HOW YOGA NIDRA SAVES ME FROM STRESS & ANXIETY

Yoga Nidra is an essential practice of my self-care routine and becomes even more important in stressful times. If I want to recharge myself during the day or unwind in the evening, yoga Nidra is my go-to remedy. Yoga Nidra is great to reduce stress and anxiety. In this post, I would like to share why I use yoga Nidra regularly and how it helps me relax, calm down, and be energised, especially during lockdown this spring.

I discovered yoga Nidra in 2018 during a yoga retreat in Morocco. This practice gave me a deep feeling of tranquillity and connection with my body & mind as I had never experienced it before. I was impressed and instantly convinced of the benefits of yoga Nidra.

What is yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is not your regular type of yoga as you might imagine it. Yoga Nidra helps you to relax your body and mind consciously.

When thinking ‘yoga’, you might think of physical postures – asanas. But not in yoga Nidra. Nidra means sleep. You practice yoga Nidra by lying on your back on the yoga mat or rug, or even on a bed. The most important is to feel comfortable and at ease during the practice. That’s what I love about yoga Nidra – everyone who can lay on the back can practice it!

The meaning of yoga Nidra is ‘yogic sleep’, and indeed when you practice it for the first time, you might fall asleep. But it is not the purpose. The purpose of the yoga Nidra is to relax your body and mind consciously.

Yoga nidra helps you to consciously relax your body and mind.

The main benefits of yoga Nidra

Why is it so crucial to relax consciously?

Frequently when we think we are relaxing, we actually don’t. We are so used to operating in a doing mode, even when we rest. Think about reading a book, watching a movie, spending time with friends or even going for a walk. These all are great activities and have a place in your self-care routine. However, how much time do you spend doing nothing, except truly ‘being?’.

You might think – I go to sleep every night and don’t do anything. However, sleeping and yoga Nidra is not the same.

How yoga Nidra reduces stress and anxiety

Yoga Nidra brings you –  your brain – to a state between being awake and dreaming, which is called the alpha waves state. When you are awake, your brain is in the beta waves; when you are asleep – in theta or delta. We often go from beta to delta almost right away when we fall asleep, skipping the alpha state.

The alpha state is crucial for our well-being. This state promotes stress reduction, relaxed focus, positive thinking and faster learning. You are recharging your batteries.

What to expect from yoga Nidra practice?

Yoga Nidra is about feeling and visualising. While you are relaxing on your back, the teacher guides you through the yoga Nidra practice with the voice. Your only task is to follow the instructions.

The essential part of the practice is to feel your body, part by part, in a particular sequence. You also connect to your breath and the feeling of it. The practice includes visualisation and imagination practices which develop your creativity and intuition. During the practice, you are often invited to set an intention – Sankalpa – to manifest your deepest dreams.

Yoga nidra is a feeling  and visual experience.

How do I use yoga Nidra to reduce stress and anxiety?

Due to high levels of stress and anxiety during the lockdown period because of changes at work and uncertainty in the world, I needed to rest more, stay sane and re-energise myself. I started a daily yoga Nidra routine and did it even twice a day on the most stressful days. I use yoga Nidra in a few ways.

     ♥ Yoga Nidra is my power nap

I practice yoga Nidra as a power nap during my lunch break when I work from home. No regular nap can beat it, trust me! You don’t have to sleep to feel relaxed. You need to access the alpha state, which is what yoga Nidra does. Often you wake up even more tired and unfocused after a 30-40 min nap. But practising 10-20 min of yoga Nidra gives you an energy boost.

I prefer to practice for 20 minutes to feel completely relaxed and reset myself.

    ♥ Yoga Nidra helps me to have a good night sleep

I practice yoga nidra right before going to sleep. Yoga Nidra is my go-to technique to slow down before going to sleep. During the lockdown, I felt tired but wired. My body was exhausted, but my mind was thinking a lot.

Yoga Nidra helps transition from a highly active mode to relaxation – to the ‘being mode’. I listen to the audio of yoga Nidra, and often by the time it is finished, I’m asleep.

     ♥ Yoga Nidra makes me creative

During the lockdown, things turned upside down at my job, and I had to operate in new uncertain conditions and come up with new and creative solutions. But I simply didn’t see beyond what I usually knew.

When I’m stressed and overwhelmed, I can’t think straight. I make mistakes and have difficulty focusing. Does it sound familiar?

Yoga Nidra not only gives me energy but helps me to be more creative. It clears the mess in my head, leaving space for creativity and play.

How can you practice yoga Nidra?

There are yoga studios that offer full-length yoga Nidra classes. However, this yoga style is less famous than other physical yoga types and is not available in every studio.

I teach yoga Nidra as it is my favourite yoga style! My 45-minute Deep Rest class, available online on Thursday evening, combines gentle hatha yoga and yoga Nidra.

Firstly, I guide my students through a gentle and relaxing Hatha flow to tune in to their bodies. Then we do a 25-minute yoga nidra practice. Nothing can beat the relaxation after this class!

You can also do yoga Nidra at home with an audio recording. I have a few favourite recordings of yoga Nidra to use regularly. Try a few different recordings until you find your favourite one and stick to it. Since the yoga Nidra is guided by voice, your teacher’s voice should calm you down and not make you more anxious.

Give yoga Nidra a try!

Here is a 20-minute yoga Nidra recording with gentle hand pan music from me. Just lie down on the mat (or bed), cover yourself with a warm blanket and enjoy the (alpha) waves of relaxation!

Have you ever practiced yoga nidra before? Share with me what you think about yoga Nidra and your experience.

Love,

Lyuba