Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The poetry of yoga nidra :)

                                               ( Sati image from this site) 
I do a short yoga nidra -- exactly five minutes -- at the end of an hour's practice. Some people crib that they never feel rested. But a majority are lulled into a deep hypnogogic state... that is truly truly relaxing. Now though I would like to extend the time, I am time-constrained... But I believe, letting go, for five minutes or one-hour -- it is all in your mind. If u cannot let go for five minutes, u are most unlikely to relax even if u are given an hour. My own experience with students has been that, those who are judgemental, critical, need more mat/body space for nidra, or aware of others as some sort of impediment to their own personal space or practice (oh, yes, u get all sorts in a yoga class), they are the ones who simply cannot relax. That is because they are in a adrenal-watchful state which is just a protective mechanism of the mind gone out of kilter. In nidra, the watchfulness is alert, but restful, and is not judging, but just moving about ... It is a wonderful thing if u let go... five minutes is enough to get to that mind space...

Below from an article I wrote on nidra, for a magazine a few years ago...

There are several references to Lord Shiva's yoga nidra. According to Sw Satyanandaji Shiva's center is in sahasrara, the crown chakra. Here he is in a perpetual state of yoga nidra, in a state of suspended animation. His energy is inert. Shakti is at the mooladhara chakra, at the perineum. Since her energy is active and mobile, through your sadhana(practice), she is propelled upwards towards the ajna chakra (at the forehead). Here the two unite explosively. This consumes Shiva in ecstasy, so he dances his famous dance.

You can carry this metaphor to the simple yoga nidra practice. If Shiva is the unconscious principle, Shakti is the conscious principle behind creation. Only in yoga nidra practice you enter the twilight zone between consciousness and the unconscious, marrying the two. It is a rare space to enter. The ability to sustain awareness in this space comes only with regular practice. Once this happens, the powerful impact of this practice can be enjoyed, be it in stimulating your mental potential or in powering the healing capacity.


Swami Jnaneshwara Bharati in his extremely generous site on yoga www.swamij.com gives the best definition of yoga nidra that explains its subtle impact: " Yoga Nidra means Yogic Sleep. It is a state of conscious Deep Sleep. In Meditation, you remain in the Waking state of consciousness, and gently focus the mind, while allowing thought patterns, emotions, sensations, and images to arise and go on. However, in Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state, go past the Dreaming state, and go to Deep Sleep, yet remain awake. While Yoga Nidra is a state that is very relaxing, it is also used by Yogis to purify the Samskaras, the deep impressions that are the driving force behind Karma."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ok OK I will confess
Most of the time I get into this deep relaxation stage, almost sleep...
But couple of times I have even seen a dream...hahahaha.... sorry teacha :-)