Yoga Nidra / Layna Yoga

Welcome back everyone. 

Today I will be discussing the practice of yoga nidra.

The word yoga nidra is translated to "yoga sleep". Although sleep is about catching some Zzzz, Yoga sleep or yoga nidra is something else entirely. It is a state of consciousness that leads to deep healing with the multidimensional branches of ourselves; the physical, emotional and mental state.

International yoga teacher Uma Dinsmore Tuli talks about yoga nidra as a great paradox. The physical body rests but there is a deep awakening and awareness that unfolds within in the mind and our consciousness.  Sounds pretty cool right?  But why practice this, why not just go to sleep?

Well, here's some detail from the book titled "Yoga Nidra" by Swami Satyananda Saraswati which explains why it is good to practice yoga nidra. "Most people think that relaxation is very simple: just recline and close your eyes. Yet, excepting the scientists, nobody understands what relaxation really means. You are tired so you go to bed and think that is relaxation. But unless you are free from muscular, mental and emotional tensions, you are never relaxed. Despite a superficial sense of wellbeing, most people are full of tensions all the time...Through the practice of yoga nidra, we are not only relaxing, but restructuring and reforming our whole personality from within".

(OK, so let's maybe take a breath and digest that...)

So I suppose we can say yoga nidra is a practice that can be transformative and nourishing. A deep state of relaxation. Yes please!

My first experience of yoga nidra was about 8 years ago whilst attending my weekly yoga class. It was similar to a guided meditation in the sense that you just listen into the teacher or guides voice, but what I found different was because this yoga nidra practice was 20 minutes or so (longer is better in my opinion. 40 minutes is my perfect length) there becomes a penetration of deep evolution within my mind. I felt like I was dipping my toe into the dreaming and awakened state of being. It was comforting and I have always felt a refreshing safety in that state. Yoga nidra can be referred to as "coming home", coming home to yourself.   And I suppose in a way that does make sense. You return to the conscious and subconscious aspects of your mind, which are always there. You make your way back to yourself in a profound yet simple way. 

I felt extremely relaxed during the yoga nidra practice, and I remember I could feel myself drifting in and out of hearing the teachers voice. I would find the mind drifting off and then I would be transported back.  This is the closest thing to time travel too...your perception of time changes in this suspended state. What felt like only a few minutes was 20 minutes of pure relaxation bliss.

namaste xx