Yoga Nidra

I first started practicing Yoga Nidra in 2010 when I was living at a Satyananda Ashram (the disciple of Sivananda). This practice was preformed everyday 30 minutes before lunch. I soon began to experience profound benefits from practicing everyday intensively and was keen to know and understand more about this deceptively simple practice. I undertook further studies into Yoga Nidra and now run regular workshops to share this wonderful technique. Many students have asked me to share more information so they could practice themselves at home and I have therefore recorded a few audio yoga nidra practices. To help you to benefit from these practices here is some background information and instructions.

What is yoga nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation / mediation where you learn to access a state somewhere between waking and sleeping. When in this state it is said that the subconscious mind is highly receptive and fertile. Yoga Nidra is therefore usually practiced with a Sankalpa (or Yogic Resolve).

A sankalpa is a yogic intention. It should be phased in the present tense and be relatively wide ranging. For example instead of ‘I want to earn more money’ a resolve could be ‘I have abundance’, or instead of ‘I want to be x kgs lighter’, you could have ‘I am healthy, happy and well’. These sankalpas help to ensure we don’t end up wishing for something we don’t want. For example, we could wish for a higher salary but end up in a much more stressful job and end up being worse off for it. Swami Satyananda says that our deep felt heart wishes are bound to come true with the practice of Yoga Nidra so it is worthwhile spending some time choosing the right sankalpa

How to practice?

The beauty in Yoga Nidra lies in the simplicity of completing the practice. All you need is a quite space to lie comfortably in Sharavansa (corpse pose) and a blanket to cover yourself so you keep warm during the practice. Of course you should make sure you are undisturbed for the duration of the practice. Yoga Nidra can be practiced by anyone and is perfect for those who are injured, stressed, anxious or have trouble sleeping. I would recommend practicing a few times a week or as often as needed.

Further resources

To help you practice here is a link to my soundcloud account which contains two yoga nidras. I’d also highly recommend this book.