Do we know how to relax?

Yoga Nidra, one of my favourite practices in yogic philosophy that I have been practising since I obtained my certification in Hatha Yoga. The nearest translation of Yoga Nidra is “Yogic sleep” according to the book (by Swami Satyananda Saraswati) that I recently completed.

Yoga Nidra, derived from Swami Satyananda Saraswati, is the fifth step of Ashtanga Yoga through Patanjali Yoga sutras. Ashtanga Yoga is one of many styles of Yogic Philosophy, like many others. In Ashtanga Yoga, the Pratyahara is the fifth stage, where this practice is followed.

One of the principal objectives of this practice is to withdraw our senses inwards, aiming to have control over our minds. Hence, our body & mind become relaxed and we can be further ready for further practices such as Dharana (Focus/Concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) & Samadhi (Liberation).

The 8 stages of Ashtanga Yoga, are as follows:

1. Yama: The practice of certain principles that concern our environment, as follows: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (right use of energy), Aprarigraha (no possession, no greed)
2. Niyama: (Ni + Yama) Codes of conduct at a personal level, duties towards ourselves, which affect not only ourselves but also our actions that have an impact on the world., as follows: Sauca (cleanliness), Santosa (contentment), Tapa (discipline), Svadhaya (self-study), Isvara pranidhana (surrender to a higher power)
3. Asana: This simply means, “seat”. The practice in order to be able to sit comfortably, & still without any uneasiness for the practice of meditation.
4. Pranayama: “Prana” + “Yama”, to gain control over our mind by regulating our breath.
5. Pratyahara: It’s the practice of controlling our senses in order to have control over our minds.
6. Dharana: Concentration — Practice controlling your mind by binding it to something (an object).
7. Dhyana: Meditation
8. Samadhi: A liberated state where one detaches oneself from the pains and pleasures of life.

What is Yoga Nidra?

In layman’s terms, Yoga Nidra is a profound relaxation technique. According to this practice, we do not fully relax each time we are tired and choose to relax, particularly during our sleep. What often happens is that every time we are fatigued, we do various other things to relax the mind. For eg. watching a good movie, listening to music, talking to friends, that sort of thing. In a nutshell, we try to stimulate our minds through other means through the activities we cherish. Nevertheless, this is a DISTRACTION, because these activities stimulate our senses more, which is the opposite of relaxation.

The question is, why do we do this? Simply because it is the habit of our mind, to keep working and analyzing something constantly, all the time. As human beings, we are not able to remain silent or at rest. Our intellect enjoys this gossip & analysis, which is one of the major reasons why we cannot be able to relax deeply.

The initial motto of Yoga Nidra is to reach a certain state, where we are very relaxed, & quiet. Because of this, we become highly receptive and less intellectualized, though we remain aware. As a result, we have more clarity, sight and understanding, especially because we are so dizzy that we are disconnected from ourselves. To put it another way, this is a state between deep sleep and fully awake. The idea is to lay the burden that we carry in our heads/spirits all the time. The burden that causes stress, which is one of the major challenges of our daily lives. Moreover, this stress often conceives muscular, mental and emotional strains that further lead to disorder, aggressiveness, restlessness and other physical problems in our body and life.

Thus, with the help of Yoga Nidra, we can resolve these tensions in our body by channelising the sensory functions & by taking Sankalpa (a commitment) in order to stay still & observe every part of the body to achieve deep relaxation. As a direct consequence, we allow our mind to go in a hypnagogic state, to be more creative, to identify patterns, and above all, we do so totally detached from our conscious mind, thereby, letting the powerful subconscious mind take charge.

What do we do exactly in Yoga Nidra?

Briefly, our brain is a physical organ that connects our consciousness, mind and feelings. With the help of guided instructions in Shavasana (the corpse pose), we focus inwards, we enhance the engagement of our senses and at some point, we find ourselves in a state where we are neither asleep nor completely awake. Our purpose is simply to listen to the instructions. In other words, it is a hypnagogic state, in which we are calm and concentrated, and only our hearing senses are active. We feel no weight of our body, it is so lightweight that we have this feeling that it floats. At this moment, we move to further stages of Yoga Nidra, for eg. Visualisation, Sankalpa etc. Getting to this state is vital, it is a major reason to call this practice a relaxation technique.

Some benefits of Yoga Nidra

There are several advantages of Yoga Nidra, some of them from my own experience are:

1. Reduce stress & anxiety by calming the nervous system: The Yoga Nidra practice requires a thorough body scan which leads to muscle relaxation, the release of any kind of tension that additionally gives the nervous system the ability to slow down. Therefore, it gives a person a profound feeling of peace and calmness.
2. Helps in chronic pain — The natural instinct of our body is to heal ourselves when we are relaxed. However, it’s us who create disturbances in this process, especially in the case of chronic pain, due to continuous stimulation of the mind. Practising Yoga Nidra gives the body time to rest & heal, which, therefore, brings down the inflammation & overall increases the recovery.
3. Big aid in sleeping: Usually it’s the stress, anxiety or overthinking which prevents the person from falling asleep easily. Practising Yoga Nidra cannot just help in giving you quality sleep but also compensate for the days when you couldn’t get the good one. It simply prepares the mind & body for sleep. Some research even says 45 min of Yoga Nidra can make you feel rested for 3h of sleep.

I would certainly recommend to people with:

• Psychosomatic disorders: The condition in which physiological disorders has been created due to excessive stress & tensions in the mind. These disorders can even be responsible to worsen the already existing physiological diseases or disorders.
• Struggle to slow down: People who struggle to relax, or who need constant mental stimulation.
• Anxiety, overthinking, agitation, restlessness
• Chronic body pain
• Sleeping issues (In my experience it’s good to practice on an almost empty stomach, however, in this case, you can also practice before sleeping.)

In a world where being productive & efficient makes us challenge our limits, please make sure you don’t end up mistreating your mind or body. Working continuously without pauses towards our goals doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a healthy living, especially if the process menaces our health in any form.

One of the important things I have learned is that our external motives must be aligned with the capacity of our mind-body and also with our inner thought process. And I believe, the only way to get this synchronization in place is by taking time for yourself.

Adopting Yoga Nidra in your everyday life is one of the simplest ways that can help you not only overcome those challenges mentioned above but also take care of your mental as well as your physical well-being to attain a comfortable, easy & healthy lifestyle.

So, would you like to give this a try? Do you have any other thoughts? If yes, please don’t hesitate to drop a comment or DM me directly on LinkedIn.

Take care! 🙂