Yoga Nidra Info

Yoga Nidra Resource Page

What is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra, also known as Psychic Sleep, or the Yogic Sleep, is a specific dreamscape practice designed to enable the release of unconscious tensions from the mind. It is a state of conscious Deep Sleep
Whether you’re an experienced yogi or a newcomer to the world of yoga, meditation and mind-body healing, it’s important to understand that Yoga Nidra has two different meanings.
It is a state of deep conscious relaxation and is a form of pratyahara--the turning inward of awareness.
It is considered to be an active or preliminary form of meditation, though many of the benefits of meditation are also realized through this state of consciousness.
Yoga Nidra is the perfect antidote to these stresses of the day and the current cultural norm.
Part Shavasana (corpse pose for deep rejuvenation), part Pratyahara (the ability to quiet the mind beyond associations, opinions, habitual ways of processing information and cultural programming), part Pratipaksha Bhavana (intentionally replacing one thought with another), part surrender, part deep breathing, part focusing the mind and part deep relaxation; it is a beautiful synthesis of yogic techniques.

Difference between meditation, Shavasana, sleep, hypnosis and yoga nidra

Meditation

It is the practice of becoming aware of the thoughts. In order to do this, you sit, close your eyes, and turn inward. Then, you watch your thoughts. It is typically practised in a seated position
This type of witness mentality is what makes the meditation a unique form.
It is rather than being the inside thoughts of what you are going to cook for dinner or whether your foot is hurting.
It is about watching your thoughts both begin and end. One visual that the practitioner can use is to imagine that he/she is standing still and watching a leaf blow past when the wind flows. He/she can also envision of a river which is flowing beneath your foot or balloon floating and rising in the sky. The thoughts come as they may, and instead of attaching to them and being carried away with them, the practitioner has to watch them leave.
In meditation there exist meditator (I), meditation (Act/process) and the meditated (object) – that is 3 things exist like singer, song and the singing.

Shavasana - corpse pose

Savasana literally translates as corpse pose even though according to Western practitioners they prefer it calling rest pose which seems to feel like a little bit less morbid.
What this actually means for us is that we have to surrender in savasana.
You don’t actually have to worry about your breath or even your thoughts and your body. All you need to perform is let go, and your work is essentially done. There is absolutely nothing for you to do.
Savasana is generally practised at the end of all the asanas or asana session. However, we do encourage that you consider making this asana a very own practice.
In this busy life of ours, spending few minutes in shavasana every day can be quite powerful.
The most common question regarding shavasana is falling asleep while doing it. It is quite common for the beginners to doze off. But the question arises if this is okay. Well, the answer is that it is perfectly fine if you fall asleep. It essentially means that your body requires sleep.
However, sleep and savasana aren’t actually the same thing.
Shavasana is more about surrender. You are actually awake but essentially at rest.
It is about learning about how to remain awake and also at rest which is incredibly important for wellness and stress relief.

Nidra or Sleep

‘Nidra’ or sleep is tamasic because we become inactive and are totally ignorant of everything happening and what is during our sleep.
This state of inactivity is therefore termed as tamasic, but it is must for the anaerobic activity of rejuvenation and repairing of our body.
This state of rest helps our body to become energized and fit to face the next day. Imagine it to be something like ‘aircraft maintenance’ after every flight!
But, do we all get rejuvenated after sleep – not necessarily.
Because, our bodies become inactive but our mind is kept active with all the day’s events, suppressed desires (which we usually fulfill through our dreams!), anger and what not.
No doubt we get up tired, listless, irritated and dull.

Yoga Nidra

In yoga nidra, the practitioner leads the students through a detailed, systematic and specific script which essentially says that feel your left toe and then release your left toe.
In the yoga nidra, you are asked to set a Sankalpa or making a promise to yourself and then call upon the deepest desire that you actually have.
It is essentially believed that you can easily enter a state in between the consciousness as well as unconsciousness where those particular desires can easily be manifested.
You may have experienced the feeling when you are about to fall asleep, and there is a weird feeling like your brain is simply freestyling and also attaching random ideas with each other. Some might call it dozing. You are actually in between being awake and being in sleep.
This is exactly where Yoga Nidra takes you with all the intention of essentially keeping you there for a certain period of time.
It is said that in that particular middle space, your brain can actually do some pretty tremendous as well as magical things.

