Often people claim that their favourite pose is Shavasana or corpse pose, which usually ends yoga asana class to cool down and relax after
a range of asana practice, be it strenuous or gentle. Shavasana feels nice
because it allows us to rebound, to rest and be still.
Now, how about an hour session fully in Shavasana with no other asanas? How wonderful would that be?
That is what we do in Yoga Nidra session, a practice that is not without challenges and yet has many benefits.
Yoga Nidra is an ancient practice of Yoga, which is not as
popular and widely practised as asana. In the practice of Yoga Nidra, the body
sleeps but the mind remains awake listening to the instructions. It is a
systematic form of guided relaxation that typically is performed for anything between 35-60
minutes at a time. Both a form of meditation and mind-body therapy, the mind is
in a state between sleep and wakefulness.
Many people remain in a state of tension and frustration. In
day to day life, individuals fail to express their emotions freely and openly.
As a result, the emotions are repressed and manifested in the form of tensions.
This continuous level of tension in the body, mind and emotions predisposes the
individual towards psychological and psychosomatic disorders. In the practice
of Yoga Nidra, the body is progressively relaxed, which in turn releases the
accumulated tensions.
In the practice, the practitioner also moves slowly towards
the deeper realms of the mind where he or she confronts the deep-rooted
emotional tensions. In this way, with regular practice, tensions at the
physical, emotional and mental level can be minimized.
Another benefit of Yoga Nidra is clearing up the
unconscious. From early childhood, we tend to repress many wishes, desires and
conflicts. All the traumatic experiences, unfulfilled desires and threatening
situations are usually suppressed to the subconscious mind level. During the
practice of yoga nidra, the instructor asks the practitioner to visualize
certain symbols and images with a witnessing attitude, which helps in cutting
off the personal identification with the experience. In this way, the practice
of visualization brings the unconscious repressed desires, experiences,
conflicts and frustrations to the conscious level and then cuts off the
personal identification with those experiences. The unconscious is then cleared up and we can walk with less unnecessary baggage in our mind.
Yoga Nidra is one of the practices of pratyahara where the
awareness is internalized. Practitioners often report that they find the practice bringing immediate physical benefits, such as reduced stress and better sleep,
and that it has the potential to heal psychological wounds. As a meditation
practice, it can engender a profound sense of joy and well-being.
According to Swami Satyananda (1998), "a single hour of
yoga nidra is as restful as four hours of conventional sleep".
Extracted from www.yogajournal.com and www.yogamag.net
