“Yoga Nidra is the yoga of aware sleep. In this lies the secret of self healing.” – Satyananda Saraswati
Awareness
Everything about modern life is accelerated. It is all about speed. Our bodies and minds have a hard time assimilating and digesting all that we are taking in. We can begin to create coherence through the practice of Yoga Nidra and shift from acceleration to slowing down. Rather than disperse our energy, we can recollect and unify it. There is a lot of division within ourselves and the world we live in. It is hard to find a unifying principle. Awareness is a unifying principle from which we all can benefit, which is why Yoga Nidra can serve us all.
This blog will cover four concepts related to Yoga Nidra:
- What is Yoga Nidra
- The Four States of Human Consciousness
- Aims of Yoga Nidra
- The Practice of Yoga Nidra.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga= Awareness; Nidra= Sleep
Ancient texts have outlined the importance of relaxation as a practice that can help to maintain optimal health. This practice is called Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra guides the practitioner into letting go of all effort to reach the highest peak of a deep sleep, coupled with awareness. There are four stages of Yoga Nidra. The final step is described as the equivalent of enlightenment, where the mind is no longer confining perception in any specific way. We all have accessed this state before in those few seconds right before we fall asleep.
In this stage, we do not view ourselves or others through a lens of self-criticism. We let go of all dualities such as good/bad, right/wrong, happy/sad. Instead, we experience who we are at our core- stripped of all layers of self-doubt, conditioned behaviors, and worry. Yoga Nidra can lead you to a place of joy solely by accessing this inner space of effortlessness and calm.
In Yoga Nidra, you get to lie down and make yourself warm and comfortable. Your only task is to become more effortless. The value of lying down allows us to forget about the body and enter different states of awareness. The body becomes entirely at rest, and the mind is alert but without thoughts. The final stages of Yoga Nidra are similar to the state of heightened meditation combined with sleep. The rested mind and body can then begin to heal and change in this state of quiet consciousness.
Yoga Nidra & Meditation
Yoga Nidra can be an alternate form of meditation and a vehicle for entering meditative states. Meditation can be a challenge for people, both physically and mentally. Sitting cross-legged for an extended amount of time can cause feet to fall asleep, backs to ache, knees to complain, and hips to throb. The physical symptoms of a seated meditation practice combined with an anxious monkey mind can be reason enough for someone to quit or not even begin a meditation practice.
Yoga Nidra takes care of the body’s ailments by allowing the practitioner to make themselves as comfortable as possible. Once physically relaxed, the goal is to use the breath to coax the mind into following the untroubled body’s lead.
States of Consciousness
There are three states of consciousness that all humans go through- waking, dreaming and deep sleep. We are engulfed by responsibilities, concerns, goals, fears, and endless to-do’s in our waking state. Luckily, the magic of sleep takes over at the end of this state. Sleep gives us a respite from always doing. It does not require us to figure anything out. For a period of time, we can close our eyes and forget about time and obligations.
With sleep inevitably comes dreams. Dreaming is a necessary and helpful component of sleep. Humans dream far more than any other primate. A typical night’s sleep consists of us going in and out of dreams. REM sleep, which is the sleep stage we experience while dreaming, is like a psychological miracle drug. REM sleep allows our brain to undergo a process of reviewing memories and pruning away those that are no longer helpful or useful for us.
Dreamless sleep experienced in the non-REM stage of sleep is also a necessary. Deep sleep occurs at the final stage of non-REM sleep. Your body is as still as it will ever get in this stage. The most significant repair to our bodies and minds occur in deep sleep. This makes it imperative that we allow ourselves to experience this sleep stage during a night’s sleep.
Some of the benefits include:
- energy restoration
- cell regeneration
- increasing blood supply to muscles
- promoting growth and repair of tissues and bones
- strengthening the immune system
Unfortunately, for many of us, we do not always experience the stage of deep sleep. Some people have undiagnosed sleep disorders or sleep disruptions, such as difficulty breathing. For others, lifestyle factors contribute to the prevention of deep sleep. These things include having too much caffeine throughout the day, excessive worry or stress, or sleeping in a room that is not entirely void of light or electronics.
Yoga Nidra is designed to help you enter the brainwave cycles that constitute deep sleep. When done correctly, the practice of Yoga Nidra can account for approximately one hour of deep sleep.