Difference between sleep & yoga nidra

Sleep

The major differentiating factor is, in yoga sleep, you maintain full consciousness and remember every detail of what you experienced in the dream.
While, the same is mostly not true for normal sleep, you may remember it for 5 minutes after breaking but then it quickly trickles away from the grasp of your mind.
The difference between normal sleep and yoga nidra is that when you sleep your conscious mind is dormant and not working while your subconscious mind takes over.
The subconscious mind does not leave behind the stresses or pains you might have faced during the day.
Now imagine yourself in a sound sleep. When sleeping, you have no awareness of what’s going on around you.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra does exactly the opposite.
When performing yoga nidra, your conscious mind is still awake and relaxes the body and mind completely without reminding you of the worries you have faced.
Imagine yourself sitting comfortably in a quiet room in state of relaxation.
You feel calm, but you are completely aware of your surroundings.
Yoga nidra can be thought of as the middle point between being calmly awake and deeply asleep.

Difference between Yoga Nidra & Hypnosis

Because yoga nidra can be used to influence the mind, many people think that it is a form of hypnosis.
But the truth is that these two are totally different sciences.
Although they may start from the same point of relaxation and receptivity, yoga nidra proceeds in one direction and hypnosis in another.
The state of mind achieved in yoga nidra is far beyond hypnosis, but when the mind is dissociated from the sensory knowledge it does pass through a hypnotic state.
However, if you can disconnect the sensory channels and still maintain awareness, you will be able to transcend the barriers of your personality and go to any depth or height.
The consciousness can go as far as you can lead it. This is the aim of yoga nidra. But at the same time, you must know when you are transcending, that up to a certain point, you are passing through the territory of hypnotism.
Therefore, throughout the practice, one important instruction is always given: 'Do not sleep'. In yoga nidra you must try to keep awake.
You are relaxed, but you do not sleep. You are not conscious on the sensual plane, but you are conscious that you are practicing yoga nidra. A process of automatic thinking is going on.

Difference between Yoga Nidra and iRest

iRest Yoga Nidra is a research-based transformative practice of deep relaxation and meditation. This guided meditation is generally practiced lying down or sitting comfortably in group or individual sessions.
iRest is a modern adaptation of the ancient meditation practice of Yoga Nidra. In 2006 Richard Miller, PhD, of the Integrative Restoration Institute (IRI), developed the protocol and led the initial iRest research at Walter Reed Army Hospital.
iRest is currently supporting active duty, veterans and families of service members in over 30 VA or Military settings across the United States.
At the core of iRest is a 10-step protocol which has been adapted from tantric or classical practice of yoga nidra in India.
It is important to note that this protocol should not be seen as a fixed and only way to practice – it is more like a map that guides us along this path of meditation.
The protocol is fluid and while of course you may practice all the steps together, it is equally possible to focus on certain stages.

