Today we will learn about Yoga Nidra which is a very interesting topic in yoga. It is a very helpful method to reduce stress and anxiety of the body. We will learn everything about yoga nidra like what is the meaning, what are the benefits, how to do it, best resources and methods to do yoga nidra and finally at the end there’s a short conclusion. So without wasting time let’s get started.
What is Yoga Nidra?
The term Yoga Nidra also known as ‘Yogic Sleep‘ comes from Sanskrit words ‘Yoga’ which means ‘union’ and ‘Nidra’ which means ‘sleep’. It is a state of awareness during sleep. It gives deep relaxation and higher consciousness to our mind and body which lies between the awakening and sleep. It’s also a way to connect yourself with your higher self. There are lots of benefits to practise yoga nidra like Improved sleep, Reduces depression, Emotional balance, Mental clarity and much more which we will discuss further in this post.
yoga nidra script | An step by step guide to practice yoga nidra
Yoga Nidra can be done at your home or at any yoga nidra classes. It is usually instructed by an instructor who guides the practitioner throughout the different stages of the Yoga Nidra. Here are the several stages of yoga nidra:
- Find a Place: Find a comfortable place and Set an intention or goal(Sankalpa) so that your reason would get clear.
- Focus On Body Parts: Now it includes relaxing your different parts of the body. You can start focusing from your toes to head or head to toes. It helps to relax the body and mind.
- Breath: Next is to focus on your breathing. The purpose is to clear your mind from outer distractions and turn all focus inward so that your mind can get mental clarity and relaxation.
- Imagination: Now the next stage focuses on imagining calming and relaxing scenarios so that you don’t feel any stress and you get lost in your imaginations.
- Recall Sankalpa: Once again remember your intention(Sankalpa), the reason why you are doing this? What you want to improve at the end.
- Back To Normal: Now the last stage is to gradually bring yourself back to the external environment.
Note: Alway remember that you should do it with a qualified trainer who has some knowledge and experience of Yoga Nidra. Further in this post we will discuss how you can practise it in different ways and if you can’t afford a trainer then don’t worry we have some other options too so stay tuned.
What are the Benefits of Yoga Nidra?
Yoga nidra is very easy and simple to do. There are lots of benefits of practicing yoga nidra. We have categorised them into three parts: physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Let’s start with the first one.
Physical Benefits
- Yoga nidra helps us to reduce physical stress and pain.
- It also helps us to keep our body energetic.
- It also improves the sleep quality and reduces insomnia.
Mental Benefits
- Yoga nidra gives calmness to our brain and helps to keep the mind stress free.
- Practicing regularly can increase focus and concentration.
- It also helps the body to balance the emotions and can take right actions.
Spiritual Benefits
- Yoga nidra connects our body and soul together.
- It helps us to discover ourselves and promotes a sense of inner awareness.
- It helps to explore our higher self and promotes self-understanding and spiritual growth.
Even if you practice yoga nidra for a short period of time it will benefit you enough. You may think, can 10 minute yoga nidra benefit me? Then the answer is yes. These are just some of the benefits of yoga nidra. There are much more than this. Further we will discuss yoga nidra script in which we will learn how to do yoga nidra step by step.
How to Learn Yoga Nidra?
According to us there are majorly 3 methods that you can use to practice yoga nidra. First and easiest way to practice yoga nidra is books. Second is Online courses and third is Offline classes. Now let’s know about them deeply.
- Books: There are lots of books on yoga nidra written by experts. These books can help you to learn yoga nidra and you can learn it from the comfort of your home. “Yoga Nidra” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, “Daring to rest: Reclaim your power with yoga nidra rest meditation” written by Karen Brody. There are some books on yoga nidra. You can check other books as well and you can learn yoga nidra from these books easily.
- Online: In this internet era there are lots of online resources which can help you to practice yoga nidra. Here are some of them:
- YouTube: On YouTube there are lots of video tutorials on yoga nidra by teachers, experts and organisations which can help you to learn yoga nidra.
- Applications: There are lots of Apps which you can download from app store and play store like Calm, Insight Timer etc that provide guided meditations to practice yoga nidra.
- Websites: There are lots of websites on Google and other search engines like yoga international, iRest institute etc which provide blogs, courses, online classes, Live sessions by experienced instructors and teachers.
- Classes: There are lots of yoga studios and institutions that provide the daily or weekly classes in offline modes. It can be a Little bit expensive but if you can afford then you should try it. Where you will get an instructor who will guide you every step. If you want to find an offline class near you then you can simply search on google or Gmap ‘yoga nidra classes near me’ or if you want for a particular city like new york city then you can simply search ‘yoga nidra classes new york city’ or ‘yoga nidra nyc’. Hope you find this information helpful.
Conclusion
Yoga Nidra is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce stress and anxiety. We have shared everything we know about yoga nidra. Yoga nidra script which we have discussed in the starting, is a guided meditation to practice yoga nidra but always do this under the guidance of an expert to get the maximum benefit from it. Now it’s time to say bye to everyone. Thank you so much for reading this till the end. Hope you understood everything. Always be healthy and be happy in your life.
