Close your eyes in order to see
Yoga Nidra is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. It is a state in which the body is completely relaxed, where the practitioner becomes systematically and increasingly aware of their inner world by following a set of verbal instructions. Yoga Nidra is a process for entering into an effortless state of being. Although literally translated it means ‘yogic sleep’, in fact it is not a sleep, but an awakening.
In a world of relentless pace, rest – our birthright – is radical. Once we attend to the chronic flight-or-fight reaction that lives in our bodies we are able to come home to ourselves. By ceasing to think our way out of the problems we have created for ourselves, instead we can feel our way back into our belonging to each other and to the earth. Only then can we can live in right rhythm and relationship with all of life.
Image is of clay figure of a reclining lady – likely to be a mother goddess – found in one of the pits of the Hypogeum in Hal Saflieni in Malta, dated between 4000 and 2500 BCE.
Practices
To begin enjoying any of the yoga nidras below, find a comfortable relaxed position (ideally lying down with a blanket over you). No prior yoga or meditation practice is needed! Get in contact if you are interested in co-creating nidras for you or your team or community.