So this is a short talk to introduce anyone who hasn't already heard of it.
To Yoga Nidra.
So what is Yoga Nidra in a nutshell?
I often describe it as meditation lying down.
It's incredibly effortless and it gives you the kind of depth that meditation can give you.
It doesn't require the concentration though.
With Yoga Nidra,
You're guided through the body,
You're guided through a series of relaxation stages.
And you really just have to let go.
Flop down on your bed and listen to the guidance.
And the power of words to bypass the conscious mind and access the unconscious mind is very much a part of Yoga Nidra.
It's used a lot for sleep.
And it's used a lot for rests.
And if you've ever done a yoga class,
You're most likely to have experienced a yoga nidra at the end of the class.
So it's the bit where you lie on your mat,
You've done the asanas,
So with yoga nidra there are no asanas,
It's not about postures or anything like that,
It's much more of an inward still contemplative practice.
So the posture you normally do yoga nidra in is shavasana,
Which is the corpse pose.
So there's this complete stillness,
This complete letting go,
Within what's possible.
You probably understand it as being something that people do on a mat on the floor.
But for some of us,
If we got down on the floor like that,
We'd never get up again.
So I definitely recommend doing it within your own capabilities.
On a bed,
On a settee,
They're perfectly fine as well.
So in modern times,
Yoga nidra is termed NSDR,
Non-sleep deep rest.
So that gives us a clue to what it actually is,
Which is to be in deep sleep.
A body which is effectively asleep but the mind very awake.
And that takes us back to the original intention of Yoga Nidra.
It wasn't a practice.
It wasn't the seven or eight stages that now the modern guidance takes us through.
It was a state of consciousness.
Yoga,
Union,
To yoke,
To join with,
Nidra,
Ni,
The void,
The ultimate,
And to find that within ourselves.
So the incredible thing about Yoga Nidra,
And it's why I recommend this probably beyond all the other practices that I teach,
Is this depth that's possible,
This touching back in.
With our deepest self.
It's a sanctuary we can go into and our minds,
Our beings,
Do need to be continually reminded of who we are in our truest and deepest natures.
So yoga nidra are fantastic for sleep.
Fantastic for pleasurable rest.
Enhanced creativity,
Expanded consciousness is fantastic for all those things.
I highly,
Highly recommend it.
I've got a very well-liked yoga nidra course here on Insight Timer.
And lots of tracks in premium and the free library.
And I would say at this time in our history of the planet that to work with consciousness is one of the most important things we can possibly do on behalf of ourselves and behalf of all the creatures that we share the earth with.
Okay,
I hope that's given you a nice insight.
Thank you.
