Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep, or yogic dreaming is the most popular, easy, and enjoyable relaxation meditation! It’s usually done lying down, but you can also do it sitting in an easy chair.
Yoga Nidra is very easy and enjoyable. You may have learned meditation before and found it difficult, especially dealing with a wandering mind, so eventually you stop doing your meditation even though you know it’s very good for you. Your Nidra is so enjoyable that you look forward to doing it and the steps help you learn how to harness and focus the mind.
Especially in this time of Coronavirus, some of us have to work much harder and longer hours with less time to rest and sleep. Yoga Nidra gives us the refreshment of a good sleep in as little as 15 minutes. It helps us let go of all the tensions, and helps us relax on a very deep level, refresh and energize. It makes us feel like we are waking up after a deep sleep.
Some of us are so highly stressed because of deadlines and expectations and commitments. Doing Yoga Nidra we switch the mind off from the usual worries, giving ourselves a break and peace of mind.
When we do Yoga Nidra, it automatically boosts and recharges the autoimmune system. When we are anxious, tense and worried, it uses up a lot of energy in our body, so there’s no energy left for recharging the immune system. And that makes us feel weak and exhausted and demoralized. When we switch the mind off, all that energy is saved and available to recharge the immune system so that we can become strong, happy and healthy.
It takes a lot of energy to remain tense. Just like when you push a spring down, it takes a lot of energy to keep it down, but when you release it, you save your energy and the spring has no power. Similarly when we’re stressed and anxious it uses up a lot of our energy, and then that energy is not available for healing the normal wear and tear of the body and maintaining the immune system.
When we sleep, body and mind rest, and the immune system recharges. One hour of Yoga Nidra meditation gives the same refreshment of 4 hours of deep sleep. So If you do just 15 minutes of yoga nidra any time of the day, that day you’re going to get the benefit of one hour of deep sleep. So you can imagine how fresh you’ll be. Then automatically you’ll be much more relaxed and healthy and able to resist any kind of disease.
Yoga Nidra is also excellent for those with sleep problems. If you can’t go to sleep, do yoga Nidra before sleep and you’ll get good sleep. If you wake up and can’t get back to sleep, yoga Nidra will help you to get back to sleep. If you wake up in the morning feeling tired, just half an hour of yoga Nidra will leave you fresh as a daisy. If you feel tired any time of the day, just 15 minutes of yoga Nidra will perk you up.
As Yoga Nidra improves sleep and strengthens the immune system, it is a wonderful healing practice. Whatever ailment you have, whether it’s an injury or stress related like diabetes, headache, migraine, constipation, back pain, high blood pressure, heart problems, even serious ones like cancer, and even coronavirus, you can do yoga Nidra or overcome your ailment, by strengthening the immune system, and awakening the inner healing energy. We can visualize ourselves healing, giving us a feeling of wellbeing and perfect health and energy.
Plus, it’s also a really great way of tapping into our creativity, getting good ideas for work and problem solving. Yoga Nidra develops the mind, improves concentration and memory so it’s really good for those who are studying or doing a lot of mental work or working from home.
On the other hand, for people who have got a lot of time on their hands, and don’t know what to do with themselves, Yoga Nidra is a great way to explore your inner world, to go on an inner journey, exploring your deep subconscious and get to know yourself, find and connect with your Higher Consciousness.
And when you start understanding how the mind works, then you can actually start using your mind in a much more productive, effective, and positive way. Instead of the mind getting into a state of fear, or panic or depression, you’ll be able to recognize when your mind is thinking unwanted thoughts and then train it to think positive, strong, uplifting, and useful thoughts.
A very important part of Yoga Nidra is Sankalpa, which is a resolve, resolution, or positive intention. The sankalpa is a short, positive, concise statement or intention that goes deep into our subconscious like planting a very good positive seed in our mind, which can change the way we think, perceive and react. We can actually mold our mind into what you want it to become, into the best version of ourselves. Sankalpa empowers our life in a very positive way.
Yoga Nidra is really good for those who are studying at home or outside. So if you can’t get discipline and concentration and what you’re trying to study doesn’t go into your mind, doing yoga Nidra before your studies makes your mind very fresh and receptive and then you can learn anything. You can even record your portions and play them during or just after doing yoga Nidra and it goes straight into your subconscious.
If your mind feels tired with studies or any mental work, you can do yoga Nidra afterwards to refresh your brain and feel relaxed and energized. If you’re bored and you don’t know what to do, instead of watching a movie or hours of social media, you can go inside and see what movie is playing inside, inside your subconscious.
The original yoga Nidra was a spiritual practice. So in this current situation of Coronavirus, you realize that that life is not just meant for superficial living but there is something deeper to life and you want to experience it, Yoga Nidra will help you do that and eventually connect to the soul, spirit, atma, essence of our being that part of yourself that never dies, the Divine energy.
Do yoga Nidra, it’s easy, and enjoyable, you’ll love it!
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