General suggestions for teaching Yoga nidra admin, June 29, 2024July 1, 2024 Yoga nidra is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. The term yoga nidra is derived from two Sanskrit words, yoga meaning union or one-pointed awareness, and nidra which means sleep. During the practice of yoga nidra one appears to be asleep, but the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness For this reason yoga nidra is often referred to as psychic sleep or deep relaxation with inner awareness. In this threshold state between sleep and wakefulness, contact with the subconscious and unconscious dimensions occurs spontaneously. Whether you think too much or you don’t think at all, you accumulate tensions. If you work physically or you do not work at all, you accumulate tensions. Whether you sleep too much or not at all, you accumulate tensions. Whether you take a heavy protein diet, a carbohydrate diet, or a vegetarian diet, you accumulate tensions. And these tensions amass in the different layers of the human personality. They accumulate in the muscular, emotional and mental systems. Yogic philosophy, as well as modern psychology, enumerates three basic types of tension which are responsible for all the agonies of modern life. Through the systematic practice of yoga nidra, these threefold tensions can be progressively released. It’s muscular tensions, emotional tensions, mental tensions. Yoga nidra is a more efficient and effective form of psychic and physiological rest and rejuvenation than conventional sleep. Those who adopt this technique in their daily routine soon experience profound changes in their sleeping habits. The total systematic relaxation of a yoga nidra session is equivalent to hours of ordinary sleep without awareness. A single hour of yoga nidra is as restful as four hours of conventional sleep. This is one of the secrets of the superhuman efficiency and energy of many great yogis, past and present, who have managed to achieve so much in one short lifetime. Yoga nidra can be practised in a yoga class or at home. It should be performed in a quiet, closed room that has a comfortable temperature and is free of insects. Privacy is essential, and all sudden interruptions must be avoided. Yoga nidra should be practised in semi-darkness, not in total darkness or in bright light. Darkness and light have a powerful effect on the brain. In total darkness the mind tends to sleep, while in bright light the mind is attentive. Therefore, in order to maintain a state of relaxed awareness, a balance between introversion and extroversion, semi-darkness is necessary. The room should be well ventilated, but not breezy. If a fan is necessary, one should not lie in its direct draft. If yoga nidra is done in the open, the head and body should be completely covered to avoid any physical disturbance. In a class, each person should be physically separate from his neighbours. Clothing should belight and loose. Because body temperature tends to drop during relaxation, it is advised to cover the body with a thin blanket. Yoga nidra should be practised at the same time every day, either early in the morning, preferably between four and six, or in the evening just before going to bed in order to induce deep and refreshing sleep. People returning home from work in the late afternoon should first retire to their room and practise yoga nidra for five to ten minutes. This will help them to relax and make the transition between work and home with greater ease. Yoga nidra should be practised on an empty stomach. Allow at least three hours for digestion of a heavy meal and half an hour for the settling of light refreshments. In yoga nidra the inner body temperature drops very fast and the production of digestive enzymes is greatly reduced. Those people who have a hyperacid constitution can safely take a little tea, fruit juice, bread or a few biscuits. But if one’s constitution is hypoacidic, it is preferable not to take anything at all. During yoga nidra, there is one thing to be particularly careful of, and that is not to fall into a deep slumber. If one feels sleepy or the practice is being done just before sleep, a cold shower should be taken beforehand. Need for a qualified teacher Yoga nidra is actually a very simple technique and it can be learnt from a recording. However, it is preferable for beginning students to practise yoga nidra under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Regular lessons, accompanied by private practice with a recording of the same practice used in the class, enable the student to understand the technique and to recall all the instructions effortlessly. While in a state of deep relaxation the student quickly learns and absorbs the content, speed, and sequence of instructions. This unconscious learning process is more thorough than an intellectual understanding, which can actually be an obstacle to the successful practice of yoga nidra. A teacher knows the type of practice which will be suited to a student’s needs and can vary it accordingly. For example, if a student is tense, then the technique will emphasize relaxation; whereas if the student relaxes easily, then the yoga nidra practice will progress more towards meditation. Sleeping commonly occurs in yoga nidra, as well as in other types of concentration and meditation. Indeed, recent research has shown that experienced practitioners of meditation spend from ten to fifty percent of their meditation time sleeping. When one is practising yoga nidra alone, it is easy to fall asleep without being aware of it, but in class the teacher can help the student to remain alert by inserting the reminder, ‘No sleeping please’ at the right moments. If one falls asleep there is no harm, but staying awake will develop the practice. If no teacher is available, a good alternative is a recording of a live class. Failing this, one could make a recording for use during practice. If there is no