What Is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga nidra is a systematic method of guided relaxation that has a profound effect on the body, mind and emotions. During the practice, you recline in a supported Savasana and are guided through various stages of deeper relaxation, where you turn your awareness toward the internal landscape of breath, sensation and thought. You will enter the hypnagogic state between wakefulness and dreaming which we usually only spend a few minutes in daily as we are drift off to sleep at night. Here, the effect on the mind can be very powerful because as the mind becomes more relaxed, it also becomes more receptive. The practice can help release physical tension, reduce mental and emotional stress, increase creativity, aid in memory retention, begin to heal past traumas, release our samskaras (mental impressions), cultivate our witness consciousness, and more fully embody our true nature.

It is best to practice yoga nidra in a quiet, comfortable room in your home where you can rest undisturbed for 30-40 minutes. Unplug your telephone, turn off your cell phone, television and radio. Some amount of background noise is to be expected for those of us living in an urban environment so absolute quiet is NOT necessary. Make yourself as warm and comfortable as possible lying on your back for the duration of the practice; the body temperature will drop a few degrees due to the stillness of the practice, so a light blanket is a nice addition to your Yoga Nidra set-up. More set-up details are below.

The most important part in preparing for Yoga Nidra is the physical set-up of your space, but you also need to be in the mood to find deep relaxation. Sometimes the body is stiff from a long day at work and practicing gentle asana warm-ups will make the body more comfortable before you begin. Other times the mind will be caught in a whirlwind of thoughts or the emotions will be in turmoil. Take a few minutes practicing grounding mudras or chanting the vowel spiral to prepare the overly-busy mind to stay present for the practice. Do not worry if you fall asleep or miss some of what is said, just continue to listen to my voice which will help to anchor you into the hypnagogic state of consciousness where the witness to all of our experiences resides.

To get a preview of yoga nidra, listen to the free Body Scan. This practice can be used by itself as a tool to alleviate insomnia and find deep relaxation. As you are lying in bed, recite the different parts of your body systematically so that you the brain focuses on the body and not on the swirling thoughts in the mind.

Parts of a Yoga Nidra Meditation

INTRODUCTION - There will be a short introduction describing the body's position that you should make yourself comfortable. Take this time to adjust the body, the props and your clothing so that fidgeting is minimized during the practice.
RELAXATION - You will be asked to consciously relax the muscles of your body. Sometimes you will be asked to begin listening to sounds outside of the body in order to place the mind in an attitude of observation.
BREATH AWARENESS - You will be asked to observe the breath in different parts of the torso, including the belly, the chest, the throat, and the nostrils. This is unlike pranayama where we attempt to change the breath. Here we are only asked to observe the natural breath without effort.
INTENTION (Sankalpa) - Please choose your sankalpa very carefully. It should be a short, positive statement that you will repeat to yourself three times. You will use the same sankalpa until it comes to fruition. You can take the time to create a very personalized sankalpa by listening to the following Setting Your Sankalpa meditation. Or formulate a simple statement as follows:
-"I am present"
- "I am healthy"
- "I am compassionate"
BODY SCAN - During this portion of the practice, you will be asked to rotate both your conscious mind and physical feeling throughout the entire body in a very specific way. You will listen to the instructor say the body part, repeat the name of the part to yourself, and feel the body part at the same time. Within the motor cortex of our brain there is a neuronal map of the parts of the body called the motor homunculus or "little man". As you go through the rotation of consciousness, you are activating parts of your brain associated with parts of your body which in effect, relaxes the mind by relaxing the body.
EXPERIENCE OF DUALITIES - You will be asked to experience physical, conceptual, or emotional opposites such as heavy and light, hot and cold, anxiety and calm. The goal is to train your body/mind to think of these things without reacting strongly to them.
RAPID IMAGE VISUALIZATION - Here, you will be asked to visualize a list of images that are named by the instructor. Sometimes these are pleasant images, and sometimes they are not. Again, it is your aim to visualize these images as clearly as possible while the mind and body are relaxed and often you will make connections between what the instructor says and things that you have experienced in your life.
GUIDED JOURNEY - A guided visualization that represents the main theme of the yoga nidra is presented which will take you more deeply into relaxation and allow you to engage the witness consciousness more fully. You will be brought out of this visualization and up to a more conscious state of awareness before the next step.
REPEAT INTENTION (Sankalpa) - You will repeat the same sankalpa that you created at the beginning of the practice three times to yourself.
RETURN - You will be brought back into a waking state very slowly so that you feel calm and comfortable after the practice.

Setting Up for Yoga Nidra

PLACE:

The most important part in preparing for yoga nidra is the physical set-up of your space. Practice in a room where you will not be disturbed with dim ambient light, you can even practice outdoors when weather permits. Practice in a quiet, comfortable room in your home where you can rest undisturbed for 30-40 minutes, turn off your cell phone, television and radio. Some amount of background noise is to be expected for those of us living in an urban environment so absolute quiet is NOT necessary.

WHEN TO PRACTICE:

Yoga Nidra can be practiced at any time, in the early morning, before or after your Yoga practice, before a meal, when exhausted, after work, or even right before bed. If you have insomnia, there is a special Yoga Nidra for Insomnia that you actually listen to while you are in bed that guides you into sleep.

PROPS & POSITION:

Make yourself as comfortable as possible lying on your back. This may be achieved by lying in a tilted-back recliner, on your bed, or on the floor with lots of props (3 blankets and 2 pillows).
If your are on the bed, use a pillow beneath the knees and consider switching sides or laying diagonally so your mind/body doesn't automatically think, "It's time to sleep".
If you are on the floor, set up at least one single or double folded blanket in the center of the mat to cushion the torso. Add another folded blanket, or more, for the head. One large bolster goes under the knees and a smaller bolster, rolled blanket or rolled mat goes under the ankles so that the heels do not touch the floor.
Also, make sure that you are warm; the body temperature will drop a few degrees due to the stillness of the practice, so a light blanket is a nice addition to your yoga nidra set-up
You may want to cover your eyes with a bandana or scarf but avoid a flax-filled eye bag as these are a bit too heavy for the eyes for this length of time.

Example of props for floor set-up