Yoga Nidra

A beautiful, simple, yet powerfully restorative yogic practice is called yoga nidra. Nidra means sleep & yoga means union...yoga nidra is a way to connect to yourself through a restful state. Yoga nidra is not really sleep, but rather, explores a liminal space...the hyponogogic state (between waking and sleeping) & the hypnopompic state (between sleep and waking).

Andrew Huberman calls it Non-Sleep Deep Rest or NSDR. The yogi usually lies down, makes their nidra nest with any props like eye shades/eye pillow, bolsters, & blankets.  The traditional shavasana (corpse pose-laying supine with shoulder blades tucked down & back, palms turned up) is usually taken, but because this is trauma-informed, I encourage whatever shape(s) bring the most comfort & safety. It is OK to change your shape during the practice, I just ask that you do so slowly & mindfully. Then those participating in the yoga nidra practice simply listen to the facilitator guide them through an exploration of the many layers, or koshas of our human existence.

The  yogic sheaths...the koshas. Also understood as the 5 levels of awareness, moving from the outer to the inner.

The densest layer is the physical body...annamaya kosha

The next layer lighter is the energetic body...pranamaya kosha

The  next even lighter layer is the mental-emotional body...manomaya

kosha

Then there is the wisdom layer or intuition, personality lives

here...vijnanamaya kosha

The subtlest of sheaths is the bliss or heart-centered

consciousness...anandamaya kosha

Yoga nidra is not very well-known & yet it is one of the most easily accessible & most healing forms of yoga. It doesn't require anything fancy. It is extrememly restorative. It helps heal trauma by increasing our ability to concentrate our attention inward, usually starting with a body scan where we simply let our awareness 'visit' different areas of our body.

​It is a paradox of a practice in that all you have to do is lay still (or sit) & simply follow where your guide is inviting you. The mind will drift, awareness will drift, consciousness will drift, & then you again become aware of the present moment where the guide is asking you to bring your attention to. The paradox is that even though your physical body is still, there is a lot going on. In fact, although the limb of yoga that is pratyhara (removal of senses) is most often associated with yoga nidra. One could also say there is pranayama (breath) involved, concentration (dharana) & meditation (dhyana) as well. If one is suspended in a pure state of enlightenment or samhadi, then it could be said that during the practice of yoga nidra, you could be using as many as 5 limbs from the 8 limbed tree of raja yoga! [See blog Yoga In A Nutshell For Healing]

​Part of the healing that yoga nidra & all yoga practices present is the opportunity to meet yourself fresh in each moment, with NON-JUDGMENT. We are not taught to be still in our Western culture & we are not taught to be mindful. Initially, yoga nidra can be a challenging practice & yet while I taught it for 3 years in a Behavioral Health Department, I had patients who stated profound levels of relaxation that they had never experienced before. This is why I offer yoga nidra as a skills group. Learning to relax can be a very difficult to do & yet yoga nidra lets us cultivate it gently & gives immediate rewards.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati. (2003). Yoga nidra. Yoga Publications Trust.