Yoga Nidra
Yoga Sleep, Guided Deep Rest
What is Yoga Nidra?
Kind of like meditation – but super charged (and more magical)!
Yoga Nidra translates as ‘yoga sleep’, although you are not technically asleep (this can take practice, trust me!) but you are somewhere in the middle. and, most people do it lying down, with a blanket / pillow and in your PJs if you want to, or in the middle of your work day.
Yoga Nidra is a state all of its own, it’s that bit in between awake and asleep, you’re surfing the two worlds and in this state you can access new levels of relaxation, restoration and even unleash your creativity.
There are many different approaches to the practice, a variety of different schools and methods but a typical practice will take you through a body scan, then a visualisation, either with direct instructions of what you should see, or suggestions where you can create your own version of the story.
There may also be the experience of opposites in either sensation or feeling or perhaps a recount of your day.
The practice can be done at any time of the day, either midday like a super charged power nap, where the guide will bring you out of the practice so you can go about your day or for sleep, where you will be left to drift off into some of the most peaceful nights sleep you will ever have.
It is usually done lying down, but can also be done in a seated position, either way you just need to get comfy and let it all go.
Don’t worry if you do appear to fall asleep, most of the time, when your guide cue’s to bring you back into the space,
you will still hear them – so you were still present.
Although sometimes you do fall asleep and well, if you need it you need it, right?
Benefits of Yoga Nidra
Soothing the Nervous System
Most of us live our lives over stimulated by technology and with over packed schedules and enormous to do lists, and so we are habitually switched into the Sympathetic Nervous System; the high stress ‘fight or flight’ mode, constantly prepared or preparing for the next thing. Yoga Nidra helps us find rest in the parasympathetic nervous system; a restful, peaceful place of awareness, which is crucial for healing.
Sleeping Well
It is a well known and very well studied fact that lack of sleep contributes to a whole host of other issues such as burnout, depression, and a weakened immune system to name but a few. It is vital to get enough sleep and Yoga Nidra can help. By switching on that parasympathetic nervous system, bringing you into your body and slowing the brain waves down, this deeper relaxation can help you reach a deeper state of sleep.
Relaxation
Kind of like rubbing your belly and patting your head – we can’t think and feel the body at the same time, so by being guided through a rotation of the body, we can slow down our thoughts and we switch from thinking, to feeling and the body naturally relaxes.
Feeling the body brings us into it, into the present moment, accepting and letting go.
Awareness
As we become more aware of the body and we are able to connect with it, we are better able to sense what our body needs and by developing this awareness we can anticipate sickness and burnout, keeping ourselves healthier and in turn, happier. Being disconnected with our body brings issues such as external judgement of the way we look, eating disorders and other forms of physical harm or neglect arising from a disassociation with our physical selves.
Emotional observation
As we reconnect with our body and our wants and needs, we are better able to develop an awareness of our emotions and feelings.
This gives us the ability to observe ourselves and helps us slow things down in order to assess and respond in a more informed, effective and empathic way.
Memory aid & Creativity
(I borrowed this from a Breathing Space Yoga article because I couldn’t have put it better myself!)
Yoga Nidra takes you through different brainwave frequencies and states of consciousness, as we do through regular sleep, except we travel through consciously.
When we reach the Theta and Alpha-Theta brainwaves, indicative of REM sleep (our deepest sleep) we enhance creativity, emotional memory, perceptual and sensory processing and movement of memory from short to long term. In regular sleep this us where we dream, where the brain is processing experience. This includes the things we are learning.
If you want to give Yoga Nidra a try I have lots of pre-recorded ones on my Insight Timer Channel, or let me know if you are looking for something specific and I will see what we can do to help.
Practice with me...
With something for you and your little ones alike, click on the button below to go directly to the Insight Timer page where you can listen, or download the free app.
The Dragon in the Forest
Yoga Nidra - Nature
Meditation For After A Fight Or Argument
The Mountain Guided Yoga Nidra
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