Yoga is becoming famous rapidly, and for good reason. It has a host of benefits and it teaches you to harmonize the mind and body through breathing exercises, physical exercises, and meditation. Yoga is perfect for relieving stress and anxiety, improving physical health by facilitating improved blood circulation, and, if done regularly, improving the overall quality of a person’s life. Many other branches of yoga will help fight multiple problems. Yoga Nidra Meditation is a branch of yoga that will definitely interest those who cannot relax or sleep well. Yoga Nidra, also called yogic sleep, is a method of meditation and conscious relaxation intended to induce complete physical, mental, and emotional relief.
Yoga Nidra can be performed by anyone. For all those who struggle to let go, those suffering from lack of sleep, trauma, burn-out, and anxiety, it holds tremendous benefits. For anyone who wishes to feel a deeper sense of peace and reconnect more deeply with themselves, it is also incredibly beneficial and holds tremendous healing power. The practice of Yoga Nidra leads us to a harmonious state, and restful being. It takes us to a deep sleeping state where our senses, and mind are relaxed. As this occurs, the activity of the brain decreases and the body goes into a state of recovery. Therefore, it is also said that one hour of yoga nidra will give the same advantage as four hours of sleep.
What’s the origin of Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra (Sanskrit for Yogic Sleep) is a powerful technique from the Tantra Yoga tradition. Yoga Nidra originates from India and is an ancient tradition. The origins of the philosophy of Sankhya can be traced back to (first written down around 700 BC but dating back to around 1000 BC through verbal teaching). Through the non-dualist philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and the Tantric teachings of Kashmir Shaivism, these early teachings were practiced and developed over the centuries. Yoga Nidra Meditation has an experiential map of meditation history and follows all of these philosophies along its journey.
When performed as a way of closing a yoga session, the yoga nidra meditation work best. By concentrating your attention on each body part, you practice soothing your body. After a yoga session, the energy the body gains will be conserved and used to relieve the whole body. Relaxation starts with Yoga Nidra, but it goes far further. Relaxation of the body, mind, and senses is very important in Yoga Nidra Meditation, but that is not the main objective. The consciousness in Yoga Nidra is engaged and in an observing state. You are studying the body, mind, and senses even as the brain enters a deep state of relaxation.
Yoga Nidra gives an extra window of deep relaxation to your mind and body provides powerful benefits. A few major benefits of practicing Yoga Nidra are:
- Reduces Stress and Anxiety:
Slowly, with daily practice, we start to become aware of our subconscious and the internal issues. We are able to release these problems and let them go with increased understanding. Yoga Nidra encourages deep rest and relaxation that is not found in average meditation practice.
- Improves concentration:
During Yoga Nidra Meditation we transferring consciousness to the various sections and sensations of the body. The mind keeps wandering at the beginning, but when we attempt to obey the directions, we manage to get the mind back to reality. We gain control over the mind over time and train it to follow and concentrate.
- Release Tension and Chronic Pain:
The benefits of practicing yoga nidra meditation for managing chronic pain have been demonstrated by case studies. Patients have seen progress where, with the help of yoga nidra, they needed fewer pain killers, were able to handle moderate pain, and fall asleep. This had an effect on their probability of developing depression as well.
- Improve Your Sleep and Helps Fight Insomnia:
Since yoga nidra helps improve the quality of sleep, any insomnia issues you have will soon go away. It helps to relax your body and mind in training so that you can sink with greater ease into a deeper sleep. The wavelengths in your mind are slowed by Yoga Nidra as you enter a sleep-like state. To trigger the relaxation response in your body, the experience often starts with sensing the body and breathing mindfully.
- Calms the Nervous System:
So perhaps the ease of meditation helps to soothe and calm the nervous system, one of the most significant benefits of Yoga Nidra. The simple act of lying down and closing your eyes to the nervous system is already profoundly relaxing and helps move you to a parasympathetic state (your rest-and-digest response). Yoga Nidra will help to slow your heart rate, soften the skeletal muscle tone, calm your breath, and quiet your mind by going into this parasympathetic state.
Yoga nidra is like a really long Savasana, kind of (Corpse pose). You lie on your back here, make yourself comfortable, close your eyes, and settle in. Yoga nidra meditation, however, is a much longer practice and can last for an hour sometimes. And you are not left in silence, but directed by an instructor who guides your consciousness throughout your body, breath, senses, emotions, and archetypal imagery through practice. You don’t need to ‘focus’ or ‘concentrate’ on what a leg is or reach your nose. Nor do you physically need to move these bodies manually. All you need to do is gently concentrate your focus on them while taking a deep breath. In Yoga Nidra, the trick is to relax with consciousness, to stay effortless, and to relax the body and mind consciously.
But what’s the perfect time to practice yoga nidra meditation?
It is possible to practice Yoga nidra at any time, except right after eating, as you may be more likely to fall asleep then. In the morning, after asana or meditation, or before you go to sleep, you may consider practicing then. By calming the body and unwinding the mind for deeper, more restful sleep, it makes a pleasure to sleep.
Yoga nidra is typically a guided practice by using a smooth and affectionate, chanting-like sound. For starters, it is best to learn and practice yoga nidra meditation under the supervision of trained and professional yoga teachers. MindEasy provides online courses for Yoga Nidra, which relaxes the physical body and the mental and emotional systems as well. In their meditation courses, the meditator is guided into a hypnagogic state where the brain fluctuates between Alpha and Theta waves while performing Yoga Nidra, removing the senses from the external world and taking the attention inward. Their Yoga Nidra Meditation sessions are perfect for meditators at any level and also perfect for all age groups. So, if you are looking to reduce stress, improve sleep and explore inner consciousness, contact MindEasy right away.
