Today's yogic tip : yoga nidra and its relevance.

I had a power yoga instructor once attending my workshop (I think she is teaching celebs these days and is a big thing in the yoga circuit, apparently). She and her friend left three fourths of my class, while I was doing nidra, arching their nose at this practice. For them, that time could be better utilised doing badly executed surya namaskars. I try, given the limitations of my one-hour class, to give a five minute nidra at least. Below is the reason why:
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 meansYogic 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."