The final stage of Yoga Nidra also has restorative and regenerative properties, just like those experienced in non-REM sleep.
Fourth State of Consciousness
Ancient sages suggested that a fourth state of consciousness exists. This state of consciousness is accessed during the practice of Yoga Nidra. Seers described this state as what is experienced at the height of meditation coupled with sleep. In Yoga Nidra, you leave the waking state of consciousness, enter the deep sleep state of consciousness, yet remain fully awake. The practitioner does not dream. Instead, imagery is used to facilitate relaxation and take off layers of stress to affect positive change in our lives.
In our waking state, we develop likes, dislikes, preferences, limitations, and beliefs through our experiences. This influences how we behave, perceive, and interact with the world around us. Yoga Nidra allows us to enter a space where we are free from all of these things. In this fourth state, we can begin to heal and change how we perceive our identity and the world. In that sense, yogic sleep helps us “wake up” and realize and change unconscious patterns that lead to undesired results.
Aims of Yoga Nidra:
There are different aims of Yoga Nidra that the practitioner can obtain based on his or her needs.
There are five aims of Yoga Nidra.
First Aim: General Healing
Yoga Nidra allows the body and mind to rest, resulting in less stress. In my opinion, more rest combined with reduced tension and stress held in the body and mind leads to an abundance of benefits. These are just a few proven benefits of the practice of Yoga Nidra. Better sleep, less stress, greater joy, increased energy, better connection to yourself and others, the development of clarity, and a sense of calm throughout your day, decreased tension stored in the body and mind, reduction in worry, less reactivity, and more presence.
Second Aim: Improvement of Cognition
Yoga Nidra is proven to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress levels in an individual. A reduction in these things can result in better memory and increased learning capacity. Yoga Nidra also allows the practitioner to process emotions. The ability to process past feelings will enable us to show up more present in our lives.
Third Aim Build A Sankalpa
Through the process of becoming deeply relaxed, we can enter a state of doubtlessness where you can seed an intention referred to as a sankalpa. A sankalpa is a willful resolve or aim. The ancient concept of sankalpa is based on the idea that your mind has a limitless capacity to create the life you imagine. As the Buddha said, “What you think you become.”
Very few things cannot be accomplished when you direct your mind toward achieving a single goal. The key to achieving your sankalpa, or intention, is that you must be 100% committed and determined to achieve it. A sankalpa is a single sentence that is result-oriented and aimed at fulfilling a desire. You create this statement as if it has already happened. Your resolve must support your life as a whole. Your sankalpa might focus your intention to buy a new house, change a habit, heal a physical ailment, live a healthier life, change careers, or overcome challenging thoughts.
During Yoga Nidra, you state your sankalpa at the beginning and end of the practice. The words you use to describe your sankalpa speaks to the conscious mind. To effect change, however, we need to talk to the unconscious mind. You can communicate with the unconscious through means of feelings and images. Your sankalpa creates imagery and a corresponding emotion that ultimately guides the unconscious mind toward fulfilling this desire.
Use of Sankalpa
An example of a sankalpa I have used is, ” Joe and I are happily moved into our new home. The sale of our old home is finalized.” I used this sankalpa when we were attempting to purchase a new home and sell ours amid the pandemic. We weren’t sure what the real estate market would be like, if we would be approved funding, or if we would even keep our jobs at that point. Everything went smoothly, and my sankalpa was fulfilled. Skeptics may think I am nuts, but I attribute the relatively smooth sale and purchase of homes to my sankalpa.
Fourth Aim: Process for specific healing or transformation
We accumulate memories and experiences as we move through life. Some of these occurrences are wonderful. Others are less memorable or neutral. For a large majority of people, events throughout the day are stressful. All the experiences that we deem to be negative and go unresolved- whether we are aware of it are not- become stored in the unconscious mind.
With any negative emotion or pain, there is a contraction that occurs around it. For example, usually with surgery, there is a physical scar and an emotional scar. If left untreated, there is an unconscious holding of that memory that becomes stored in the mind and body. To heal or replace this memory, we need to bring the pain forward and process it. The practitioner can then reseed a new memory (sankalpa) that the body and mind can both adhere to.
Studies have proven positive effects on the use of Yoga Nidra to aid in specific healing of physiological and psychological conditions. These include PTSD, insomnia, chronic sleep disorders, addictive behavior, chronic diseases, pain therapy, pregnancies, geriatrics, asthma, and disorders of the cardiovascular system.