Origin of modern yoga nidra

No one knows the origins of Yoga Nidra for certain. The term is quite ancient.
It is mentioned in the Devi Bhagavata wherein Lord Vishnu reclines on Naga Shesha and creation manifests as if creation is the manifestation of his dream.
The term is also mentioned in Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Taravali. However, in none of these references is there instruction or great explanation of the concepts.
One of the earliest “modern” teachers was said to be Paramyogeshwar Sri Devpuriji, who died in 1942. He was said by his devotees to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
One of his disciples was Bhagwan Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji who lived in Rajasthan. He lived from 1828 to 1963. Yes, that is 135 years. He was revered by his devotees as an avatar (a divine incarnation). Some of his writings about Yoga Nidra are preserved and they are quite beautiful and poetic.
Bhagwan had two main disciples to whom he is said to have passed on this knowledge.
One was Swami Muktananda (1908 – 1982) and the other was Swami Sivananda (1887 – 1963).
https://www.vishwaguruji.org/parampara/deep-narayan-mahaprabhuji
What is practiced and called Yoga Nidra today comes from this lineage of teachings. Modern teachers have developed their knowledge into a variety of similar but different forms.
In the early 1960s, Swami Satyananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of Yoga decided that the religious overtones of this practice might repel many westerners who might otherwise benefit from yoga. So, by his own admission, he created “yoga nidra” by combining traditional yogic technique with western hypnotic relaxation and the information he read in Herbert Benson’s seminal 1960’s work “The Relaxation Response.”
Before 1960, “yoga nidra” did not exist as you see it in classes today. There was only nyasa, and the dream yoga techniques known as “nidra yoga.
One of most well known modern teachers is Swami Satyananda Saraswati who passed in 2009. He was the founder of the Bihar School of Yoga. He is often credited with reviving this knowledge. It is said that he had a vision of Swami Sivananda who blessed him as Swamiji left his body in Rishikesh. Through that vision, Swami Sivananda is said to have passed on the knowledge of Yoga Nidra to Swami Satyananda.

It is widely believed that Swami Satyananda developed his own approach or his style of Yoga Nidra, which some believe was influenced by the Tantric practice of Nyasa or focusing mantras on body parts and organs.
One of Swami Satyananda’s disciples is Swami Janakananda who went on to found the Scandinavian school of Yoga in 1970.
Swami Janakananda and his disciples have strongly promoted Yoga Nidra and sponsored a considerable amount of research on the subject, some of which has been published, demonstrating the different brain wave patterns while in the Yoga Nidra state of consciousness.
Another proponent of Yoga Nidra was Swami Rama, the founder of the Himalayan Institute who passed in 1996. While I do not know from whom he learned Yoga Nidra, he did develop a unique approach to taking students into that state of consciousness.
Most recently in 2006, Richard Miller, the founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapy developed his own style of Yoga Nidra and brought it into VA hospitals in order to help heal soldiers with PTSD. He discusses his studies in a recently published book. He calls his technique iRest.

Preferred Asana Used for Yoga Nidra

Shavasana

Shava - Corpse; Asana – Pose; The asana is pronounced as Shuh-vah-sana
This pose gets its name from the recumbent posture of a dead body.
It is a position of rest and relaxation, and is usually practised towards the end of a yoga session – a session that typically begins with activity and ends in rest; a space or pause when deep healing can take place.
Lie flat on your back, preferably without any props or cushions. Use small pillow below your neck if absolutely required. Close your eyes.
Keep your legs to 45 degree angle apart and let your feet and knees relax completely, toes facing to the sides.
Place your arms alongside,45 degree away from your body. Leave your palms open, facing upward, fingers are curled in.
Taking your attention to different body parts one by one, slowly relax your entire body.
Begin with bringing your awareness to the right foot, move on to the right knee (as you complete one leg, move your attention on to the other leg), and so on, and slowly move upwards to your head, relaxing each part of the body.
Keep breathing slowly, gently, deeply and allow your breath to relax you more and more. The incoming breath energises the body while the outgoing breath brings relaxation.
Drop all sense of hurry or urgency or any need to attend to anything else. Just be with the body and the breath. Surrender the whole body to the floor and let go.
Make sure you don’t fall asleep!
After some time, about 10-20 minutes when you feel fully relaxed, keeping your eyes closed, slowly roll onto your right side.
Lie in that position for a minute or so. Then, taking the support of your right hand, gently sit up into a seated pose such as Sukhasana (Easy Pose).
Keep your eyes closed and take a few deep breaths in and out as you gradually become aware of your environment and the body.
When you feel complete, slowly and gently open your eyes.

