Yoga Nidra: the Indian version of self-hypnosis
By Luis S R Vas Nidra, a Sanskrit word, means sleep. Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is not just a form of profound physical and mental relaxation but helps improve consciousness and awareness. The article below explains its efficacy.
One hour of yoga nidra is believed to equal to four hours of normal sleep, and is the secret of great yogis both today and in past. It is a science of conscious relaxation when the state of mind is between wakefulness and dreaming. It opens deep phases of the mind, which allows the evacuation of stress from the unconscious, and can change behavior, personality and also develop relationships with those you love. Yoga nidra is a technique developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, who died in 2009 at the age of 85. While he was still with his guru, Swami Sivananda, he was assigned to take care of children at a school. His duties involved watching over them at night but the swami usually fell into a slumber around 3 am. Before he woke, the children would rise and recite vedic chants. At a subsequent festival, the children once again recited their vedic chants and Swami Satyananda Saraswati could not understand why they sounded so familiar. His guru, aware of the younger man's sleeping, explained he had heard the chants during his slumber and that one can remain conscious and receptive even while sleeping. This was tested by Swami Satyananda Saraswati on many disciples. One stubborn lad refused to go to school so the swami chanted the Bhagavad Gita scripture while the youngster slept. After a week, the boy was able to recite the scripture. Swami Satyananda Saraswati continued this technique for two years, reading the Upanishads, the Bible, the Koran, English, Hindi and Sanskrit texts. When the boy grew up, he could speak 11 languages. In Yoga Nidra, you relax fully, and make a resolution, whether it's to heal yourself, change your lifestyle or achieve your ambitions, it can be achieved through yoga nidra if you practice it at least three times a week for one month. The best time for practicing yoga nidra is from 4 to 6 am. The room should be dim but not too dark, because the mind will easily fall asleep and not too bright, because the mind will be too stimulated. The first step, and key to the practice, is setting a resolution (Sankalpa in Sanskrit), a short positive mental statement such as "I will be healthier and happier", "I will live abundantly and meaningfully" or "I will be better in every way every day." The next step is rotation of awareness through the body followed by breathing awareness, creating opposite sensations and feelings and visualization. The practice finishes with repeating your resolution. "I set a resolution. 'I will live a good and long life.’ Now I am aware of breathing in. Now I am aware of breathing out. I feel the heaviness of my body. I feel the lightness of my body. I feel the coolness in my body. I feel the heat in my body. I feel happy. I feel sad.' Now imagine that you stand peacefully in a garden in the morning. After the visualization, repeat your resolution three times and slowly return to external awareness." Enjoy yourself while achieving your goals.
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