Yoga nidra, also known as yogi sleep or psychic sleep, is a powerful yogic technique that rests the body and mind. It is a sleep like state which helps achieve the deepest level of relaxation while maintaining awareness or consciousness. The body falls asleep but the mind remains alert or aware.
Yoga nidra removes mental fatigue and invigorates the body. It is one of the techniques of pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) to turn the mind inwards.
Research has shown that yoga nidra works on all levels of our body — the central nervous system, electrical activity in the brain, conscious and subconscious mind and the energy body.
Hence, yoga nidra addresses stress, anxiety, disease, habits, emotions and ignorance at the root. It also helps in fighting sleeping disorders, gynaecological issues and various psychosomatic disorders, such as skin eruptions, gastrointestinal disorders, blood pressure, etc. It is recognised as a psycho-physiological therapy.
Preparation
Yoga nidra requires adequate preparation. Choose a place that is comfortable and free from noise. It is recommended that you practise asanas (postures) before you practise yoga nidra as mentioned in the sample routine below. Asanas stretch and loosen muscles and joints in your body and make you aware of your body as the mind relaxes.
Now lie down in shavasana (corpse pose), make sure you are comfortable, close your eyes and follow these steps:
- Concentrate on your breath. Inhale and exhale a few times. Then slowly take deeper breaths from your abdomen for two to five minutes.
- This relaxes 16 vital points in the body if you concentrate on them. These points are the toes, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, abdomen, chest, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingertips, neck, chin, lips, nostrils and forehead. Start the cycle of concentration from your toes and move progressively towards your forehead and reverse the cycle. Repeat this cycle 2-3 times.
- Imagine your limbs are detached from your body and only your head, chest and abdominal area now exist. Breathe and feel the air entering your spine, cleaning the whole spine.
- Now concentrate on the different vital chakras (nerve plexus) present in your body. Start the cycle of concentration from the mooladhara (root plexus — point between the anal and the genital spaces), move to swadhisthan (the point just four fingers below navel), then manipurak (the point four fingers above navel), anahath (the mid-point of the chest), vishuddhi (mid-point of the throat), ajna (point between the eyebrows) and lastly sahasrara (mid-point of the skull). Breathe in and out while concentrating at each chakra, 5-10 times.
- Imagine that your limbs are once again attached to your body. Be aware of your whole body for some time as one unit.
- Slowly move your toes, fingers and neck from side to side. Gently turn to one side of your body and sit up.
Dos and don’ts
- Remain still throughout the practice.
- You must avoid falling asleep during the practice.
- Use mental suggestions, such as “take your awareness to your toes”, “take your awareness to your ankles”, “focus on mooladhara”, and so on.
Yoga nidra is best practised under the guidance of a teacher.
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