Yoga Nidra, you hear about it more and more often. Unlike most Yoga styles, you do not have to make any physical effort. You simply lie on your back in savassana and listen to a soothing voice that tells you where to focus your attention. If you apply this, you can completely relax and leave your everyday worries behind. Now you're thinking, how am I ever going to be able to keep my attention for an hour or more and not think about my daily tasks? Fortunately, this can be learned! In this article we explain what Yoga Nidra entails, who it is suitable for and what it can do for you.
What does Yoga Nidra entail?
Yoga Nidra works towards physical, mental and emotional relaxation. Yoga means 'connecting' and Nidra means 'sleep', literally also called 'yoga sleep'. It is a stage between waking and sleeping, in which you are not really awake anymore but also not asleep. When this state is reached, tension flows away from both your mind and body. The idea is not to fall asleep, but to let your body relax completely. One hour of Yoga Nidra can feel like four hours of sleep. With Yoga Nidra you don't have to do much, you lie down and listen to guidance online or from a teacher.
Who is Yoga Nidra suitable for?
Yoga Nidra is suitable for everyone, even if you have difficulty concentrating. When I took a meditation class for the first time, I could barely pay attention. It was so confronting that I had to laugh every time, I just didn't know how to deal with it, quite embarrassing. However, the more I did this, the more I got used to it. At first I kept my attention for a maximum of a minute, but after a few weeks I managed to do it for more than 15 minutes. It is therefore important not to give up and to keep persevering, focus can be learned.
Yoga Nidra is for both beginners and advanced yoga practitioners, but sometimes terms are used that are often unknown to a novice yogi, such as the names of the chakras and some Sanskrit names. If you look this up you will learn them soon enough.
What can Yoga Nidra do for you?
Finding relaxation in today's society is sometimes very difficult. We plan our days full, have to work, take care of the children and also do the household. Try to let go of these thoughts is very difficult and sometimes even feels impossible. Yoga Nidra can help you with this. You will also be able to return to relaxation more quickly during stressful situations during the day. With Yoga Nidra you learn to focus on yourself and to block out external stimuli. This brings many benefits such as less stress, better concentration, more energy and it ultimately strengthens your immune system. Less stress means you are less likely to suffer from high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
When Yoga Nidra is practiced more often or every day, it can offer even more benefits. When we learn to listen to our feelings and listen to our body, our emotion regulation will ultimately improve. At first our feelings will be amplified as we return to listening to it over the years, but eventually we will experience the liberation that listening to your body brings. Anxieties, depression and burnout will fade into the background as we start living from our true core. Without listening to ourselves, we cannot feel when we are crossing our own boundaries or know what our real self wants in life. Yoga Nidra is therefore a good step towards loving yourself more and living a happier life that your true self supports.
Conclusion
Yoga Nidra is suitable for everyone, as long as you have enough willpower to learn focus. Ultimately, this is well worth it as Yoga Nidra brings many benefits, such as less stress, better emotion regulation and a happier life. My tip is just try it out and see for yourself whether it can offer you a treasure chest full of gold or whether you prefer to leave the chest closed.