YOGA NIDRA
(Each class concludes with a Yoga Nidra)
Yoga Nidra is a method used to achieve a deep relaxation state. Normally the participant lies on their back in a relaxed demeanor.(Shavasana -or Corpse pose). The eyes are lightly closed, arms are kept 45 ' from the body with the palms facing upwards and fingers gently curled, the breathing is natural and quiet. It usually 10-30 minutes in duration and is performed after your yoga Asana Sequences ( yoga postures) one of its major functions is to allow the physical body to return to a completely neutral space.
As you lay motionless upon the floor and before the yoga nidra commences you are often encouraged to set a resolve or Sankalpa which is a positive resolve to focus or aim for in life. The Sankalpa should be clear and precise and attainable. A Sankalpa is a higher resolve to attain consciousness ( not I will win my bet on the footy or lotto or my boss will get the sack.) A Sankalpa only concerns your participation- although that may actively be for the betterment of mankind..It does not psychically impinge or intrude upon anyone else's welfare.
Examples are: I will be more compassionate and loving in all my personal
interactions!,
I will be successful in my all that I do! I will achieve abundant good health
and harmony in my life
You begin firstly with simple Pranayama ( Breath Awareness) One simply maintains breath awareness, either of the passage of breath through the nostrils and throat or the rise and fall of the breath in the chest. This process, in addition to focusing the mind, assists in "pratyahara" - (sense withdrawal ). After Sankalpa and Pranayama by listening to your teaches instructions you move through the relaxation rotation of each part of your body . In your mind you repeat the teachers instructions as your own and simultaneously visualize the parts of your body as directed .The aspirant should not zap ahead of the instructions or imagine the next body part before it's actually mentioned. The whole process should be pleasurable. It is best when you willingly comply knowing that this process is in fact in your own best interest and becomes easier and far more natural when you let go of expectations. Sometimes an anxious mind try's to resist the process but you can bypass the mind by giving your awareness free reign to participate. Old held to emotions and feelings may arise, and tears may gently be released, just observe them letting them float by. They swiftly change transform and create a passage for peaceful bliss. A visualization concludes the yoga nidra to balance settle and release any vestige of emotion. You need not deny or hang on to any emotional energy it simply shifts to tranquility and peace . Many students say a time warp is created for them and the twenty minutes or so of the practice may feel like a few minutes or alternatively as though hours of time peacefully passed. The deep theta brain wave patterns experienced in yoga nidra can be more valuable to the body and mind than a whole night of angst ridden sleep.
Thus Yoga Nidra helps to ease the nervous tensions caused by our chronically stressful Western life styles! In yoga nidra the blood pressure is normalized, the immune system is strengthened and the brain relaxes. The whole body- all the organs and senses are rested in a way that sleep seldom provides. In our stressed lives our sleep is not as restful as its meant to be- often in our sleep we are extremely dream busy tossing and turn reliving the days events. Some even suffer from the anxiety states of insomnia and sleep apnea, many even grind down their teeth and lock their jaws during the night, these disabling habits are hardly inclusive to deep peace. Yoga nidra provides an antidote where the senses are sharpened and you feel clearer rested and invigorated afterwards. Most people sleep far deeper the evening after yoga nidra and with constant practice their regular sleeping patterns duly improve! Yoga nidra is a wonderful technique, not only for physical and mental relaxation but also for preparing the mind for spiritual discipline. It achieves this with the Pratyahara (sense withdrawal ) and increasing the Dharana (concentration).
As Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Preface to "Yoga Nidra", 1982, Bihar School of Yoga, Monghyr, Bihar, India) says:
'When awareness is separate and distinct from vrittis - mental modifications, when waking, dream, and deep sleep pass like clouds, yet awareness of Atman remains, that is the experience of total relaxation. That is why, in Tantra, Yoga Nidra is said to be the doorway to samadhi!'
In yoga nidra we relax the left and right sides of the body separately this induces a healthy balance to the action of the brains hemispheres and the two aspects of autonomous nervous system the sympathetic and parasympathetic also the Yin and yang aspects of your being. The left half of the body is represented in right half of the brain and vice-a-versa. As far as the muscular actions are concerned, the representation is in an 'upside down manner' . Thus, at the top part of the brain the lowest portion of our body -foot- is represented. Then comes ankle, leg (calf), knee, thigh, hip, trunk, shoulder, arm, elbow, wrist, palm, fingers, thumb, then neck, jaw, face, eyes, ears, tongue, taste, swallowing, etc. The same thing is applicable for sensations. Stimulation of brain centers of sensory cortex evokes sensations on the opposite half of the body. In Yoga Nidra exactly opposite process is used to make the brain centers active by focusing awareness on the parts of the body in a definite sequence. In yoga nidra we stimulate various parts of the brain by focusing the awareness on the corresponding parts of the body. Yoga nidra is a way of engaging your spirit to witness the physical and mental aspects of the body.
The more often you receive Yoga Nidra and become familiar with it, the easier it is to move into the relaxed state. As you come to know this space of harmony, the more easily you are able to recall it- and benefit from it in your daily activities.
What makes Yoga Nidra so special is that it touches all parts of your being . After having made the body and mind thoroughly aware and relaxed, We use, sound "Nada Yoga" subliminal suggestions, affirmations and Mantras that combine with your own Sankalpa implants powerful healing effects which continue long after each class has ended. If there is a specific issue that you would like to work on within yoga nidra please tell us and if it is suitable we will assist you by containing it in the practice.
In simple terms with no Sanskrit or Yogic or Scientific Terms applied Yoga Nidra makes you feel good!
Aum Shanti (Go in peace)
.........................................