According to the ancient Hindu scriptures of Mandukya Upanishad, there are four states of consciousness namely Waking (Jagrata), Dreaming (Svapna), Deep Sleep (Susupti) and Higher Consciousness (Turiya). Yoga Nidra, also known as ‘Yogic Sleep’ refers to the conscious awareness of the dreamless Deep Sleep state. Yoga Nidra is not to be confused with the state between Waking and Dreaming as it is a far deeper state that penetrates the subconscious level of the mind, beyond mental processes, mere relaxation and visualisation. This traditional method of meditation and deep relaxation has been practised by the yogis and sages of India for thousands of years as a source of strength, inspiration and as a means to cleanse the karma and to commune with the divine energy of the Universe.
Consistent practice of Yoga Nidra leads to an integrated relaxation on a physical, mental and emotional level, which helps to intensify the power of creativity, intuition and self-discovery. It enhances the self-healing capabilities of the body and can be used to mitigate stress-related problems such as migraines, headaches, insomnia, fatigue and high-blood pressure. Experienced practitioners of this technique have also claimed that half an hour in this state yields the benefits of three hours of deep sleep.
Visualisation and guided imagery techniques are useful processes in preparing to bring ourselves into this calm and serene state of yogic sleep. Enjoy the relaxation and the training of the mind that comes with your routine leading up to the state of Yoga Nidra. With patience and regular practice, you will transcend the obvious benefits and experience the formless depth of pure awareness.
I have personally always had problems completing the Yoga Nidra sequence as I would usually drift off to sleep before the end of the process. This had deterred me from taking my practice further, until recently when I discovered an audio CD that improved my Yoga Nidra experience tremendously.
“ A Journey in Yoga Nidra ’ is a locally produced and newly released audio CD that guides the practitioner through a journey from mind awareness, resolution, body awareness, breath awareness, visualisation and finally to a deep relaxation . Let the relaxing sound track composed and arranged by the well-known Malaysian artist, Sesatre and the hypnotic voice of yoga teacher, Barbara Vadiveloo guide you through this traditional practice of deep and peaceful awareness.