Unlock the Benefits of Yoga Nidra: Techniques & How-To Guide

Spiritual teachers urge the restless and uncertain individual to delve into the depths of their consciousness to find answers to the most intimate questions, release strong emotions, and alleviate bodily tension. Various traditions offer their own immersion practices, among which yoga nidra holds a special place. It lies at the intersection of meditation, relaxation, self-exploration, sleep, and wakefulness, involving work with the subconscious, emotions, and sensations. This article introduces the reader to the amazing and effective practice of yogic sleep.

Yoga nidra — is a form of guided meditation. The term "yoga nidra" translates fr om Sanskrit as 'yogic sleep.' The world became acquainted with this practice through Swami Satyananda Saraswati. The founder of the Bihar School of Yoga based it on ancient tantric techniques of relaxation and subconscious work, adapting them to the capabilities of modern individuals.

The uniqueness of yogic sleep lies in its inward focus. . Therefore, yoga nidra is conducted under the guidance of an instructor—this makes it easier to remain conscious and not fall asleep. The practitioner moves through various states and sensations until they free themselves fr om concepts of space, time, and intellect. When unconscious aspects of the mind emerge, there is an opportunity to enter a natural state of awareness.

In this state, nuances of spiritual teachings are perceived more deeply, which may have previously eluded an agitated mind. In yogic sleep, one can not only comprehend the mysteries of the universe but also heal, restore energy, and awaken inner resources. Experienced practitioners assert that one hour of yoga nidra brings benefits comparable to four hours of sleep..

Yoga nidra — is not merely relaxation; it is a conscious experience of deep sleep without dreams in which an individual connects with their inner world while disconnecting from external distractions. It should not be confused with Shavasana. Shavasana is a yoga pose performed at the end of asana practice. It is typically practiced for 5 to 20 minutes to calm the mind, breath, and emotions. In yoga nidra, the instructor "guides" participants through the entire practice, eliciting various sensations, shifting attention, and asking them to formulate a sankalpa (intention). While proper Shavasana is a constant companion to yoga nidra, they are two distinct practices.

Another important aspect of yoga nidra is — sankalpa. This is a positive intention that the practitioner sends into their subconscious. Sankalpa occurs after relaxation because only in a state of calm can one connect with deeper structures of the mind.

When performed correctly, yoga nidra benefits not only on a physical level but also on an energetic one.

Reduces Stress

Chronic stress has become a constant companion for many individuals. Suppressed emotions, conflicts, and negative information lead to such states. When stress is uncontrolled, it causes physical and mental illnesses known as psychosomatic disorders. Stress depletes energy and robs the body of essential resources. As a result, cognitive ability diminishes, constant fatigue sets in, and analytical capacity is lost.

Regular practice of yoga nidra helps uncover hidden issues, recognize stress triggers, process them, and release them.

Body Renew

During yoga nidra, the body enters a state of deep relaxation that initiates renewal and rejuvenation processes. All bodily functions slow down, allowing for recovery and removal of mental toxins. Additionally, the body starts conserving energy, alleviating fatigue and rejuvenating the brain. Consequently, after a session one feels refreshed and invigorated as if after a deep sleep.

Concentration Improvement

Concentration — the ability to focus the mind on one object—is challenging for most people. The mind is often compared to a jumping monkey: it dislikes staying in one place and easily gets distracted or falls into despair. For many individuals, lack of concentration becomes a significant problem.

During yoga nidra, practitioners focus on the instructor's guidance while shifting attention to different body parts and experiencing various sensations. Initially, the mind continues to jump from object to object; however, as progress continues, it returns to practice. With regular sessions of yoga nidra, distractions diminish over time.

Memory Enhances

As the subconscious sheds unnecessary informational and emotional baggage, mental space opens up—resulting in an active and clear mind. This leads to improved brain performance as it begins to better absorb and retain information.

Regulates Autonomic Nervous System Function

The autonomic nervous system operates involuntarily; thus individuals cannot control it by willpower alone. The autonomic nervous system has two subsystems: sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system supplies energy and resources to muscles and heart; it activates during physical or mental exertion involving exercise or stress.

The parasympathetic nervous system regulates brain function and internal organs; it activates during calm periods providing tools for healing and growth. When in parasympathetic mode, brain functions improve leading to cellular restoration.

