Yoga Nidra-Pose of the Month

Ahh, yoga nidra. For a while I had not a clue what this practice was but it is catching on all over the county. You can find yoga nidra on I-phone and Droid apps even now! What is yoga nidra?

Yoga-nidra is an efficient method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation while maintaining consciousness. In fact Yoga Nidra not only brings physical and mental relaxation but also prepares the mind for spiritual evolution. It is mainly associates with pratyahara (withdrawing senses form sense-objects) and dharana (concentration).

In normal sleep, consciousness is absent and the unconscious is in charge. In Yoga Nidra the consciousness directs the unconscious to relax. Yoga Nidra is a 'sleep' where all the burdens, stress, strain, anxiety are thrown off to attain more blissful state of awareness, a relaxation much more intense than ordinary sleep. Yoga Nidra is said to be the doorway to samadhi!'

Benefits of Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra may have untold benefits that go beyond the therapeutic.
Yoga Nidra helps harmonizing two hemispheres of the brain and the two aspects of autonomous nervous system viz. sympathetic and parasympathetic. The rotation of body awareness stimulates different parts of the brain that control each and every body nerve. When you are aware of each part of your body, you are actually massaging the corresponding part in the brain as well. You establish the connection between the body and the mind. The impressions in the subconscious are brought to surface, experienced and removed. Thus, the fixation of awareness to the body is replaced with the awareness linked to subtler aspects of prana (life force) and spiritual dimensions.

How can you perform yoga nidra?
You tube, Amazon...You can purchase cds at stores (New Renaissance in NW Portland carries them). You can download apps for your smart phone or you can download a script from the internet and record yourself reading it and then play it during your practice. Most cds are around 20-45 minutes. I have a Droid app that is 7 minutes. When ever I feel like I need a nap but only have around 10 minutes..yoga nidra. When I feel mentally exhausted and need a break..yoga nidra.

Try it out...see what it can do for you.