recording device available, then as a friend or family member to read the instructions while you practice. It is not recommended to instruct yourself until the entire practice is very clear in your mind, so that you do not have to stop anywhere and try to remember what comes next. Otherwise you will strain yourself trying to remember the sequence of body rotation and the whole practice will lose its flow. Instead of achieving relaxation you will become very tense. Therefore, in the beginning it is much better to practice by following the teacher’s voice or the instructions on a recording. Of course, after some time you will be able to practice the whole process unaided by any external agency. You will be able to initiate the instructions and respond to them effortlessly. Preliminary asanas Pain, stiffness and general tension in the body are great obstacles to the practice of yoga nidra. Therefore, yoga nidra should ideally be performed after yoga asanas. A typical sequence could be as follows: pawanmuktasana, shavasana – for beginners; sarvangasana, halasana, matsyasana, paschimottanasana, bhujangasana, shalabhasana or sirshasana – for more advanced practitioners. As a shorter alternative to this series, six to twelve rounds of surya namaskara is excellent for loosening the joints and muscles and massaging the internal organs. Naukasana practised three to five times induces general physical relaxation and is an excellent preparation for yoga nidra. Position Yoga nidra is practised in shavasana. Scientific studies have shown that this is the position most conducive to relaxation, since it reduces sensory stimulation to the minimum. One should lie on the back on a blanket or thin mat placed on the floor. The spine should be straight. The arms should be straight and placed slightly away from the body. The hands should be relaxed, palms upward, with the fingers slightly bent. Alternatively, the hands may be placed flat, one over the other, on the chest, with the elbows on the floor. While this increases physical contact, it is suitable for persons who find the preferred position uncomfortable. The legs should be straight and placed thirty to thirty-five centimetres apart in order to avoid contact between the thighs. Ideally, no pillow should be used. However, if this is uncomfortable, a thin pillow or folded blanket may be placed under the head. The corners of the pillow should be under the shoulders in order to relax the neck and shoulders. Thick pillows should not be used, since they cause tension in the neck. The lower back may be supported by a small pillow if pain or discomfort is felt in this area during the practice of yoga nidra. Although shavasana is the best position for yoga nidra, it can also be practised in a sitting posture or while standing. If you have a tendency to fall asleep very quickly in yoga nidra, then it is better to practise while standing. How the practice is given The instructions in yoga nidra should be given at a speed that keeps the mind moving fast, but allows it to understand and carry out each instruction as it is being given. Speed will vary according to the stage of practice as well as the student’s state of mind. The rotation of consciousness and rapid images are usually very quick. The mind should not stay on any one point for a long time; keep on jumping from point to point. Don’t allow any time for concentration or psychic images will come. Yoga nidra is not concentration. The images for visualization, like mango tree, rose flower, boat on a river, sandy beach and so on, should be precise and in rapid succession. When you give extended visualizations, such as walking in the park, golden egg, a story, etc., the images should be adjusted in such a way that they serve as stepping stones to further concentration practices later on. If you are teaching yoga nidra to children, just give them inner visualization, distinct unassociated images in rapid succession, using numbers colours, forms, scenes from nature, or something imaginative. Visualization ability is actually the ultimate point in yoga nidra, and the purpose here is to check one’s perceptive capabilities. If the instructor says pink rose and you imagine how it looks, this means that your receptivity is keen. If he says pink rose and you try hard, but cannot picture it, this means you have not yet come to the point of receptivity. If he says pink rose, and you see the rose as a slight interpsychic vision, then you have gone too deep and have passed beyond the state of receptivity. In visualization, rapid sequence images retain the receptive state most effectively. The practice of yoga nidra should be varied to suit the time available and the capacity of the students. It is more desirable to do this by adding or deleting whole parts, rather than by varying the speed at which the instructions are given. The practices that follow have been arranged to facilitate this, as well as provide a graded series of practices for each part of yoga nidra. A complete scheme of yoga nidra practices 1-5 is included in this section. Guidelines for ensuring a successful practice FIrst of all, while practising yoga nidra, don’t aim at going deep. That is the greatest mistake. Try to be spontaneous, relaxed, and very much at peace with yourself. Even if the brain does not cooperate sometimes, this is not bad. Periodic distractions which come from time to time will help you in yoga nidra because they keep the awareness in a very alert condition and don’t allow you to slip into slumber. If you feel any kind of tension during the practice on account of sickness, physical tightness or some sort of mental disturbance, always remember that this is a temporary experience. It might be there for a few sessions, or it may be an irregular or frequent feature. In any case, you should continue with your practice; the next session is likely to be better. However, during yoga nidra, if restlessness or