Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra, translated as Yogic Sleep, is a practice of the 5th limb of Ashtanga Yoga, Pratyahara, or drawing the senses inward, through listening to a verbal guided relaxation. The deep relaxation this practice produces is not actually a sleep state, but the stage just before sleep, or the "going-to-sleep" state. It has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and has been used to treat people with PTSD symptoms

Satyananda Saraswati is a modern exponent of Yoga Nidra who began to popularize for the West in the mid 20th century. He developed a method and began training practitioners to offer this guided relaxation technique. The eight phases of his method include: internalisation, sankalpa, rotation of consciousness, breath awareness, manifestation of opposites, creative visualization, sankalpa and externalization.

Other teachers have also described Yoga Nidra as a state of conscious deep sleep, in which the mind is still aware and experiences can be recalled later.

The practice of Yoga Nidra can be done be attending a class, or playing an audio recording, and is usually practiced lying down comfortably in a quiet space. It can be practiced any time of day. In the morning it can be used to promote a calm state for the day; in the afternoon it can help refresh and rejuvenate, and it can be used just before going to bed as a sleep-aid.

You can download Yoga Nidra tracks online or buy audio CDs to play. You can also guide yourself, either by recording and listening to your own voice describing a step by step relaxation, or by memorizing such a technique. Here is one technique you can learn to practice on your own, anytime youhave at least 10 minutes to lie or sit comfortably.

Self-Guided Yoga Nidra Relaxation Script

I bring my attention to my right thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, pinky finger, back of the hand, palm of the hand,

wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, side waist,

right hip, thigh, knee, shin, calve, ankle,top of the foot, sole of the foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

I feel the entire right side of my body.

I bring my attention to my left thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, pinky finger, back of the hand, palm of the hand,

wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, side waist,

left hip, thigh, knee, shin, calve, ankle, top of the foot, sole of the foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, fifth toe.

I feel the entire left side of my body.

I bring my attention to my sit bones, pelvic floor, groin, sacrum,

low back, belly, sternum, mid back, chest, shoulderblades, upper back,

collarbones, neck, base of the skull, back of the head, top of the head,

forehead, temples, eyebrows, space between the eyebrows, temples,

eyelids, eyes, nose, throat, tongue, teeth, lips, chin, jaw.

I feel my whole face.

I feel my whole head.

I feel my entire upper body.

I feel my whole lower body.

I feel my whole body.

I feel my entire body,

I feel my entire body.