Yoga is now all too familiar in Germany: flowing movements combined with breathing, meditation and more. Hatha yoga, vinyasa and power yoga are practiced particularly frequently and taught in yoga schools. But do you also know yoga nidra? While most styles focus on the combination of physical movement and breathing (pranayama), this variant focuses on deep meditation away from the asanas. Every year on June 21 is World Yoga Day. And to mark the occasion, we would like to introduce you to this special practice, as it can be a valuable support in your everyday life. We will therefore show you here what effects yoga nidra can have, how you can practise it for yourself and what helps you find your way into a deep meditative state. Namasté - how nice of you to take time for yourself. Let's get started!
Content
1. yoga nidra: what is it actually?
2. ...and what effect does Yoga Nidra have?
3. differences: Yoga Nidra & Meditation
4. yoga nidra - instructions & structure of a session
Yoga Nidra: What is it actually?
The term "yoga nidra" comes from Sanskrit and translates as "yogic sleep". Like the original Hatha Yoga, Nidra is a very old variant based on the teachings of Swani Satyananda Saraswati. The aim: to reach deeper layers of consciousness.
It is a practice of deep relaxation that is intended to put your body and mind into a state of particularly deep rest. When you reach this state, you are right on the border between intensive meditation and sleep. No thinking, pure letting go, full consciousness without influences. This state is also known as hypnagogic.
The aim of this yoga variation is to completely shift your awareness from the outer world to the inner world.
...and what effect does Yoga Nidra have?
When practising yoga nidra, various relaxation techniques are performed with the help of meditation. This is said to have the effect of keeping your mind alert while your body experiences complete peace and relaxation. Sounds good, doesn't it? Especially in today's stressful and hectic world, it is sometimes difficult to leave everyday life behind. Yoga Nidra can help you with its effects. The following effects can be released during yogic sleep:
- Physical relaxation
- Mental relaxation
- Inner peace
Studies have even shown that brain activity changes during the practice and that the basic tension of the skeletal muscles decreases. Even blood pressure can drop on the yoga mat. These are the effects of yoga nidra, which you experience in the moment between meditation and sleep and can still feel immediately after your practice. As with all styles of yoga, regular practice can also have a positive effect on your general well-being away from the yoga mat:
- Better, deeper sleep,
- more intense inner peace,
- a higher ability to concentrate and absorb,
- an increase in stress resilience and a lower release of cortisol,
- lower irritability and higher psychological resilience and
- a stronger immune system
are some of the possible after-effects for which Yoga Nidra is so popular. In particular, the importance of yoga nidra in terms of sleep and regeneration is important for many practitioners. In addition, a greater sense of inner peace is generally said to spread. However, these effects are of course fundamentally individual and each person needs a different time frame to engage in this type of practice. Especially if you have no previous experience with meditation, it may take a while before you feel such effects in your everyday life. But we are certain that if you keep at it - or on the mat - you can strengthen your well-being with the effects of yoga nidra.
Differences: Yoga Nidra & Meditation
If you are already an experienced yogi, then you have probably already had some contact with meditation during your practice. However, the meditations here are usually relatively short and offer you a kind of introduction to the class or a way of feeling the previous asanas. Yoga nidra is not directly part of such meditations. It is generally performed in Savasana - the final relaxation - while many conventional meditations tend to take place in a heel or cross-legged position. In addition, the yoga nidra exercise is usually longer and goes through several phases, which can last a total of 20 to 45 minutes. These exercises are therefore not comparable to conventional meditation.
Yoga Nidra - instructions & structure of a session
If you are just starting out with yoga nidra, exercises are difficult to do alone. It is really helpful to be guided through the first sessions by a teacher - a voice that you can follow during your yogic sleep; also to avoid falling asleep properly. A yoga nidra exercise can then be based on these elements:
- Before you start, you should first get onto your yoga mat for yourself. Put on comfortable clothes that you won't get cold in and drop the hectic pace of your everyday life in front of your mat.
- Basically, the session begins in Savasana, the dead pose.
- The body and mind are prepared for yogic sleep with an initial relaxation; you can slowly arrive in the here and now on your mat, completely with yourself. Your external perception should slowly gain distance and your awareness should be focused on yourself.
- Many sessions then work with so-called Sankalpa. This is a kind of resolution, an intention or a mantra that you mentally repeat to yourself over and over again. It should be anchored in your subconscious and have a profound effect during relaxation.
- A body scan is then often performed for body awareness: The attention is guided once through each part of the body, from head to toe. This reduces the tension within these body parts.
- This is followed by a focus on breathing, which turns the senses from the outside to the inside. Breathing should not be changed or influenced here, but simply perceived. This leads to even deeper relaxation.
- Emotional tension is now processed and balanced during awareness exercises.
- Visualization is another part of a Yoga Nidra session. Associations are evoked, also with the help of the previously defined Sankalpa, and themes are moved from the subconscious into the conscious mind. Blockages can be released and replaced by positive associations such as the Sankalpa.
- At the end of a session, a kind of anchoring follows: the Sankalpa is repeated - the subconscious is particularly receptive due to the very deep relaxation. Step by step, you leave your yogic sleep and slowly return to your own mat.
Many people who practise regularly are convinced that it helps the body and mind to regenerate better and sometimes even reprograms old patterns. Yoga Nidra is not dangerous - but if you don't have much experience with yoga and the like yourself, you should first practice it under professional guidance. The teacher's text, which is specifically geared towards the class, also allows Yoga Nidra to address individual issues and make the practice optimal for you.
What is Yoga Nidra for you?
Many people use yoga nidra to influence their sleep. Although the technique was not originally intended to help you fall asleep, the deep relaxation can have a positive effect on your basic sleep experience. We therefore recommend you try it out! On the occasion of World Yoga Day on June 21, embark on a new experience and feel your way into the practice of particularly deep relaxation.
Yoga Nidra to fall asleep - relax even better with aids
Of course, with a little experience, you can also refine your practice and relaxation - with the right tools. For example, you can lie down on an acupressure mat during the session to help you relax more quickly. However, you should only do this if you already have some experience with our acupressure mats. Bear in mind that a class can last up to 45 minutes - you should not move out of the dead position during this time. If you want to give your eyes additional relaxation during the exercises, our eye cushion can help. It exerts light pressure on the eyes and can relieve tension after a long day in front of the computer screen.