Yoga Nidra is a magical follow that’s typically translated as “yogic sleep.” Yogic sleep sounds fairly good, however what’s Yoga Nidra precisely?
It’s an fascinating follow that has roots relationship again hundreds of years. Should you’ve ever been fortunate sufficient to expertise the follow, you realize that the advantages of Yoga Nidra are plentiful and that the follow is soothing, restorative, and deeply restful.
Learn on to search out out all the pieces about this mystical yogic sleep meditation and learn how to correctly follow it.
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What Is Yoga Nidra?
This straightforward, restorative follow is a guided meditation that lulls you right into a state of semi-consciousness. By intention setting, physique scans, visualizations, and breath consciousness, you’re transferred to a different world that’s calm, soothing, and peaceable.
Yoga Nidra is believed to be deeply restorative and stress-free for the nervous system and as restful and soothing as sleep. It’s mentioned {that a} brief Yoga Nidra follow is as refreshing as hours of deep sleep.
A brief Yoga Nidra follow is as refreshing as hours of deep sleep.
It’s undoubtedly a strong follow, however it’s additionally one of many best meditations to comply with and to constantly follow.
As a totally guided meditation, Yoga Nidra is practiced mendacity down in your again. This restful place permits you to fluctuate between acutely aware and semi-conscious states, shifting you thru completely different phases of consciousness.
By way of gently guided rest strategies, Yoga Nidra forces you to decelerate, relax, and inevitably restore.
Craving a unique sort of guided meditation? Do this Guided Pranayama and Mindfulness Meditation for a Calm and Peaceable Thoughts (Video)
The Historical past of Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is claimed to be as outdated because the follow of yoga itself.
First talked about within the Upanishads (historic holy scriptures of Hinduism and yogic philosophy) after which later mentioned within the Mahabharata (the longest epic poem on this planet, which incorporates the Bhagavad Gita), Yoga Nidra has undoubtedly been round for a very long time.
The revered guru Satyananda Saraswati is claimed to be one of many first trendy yoga lecturers that actually employed the follow of Yoga Nidra together with his pupils.
Much more modernly, Richard Miller (a yoga instructor who has pioneered the concept of utilizing yoga as a therapeutic follow) developed the iRest Yoga Nidra technique as a contemporary adaptation of the traditional meditation follow of Yoga Nidra.
His technique has been used the world over for varied functions, together with serving to troopers returning residence from battle with Publish Traumatic Stress Dysfunction (PTSD).
The Science Behind Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra has been studied scientifically with many promising outcomes that present varied advantages.
One examine discovered that Yoga Nidra is characterised by a depressed degree of want for motion. The examine discovered decreased blood move within the prefrontal, cerebellar, and subcortical areas of the mind whereas topics had been working towards Yoga Nidra. (These components of the mind are believed to be related to motion.)
The examine confirmed elevated dopamine launch through the Yoga Nidra meditation, which was additionally related to the expertise of diminished readiness for motion.
One other examine discovered that Yoga Nidra elevated coronary heart fee variability (HRV), which is usually utilized as an index of autonomic nervous system steadiness and, subsequently, is a powerful indicator of general well being.
Yoga Nidra has been studied scientifically with many promising outcomes that present varied advantages.
One other examine measured the results of a Yoga Nidra follow on college college students’ vanity and stress ranges. The findings indicated that Yoga Nidra might alleviate fundamental life stresses and enhance general vanity.
One other examine measured mind exercise throughout Yoga Nidra and located that topics had been in a deeply relaxed state (much like the mind state of sleep) whereas working towards. What’s fascinating is that these outcomes additionally discovered members to be in fully conscious states whereas concurrently on this deep rest.
Additional research have discovered Yoga Nidra to assist scale back stress, enhance ache administration, deal with sexual assault, scale back drug habit relapse, and extra.
Observe These 7 Steps to Observe Yoga Nidra:
Conventional Yoga Nidra follows particular steps to achieve the deeply restorative semi-conscious state. The next are typical steps of a Yoga Nidra follow.
