Yoga Nidra Introduction
Yoga Nidra, also known as Shavasana Yoga, is an ancient yoga practice used to tame the nervous system, as a result of this practice you will find your mind in a more concentrated, peaceful state. It improves your health in amazing ways.
When you see this for the first time, you will feel that there cannot be an easier yoga than this, in which nothing to do is just lying on the floor wearing loose fitting clothes, but believe me, without practice you cannot become proficient in this yoga.
Yoga practitioners who practice yoga nidra yoga feel as relaxed as 30 to 120 minutes of practice, compared to eight hours of sleep typically.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga nidra is a yoga practice in which stress can be reduced naturally in the form of relaxation, although some people use yoga nidra to improve sleep, but the thing to note is that when you do it in the right way. When you practice, you can't really fall asleep because this ancient yoga practice helps you draw your consciousness inward so you can move on to a more self-aware form of "sleep."
This process is a form of meditation in which you are completely calm physically but the mind remains alert.
Yoga Nidra helps to bring your brain between sleep and wakefulness; It is something that your body sleeps while your mind remains alert and clear. According to a study, what Brainwave did shows that brain waves increase when yoga nidra is practiced. Due to which the level of thoughts of a person increases significantly, becomes more calm minded and becomes more mentally alert.
Where and how can yoga nidra be practiced?
Open space should be selected for yoga nidra and practice only by wearing loose clothes by keeping doors and windows open in the room.
Lay the blanket over the carpet on the floor.
After this, keep both the feet at a distance of one foot, keep your palm at a distance of six inches from the waist, then close your eyes.
Relax your body and mind and don't bring any kind of thoughts. Relax the whole body. Just breathe in and out.
Now while lying down, take five full breaths and exhale, you will see that there will be movement in your stomach and chest. The stomach will move up and down.
Now take your mind to different parts of the body and instruct them to be relaxed and stress free.
Look here in the heart, the heartbeat has become normal. You will feel that you are becoming stress free. You have become relaxed from head to toe. Oxygen is coming in. Carbon dioxide is going out. The sickness of your body is going out.
Now imagine something beautiful as you look at a flower or look at the moon of a full moon, look at the stars in the sky, whether you want to see the rising sun or a flowing waterfall.
After this you feel that pure air is going into your body and illness and stress is going out. This makes you healthy. You are getting refreshed.
Finally, bring your mind between the two eyebrows and meditate on your adoration before ending yoga nidra. Then heat both the palms and apply it on the eyes and breathe easily for five times. Now look inside, your body, mind and mind have become stress free.
Can You Use Yoga Nidra to Sleep?
There is no doubt that meditation and relaxation like yoga nidra can help you get better sleep, but as we have written earlier, with this yoga you do not sleep but train your brain to be more alert.
What is Sleep Yoga?
During yoga nidra, you go into yogic sleep, then some people think that it is such a yoga practice that you do at night while sleeping , but the expert says that it is better to practice yoga nidra during the day because you If you practice at night, you may find it difficult to train your brain, as both sleep and yoga may disturb you.
What is Yoga Nidra iRest?
IRest Yoga Nidra is a modern yoga pose created by Richard Miller. This type of yoga nidra is used to help calm the parts of the brain responsible for negative thoughts and feelings. The US Army Surgeon General and Defense Centers of Excellence endorsed iRest as a complementary and alternative medicine in 2010. ( 2 )
3 Important Benefits of Yoga Nidra
- Anyone can do this yoga.
Perhaps the most important benefit of yoga nidra is that it is available to all of us. There is no physical break in this. This yoga nidra is one of the easiest yoga practices according to Yoga International. ( 3 )
Everyone from children to seniors can do this yoga nidra. It is easy to follow at any age.
In this yoga, you need to lay your body on the floor and even if you cannot lie down on the floor, you can also do this exercise while sitting.
- Helps in improving the menstrual mood of women.
This yoga helps in correcting the mood of women during menstruation, which we also call Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), it acts as a mood balancer in it.
If you want to get rid of menstrual cramps, then Yoga Nidra will help you in this.
A study of 150 women found that women who were bothered by period irregularities (severe pain, unpredictable cycles) experienced cramps in women who took medication and practiced nidra yoga for 35 to 40 minutes five times a week. Women who took medication alone experienced fewer symptoms, such as anxiety and depression. ( 4 )
Helps increase dopamine levels
Dopamine is a brain chemical that makes a person feel pleasure. Any kind of yoga changes your mind, in the same way, according to a study, yoga nidra works to increase dopamine-increasing naturally in a person's brain, for this in 2002, after testing the brain, it was found that yoga only once. Sleeping increased dopamine release by 65 percent. ( 5 )
Science also suggests that yoga nidra is beneficial for these ailments: back pain, stress, rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, type 2 diabetes, tinnitus, etc.
Stress Reduction: Yoga Nidra is effective in reducing stress and anxiety by activating the relaxation response in the body, which helps in calming the nervous system.
Improved Sleep: Regular practice of Yoga Nidra can assist in improving the quality of sleep and combating insomnia by relaxing the mind and body.
Enhanced Awareness and Concentration: It helps in increasing awareness, focus, and concentration by training the mind to remain alert while in a deeply relaxed state.
Emotional Healing: Yoga Nidra can aid in emotional healing by allowing practitioners to explore and release pent-up emotions or tensions stored in the body.
Reduction of PTSD Symptoms: It has been used as a therapeutic tool to alleviate symptoms of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) by promoting relaxation and calming the nervous system.
Yoga Nidra Precautions
Although this yoga does not require any rigid posture, but if you experience back pain while lying on your back, then a blanket or soft cloth must be placed under your knees to relieve the pain or discomfort in the lower back. Put it
This is not yoga for sleep although falling asleep during yoga nidra is not a bad habit.
Avoid while Driving or Operating Machinery: Since Yoga Nidra induces a deeply relaxed state, practicing it in situations that require full attention like driving or operating machinery should be avoided.
Consultation for Certain Health Conditions: Individuals with specific health conditions or psychological disorders should consult a healthcare professional or experienced yoga instructor before practicing Yoga Nidra.
Mindfulness of the Instructor's Credibility: It's essential to practice Yoga Nidra under the guidance of a trained and credible instructor to ensure a safe and effective experience.
Avoid Overexertion: While Yoga Nidra is gentle, overexertion in trying to achieve a state of deep relaxation might counter its purpose. Allow the process to unfold naturally without force.
Respect Personal Limits: Listen to your body and respect its limits. If you experience discomfort or pain during the practice, gently ease out of the pose or technique.
Conclusion
It is an ancient practice that calms the brain and produces an almost sleep-like state while the mind remains clear and alert. Don't confuse yoga nidra with deep sleep meditation; While it may very well improve overall sleep health, you should not fall asleep while practicing it.
Scientific studies show that yoga nidra is beneficial in reducing symptoms of stress, PTSD, insomnia, rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes.
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