Yoga Nidra – Yoga Sleep

Yoga nidra is a practice that’s becoming increasingly popular as both a form of meditation and a mind-body therapy. It is a systematic form of guided relaxation  likened to a cross between guided meditation and therapeutic hypnotherapy which easily and smoothly relaxes you into a state of calm awareness.

It is deeply relaxing, safe and nurturing. Practitioners say that it often brings immediate physical benefits, such as reduced stress and better sleep, and that it has the potential to heal psychological wounds. As a meditation practice, it can offer a profound sense of peace and well-being.

Yoga nidra takes the practitioner to a deeply relaxing state between wakefulness and sleep, known as a hypnagogic state. In this state we are more able to adjust our reactions to our life’s problems. The adjustments are done through gentle suggestion during the guided visualisation and body awareness. By meeting difficulties in this relaxed state and blending our difficult emotions along side positive visualisations it changes the way our body and mind react to negative emotions. Eventually through regular practice the positive suggestions shine more than the presence of the negative thoughts, and so dilute the negative emotional charge until it is reduced to a comfortable level.

Quotes

“In yoga nidra, we restore our body, senses, and mind to their natural function and awaken a seventh sense that allows us to feel  wholeness, tranquility, and well-being,” says Richard Miller (Yoga teacher clinical psychologist and founder of iRest Yoga nidra).

“Yoga nidra allows us to reach the most profound level of relaxation possible, It opens a doorway to a place where we can see ourselves and our lives in the most positive light.” says Rod Stryker– International yoga teacher, who has been teaching yoga nidra since the mid-1990s and who writes about it in his book, The Four Desires.

“It’s restorative,

it’s meditative,

it’s transformational,”

said Beryl Bender Birch

You Don’t Have to Do Yoga or Meditate to Do Yoga Nidra

It’s a deceptively simple practice. Because yoga nidra is most often taught lying down—initially guided by a teacher—it’s appealing to people who might feel unsure of yoga postures or traditional seated meditation.

A short version of yoga nidra can be introduced and practiced in less than 10 minutes,yet its various elements taken together and practiced regularly, make up a sophisticated set of mind-body tools that can help practitioners navigate some of life’s harshest moments.

Yoga nidra can also be practiced as an accessible form of meditation for those seeking everyday well-being.

In a typical yoga nidra session you will be guided through several stages relaxed awareness, focusing your awareness on your breath, bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Throughout, you will be guided to tap into an underlying sense of peace that is always present and to cultivate “witness consciousness,” observing and welcoming whatever is present without getting caught up in it.

Unlike other forms of meditation, in which you focus on a mantra or on your breath, yoga nidra asks you simply to let go.

Yoga Nidra sessions.

Group Sessions

Group sessions last 45 minutes. are a wonderful relaxing restorative practice to de-stress and unwind. All you need to bring is you and a  blanket.

Cost £8.00

1:1 therapeutic yoga nidra

Following initial consultation a bespoke Therapeutic Yoga Nidra is developed to support  the client to adjust and ease the impact of negative or troubling emotions.

60 minutes £45.00

Resources

Research:

Try Yoga Nidra at home

I think it is wonderful to have your first experience of Yoga Nidra with a practitioner so that you can be led through both the nourishing preparation snuggled with blankets and pillows followed then by the teacher’s voice guiding your journey  into deep relaxation. After that you may like to try Yoga nidra in the comfort of your home. I have added some free yoga nidra resources that you can download to your laptop or mobile. I always have some guided yoga nidras on my iphone so that I can enjoy their profound restoration wherever I am….yummy!

Please check the Classes page for future Yoga Nidra groups.

Getting Started At Home

1. Settle.

Find a cosy comfortable place where you can lie down on the floor.

Comfort is key, so either on a carpet. yoga mat, or blankets on the floor. Place a folded blanket under your head for a pillow. Cover your body with a comfy blanket. you may like to cover your eyes with a hand towel as this will encourage your mind to move towards a state of rest. Arms can be a short distance from the body resting on the floor or if you prefer hands resting on your belly. Feet relaxing out to the side about hip width apart.

2. Notice.

Notice and welcome sounds, smells, and taste as well as color and light. Become aware of your breath moving your belly as you breath in and out at your natural rhythm. With each exhalation feel your body soften and release into the floor. Feel a sense of relaxation spreading throughout your entire body and mind.

3. Connect to your heartfelt desire.

Bring to mind your heart’s deepest desire—something that you want more than anything else in life. Perhaps it is a desire for health, well-being, or awakening. Feel this heartfelt desire with your entire body while imagining and experiencing it in this moment as if it were true.

4. Set an Intention

Reflect on your intention for your practice today.

It might be to relax and rest, or to inquire into a particular sensation, emotion, or belief. Whatever your intention, welcome and affirm it with your entire body and mind.

5. Find Your Inner Resource.

Bring your attention to your Inner Resource. This is a safe haven within your body where you experience feelings of security, well-being, and calm. You may imagine a place, person, or experience that helps you feel secure and at ease and that helps you feel within your body the sense of well-being.

Re-experience your Inner Resource at any time during your practice or in daily life when you feel overwhelmed by an emotion, thought, or life circumstance and want to feel secure and at ease.

6. Scan Your Body.

Gradually move your awareness through your body. Sense your jaw, mouth, ears, nose, and eyes. Sense your forehead, scalp, neck, and the inside of your throat. Scan your attention through your left arm and left palm, your right arm and right palm, and then both arms and hands simultaneously. Sense your torso, pelvis, and sacrum. Experience sensation in your left hip, leg, and foot, and then in your right hip, leg, and foot. Sense your entire body as a field of pure sensation.

7. Become Aware of Your Breath.

Sense the body breathing by itself. Observe the natural flow of air in the nostrils, throat, and rib cage as well as the rise and fall of the abdomen with each breath. Feel each breath as flowing vitality coursing throughout your entire body.

8. Welcome Your Feelings.

Without judging or trying to change anything, welcome the sensations (such as heaviness, tension, or warmth) and emotions (such as sadness, anger, or worry) that are present in your body and mind. Also notice opposite sensations and emotions: If you feel worry, call up feelings of serenity; if you feel tense, experience ease. Sense each feeling and its opposite within your body.

9. Witness Your Thoughts.

Notice and welcome the thoughts, memories, and images that are present in your mind. Observe your thoughts without judging them or trying to change them. As you come upon beliefs that you hold about yourself, also bring to mind and experience their opposites, welcoming your experience just as it is.

10. Experience Joy.

Welcome sensations of joy, well-being, or bliss emanating from your heart or belly and spreading throughout your body and into the space around you. With every exhalation, experience sensations of warmth, joy, and well-being radiating throughout your body.

11. Observe Your Self.

Be aware of your sense of “I-ness,” or personality. Notice this sense of identity when you say “I’m hungry,” “I’m angry,” or “I’m happy.” Then, experience yourself as an observing witness or awareness that is noticing of these feelings. Let go of thinking and dissolve into this awareness that is simply conscious of the yourself.

12. Reflect on Your Practice.

As you complete your practice, reflect on the journey you’ve just taken. Affirm how the feeling of pure Being, or pure Awareness, is always present as a deep, unchanging peace behind every changing circumstance. Imagine integrating that feeling into your everyday life, in both pleasant and difficult moments, and always reconnecting to that sense of equanimity.

13.To Finish:

At your own pace, become aware of your body laying on the floor. the points of contact between your body and the floor. Become aware again of the room the sounds around you, your breaths natural rhythm. Reorienting to your surroundings. Roll onto your side  and pause for a moment to feel grateful for taking this time for yourself.

Free resources

http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/downloads