Fifth Aim: Spiritual Practice
Yoga Nidra can be used to help us awaken to who we are, which ultimately is indescribable. It is that part of you that has no beginning or end. It is unchanging. This place is often referred to as the “soul” or “purusa.” Puru means “city” & sa means “that which is at rest.” So the purusa is the one that is invariably at rest in your body. It is the thing that is always at home. Inherently your purusa is joy. Yoda Nidra lets us approach your purusa, or inner joy, simply by becoming more effortlessness.
Steps of Yoga Nidra:
The steps of Yoga Nidra somewhat differ based on your aim. There are a variety of different systems of Yoga Nidra currently being taught and popularized. Like Yoga, Yoga Nidra is both a practice and a state of being. The state of Yoga Nidra is always there. The process of Yoga Nidra guides us into relaxing our perceptions to experience this state.
First Step:
The first step of Yoga Nidra involves using the senses to become more self-aware. Here, we get to lay down, close our eyes, and embrace the quality of non-doing. A majority of our attention during the day is focused on outward, external objects. We can use the sense of sound to begin to draw our attention inward toward the body. The practitioner is directed to become aware of sounds in their environment. Starting with sounds more distant and prevalent. Then progressively sounds that are more subtle and close by.
The practice then directs the practitioner to become aware of sensations- specifically where tension, restriction, tightness, or contraction is held. Slowly you are guided to step into the sensation of releasing this restriction or tightness in the body. Once you’ve done that, you begin to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). The PNS is where the muscles can start to soften, and the breath can slow down. Here you no longer are holding yourself, but rather you are being held. The more you let go, the more you’re supported. This is the opposite of how we usually approach life as we feel we have to do more to feel a sense of okayness.
Second Step:
The second step is to become aware of your breathing. The breath is that junction between the body and the mind. The body can become naturally self-aware once you’ve made this mind-body connection through means of the breath. The practice directs your breath down from your chest into your lower abdomen to initiate diaphragmatic breathing. Chest breathing indicates being in the sympathetic nervous system, which is the state we enter when stressed. Your body starts to self-regulate itself so you can access an inner state of bliss. You are no longer the breather, but rather the one aware of the body breathing.
Third Step:
Yoga Nidra invites you to put your body and mind to sleep while maintaining awareness. The practice guides you into a state of increased effortlessness.
Fourth Step:
At the beginning of the practice and before reaching the final stage of Yoga Nidra, you apply an image of our own making (sankalpa). You rest in the vision of what you intend to create while still in this dream-like state. Imagery triggers healing processes throughout the body.
Bottom Line:
Yoga Nidra allows you to enter a space you can naturally retreat to by lying down and closing your eyes. This inner reservation is free from judgment, to-do’s, unwanted habits, stressors, and limitations. Bold, sparkly thoughts- the ones that jump out of your mind and cause feelings of unease- do not exist in this sacred area. This inner space is simply and splendidly quiet. It is not filled with that awkward silence that some attempt to escape from. But rather a stillness that you can wrap around yourself to feel protected and held. And the best part is you can access the practice of Yoga Nidra at any time.
Like the practice of Yoga, you can pick and choose how you wish to approach Yoga Nidra based on what you hope to achieve. No matter your aim, the bottom line is the practice of Yoga Nidra feels fantastic. The worst that can happen is you fall asleep and wake up feeling rested. The best that can happen is you enter different states of awareness that help you live more awake. I hope you join me in adopting yogic sleep as a part of your daily routine!
Put The Practice Into Practice:
I challenge you to practice Yoga Nidra for 30-days. If you skip a day, no worries. Just start the next day again. Side note: Sometimes, I stop and start a specific practice, like Yoga Nidra, again. The important thing is that you commit to returning back to the practice.
Recommendations for Practice:
1) The “Sanctuary” app. by Rod Stryker is my go-to. There is both a free and subscription-based option. The app. includes meditation and asana (physical yoga posture) practices. The “Enlightened Sleep” section is where you can access various Yoga Nidra practices. Side note: Rod Stryker is the man.
2) The “Insight Timer” app. also has free Yoga Nidra practices. Personally, I enjoy those lead by Jennifer Piercy.
