Yoga Nidra - Scripts, Benefits, Contraindications and More
About Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a sanskrit term meaning "Yogic Sleep" and is a deep relaxation technique and a form of meditation. It is a state between sleeping and waking.
Regular meditation is practiced in a seated posture. It essentially involves the practitioner to become a witness to his or her thoughts and to develop awareness to one's thought process. Also, seated meditation is done with the spine upright and is in a way energizing the whole body and hence cannot be termed restorative or complete relaxation. In a regular meditation practice, there is an intention to be "aware" and while we make our body comfortable to sit for extended duration of time, rest is not the primary focus.
On the other hand, Yoga Nidra promotes deep rest and relaxation that isn't found in a regular seated meditation. A regular yoga nidra practice results in deep relaxation and expands the individual's self awareness. Yoga nidra is a systematic form of guided relaxation that typically can be done anywhere between 20 to 40 minutes at a time and many a times can be practiced for 10 minutes as well when there is shortage of time, e.g., at the office space during a break, early morning after waking up, mid afternoons, etc.
Yoga Nidra can bring out immediate physical benefits such as reduced stress, better sleep and also has the potential to heal deep psychological wounds when practiced consistently and can bring about a profound sense of joy & well-being.
In a typical yoga nidra session, a teacher guides practitioners through several stages. You start by developing an intention for your life and for the practice. Then you learn to shift your awareness to your breath, bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Throughout, you are encouraged to tap into an underlying sense of peace that is always present and to cultivate awareness, observing and welcoming whatever is present without getting caught up in it.
Yoga Nidra is a practice that can be done by "everyone" from Children to Seniors and there are no age restrictions or health conditions associated with it as such. Since it has no restrictions on physical training and all practice occurs during a complete relaxation, it is suitable for anyone. However, despite the fact that the practice seems simple, it has a very powerful effect: Yoga nidra renews both the body and the consciousness.
| Yoga Nidra | Yoga Nidra is a guided relaxation technique |
| Duration | No set time, typically 15 to 45 mins |
| Body position | Preferably lying down on one's back. But can be done in a sitting position as well, on a chair, e.g., at work |
| Age limits | None as such. Anyone including kids can do yoga nidra |
| Frequency | Once daily is recommended. Can be done as many times as needed in a day/week/month |
| Time of Day | Depends on the condition for which the practice is being used.
E.g., for Insomnia, it can be practiced just before heading to sleep; and in the evenings as a form of relaxation after the day's work. |
| Primary benefits | Helps with Insomnia, Emotional trauma, Getting over addiction, Depression, and Anxiety |
| Contraindications | Severe depression, severe trauma and severe mental health conditions |
Yoga Nidra Benefits
Yoga Nidra is a unique practice that has almost no contraindications except in cases of severe depression wherein the practice may have to be done after proper consultation as it may bring out deeper trauma and fears of the unknown. Yoga nidra is in fact most beneficial for specific groups of people listed below as it helps them restore their physical and emotional energies:
- People who are physically and mentally exhausted (Army men, Wounded Soldiers, etc.)
- People who are emotionally depleted (Addicts, Chronically Stressed & Insomniacs, Health Care Workers)
- People who are tired of a passive lifestyle (Traumatic disorders, Psychological baggage, Students in high stress studies)
- People who are battling depression & anxiety (Depression, Anxiety, Marriage & Relationship issues)
- People dealing with health issues & pain management (Cancer patients, Auto immune diseases)
Yoga Nidra Contraindications
While it may appear that Yoga Nidra is a fairly safe practice and can be practiced by almost anyone, from a child to a senior citizen, it's also imperative to know if there are any contraindications to this practice and the answers is 'yes'.
Yoga nidra is contraindicated for those suffering or diagnosed with severe depression, severe trauma and severe mental health conditions. Those diagnosed with above issues could practice yoga nidra only after due consultation with their doctors as the practice can sometimes worsen the condition as very deep emotions can surface out during the practice and the teacher may not be able to handle such students. Hence it is good to always check with the students if they have any underlying mental health issues so that the teacher can then make an informed decision.
How to Prepare for Yoga Nidra
There are several schools of thought on when and how one should practice Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra really does not require a time limit or any set time to practice, it can be done literally at any time of the day. However when one practices Yoga Nidra after a physical practice of Yoga with some Sun Salutations, certain sets of asanas and pranayama, the benefits can be multi-fold.
The asanas and sun salutations help in warming up the body and opening up the different chakras (energy channels) so that the flow of energy or prana across the body is uniform and seamless. This in turn helps the practitioner to lie down without the body distracting the mind with niggling aches and pains. In that sense, practicing Yoga Nidra after a set of sun salutations or asanas that can help to open the hips, knees, warm up the lower body & legs help in allowing the practitioner to experience the most benefits of the Yoga Nidra practice.
Stages of Yoga Nidra
A typical complete yoga nidra practice consists of a systematic 8 stage progressive relaxation that involves first settling the mind, followed by taking a resolution, breath awareness, invoking of different feelings & sensations, visualizaton and closing down with a repetition of the sankalpa and by externalization. The 8 stages are categorized as follows:
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Internalization
Yoga Nidra is performed in savasana, with the eyes closed. In this stage, initial relaxation of the body and mind is induced by the awareness of stillness, comfort, posture, position, breath, and listening to the external sounds with the attitude of a witness.
