Yoga Nidra is a magical apply that’s usually translated as “yogic sleep.” Yogic sleep sounds fairly good, however what’s Yoga Nidra precisely?
It’s an attention-grabbing apply that has roots relationship again 1000’s of years. In the event you’ve ever been fortunate sufficient to expertise the apply, you realize that the advantages of Yoga Nidra are plentiful and that the apply is soothing, restorative, and deeply restful.
Learn on to search out out the whole lot about this mystical yogic sleep meditation and how you can correctly apply it.
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What Is Yoga Nidra?
This easy, restorative apply 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 enjoyable for the nervous system and as restful and soothing as sleep. It’s mentioned {that a} quick Yoga Nidra apply is as refreshing as hours of deep sleep.
A brief Yoga Nidra apply is as refreshing as hours of deep sleep.
It’s undoubtedly a strong apply, nevertheless it’s additionally one of many best meditations to observe and to constantly apply.
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, transferring you thru completely different phases of consciousness.
Through gently guided rest strategies, Yoga Nidra forces you to decelerate, settle down, and inevitably restore.
Craving a unique sort of guided meditation? Do that Guided Pranayama and Mindfulness Meditation for a Calm and Peaceable Thoughts (Video)
The Historical past of Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is alleged to be as outdated because the apply of yoga itself.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 the planet, which incorporates the Bhagavad Gita), Yoga Nidra has undoubtedly been round for a very long time.
The revered guru Satyananda Saraswati is alleged to be one of many first fashionable yoga lecturers that basically employed the apply of Yoga Nidra along with his pupils.
Much more modernly, Richard Miller (a yoga trainer who has pioneered the concept of utilizing yoga as a therapeutic apply) developed the iRest Yoga Nidra methodology as a contemporary adaptation of the traditional meditation apply of Yoga Nidra.
His methodology has been used internationally for numerous functions, together with serving to troopers returning residence from warfare with Put up Traumatic Stress Dysfunction (PTSD).
The Science Behind Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra has been studied scientifically with many promising outcomes that present numerous advantages.
One examine discovered that Yoga Nidra is characterised by a depressed stage of want for motion. The examine discovered decreased blood movement within the prefrontal, cerebellar, and subcortical areas of the mind whereas topics had been working towards Yoga Nidra. (These elements of the mind are believed to be related to motion.)
The examine confirmed elevated dopamine launch throughout the Yoga Nidra meditation, which was additionally related to the expertise of decreased readiness for motion.
One other examine discovered that Yoga Nidra elevated coronary heart fee variability (HRV), which is commonly utilized as an index of autonomic nervous system steadiness and, due to this fact, is a robust indicator of total well being.
Yoga Nidra has been studied scientifically with many promising outcomes that present numerous advantages.
One other examine measured the consequences of a Yoga Nidra apply on college college students’ vanity and stress ranges. The findings indicated that Yoga Nidra might alleviate primary life stresses and enhance total 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 attention-grabbing 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 Follow Yoga Nidra:
Conventional Yoga Nidra follows particular steps to succeed in the deeply restorative semi-conscious state. The next are typical steps of a Yoga Nidra apply.
1. Set Up Your Area
It’s vital to get as comfy as potential when working towards Yoga Nidra, so arrange your house nevertheless you must get relaxed and settled.
Chances are you’ll want to use props like a yoga bolster underneath your again or your knees or to cowl your self with a blanket or place a pillow underneath your head. Alter your self nevertheless you must with a view to get actually comfy as you lie down to arrange in your apply.
Soften comfortably right into a yoga mat, sofa, or mattress in order that the place of your physique gained’t distract you throughout your apply.
2. Create a Sankalpa
A sankalpa is an intention, and it’s one thing that you simply in all probability already use in your asana apply.
Convey your consciousness to no matter it’s that your coronary heart wishes or what you hope to realize from this apply. Possibly you propose to domesticate hope or prosperity, or perhaps your intention is just to calm down and restore.
No matter your intention for the apply is, make it clear in your thoughts’s eye in order that it might change into the point of interest of your meditation.
3. Scan Your Physique
This step is way over only a physique scan. This stage of your Yoga Nidra apply 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 major 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 each a part of it. Expertise the sensations of your proper huge toe all the best way right 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 entire physique and, as you accomplish that, systematically calm down every a part of your physique as you sense it. When you’ve totally relaxed your physique, let it keep totally relaxed as you progress your consideration to extra refined elements of your self.
4. Draw Your Consciousness to Your Breath
Really feel the actions of your breath. Really feel your physique respiratory 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 observe the ebb and movement of your breath, let its rhythm lull you right into a semi-conscious state.
Study extra about Prana: Demystifying Life Power Vitality
5. Turn into Conscious of Your Ideas and Emotions
Turn into the conscious 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 move by way of your thoughts.
6. Expertise and Observe
Take discover of what has arisen from this entire expertise. Turn into conscious of the acutely aware observer that’s all the time current, no matter your emotional or bodily state.
Join with this increased consciousness that dwells inside you. Really feel how this connects you to a larger consciousness past your self.
7. Mindfully Resurface
Whenever 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 mirror again in your sankalpa and to search out gratitude in your apply earlier than transferring on together with your day.
In search of 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 apply of Yoga Nidra is undoubtedly helpful to the physique, breath, and thoughts. By working towards this soothing meditation, you would possibly end up feeling extra rested, alert, or consciously conscious.
Subsequent, learn: These 8 Advantages of Yoga Nidra Will Make You Need to Follow ASAP
Give the apply a attempt to see how you’re feeling. You simply could discover that Yoga Nidra is your new favourite model of stress-relieving, restorative meditation.
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