Yoga Nidra is a yogic practice created by Swami Satyananda. It is based on traditional tantric practices, niyasa, appropriately made for todays society. Yoga can be translated to one-pointed awareness and nidra means sleep, so yoga nidra is deep relaxation with inner awareness. It’s a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. You get into a state of consciousness where you no longer identify by mind, senses or emotions. This stage is called pratyahara, which is generally translated as withdrawal of the senses, meaning the awareness is internalized. Without the sensatory input one become aware of more subtle states of the mind. The process of yoga nidra takes you deeper and deeper into this state of pratyahara. In this state samskaras (which are impressions left on the mind stream) are revealed and removed by witnessing thoughts, emotions. This is why yoga nidra is such an excellent practice as it allows changes on a subconscious and unconscious level. This is where change needs to take place to change habitual thought patterns and to transform one’s nature. Yoga Nidra is also used for relaxation and to increase knowledge and creativity as well as increasing memory capacity.
A yoga nidra session lasts between 20 to 40 minutes and it is conducted lying down on the floor in shavasana (lying on the back with legs and feet naturally placed a little away from the body). A guiding voice will generally guide you through the practice, but when you are well established in the practice you can perform the practice yourself. There are eight stages to a yoga nidra.
1. Settling the body.
In the posture of shavasana you should lie completely still for the time of the practice. It is important here that you cover yourself with a blanket as the body temperature often fall a couple of degrees when lying still for an extended period. In this stage the awareness is internalized through a number of stages – awareness of the alignment of the body, the gross breath, and then the environment – specifically by listening to sounds outside. Then your attention is guided back into the room and to sounds from your own body and breath. Allowing the mind to hear sounds eventually makes the mind disinterested in the sounds and one becomes more internalized. The state of pratyahara starts here.
2. Sankalpa
Sankalpa is made up of two words. San means true and kalpa means wish. It is often described as a positive resolution of something you want to achieve or become. The sankalpa stated at this stage is like ‘sowing a seed’ (Swami Satyananda Saraswati 2001:21). The mind is at this stage relaxed and the sankalpa can be firmly planted in the subconscious, where the change needs to take place for the personality to change.
3. Rotation of consciousness
At this stage the leading voice will systematically guide you through the parts of the body following the neuronal circuit of the motor homunculus (motor cortex of the brain). As you mentally go to the part mentioned, visualize and relax it then move on to the next part as per the guiding voice. This clears nerve pathways to the brain and increases a flow of pranic energy within a specific neuronal circuit. It releases energy so that the body can heal. It also dissociates sensory and motor nerves and the ability to experience your body with total detachment as a witness is further induced here. The subconscious mind is further activated and pratyahara is increased.
4. Awareness of breath
By focusing exclusively on the natural breath, often with the aid of counting, one awakens higher energies which can be directed to all the cells of the body. The mind is brought to one pointed focus thus increasing pratyahara.
5. Opposites
In this stage you will be directed to feel opposites, as for example cold and hot and heavy and light. This is included to equalize the attachment and aversion to the duality of life experiences on a deep level of consciousness. This stage is working with the primary brain and is related to the physical pain and pleasure. By moving between the opposites you cultivate equanimity, as to not be a slave to your senses. Instead, quite on the contrary, you can train yourself to consciously determine what experience you want to feel. This is a very important aspect of yogic science.
6. Vizualisations
At this stage of the practice you will be given images to create visualizations in the space of chidakasha (the area of the mind behind the closed eyes). The images brought to your attention may have emotions connected to them. By looking at these associations (samskaras) with equanimity (as a witness) the emotional response becomes lessened and a purification process happens. The thoughts, feelings and emotions that appear at this stage are of the higher mind (superconscious) and you can actually move from the state of pratyahara into the stages of dharana (concentration) and dhyana (deep meditation). Through this access and purification of the unconscious mind the gap between the conscious and the unconscious decreases and eventually one will have a better understanding of your own true nature.
7. Sankalpa
The sankalpa that was stated at the beginning of the practice is now repeated in the mind. Swami Satyananda describes it like the seed being irrigated at this stage, as you are at a deeper level of consciousness. This is a very important stage of yoga nidra. When this is done with faith it strengthens the effect on the unconscious mind, and it has the ability to change your whole life pattern.
8. Externalisation
You will be asked to become aware of your breath and body, then to the room where you are situated and then finally to the external environment. It is important to externalize gradually from the psychic sleep to the waking state.
The essential stages in Yoga Nidra are settling the body, rotation of conciousness, awareness of breath and externalization. It is important to perform a yoga nidra suited for one’s level of practice, to get the most out of it.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti... Hari Om.
