Yoga Nidra and Me

Yoga nidra is yoga's best kept secret. Known as yogic sleep it is anything but! In a deep relaxation the conscious mind relaxes and the unconscious mind comes into action. Being taken in a journey of deep relaxation and restoration during a 20-40 minute Nidra.

Yoga nidra' induces complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. It is a state of consciousness, which is neither sleep nor awake, neither is it concentration nor hypnotism, it can be defined as an altered state of consciousness'. Kumar 2012.

I was first introduced to yoga nidra during a 3 hr relaxation workshop with Amanda from www.mandayoga.co.uk . A deeply relaxing experience that I thoroughly enjoyed, so much i could feel myself falling asleep during sphinx pose. I wanted to know more. Using the beloved internet I found numerous nidra practices available on many themes and different teachers, styles of delivery, accents and duration of nidra. Some I liked and some just weren't for me. Over time I found the yoga nidra network https://www.yoganidranetwork.org in Stroud. With a wealth of free nidras to download I became hooked. Embarking on a 2 day immersion course where I met like minded people and spent most of the time lying down supported with blanket, bolsters an eye pillow, in yogic sleep! Bliss! Personally, I was experiencing the benefits of yoga nidra including reduced stress, calmness, relaxation and wanted to share this practice with my yoga students. Part of my research showed that yoga nidra could abe used in a therapeutic capacity and was the basis of IRest developed by Richard Miller to treat PTSD for the American military.

'The goal of nidra yoga, meaning 'yoga sleep' is the release of self-destructive patterns and recognition of our selves as pure awareness' Richard Miller 2011

I have been trained to deliver Yoga Nidra in a free format using the different schools of Nidra including Satyananda, Himalayan Institute and Rod Stryker. This has given me the opportunity to develop and deliver Yoga nidra to groups or tailored to the needs of specific individuals. This is an amazing tool that I use frequently in my yoga classes. Feedback from has been so positive and often amazed at how they feel after a yoga nidra.

Yoga Nidra is Yogas best kept secret. Try it and see what you think......