A Short History
Yoga Nidra as it is known today was introduced to the West by Swami Satyananda, a student of Swami Sivananda and head of the Bihar School of Yoga.
It is the practice of deep relaxation (‘Yogic Sleep’ or ‘Sleep with Awareness’) which takes you through a rotation of consciousness of the different parts of the body enabling you to experience your body as whole and joined up again, combined with visualisations that engage deeply whilst enabling the release of physical and mental tension. During this time, you lie completely still in Sivasana, ideally supported with blankets, bolsters and pillows. Short yoga nidras can also be practiced sitting.
Benefits
Practicing Yoga Nidra…
- Reduces stress and anger
- Increases compassion
- Promotes restorative sleep
- Puts you in touch with your true self
- Helps your body to direct it’s own self-healing
Who can practice it?
Yoga Nidra is suitable for everyone. There are scripts suitable for all ages including adults and children with special needs. Because you don’t need to get into difficult poses, it’s also suitable for people with mobility issues.
How do I find a suitable Yoga Nidra practice?
There are now a plethora of yoga nidra audios and scripts you can download from the Internet. Take some time and try and find a practice that works well for you. Some scripts are very stimulating (the imagining bit) and that doesn’t always work well for everyone.
There are also times, for example if you have recently suffered a bereavement or have ongoing mental health issues, when Yoga Nidra might not be the best practice to do.
It is usually best to start off with a teacher to guide you through practice.
That teacher will often be able to give you a download of them reading the script they use so you can practice at home. If the classes works well for you, the association with the teacher’s voice will help put you very quickly into a state of relaxation.
Yoga Nidra at Samye Centre
Katie started teaching Yoga Nidra to Postnatal women in 2013 and quickly discovered its powers as a rejuvinative practice, enabling deep relaxation and promoting self healing.
Both her evening classes now use Yoga Nidra as an integral practice:
Postnatal Yoga Course – Thursdays 7pm :: CLICK HERE :: for more info
Women’s Yoga – Fridays 7.30pm :: CLICK HERE :: for more info
It really is THAT important a practice!!
What equipment we use:
To practice yoga nidra, you need to wear comfortable clothes. We also use
- Yoga mat (bring your own!)
- Blankets (supplied in class; long enough to cover your whole body from neck to toes!)
- Buckwheat head pillow (supplied in class; perfect for supporting your head)
- Bolster (supplied in class; this is a cylindrical pillow which can be put under your knees; some people love this, others prefer to lie flat)
If you are interested in attending Postnatal Yoga or Women’s Yoga classes and want to chat about yoga nidra’s suitability for you, please contact Katie Samye on 07578 177445 or email info@samyecentre.com