discomfort grows, there is no harm in moving your body to adjust your position, or you can even sleep a little. Care should be taken in the selection of visualization. The images used are often powerful symbols and can produce negative reactions in people who associate them with unpleasant experiences or irrational fears. Particular care should be exercised with images that evoke fear of falling of deep water, being burned, or being struck by falling or overhanging objects. Where such images are used it ay be appropriate to insert reassurances. Although yoga nidra should increase one’s awareness of the contents of the mind, this should happen only gradually, not traumatically. During the practice, if the mind is deluged with negative thoughts or images, try not to let them disturb you. These thoughts are an expression of the mental toxins existing in the deeper layers of consciousness, which seek a channel of release. By allowing free passage to these negative expressions, the practice may not be very successful in the beginning, but after some time the negativity will exhaust itself and tranquility will prevail. Some of the advanced practices may bring about a deep state of relaxation and meditation. It is very important, therefore, that the mind be brought out of this state gradually. An abrupt transition fro this deep state to waking consciousness temporarily shocks the mind, and may induce a headache. Similarly, some people become frightened by the depth of their relaxation if they are brought out too quickly. In either case, the subject should lie down in shavasana and practice awareness of breath until he becomes calm. Finally, it is especially important that teachers avoid making negative value judgements, direct or implied, about a student’s experiences. All experiences, whether apparently positive or negative, should be validated. The teacher should absolutely avoid statements of the type, “Don’t worry if you don’t see this,” since they are certain to make the student worry. Students should be discouraged from idle discussion of their experiences in yoga nidra. Preparation for Yoga Nidra class Yoga nidra is a practice which generally lasts for twenty to forty minutes. There are separate techniques for people suffering from hypertension and other problems, and for those who want to go deep into the spiritual side of yoga. Yoga nidra is actually a very simple practice, and you can learn it from a recording. Before starting, choose a quiet room and close the windows and doors. Turn off the television or radio, loosen your collar and tie, and switch on the recording. Then lie down in shavasana and listen to the instructions. Go on following the instructions mentally. Do not concentrate, do not control your breath, just listen to the instructions and follow them mentally. The most important thing in yoga nidra is to refrain from sleep. If you fall asleep you lose the awareness which you are aiming for in the practice. Preparation for the practice Yoga nidra is performed in shavasana, which minimizes touch sensations by eliminating contact between the limbs of the body. Fingertips, which are extremely sensitive organs of touch, are kept away from the floor by turning the palms of the hands upwards. Light, loose clothing should be worn. The room should be neither hot nor cold, and there should be no breezes or drafts directed towards the body. Sight stimuli are eliminated by simply closing the eyes. The mind is then focused on external sounds. If all sensory impressions were forcibly excluded, then the mind would become restless and disturbed. Therefore, the mind is directed to think of external sounds, and to move from sound to sound with the attitude of a witness. After some time the mind loses interest in the external world and automatically becomes quiet. This method of calming the mind is called antar mouna. It prepares the consciousness for practising yoga nidra. Resolve You must choose your own sankalpa very carefully. The wording should be very precise and clear, otherwise it will not penetrate the subconscious mind. The following are a few short, positive and clear statements which can be used: – I will awaken my spiritual potential.– I will be a positive force for the evolution of others.– I will be successful in all that I undertake.– I will be more aware and efficient.– I will achieve total health. Choose only one sankalpa according to your needs and inclinations. Do not be in a hurry. Once you have chosen a sankalpa you must not change to another. Don’t expect results overnight. Time is required depending on the nature of the resolve and the degree to which it is planted in the mind. The result depends on your sincerity and deep felt need to attain the goal of your sankalpa. Rotation of consciousness Rotation of consciousness through the different parts of the body is not a practice of concentration, and it does not involve any physical movement. During the practice there are only three requirements to be fulfilled: (i) remain aware, (ii) listen to the voice, and (iii) move the mind very rapidly according to the instructions. When the instructor says ‘right hand thumb’, repeat it mentally, think of the right hand thumb and move on. It is not necessary to be able to visualize the different body parts. You have only to become accustomed to following the same sequence, mentally repeating the names of the different body parts in the same way that a child learns to repeat the letters of the alphabet. You don’t have to remember what part comes next. The whole process takes place in the subconscious mind. The sequence of body parts has to be automatic, spontaneous and thorough. Some people teach yoga nidra in a very unsystematic way. Sometimes they start at the head and go to the toes. Sometimes they begin with the left thumb and other times with the right. However, the practice of yoga nidra is very systematic. The rotation of consciousness in yoga