What IS Yoga Nidra, Anyway?
I asked my yoga nidra students why they keep coming back to the practice month after month. Many said that it helps with the quality of their sleep, including falling asleep faster, staying asleep through the night, and one said she has better dreams after a yoga nidra session. Others have reported improvements to their anxiety symptoms and a reduction in stress. One woman told me she just likes taking the time to get away for an hour and do something relaxing for herself.
Yoga nidra is a guided meditation that is based on the ancient yogic philosophy of the koshas. The koshas are the different layers of your whole being, starting with the body and moving inward to your core, unchanging Self. I like to use the metaphor of a lightbulb covered in multiple lamp shades to help explain how yoga nidra and the koshas work together. During a yoga nidra session, you start by taking some time to relax and settle down, then you might be invited to create a safe space in your mind, and/or to set an intention for your meditation. Then you will be guided through your body, which is the first kosha, and the
outermost lampshade covering the lightbulb. By paying attention to your body, you relax and let go of tension. When that happens, it is like taking that lampshade off of the light; you have worked through that kosha, or layer of your being. Next you are guided to notice your breath, or your energy layer. When you do so, you relax even deeper and it is like removing another lampshade. Your light is getting brighter. As the meditation continues you might feel sensations in your body, or be invited to visualize and experience a journey through nature. As these deeper koshas are addressed, your light gets brighter as the lampshades are removed, and you have the opportunity to connect with your unchanging Self. Self might mean Soul to some, or a feeling of connection to something greater than themselves.
Yoga nidra can be a wonderful practice to add to your routine whether it is to help improve your sleep, to ease stress, or to help you connect to your deepest Self.
