It is a profoundly deep relaxation technique, very similar to the Vipassana meditation taught by the Buddha many centuries ago. Maybe there was a link between the Buddha’s teaching and the Hindu Brahman priests who for many hundreds of years taught Yoga Nidra to their devotees on a one to one basis.
In the middle of the last century Swami Satyananda Saraswati, the founder of the Bihar School of Yoga (now a world-wide system of yoga with many Ashrams) spread the Yoga Nidra message by making it available to many more students. Rather than teach the practice on a one to one basis as the Hindu priests did by touching each part of the body and making a sound (or mantra) this great Swami devised a method of talking through the practice, which enabled him to reach large groups of students.
Sadly Swami died on 5th December 2009, God rest his soul.
My Yoga Nidra teacher Swami Yogaratna taught me this technique at the Bihar School of Yoga in Bangalore South India in 1992. A disciple and pupil of Swami Satyananda Saraswati taught her. This is a direct transference of wisdom, called Diksha. So this wisdom was passed down in a direct line from the great Swami to me, it is a very special privilege in yoga to receive this gift and then pass it to my students. Sadly Swami Satyananda Saraswati died on 5th December 2009, he will be sadly missed by his thousands of pupils throughout the world.During my research in Bangalore Swami Yogaratna and I spent an intensive month together while she taught me the all the principles and practices of Yoga Nidra and on a one-to-one basis taught the advanced Yoga Nidra. During this time we travelled together in comparatively unpopulated areas of India and had many adventures, one of which was when I was challenged by a large King Cobra, taller than me, and no more than inches away from my body! The Indian people said this meant I would have a very auspicious life. It seems that 70% of people who have such close contact with a Cobra die of shock, rather than because they were bitten.
Yoga Nidra Method
Lie down, cover your body with a blanket and make yourself really comfortable. Become aware of the 5 senses of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell, monitor your breathing and feel all the parts of the body that are in touch with the floor. Make a rotation of consciousness all around the body beginning with the right hand thumb moving on to the index finger……….. mentally touching each part of the body. This connects all body parts to the brain creating an awareness that deeply relaxes the whole human structure. At this stage of deep relaxation the mind/body is open to a positive suggestion or in the Hindu term a Sankalpa. Apart from all the other benefits of deeply relaxing mind and body the Sankalpa is the main objective of Yoga Nidra. The Sankalpa is a positive, present day wish that you plant in your mind and, as with a flower, once the Sankalpa has been properly chosen and nurtured (please email Grace if you need help with your Sankalpa) it grows and enhances your life. I have for many years used my Sankalpa with positive effect, even though it has at times been difficult to choose it in the right form.
The last part of the Yoga Nidra involves a visualization, for instance on my Yoga Nidra C.D. for pregnancy the visualization concerns feelings of deep peace and ability to birth easily, the suggested Sankalpa on this C.D. is “I am having a calm and peaceful pregnancy and labour”
There are two CDs the new Yoga Nidra C.D. costs £10 or $20 dollars (plus package and posting), there is also a new Yoga Nidra for pregnancy CD from which you can learn a breathing technique for labour and the deep relaxation technique of Yoga Nidra particularly applied to pregnancy.
To buy a CD please contact me at gracegypsydeepwater@gmail.com