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Sankalpa (Resolution)
When the body and the mind are relaxed, then the practitioner is instructed to take a resolution that resonates with themselves at that particular point in their life. The sankalpa should be short, clear and a positive statement. The practitioner repeats the selected sankalpa three times mentally, with full determination, conviction and confidence.
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Rotation of consciousness
In the third stage, the awareness is rotated around the different body parts of the body in a systematic and organized manner. The practitioner is instructed to remain aware, to listen to the instructions and to move the mind very rapidly according to the instructions without making any physical movements. The rotation of awareness in yoga nidra follows a definite sequence:
* right side of the body, beginning with the right hand thumb and ending with the little toe of the right foot;
* left side of the body, from the left hand thumb to the little toe of the left foot;
* back of the body, from the heels to the back of the head; * and lastly the front of the body, from the forehead and individual facial features to the legs. -
Breath awareness
In this stage, one simply becomes aware of the natural breath without making an attempt to change the flow of the breath. One may become aware of the breath by feeling it in the nostrils, chest, and abdomen, or in the passage between the navel and the throat. The practitioner becomes aware of each incoming and outgoing breath by counting them mentally.
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Feelings & Sensations
In this stage feelings & sensations are created and witnessed. Usually feelings of opposites like hot & cold, light & heavy, and anxiety & calmness are induced by asking the practitioner to experience the above feelings by leading them to relate to situations or bodily sensations. This helps in releasing unknown fears, building resilience, acceptance to situational ups and downs in life and a sense of wellbeing is promoted at the end of this experience.
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Visualization
There are a whole range of visualisation techniques to accompany yoga nidra and the most commonly used ones are quick calling out of different things/images/names/objects one after the other and the practitioner is asked to visualize them on the level of emotion, memory and imagination as it resonates with them. This keeps the mind focussed and also brings out certain deep emotions that are hidden beneath. This stage also helps the practitioner to direct his or her mind to concentration eventually leading to the state called "Dhyana" (profound meditation).
Some examples of quick fire visuals are: Meditating Buddha, Doctor's office, Flowing river, Mother's hug, Traffic lights, Beautiful gardens, etc.
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Sankalpa (Resolution)
Once again the sankalpa, taken in stage two, is repeated mentally three times in this stage with full dedication, faith and optimism.
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Externalization
Before ending the session of yoga nidra, slowly the awareness is externalized by asking the practitioner to become aware of the external sounds, objects and persons. They are asked then to slowly move the body parts and to stretch the body.
It must be noted that, a complete 8 stage yoga nidra practice can take about 40 to 45 minutes. In today's frenzied world, where we are always in shortage of time, sometimes one may find it difficult to accommodate 40 minutes for a yoga nidra practice.
4 Stages Yoga Nidra Practice - 20 minutes
If one wishes to practice a shorter but effective Yoga Nidra session, then the 20 minutes, 4 stage yoga nidra model works well. In simple terms, the 4 stage yoga nidra model is the same practice as described above but eliminating the Sankalpa, Feelings & Sensations and the Visualization stages thus making way for a shorter and simpler routine. The 20 minutes practice is good for a simple & effective total body relaxation that one can practice almost everyday.
A 20 minutes yoga nidra practice is also a great routine to use at night time before sleeping, for those who suffer from insomnia to release stress accumulated through the day due to the day's rigours.
4 Stages Yoga Nidra Practice - 10 minutes
An even shorter 10 minutes routine can also be adopted by simply lessening the duration for each stage and going through major body parts in the rotation of body parts stage rather than focussing on each single body part. This can reduce the time to 10 minutes and is a great way to practice yoga nidra almost everyday anywhere for a quick recharge of the body. E.g., work place, gym, etc.
A 10 minutes practice of yoga nidra can also be done seated and can be used as part of one's regular yoga practice as well at the end of the class.
A 10 minutes practice is also great for pregnant women as a simple and short routine to practice lying on their side or seated even in their advanced stages of pregnancy as a way to calm the mind, prepare the body for childbirth, using simple short positive sankalpa and affirmations. This helps to regenerate the nervous system, remove any fears or anxieties about child birth and also provides a way to connect with the baby as one can use the baby's body parts or images during the rotation of body awareness stage or during the visualization stage which translates to pleasant visualizatiion for the mother.
8 Stages Yoga Nidra Practice - 40 minutes
The longer 8 Stage 40 minutes yoga nidra practice can be adopted once or twice a week and is especially beneficial for those who wish to release anxiety, tension, fear of the unknown and for those grappling with relationship issues, emotional instabilities, or those needing release & closure from any past experiences.
It is also great for those having addiction issues be it to any substance like caffeine, drugs, social media addictions, or any relationship addiction, obsessive compulsive disorders (OCD), any kind of toxic behaviours. The 8 stage practice can be used very effectively with postiive affirmations, training the mind to practice the art of letting go, coping with withdrawal symptoms, self resilience, discipline and increased awareness of the body & mind.