glimpse and it is an introduction to meditation.

What does yoga nidra mean

Yoga means 'yoga' and nidra means 'sleep'. The difference between yoga nidra and nidra without yoga is sleep without sleeping, conscious sleep. The person practising yoga nidra can sometimes experience the state of sleep, but still be conscious throughout. In yoga nidra we have a chance to experience all the facets of the mind, all the nooks and crannies of the mind, without the constraints of the physical body.

When we practise yoga nidra we go through a process of rotation throughout the different parts of the physical body. In the brain there are two parallel nervous systems, the motor and the sensory, which are like two hemispheres. In our normal conscious waking state they are joined together, so that if we feel heat, we jump away, or if a mosquito bites us, we slap it. We protect ourselves without thinking. As soon as we sense something, we react. It is a conscious state of mind. If we have been working hard and have a lot of tension, we take that conscious tense state to bed with us. When we go to sleep and start dreaming, then the body starts tossing and turning, we start throwing blankets off and running in our sleep, and we wake up exhausted. But in the practice of yoga nidra, by rotating our consciousness through the different parts of the body, we actually separate each of those nervous connections.

The practice of yoga nidra was formulated by Swami Satyananda Saraswati from a system of tantric worship in which people prepared themselves for Pooja.

From this we have the separation of the personality, which means that the mind is free to operate without the constraints of the physical body. This is a wonderful thing because it means that we can experience cold without immediately rushing off to get another blanket. We can experience heat in the next moment without peeling off our clothes. We can just witness the experience. We can be lying in yoga nidra and watch our legs grow long, or our body expand, or float up. We can have many different psychic experiences without freaking out.

If these experiences come in meditation, they can sometimes be overpowering and frightening. Through the practice of yoga nidra we can prepare ourselves, because these experiences can surprise us if we are not ready for them. Sometimes the body goes around and around, sometimes it seems to be looking back, sometimes we see the back of our head, sometimes the front, sometimes the top. These different experiences can be quite disconcerting and take us away from our practice, whether it is mantra, concentration on the breath or something else.
If we can watch ourselves falling asleep, then we can be conscious of the process. Sleep comes slowly. Then there is an intermediate stage, which is the stage of yoga nidra or pratyahara.

Sankalpa is a very important tool which we always include in the instructions for yoga nidra. Sankalpa means direction or resolution in life. We make the resolve before and after yoga nidra. Yoga nidra is a semiconscious state of mind, a place where we have many sorts of dreams and visions. If we lie in a state of yoga nidra without any directions, we will find that all sorts of vague images come. In that place where all these forces are pulling and pushing us in different directions in life, we can intelligently place a particular resolve which can give meaning to our life.

Sankalpas can be hundreds of things, but usually it is better to choose something that will give meaning and direction to the whole of life.