The Body Sleeps and The Mind Remains Alert
In 2009, when Sewall House Yoga Retreat offered our first small teacher training, one of the three women attending asked if she could use any of the little spare time we had to go into the yoga studio and do yoga nidra. She said that she was unable to keep her mind tuned into the voice leading the practice, and she wanted to keep working with yoga nidra to see whether that would help. She had the right idea, because yoga nidra strengthens the brain and mind!
If you know anything about yoga nidra, it’s probably that yoga nidra has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. But read on for 5 things about yoga nidra that you may not already know.
1. Yoga Nidra has a very specific set of instructions
To get started with the yoga nidra practice, the practitioner should lie on their back in savasana, yoga’s relaxation pose, also called corpse pose. If lying down is not available for you, sit up tall in meditation pose, and you can even use a chair.
Because it has a specific set of rules, the way yoga nidra is conducted matters. The steps of a yoga nidra practice are:
- Creation of the Sankalpa – At the beginning of the session, the practitioner must create a sankalpa — a resolution or resolve — in their mind. The nature of the sankalpa should be general rather than specific. For example, “I will take better care of my health,” instead of “I will never eat sugar again.”
- Body Scan – This is a slow roll into physical relaxation. The body scan generally starts with the right hand or right side of the body. NOTE: Some styles of yoga nidra then guide the practitioner through the sheaths, koshas, of the body. We do not do that at Sewall House. The body scan travels through many points in the body, one by one. You may direct the energy of your breath (prana) to these parts as the practice addresses them.
- Breath Counting – Breath controls the mind, so the mind becomes relaxed during this part of the practice. Breath counting is simply counting backward from a number such as 27, or counting while visualizing the breath flowing from various parts of the respiratory system.
- Visualization – Visualization opens the right side of the brain, which is related to stress reduction and imagination. It can be a journey through the chakras, which are the energy centers along the spine. It does not need to be complex, though. Visualization can simply be listing objects or animals or musical instruments.
- Repetition of the Sankalpa – At the end of the session, the practitioner repeats their sankalpa.
2. Yoga Nidra is not meant to put you to sleep, but it can
I have had students use yoga nidra to help them fall asleep. It is not meant to do that. Yes, you may fall asleep during a yoga nidra practice, but that’s probably because sleep is what you need that day. Go for it!
The primary goal of yoga nidra, though, is to relax your brain while also helping your mind stay focused. During yoga nidra practice, the brain goes into the theta state, which makes it more receptive to the suggestion of the sankalpa when it’s repeated at the end of the practice.
3. Yoga Nidra was first popularized for use by those who struggle with PTSD
When yoga nidra became recognized in mainstream culture, it was often associated with veterans and PTSD. After Covid, and in the fast-paced digital world where our brains and minds are forced to function, yoga nidra is widely used for general stress reduction. It is still incredibly useful for PTSD, including dealing with the often subtle impact of personal, individual repercussions of the Covid pandemic.
4. Yoga Nidra is now an integral part of many yoga studios
Many yoga studios have incorporated yoga nidra into their regular offerings. Here at Sewall House Yoga Retreat, we have used two versions of yoga nidra for many years.
We recently shared both those sessions on YouTube, and you can listen to them below. Anyone can practice yoga nidra using these videos. There is a 15-minute version, and also a longer 40-minute one that is even more effective at taking people to a deeper state.
5. Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation
Meditation is a way to relax our minds after preparing our bodies to sit or lie in a concentrated state. It can take the form of chanting, or maybe gazing at a flame or the sun (properly). Meditation can also take the form of yoga nidra.
Yoga nidra alters the brain waves and makes the mind very receptive to using time more effectively. After a yoga nidra practice is an excellent time to journal or work on creative or work projects, because, just as with other forms of meditation, the mind is in a much more receptive and open state.
Conclusion
In this article we revealed 5 things about yoga nidra you may not know.
- It has a very specific set of instructions.
- It is not meant to put you to sleep — but it can.
- It was first popularized for use by those who struggle with PTSD.
- It is now an integral part of many yoga studios.
- It is a form of meditation.
Please don’t spend time memorizing the rules of yoga nidra, but, rather, like the yoga teacher trainee I mentioned at the start of this article, keep your mind tuned into the voice leading the practice, and follow wherever it guides you into yourself.
If you have never done yoga nidra, I highly recommend making it a part of your destress and mindfulness practice. Join our 15-minute or 40-minute yoga nidra practices, shown below, any time on our YouTube channel.