1. Set Up Your Area
It’s vital to get as comfy as attainable when working towards Yoga Nidra, so arrange your area nevertheless you could get relaxed and settled.
It’s possible you’ll want to use props like a yoga bolster beneath your again or your knees or to cowl your self with a blanket or place a pillow beneath your head. Regulate your self nevertheless you could in an effort to get actually comfy as you lie down to organize to your follow.
Soften comfortably right into a yoga mat, sofa, or mattress in order that the place of your physique gained’t distract you throughout your follow.
2. Create a Sankalpa
A sankalpa is an intention, and it’s one thing that you just most likely already use in your asana follow.
Convey your consciousness to no matter it’s that your coronary heart needs or what you hope to realize from this follow. Possibly you propose to domesticate hope or prosperity, or possibly your intention is just to calm down and restore.
No matter your intention for the follow is, make it clear in your thoughts’s eye in order that it may well grow to be the point of interest of your meditation.
The Energy of Sankalpa: Right here’s The whole lot You Must Know About Setting Intentions in Yoga
3. Scan Your Physique
This step is way over only a physique scan. This stage of your Yoga Nidra follow is supposed to maneuver you right into a state of Pratyahara (a withdrawal of the senses). Pratyahara is believed to be the gateway to the unconscious and that’s the main goal of Yoga Nidra.
Pratyahara Defined: The Fifth Limb of the Yoga Sutras and the First Step Towards Meditation
So systematically transfer by way of your physique and sense every a part of it. Expertise the sensations of your proper large toe all the best way all the way down to your pinky toe. Actually really feel your hips, torso, and arms. Sense your throat, chin, lips, nostril, eyes, and brow.
Transfer throughout your complete physique and, as you achieve this, systematically calm down every a part of your physique as you sense it. When you’ve absolutely relaxed your physique, let it keep absolutely relaxed as you progress your consideration to extra refined components of your self.
4. Draw Your Consciousness to Your Breath
Really feel the actions of your breath. Really feel your physique respiration naturally. Dive into the deeper mechanics of your breath. The place does the air enter your physique? The place does it exit? What’s its texture, temperature, and velocity?
Expertise the tide of prana flowing by way of you. By drawing deeper into the subtleties of your physique, you progress farther and farther into deeper phases of Pratyahara.
As you comply with the ebb and move of your breath, let its rhythm lull you right into a semi-conscious state.
Study extra about Prana: Demystifying Life Power Power
5. Grow to be Conscious of Your Ideas and Emotions
Grow to be the aware observer and easily discover ideas and emotions as they come up. With out judgement, merely acknowledge what passes by way of your thoughts – whether or not consciously or not.
Keep away from dwelling on anyone thought or feeling that arises. Merely watch the cascade of ideas go by way of your thoughts.
6. Expertise and Observe
Take discover of what has arisen from this complete expertise. Grow to be conscious of the acutely aware observer that’s all the time current, no matter your emotional or bodily state.
Join with this greater consciousness that dwells inside you. Really feel how this connects you to a larger consciousness past your self.
7. Mindfully Resurface
While you’re prepared, slowly and mindfully return to a state of heightened acutely aware consciousness. Observe your individual tempo to reawaken and reorient to your waking life.
Pause for a second to replicate again in your sankalpa and to search out gratitude to your follow earlier than shifting on along with your day.
Searching for extra deeply restorative practices? Strive These 4 Restorative Yoga Poses to Calm down Your Physique and Thoughts
What Is Yoga Nidra? The Takeaway on Yogic Sleep
The follow of Yoga Nidra is undoubtedly useful to the physique, breath, and thoughts. By working towards this soothing meditation, you may end up feeling extra rested, alert, or consciously conscious.
Subsequent, learn: These 8 Advantages of Yoga Nidra Will Make You Need to Observe ASAP
Give the follow a try to see how you’re feeling. You simply might discover that Yoga Nidra is your new favourite type of stress-relieving, restorative meditation.
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