Benefits of Yoga Nidra
Are you practicing Yoga Nidra?
As a Yogi of 13+ years I can say that Yoga Nidra hasn’t always been in my yoga practice. I first began practicing yoga somewhere around 2010/11, it took me two times going to the studio but not going in, to then finally go into a class on my third attempt. I was so scared of trying something new!
But oh my gosh am I glad I did try it out! Yoga has become such a love of mine for so many years; beginning all those years ago to help me on the physical level and as time went on, I dived deeper into the spiritual levels.
Yoga Nidra, is one of those deeper spiritual levels of Yoga. It’s known as the yogic sleep, it is that space between being awake and being sleep, where your individual consciousness merges more with the Universal consciousness.
This state of consciousness is naturally reached when you are first waking up or just about to fall asleep.
Many spiritual gurus advise meditating either first thing upon waking or just before sleep because when you reach this state of merging consciousness, you connect more deeply to your Higher Conscious, God, Source, The Universe, or whatever name feels good for you there. This window of time, is where you have the capability of receiving messages from the Universe or Higher Self, answers to questions, peace over decisions or struggles, etc., that can help you to connect deeper to your intuition.
During a Yoga Nidra, your body begins to fall asleep while your mind remains alert and fully conscious. This is a space in which you have the power to begin to clear the mind, relax the nervous system, reset energy, prepare the body for a deep sleep, and heal mental or physical disturbances.
It does this by getting into the brain, assisting the brain waves to transcend through lower vibrational frequencies such as depression or anxiety, which vibrate in the Alpha frequency, making it harder for the practitioner to relax. Yoga Nidra helps the practitioner move from the Alpha brain waves and into Theta or Delta, which is deep relaxation and where the body can heal itself.
Alpha brain waves are your waking state, which is why it can be hard to transcend depression or anxiety in this state because this is where the stress exists. Inside the Theta or Delta waves, is where the body enter REM sleep or a deep rest, where the body and mind can do it’s greatest healing as it’s temporarily parted from the stress of waking life.
The more you practice Yoga Nidra, the more you will be training your mind. You’ll become more aware of emotional patterns or thought cycles, in order to be able to work through the stressors in your life with more confidence and trust.
I’d say for myself gaining a sense of safety in the body and learning to trust in myself and therefore trust in the Universe gave me the space I needed to make bold decisions, heal disease, gain clarity, and cultivate more happiness.
In the past year I’ve been practicing and teaching Yoga Nidra weekly, however in the past 2 months, I’ve practiced daily, which has completely changed my life around me. I believe I pulled myself out of burnout and depression more quickly than ever before, and into making decisions and plans for a future that was more aligned for me personally and professionally.
I can’t promise you’ll have the same response because all experiences are unique. However, my experience has been so special and so life-changing that this is one aspect of my business that I’ll be offering more and more, so stay tuned or check that offer out soon.
In the meantime, you can download a FREE YOGA NIDRA from the first page of the website.
Have fun and explore what Yoga Nidra can offer you!
Photo: by Jared Rice on Unsplash