|
|
TUCSON YOGA TEACHERS' BLOG |
April 1, 2010
Finding Wholeness Through Yoga Nidra
by Sally Weber
Yoga Nidra is an art and a science. This practice was developed as a means to offer deep relaxation for the body, emotions and mind, but Swami Satyananda Saraswati indicates that its ultimate purpose is "to take you deep into the state where you are complete, united with your
inner being." Often, Yoga Nidra is used to deeply rest, or to get to that state where you are awake and relaxed so deeply that the problems you had before are viewed from a relaxed
perspective and clarity.
This practice can take as little as a few minutes to over an hour, but the average time is about 30 minutes to include all the steps. The main steps are aligned with the five koshas. Becoming aware of the koshas is the practice of awakening to our own innate wholeness.
- Annamayakosha – Relax the physical body and then use some rotation of body consiousness. This step is often very relaxing because as we deepen our body awareness, our thinking mind relaxes.
- Pranamayakosha – Breath awareness. This can be as basic as just awareness of the breath, or more sophisticated becoming aware of the prana vayus or psychic alternate
nostril breathing. This step is often very relaxing as the breath is the link between the mind and body and will further facilitate getting away from the lower mind thinking.
- Manomayakosha – Feelings, sensations, emotions, and their opposites. This step can be skipped for basic nidra practices or made very simple by sensing simple sensations like empty and full.
- Vijnyanamayakosha – Witness, Wisdome body. This step introduces imagery. This can be random images, a journey, or images that follow a theme of the nidra.
- Annandamayakosha – Bliss body, spirit and inner joy. This step can be just becoming aware of the moment of time there is space and emptiness, or can be part of remembering a time there was joy, experiencing it in the nidra with all the senses as a bodily experience, and then letting go of the memory, but allowing the experience of joy to remain. This exercise helps us realize that its not the external experiences that create joy, but they allow us to access the joy that is already inside.
Richard Miller mentions that it is a 'welcoming' to your self. He states that meditation and yoga nidra are often used as a means to change ourselves and end the inner conflicts. That premise alone is a conflict. He mentions in his book that the deeper understanding of yoga is realizing your innate wholeness and it is when you "welcome every moment of life, grief and joy, shame and potency, sadness and happiness, fear and safety that you are able to go beyond the pairs of opposites and uncover true freedom."
Yoga Nidra can be used to instill the seed of change in ourselves, but when we welcome through deep relaxation and awareness, who we are, our innate wisdom awakens. Einstein accelerated
his awareness to the speed of light in the famous “thought experiments’ which led to the theory of relativity. The receptivity and access to the higher mind in yoga nidra can lead to answers to
many problems.
Yoga Nidra can be a powerful tool for healing because it touches all levels of our being. The relaxation at the beginning helps the student come into the para-sympathetic branch (relaxation response) of the nervous system which helps to lower blood pressure and heart rate. All systems of the body benefit from the relaxation response.
The sankalpa or affirmation is planted as a seed in this relaxed state and reinforced at t the end. Affirmations during yoga nidra are very powerful. The rotation of body consciousness, an important component of yoga nidra, helps increase the student’s body awareness and facilitates the mind/body connection. Lack of body awareness is a major factor in illness. Breathing practices during yoga nidra offer a deeper learning as the practice is experienced with heightened awareness. The option of selecting and experiencing opposite sensations and emotions allows the student to be fully present, witnessing habitual thinking and reacting, and allowing unhealthy emotions to be released in a positive way. A Yoga Nidra that includes counting the breath can help to improve memory. Yoga Nidra can be tailored to learn many aspects of yoga deeply such as chakras, prana vayus, elements, sutras and many other topics. The guided imagery can include a journey to places of healing as the student is deeply receptive at all levels to the healing suggestion.
Sally Weber, E-RYT 500, has been practicing yoga for over 30 years. She has an extensive list of credentials, and she's the latest addition to Tucson Yoga's staff. She'll be teaching a special Tax Relief Yoga Nidra on Friday, April 16.
Read Sally's Full Bio
Classes Taught by Sally Weber
Mon 9:00-10:30am Mixed-Level Yoga
Wed 9:00-10:15am Basic Yoga
|