The goal is for both systems to be active when necessary. However, due to excessive stress in most people, the sympathetic nervous system remains active even when rest is needed—hindering regeneration processes leading to illness. Yoga nidra activates the parasympathetic nervous system; individuals train their subconscious to relieve stress while maintaining a calm observer state—resulting in bodily rejuvenation.

Yoga nidra is accessible to all

Of course, it would be ideal if you can master the practice of sitting meditation. But we are considering a situation wh ere the technique is simplified for physically unfit people who cannot sit with a straight back for a proper amount of time.

The distinctive feature and benefit of yoga nidra is that anyone—fr om children to seniors—can practice it. All that is needed is lying down on a mat in a yoga studio.

Yoga nidra can not be performed incorrectly; while remaining in Shavasana all one needs to do is follow the instructor's voice guiding the attention. Even falling asleep is considered normal since the subconscious continues absorbing practice...

Yoga nidra helps you deal with three types of tension:

1. Muscular tension — refers to the physical body and nervous system.
2. Emotional stress — arises from repressed and unexpressed emotions.
3. Mental stress — mental overactivity.

Yoga nidra techniques work with these types of tension by relaxing the body, mind and releasing emotions in stages.

All that is needed is a quiet and well-ventilated room of comfortable temperature wh ere no one will disturb the practitioner:

• Yoga mat or lightly padded bedding.
  A mat is preferable to a bed because a bed can be too comfortable and then yoga nidra will lead to falling asleep.
• Loose clothing.
  Clothing should be light, loose, made of natural fabrics, not irritating or distracting fr om practice.
• Blanket .
  Some people may feel chills after standing still for a long time. In this case, it is better to keep a blanket handy. If the mat is too thin, put a blanket on top of it to keep the body “warm”.
• Preparatory asanas.
  Before yoga nidra, it is best to perform a few asanas or circles of Surya Namaskar. This will set the body and mind to work properly. Yoga asanas and yoga nidra should be performed on an empty stomach or one and a half to two hours after a meal.
• Illumination.
  The room may be dimly lit, semi-dark or completely dark. If the practice takes place during the day, you may wear a blindfold or darken the window with curtains.

Shavasana is a pose for yoga nidra

This yoga pose, whose name translates from Sanskrit as 'pose of deep relaxation', helps to maintain a balance between relaxation and meditation. Shavasana is performed on the back, legs apart, arms away from the body, palms facing upwards, eyes closed. Calm breathing evenly raises and lowers the chest and abdomen. During Shavasana, all parts of the body are “scanned” for muscle tension. If muscle tension is detected, it is consciously released. Shavasana is usually practiced at the end of asana practice, during yoga nidra or to fall asleep quickly.

Relaxation

One of the most important conditions for proper yoga nidra — deep relaxation. It starts with a comfortable body position on the mat. It is important to remove anything that could distract or interfere. You can cover yourself, put a blanket under your feet and head. Then you need to relax your body. For beginning practitioners of nidra yoga it can be a difficult task because of strong tension and tightness in the body. In this case it is best to relax separate parts of the body - arms, legs, front and back of the body, head. Such step-by-step relaxation will allow you to feel your body better and connect with it faster.

Next stage is — relaxation of mind, which can be just as difficult as relaxing the body. This is wh ere breathing comes in handy. When the practitioner concentrates on inhalation and exhalation and observes the air flows through the nostrils, the parasympathetic system is activated and the processes of inhibition of mental and motor activity are activated. To relax even faster, before yoga nidra you can perform pranayama “nadi-shodhana” - alternate breathing through the nostrils. And in case of strong excitement, chandra-bhedana-pranayama - breathing through the left nostril - will have a good effect.

A yoga nidra session often involves sankalpa — intention uploaded to the subconscious mind. Working with the subconscious mind changes the way you think and act, paving the way to realising your intention. It is not only the subconscious mind that is involved in this process. The universe also plays a role in the realisation of sankalpa, as each person is constantly sending thoughts to the universe and attracting results.

Most people make decisions in an active state of mind. Even if the intention is well and properly formulated, the mind is in a distracted state and so the resolve fades with time. In yoga nidra, sankalpa is taken in a relaxed state when the receptivity of the mind is multiplied. In this case the probability of realisation of sankalpa increases.

