Yoga Nidra translates to Yoga = union or one pointed awareness and Nidra = sleep. It's a practice that has been coined as "The Art of Conscious Relaxation". It's a meditation where you get to rest the body and mind. We begin the practice lying on the ground in the pose Savasana.
Yoga Nidra is a valuable meditation technique as the practice is both relaxing and healing and it contains a pathway to Self-understanding.
It is a state in which there is awareness of the conscious, subconscious and unconscious fields of the mind all at one time. It’s the perfect therapy that brings one back to their natural self. Relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, and visualizations are tools used to experience the state that is Yoga Nidra. It’s a rejuvenating practice. My teacher, Yogi Charu, shares that one session of Yoga Nidra is equivalent to 4 hours of sleeping. It decreases physical tension and activates the relaxation response. It replaces limiting beliefs with inner peace and clear thinking.
I fell in love with the practice in 2013 on a trip to India with my teacher. After a long day of travel to Rishikesh, at the foothills of the Himalayans, we rested in the meditation. I felt my body sink into the floor and then rise towards the sky. I experienced vivid images from my past and was able to silence the sounds around me and dive deep into my own consciousness. During one of the sessions, I could feel a separation between body and mind. It was WILD and started my Yoga Nidra journey.
The more we practice Yoga Nidra, there is an understanding that stress is temporary and does not reflect the bigger picture of who you really are and what is truly important. It’s a pathway to the true Self. Not the knower, mind, ego but to our true Self.
Living life is more than handling stress. It’s about living a joyful life (ananda) with meaning and purpose (dharma) and reaching Self-realization (Atma-jnana).
Yoga Nidra is a practice that saved me. During a time when I was working really hard, long hours and two careers and going through life shifts, this meditation was my foundation, rock and support system. It's incredibly soothing and I've never regretted one session.
Yoga Nidra, The Art of Conscious Relaxation.
