Many people practice Yoga Nidra for simple stress-release or because they have sleep problems. It has been said that a session of Yoga Nidra is the equivalent of 4 hours sleep. Also, symptoms of anxiety such as headache, giddiness, chest pain, palpitations, sweating, abdominal pain and raised blood pressure respond particularly well to Yoga Nidra. Practicing Yoga Nidra successfully decreases the time required to fall asleep, thereby helping insomnia. The depth of relaxation the body / mind experiences during a session is deeply refreshing compared to that which is achieved during the poor quality sleep that many people experience.
Over time, my understanding of Yoga Nidra has deepened. It is, quite simply, a gateway to Awareness. There are many gateways to self-awareness – other forms of meditation, Atma Vichara (Self-Inquiry) etc. It is important to choose a method to which one is suited – not simply adopt one because it’s ‘flavour of the month’.
During Yoga Nidra the very nature of who we take ourselves to be is explored and deconstructed / integrated. In the traditional practice of Yoga Nidra we experience: The body, the emotions, the energy body, mental body (thoughts, past-associations and images) and most importantly, Unbound Awareness Itself.
One of the most important stages of Yoga Nidra is the ‘Integration of Opposites’. Our whole existence is based on polarities: Love / Hate, Health / Sickness, Abundance / Poverty etc. Human nature dictates that we prefer to side with the positive polarity. (Who wouldn’t rather be rich than poor?!) However, a state of inner peace or equanimity is only realised when both poles merge and dissolve as one.
Once we are no longer pulled by either polarity we are free to surf the wave of life which actually flows naturally and peacefully between the two poles.
Life then becomes effortless, and unfolds in ways we could never have conceived of – always with our own best interests and the interest of those we interact with at heart.
The River knows the way.
If you’ve never tried Yoga Nidra (or even if you have), you can download the free Yoga Nidra MP3 by sending me an email at timothyroweATgmailDOTcom put “Yoga Nidra Password” in the subject line of your email (minus the quotes). Be sure to write it exactly like that, or you won’t get a reply.