Few Important factors for Yoga Nidra Practice

Keep sufficient time for yoga nidra after yoga postures. Just as a car engine needs to be turned off and allowed to cool down after a long drive, similarly, our body becomes warm while doing yoga postures. We need to cool our body with yoga nidra before moving off the yoga mat.
Yoga nidra after lunch? It is not advisable to do yoga nidra immediately after lunch because you might end up experiencing only nidra (sleep) and no yoga!
Practice yoga nidra in a peaceful place. A yogi's home is calm, comfortable, and clutter-free. A place that calms and energizes the mind and betters your yoga nidra experience.
Keep yourself cozy; cover yourself with a blanket to keep yourself warm. After an active session of yoga postures, the body is hot and when you lie down for yoga nidra, the temperature suddenly drops and you might feel slightly cold. So, it is a good idea to keep a light blanket handy.
Make yourself comfortable. When you are comfortable, the mind can relax more and more. While lying down in Corpse Pose (Shavasana) for yoga nidra, if you experience pain or discomfort in your lower back, use pillows to raise your knees above the waist level to relax the spine more. You can also place a thin pillow under your head for more comfort. However, don't make yourself too comfortable and go to sleep.
Yoga nidra is not about 'conscious effort' but 'conscious relaxation'. Now what is that? Let's take an example. The moment you hear the word 'apple,' its image instantly flashes through your mind. You don't need to put in effort to think whether it's small or big, red or green. The same happens during yoga nidra. You don't need to 'concentrate' or 'focus' on what a leg is, or touch your nose. Nor do you need to physically move these body parts. You only need to gently take your attention to them, while taking deep breaths. The trick in yoga nidra is to relax with awareness remain effortless and consciously relax the body and mind.
It is quite natural to be distracted by random thoughts during yoga nidra. Do not try and curb them. If you fall asleep naturally, don't feel guilty once you wake up.
Gentle music can also aid in yoga nidra. You could switch on light, instrumental music or some soothing chants before starting yoga nidra. However music is not an essential element for yoga nidra. You'll find yourself relaxing to your own internal rhythm.
After yoga nidra, roll over to your right side and slowly sit up. Rolling over to the right side makes the breath flow through the left nostril which helps cool the body.

Eight Stages of Yoga Nidra

The practice of yoga nidra is divided into the following stages:

1. Internalisation/Settling
wareness moves from the physical body inward including peliminary adjustment of the body, preliminary relaxation of the whole body, and preliminary relaxation of the mind

2. Sankalpa
A carefully chosen positive intention or affirmation stated in the present or future tense. The Sankalpa does not change from practice to practice. One keeps their Sankalpa until it becomes true.
Examples: a) I am awakening or I will awaken my spiritual potential. b) I am or I will be successful in all I undertake. c) I am healthy or I will achieve total health.

3. Body Rotation
Rotation of consciousness/awareness through the entire body (without physical movement). The sequence of rotation relates directly to the motor homunculus (the symbolic person embedded within the brain matter). The sensory motor cortex is accessed during this stage of Yoga Nidra.

4. Breath Awareness
One becomes acutely aware of the breath (often by counting backwards). This stage promotes relaxation and concentration. The brain moves from the busy beta state to the more relaxed alpha state. Breathing changes from being a function of the brain stem to being a function of the cerebral cortex (higher brain). During this stage the body releases endorphins (natural pain-killers).

5. Opposites
Opposite emotions or sensations are explored while practising non-attachment. This part of the practice connects to the limbic system (reptilian brain). The opposites stage of Yoga Nidra develops will-power, emotional control, and greater equanimity.

6. Visualisations
Simple Imagery is visualised. This stage develops self-awareness and relaxes the mind by cleansing it of painful and disturbing material (samskaras).

7. Sankalpa (repeat of Stage 2)
The Sankalpa is mentally repeated with the exact wording as in stage 2. The Sankalpa now can root deeply while the mind is relaxed and receptive.

8. Externalisation
The Yoga Nidra practice is completed gradually by bringing the mind from psychic sleep to the waking state.

These eight stages are sequential, they should be practised one after the other in the order given. Variations can be adopted within this basic framework.

Instructions for yoga nidra can be given in three ways:

Directly from a teacher, or
From a tape recording, or
By your own mental commands.

It is best to learn yoga nidra directly from a teacher first so that the instructions can be modified to suit your individual needs. When the correct method is firmly imprinted on your mind, however, you can practise alone either by self-instruction or listening to a tape recording of your teacher's lesson.

Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga Nidra