How To Do Yoga Nidra & Why You Should Do It Regularly

Yoga nidra is one of my favorite practices in yoga. Not just because I love to sleep (well, maybe...) but because it is easy to get into for beginners, and it's fun exploring the different states of consciousness. Not only that...but there are many health benefits that come from the practice. 

Yoga, in a way means 'awake' while nidra means 'sleep' in sanskrit. And the practice is literally a practice in going into an altered state of consciousness somewhere between wakefulness and sleep. The normal waking state is usually somewhere in the range of beta level brainwaves. As we transition into meditation or sleep, we pass through the alpha state. The alpha state is where the parasympathetic nervous system releases tension in the muscles in preparation for theta (light sleep) and deeper states of sleep. This is key because often people are too exhausted to pass into this important phase and they end up sleeping with muscle tension. 

How do you know if you are passing through the alpha state? The feeling of the alpha state is that soft feeling of drifting off ...that phase where you feel like you may be floating...or sometimes you may take a step in a dreamlike state and feel like you are falling while your leg moves and wakes you up. It's that fleeting moment of drifting off into a comfortable slumber. These are also the same brainwave levels of meditation. So, it is somewhere deeper than meditation and just before you fall into a light sleep. 

So, how do you get into yoga nidra mindfully without falling asleep? Two things to keep in mind. First, use a guided audio track or a trained in-person teacher.  The second is practice. Since all you need to do is lay down, focus, and relax...it's an easy practice for anyone to start. On the flip side, it does require some effort to stay engaged, relaxed, and not fall asleep. 

I promise you that the benefits of yoga nidra are numerous and worth every minute you can spare to practice. Most people in western cultures have actually lost the ability to relax their nervous system. This is a bad thing. Having the nervous system constantly stuck in the sympathetic side (which is the new normal) you put the body at risk of constant corrosion from the inside. Once the body is in this state for a prolonged period of time, you open yourself up to all levels of disease...from mild to severe. Yoga nidra, meditation, and other methods of getting the body into the sympathetic state are very effective ways to combat disease and aging. Beyond the physical, when the body is healthy and rested...the mind and emotions will be more balanced. So, instead of reaching for that glass of wine...try a yoga nidra instead.