YOGA NIDRA
Yoga Nidra is a simple, deep relaxation technique that reduces the effects of stress on the mind and body.
It is a practice that I invite most of my clients to practice regularly to not only reduce stress in the moment but also to provide a ‘buffer’ when you find yourself in a stressful situation throughout the day. Somehow, by enjoying a yoga nidra regularly it becomes easier to roll with the stresses of the day. It becomes easier to not get so caught up in or reactive to the nonsense that is going on around you and to come back to feeing safe.
The practice of yoga nidra induces deep relaxation into the whole body-mind system in a conscious way. Throughout the practice you remain aware at a very subtle level whilst you go through a systematic rotation of consciousness through different parts of the body. It will usually involve visualisations, awareness of breath and some breathwork, and you may be invited to make a resolution.
Making your resolution is powerful as the deep relaxation of the process makes the subconscious very open to suggestion and this can be a very effective way to change old mental patterns and habits. The resolution may be as simple as ‘I am resting deeply’ or ‘abundance flows to me’ or ‘I love my body and treat it well’. Creating new thoughts, new neural pathways, new habits and practicing them regularly is powerful.
For those of you who have come across Dr. Andrew Huberman @HUbermanlab, he highly recommends Yoga Nidra as a ‘ powerful, zero-cost tool for deep relaxation, stress reduction, and mental enhancement’ He often referrs to it as a form of "Non-Sleep Deep Rest" (NSDR). He notes that 20–30 minute sessions can increase dopamine in the basal ganglia, improve sleep quality, enhance neuroplasticity, and help control one's state of mind.
Benefits
It can help you relax enough to get to sleep but even if you don’t actually sleep it can give you the same benefits as sleep.
It may help you with anxiety, severe pain (stimulates the pituitary gland to release its own suppressing chemicals), as well as addictions, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and so many other health conditions.
It is a very good tool to turn off your thoughts which may improve your focus and reduce anxiety.
There are also some studies that suggest that it can boost dopamine levels in the brain by up to 65% which is fabulous!! (dopamine is aneurotransmitter and hormone produced in the brain that acts as a "reward centre" and chemical messenger, regulating pleasure, motivation, memory, mood, and motor control)
How to practice Yoga Nidra
Like anything, introducing something new into our lives takes a bit of creating a habit. We have to practice. My habit is to practice every morning. 15, 30, 60 minutes depending on how much time I have.
I will invite you to do it every day, or at least 3 times per week. The more we practice, the better we get.
My routine is to wake up, grab my phone (from the bathroom!) my earphones and choose a nidra to do. I will share the link to a couple of my favourites.
Mid afternoon is also a good practice time … when that afternoon slump happens I find a 15 minute ‘non sleep deep rest’ or yoga nidra pops me back up and I am ready to go again. Or, if I cant sleep or wake and cannot get back to sleep these are invaluable.
Lay down comfortably and follow the structured guided body scan, the breathwork and truly relax.
If you get lost and forget where you are up to with the body scan, just relax and come back into it.
These are my favourites –
YouTube Ally Boothroyd
15 minute yoga nidra – full nervous system massage
https://youtu.be/5ZRH-S9Aucs?si=ceo_GY1OxUY3gLoT
Yoga Nidra for the heart
https://youtu.be/wkw5WQ5TwMA?si=FAsD5jhJBapbsr4K