Yoga Nidra works its Magic
Many people think that yoga nidra is a tool to help you fall asleep. After all, nidra means sleep in Sanskrit. However, this is a misconception that undermines the true power of the practice to bring the mind to a state of deep, clear, and unobstructed awareness.
The following reflections are from a series of pieces I wrote on yoga nidra several years ago for my old blog The Art of Being Nothing (which is gone now - RIP!). My reflections back then are still very relevant now, so I hope that you enjoy reading them and are inspired to try out yoga nidra for yourself. As I have said so many times before, yoga nidra changed and in some ways even saved my life.
January 21, 2019
A reflection.
Collectively, we as a generation are burnt out. If there’s anything that life has been screaming into my consciousness the past few weeks, it has been that. I’ve been telling myself that I’m okay with buying pre-packaged meals at the grocery store because I don’t have time to cook. That I’m okay with not getting enough sleep each night because I have too much work to do and too many phone calls to make. That I’m okay with the fact I’m grasping at straws trying to accomplish the impossible of being in school full-time and trying to have some kind of career at the same time, while not being clear on what that is. That I’m okay with half-assing my Ayurvedic daily self-care practices because I don’t have enough time to do them.
Truth is? There’s nothing about that to me that is acceptable. However, the busier I make myself the less time I have to reflect on my true intentions and commitments.
I’ve been blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with Rita at Rebuild Ayurveda to explore and promote her work with yoga nidra. The founder of my school, Dr. Marc Halpern, used the technique of yoga nidra and the science of Ayurveda as a major part of his own healing journey. To deepen my understanding of the practice, I took part in the yoga nidra teacher training this weekend.
The experience was far more profound than I had anticipated. Yoga Nidra is not a technique – it is a state of consciousness that provides us with the access to master creation. It is distinct from meditation, which is a practice that is designed for the transcendence of creation. The technique taught by our school is a technique of progressive relaxation that allows us to enter the yoga nidra state.