Under the broad yoga umbrella, there are several intriguing practices. One of them is yoga nidra. Often referred to as ‘yogic sleep’, yoga nidra is sometimes described as the ‘art of letting go’. That is not a bad description. Master yoga nidra and your ability to let go of things that bind you will definitely be enhanced.
Referring to yoga nidra as yogic sleep makes a lot of sense. According to yoga expert and international yoga nidra educator Scott Moore, ‘nidra’ is the Sanskrit word for ‘sleep’. Moore further explains that yoga nidra is so named because it seeks to help practitioners find a state of consciousness at which the body is almost asleep, but the mind is fully awake and aware.
Think of that state of consciousness as the ultimate in relaxation. The body is completely relaxed while the mind has been closed off from all outside distractions. It is aware of its immediate surroundings and still capable of rational thought.
Letting Go of the Physical
Reaching yoga nidra’s ultimate state of relaxation requires letting go of the physical. You cannot relax if your body is extremely tense. So with the start of each session, a yoga nidra guide leads the practitioner through a set of exercises designed to relax the body.
Through a practice known as body scanning, practitioners are encouraged to identify various body parts that they will then tense up and then release. Through this practice, tensions are released and physical relaxation sets in. Mastering body scanning can help ease habitual tightness and tension.
Psychological and Emotional Burdens
Physical relaxation is just the start of the yoga nidra journey. Once physically relaxed, a practitioner is guided into a safe conscious space where they are encouraged to look at emotions and thoughts without judgment. In plain English, practitioners are encouraged to look honestly at how they feel and think under various circumstances.
By doing so without judgment or resistance, practitioners can eventually learn to release their emotional and psychological baggage. They can learn to release worry, mental noise, negative thoughts, and so forth.
Existing in the Present Moment
Although mindfulness (another transformative discipline) is not officially part of yoga nidra, a form of mindfulness is still encouraged. Practitioners are encouraged to surrender any need to control, analyze, or interpret the session. Instead, they are encouraged to accept whatever is happening; to exist in the present moment. The idea is to let the session be what it is rather than trying to control it. This idea of existing in the present moment is that which opens the door to transformation.
A practitioner is essentially letting go of their right to control what happens. Control is surrendered to the subconscious and unconscious parts of the mind. It can be a scary thing to newcomers. But once mastered, surrendering control is actually quite liberating.
Positive Intentions Determine Future Behaviors
There is an undercurrent to all of this: what yoga nidra refers to as sankalpa. The sankalpa is a positive intention or aspiration established at the start of each session. Throughout the session, a phrase expressing the sankalpa is repeated. The idea is to plant seeds in the subconscious. Those seeds hopefully bear fruit between sessions. They hopefully become part of the practitioner’s lifestyle.
Letting go is at the heart of yoga nidra. It is all about letting go of negative thoughts, self-imposed limits, and stress-inducing thought patterns. Learning to let go gives a person permission to get to know himself better and pursue who he really is.
