Athens Yoga 
Yoga Nidra
At Athens Yoga Studio Yoga Nidra is practiced at the end of each class, because of its multiple beneficial effects on, among other, nervous and immune systems.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is a therapeutic method of deep relaxation, a notion significantly different from that of a simple relaxation one can experience with various other activities.
What happens during Yoga Nidra?
In Yoga Nidra the mind becomes quiet, and the psycho-somatic tension is being released. After some minutes, the heart beat slows down, the breath becomes subtle and the mid deeply calm. This is why Yoga Nidra is also called psychic sleep, believed to be more healing than the regular, unconscious sleep.
What is the difference between Yoga Nidra and Meditation?
Yoga Nidra IS a form of meditation, but because it is done lying down without any physical effort, it is a very good preparation for the meditation. One develops the capacity to have full awareness, even in very deep states of mind.
What does Yoga Nidra consist of and how does it affect us?
There is a rotation of awareness on various parts of the body, awareness of the whole body, of the breath, of the pace and energy, as well as various visualizations. The whole time we remain in a state between waking and sleeping, gaining access into the subconscious.
What is Sankalpa?
An important element of Yoga Nidra is Sankalpa – a resolve as a seed of change. When we decide something, e.g. to stop smoking on a conscious level, but the subconscious mind resists our decision, our decision usually ends up fruitless. In Yoga Nidra though we have access to subconscious and the decision we make in the form of a short positive sentence, is being imprinted in the subconscious. This becomes possible because the mind is receptive and sensitive to auto-suggestion. We make the resolve with feeling and strong will-power. With regular and persistent practice, the changes we decided upon start to manifest in our lives. These changes may concern our behaviour towards ourselves or other people, repetitive unwanted reactions, the state of our physical and/or mental health and so on.
If we are working on something specific, e.g. with smoking habit or with an obsession or with an emotional overdependence on others, we may use the sankalpa to deal with this. However, as Swami Satyananda points out, it is good not to limit our decision to “I am giving up smoking”. Our long-term goal is to bring about changes on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. So, if we make a decision such as “I am physically and mentally healthy, or “I am emotionally balanced” or “I am awakening my spiritual potential” or “I am becoming a positive influence of the evolution of other people”, this will of course change the undesired habits, but it will also take us beyond that.
What is a dedication of practice to some other person?
As our yoga practice matures, we begin to feel deep gratitude for our life and appreciation towards other people. This awakens a desire to offer and to share the sense of wellbeing and health with others. Yoga practitioners oftentimes dedicate their practice, and their sankalpa becomes a wish for health and balance in the life of another person, or even of the humanity as a whole. In Yoga Nidra state of deep relaxation and mental floating between the conscious and subconscious states, our thoughts have great power, and the positive energy that we “send” influences positively both ourselves and he person we wish well to.
Hints for Yoga Nidra Practice:
- Stay awake. In the beginning say to yourselves: “I will not fall a sleep. I will remain awake throughout the while practice of Yoga Nidra”
- Do not try to concentrate on various parts of the body. Rather, you will experience the awareness effortlessly flowing from one part to another.
- Don’t try to go deep or to have special experiences. Try to be spontaneous, relaxed and receptive.