Yoga Nidra is an ancient technique of deep relaxation that reduces stress and allows the body to heal. Yoga Nidra means yogic sleep, but it’s not for sleeping - it’s to awaken. The term Yoga-Nidra is often used to describe the relaxation at the end of a yoga practice, savasana. The more formal practice of Yoga Nidra is a specific multi-step process developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
Yoga Nidra involves multiple channels of sensing and communication to affect most areas of the brain. During the experience, different levels of the mind are explored: consciousness, subconsciousness, and super-consciousness. During Yoga Nidra, you experience deep relaxation while in a state free of reacting to thoughts and emotions. You can directly access the experience of bliss and learn to practice on your own. This practice can help with your habitual thought patterns through the experience of being conscious and deeply relaxed at the same time. This workshop is an introduction to this ancient practice.
Listen to a 10-minute Yoga Nidra relaxation with Sally:
Excerpted from Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation
Sally Weber, BSBA, PYT, eRYT-500, has been practicing yoga for over thirty years. She received her yoga teaching certification through Integrative Yoga Therapy in 2001 and received Professional Yoga Therapist (PYT) certification in 2003. She has published yoga therapy articles. Sally serves on the board of directors for Arizona Yoga Association and is a certified private yoga therapist.