Please be careful with the formation of certain desires during practice.
First, make sure that what you want will actually benefit you and not cause problems for others.

At this stage, the practitioner moves through different areas with the inner gaze, briefly holding attention on them. This practice has several objectives:

• deeper relaxation and body awareness;
• deepening trance;
• accelerating healing by reconnecting with different areas of the body;
• clearing the nerve pathways that lead from the body to the brain;
• relieving pain and creating sensory saturation that gives satisfaction without reliance on external stimuli.

Swami Satyananda Saraswati has proposed a map of the rotation of consciousness based on the correct flow of energy. Following this map precisely provides the practitioner with a more subtle experience and freedom from physical and mental blockages. Moreover, shifting consciousness can be seen as a kind of sensory acupressure treatment. Just as stimulation of certain parts of the brain causes the corresponding parts of the body to react, so also stimulation of certain parts of the body causes certain parts of the brain to react. Thus, yoga nidra constantly creates new connections between brain circuits, which allows us to speak of it as yoga for the brain and nervous system.

Sankalpa should be reasonable — it means that a decision is made not on the basis of feelings, which are volatile, but on the basis of wise analysis.

As one example - try to answer a question for yourself:«What is the purpose of life and what will give it more meaning?» At the same time, the sankalpa should be precise and specific, so that one can check whether what is intended is being realized or not.

The easiest way to apply the sankalpa is to repeat it mentally. Therefore, the intention should be formulated in words. The subconscious mind does not perceive the conditional mood, the particle “would”, the preposition “not”, complex and abstract verbal forms.

The shorter and simpler the sankalpa, the sooner it will fall into the fertile soil of the subconscious mind.

You can realize the sankalpa in the form of visualization. Visualize how your intention is realized. It is possible to combine sankalpa recitation and visualization.

To make the sankalpa work, follow some guidelines:

• Formulate only one sankalpa so as not to disperse energy and attention in different directions.
• Repeat your message. Only through repetition will the intention penetrate the subconscious mind.
• Repeat the sankalpa not when you feel like it, but when the subconscious mind is ready to receive it, otherwise the critical mind will reject the intention.
• Concentrate on one sankalpa and repeat it until it begins to materialise. This may take months or even years.
• Don't wait for the sankalpa to begin to materialise. A firm resolve is the basis. But to it you must add your own initiative. When you start acting on your own in the direction you have chosen, the sankalpa will help you to realise what you have planned.

• Answer yourself the question, "Why doesn't the Universe give you what you want to have or experience?" Perhaps you are not ready and need to change first?
• If your desire to get something brings harm to others, you will be held accountable.
• It is not the Universe that is responsible for the realisation of passions and desires, but a particular person with his "delivery service" - Mara or, as he is called in other sources, the devil.
• Please be careful what you wish for. As the Dalai Lama said: «Not getting what you want is what happiness is all about».

There is often a variant of yoga nidra without sankalpa. It is no less useful, because it achieves the necessary effect - relaxation at the level of mind, body and psycho-emotional sphere. As a rule, yoga nidra without sankalpa is practised if there is no time to work with intention or sankalpa has not been formulated yet. Sometimes refusal of sankalpa is due to personal reasons, for example, because of religious restrictions or fear of working with the subconscious mind.

Yoga nidra can be called the safest of all yoga practices. However, the specifics of its performance (immobility of the body and travelling deep inside oneself) may lim it the practitioners' abilities.

Before practising yoga nidra, you should consult your doctor if you have any of the following diseases or conditions:

• Alzheimer's disease.
• Angina, tachycardia.
• Anxiety, phobias.
• Oncology.
• Epilepsy.
• Severe headaches, head injuries.
• 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
• Severe lower back pain.
• Restless legs syndrome.
• Clinical depression.
• Mental illnesses.

It is not recommended to perform yoga nidra while driving or operating machinery, as there is a high probability of falling asleep.

Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, — a powerful technique for relaxing the mind and body, as well as for working with inner resources . At the same time, it is one of the easiest and most accessible yoga practices to work on your emotions, develop your intellectual abilities and get on the path of spiritual development. While you are in Shavasana, yoga nidra guides you through the subtle bodies, healing and uniting the disparate parts of your personality into a whole.