nidra proceeds in a definite sequence, beginning with the right thumb and ending with the little toe of the right foot; then the circuit from the left thumb to the little toe of the left foot. Subsequent circuits proceed from the heels to the back of the head, and from the head and individual facial features to the legs. Awareness of the breath After these rotations of consciousness have been completed, physical relaxation is then continued and completed by drawing attention to the breath. In this practice one simply maintains awareness of the breath; there should be no attempt to force or change it. One may watch the breath in the nostrils, in the chest, or in the passage between the navel and the throat. Usually, greated relaxation is attained by simultaneously counting the breaths mentally. Awareness of the breath not only promotes relaxation and concentration, but also awakens higher energies and directs them to every cell of the body. It assists pratyahara from the subtle body in the practices that follow. Feelings and sensations Next comes relaxation on the plane of feelings and emotions. Feelings that are intensely physical or emotional are recalled or awakened, experienced fully, then removed. Usually this is practised with pairs of opposite feelings, such as heat and cold, heaviness and lightness, pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, love and hate. The pairing of feelings in yoga nidra harmonizes the opposite hemispheres of the brain and helps in balancing our basic drives and controlling functions that are normally unconscious. This practice also develops willpower on the emotional plane and brings about emotional relaxation by means of catharsis, as memories of profound feelings are relived. Visualization The last stage of yoga nidra induces ental relaxation. In this part of the practice, the student visualizes the images named or described by the instructor. Since the images that are used often have universal significance and powerful associations, they bring the hidden contents of the deep unconscious into the conscious mind. The images used in this book include landscapes, oceans, mountains, temples, saints and flowers, stories, and descriptions of powerful psychic symbols such as the chakras, the lingam, the cross, or the golden egg. The practice of visualization develops self-awareness and relaxes the mind, by purging it of disturbing or painful material. It leads the mind to concentration or dharana. In advanced stages, visualization develops into dhyana or pure meditation. Then there is the conscious experience of the visualized object in the unconscious, the distinction between conscious and unconscious dissolves and distracting images cease to arise. Ending the practice The visualization practice is usually finished with an image that evokes profound feelings of peace and calmness. This makes the unconscious mind very receptive to positive thoughts and suggestions. Therefore, the practice of yoga nidra ends with a resolve. This direct order from the conscious mind to the unconscious is the seed enabling one to radically change one’s attitude, behaviour and destiny. It is very important that the resolve be stated clearly and positively. This will give the mind strength and a positive outlook. One should have sincere faith that the resolve will be effective. This faith strengthens the effect of the resolve on the unconscious mind, so that the resolve will become a reality in one’s life. The practice of yoga nidra is concluded by gradually bringing the mind from the condition of psychic sleep to the waking state. Swami Satyananda Saraswati Dear yoga teachers. If you teach yoga asanas, you can add Yoga Nidra practice to your classes and it will give additional benefits for your students, they will learn how to relax their body on physical and mental levels. There is a book: Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. It is the most reliable book on this topic, because Swami Satyananda Saraswati created this method and explained everything in this book. Also you will find here yoga nidra scripts. So it can be very valuable for your students. Where to find this book? 1. You can find and buy Yoga nidra book from Bihar Yoga School (original source). You can find details about book here:https://www.biharyoga.net/meditation.php#book12 To order you can write to one of their distributors:https://www.biharyoga.net/ypt-orders-&-distributors.php I ordered from them and got this book successfully (I wrote to Satya Kedar by email). I paid with easily with card. Please have in mind that if you live in European country or USA, Canada, Brazil, there may be some additional custom expenses. And of course shipping price. But be sure it’s worth it. 2. You can find and buy Yoga nidra on Amazon. Just go to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.in or any other Amazon website.Write phrase: “yoga nidra swami satyananda saraswati” and you will easily find this book online. For example:https://www.amazon.com/Yoga-Nidra-Swami-Satyananda-Saraswati/dp/B002F4RAD4https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Nidra-Swami-Satyananda-Saraswati/dp/8185787123 (I have non relation with Amazon so just sharing as an example) 3. You can find and buy Yoga nidra book on Ebay. Just go to Ebay.com, Ebay.co.uk, Ebay.de, Ebay.fr or any other Ebay website.Write phrase: “yoga nidra swami satyananda saraswati” and you will easily find this book online. For example:https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=yoga+nidra+swami+satyananda+saraswati&_sacat=0&_odkw=yoga+nidra+swami+satyananda+saraswati&_osacat=0 (I have non relation with Ebay so just sharing as an example) Or you can search for this book in any other place, for example if you live in India, you find find it in yoga book stores. I hope that Yoga Nidra will be helpful in your path of yoga teacher. Best wishes For Teachers Teaching Yoga Nidra Teaching Yoga nidra