What is Yoga Nidra?

I have a hard time meditating. The whole emptying your mind thing is frustratingly difficult for me, and of course I want to do it ‘right,’ so it makes me crazy that 5 minutes of meditating feels like an eternity, in which I don’t achieve any sense of relaxation.

So when my friend and yoga teacher Shoshana from my work took a certification in Yoga Nidra, it sounded like just the kind of meditation I would be able to do. Yoga Nidra is also called yogic sleep, or dynamic sleep. It is a guided meditation in which the instructor brings you into a consciousness that floats in the space between waking and sleeping – that in-between state in which you are still absorbing experiences from the outside world, but you’re not fully aware. Apparently, 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra meditation is the restorative equivalent of 2 hours of sleep.

We planned a special ‘Night of Nidra’ this past weekend at my work, a 90 minute class in which Shoshana would take the participants through a very gentle yoga sequence, set everyone up with props for a 40 minute guided meditation, and finish with time to discuss and journal our experiences. 40 minutes sounded like a long meditation to me, but the guided aspect of the practice is what I wanted to try. Focusing on someone’s voice to keep me in a meditative state sounded a lot more attainable than sitting in silence attempting in vain not to fixate on my to-do list.

 

6 blankets, 3 eye pillows, 2 yoga blocks, 1 bolster, 1 yoga strap, and the most amazingly relaxing Yoga Nidra class this evening 💙🙏🧘🏻‍♀️🕉 #woodstockvt #yoganidra #woodstockathleticclub #guidedmeditation

A post shared by carlypizzani (@carlypizzani) on Jun 17, 2018 at 3:34pm PDT

Shoshana began the class with an introduction of Yoga Nidra, what it is, and its benefits. She began by introducing us to the different states of consciousness, or brainwaves. There is the beta brainwave state, in which you are awake, aware and actively thinking and moving, and the alpha brainwave state, in which you are relaxed but still awake. Then there is the theta brainwave state, in which you’re awake and aware but your thoughts have slowed down to the extent that you are focused more on maybe one sense than the others. A couple of common examples of experiencing the theta state would be if you run outdoors and get into a meditative zone, or if you’re driving somewhere and suddenly realize you have no memory of the last few miles. Finally there is the delta brainwave state, in which you are asleep, either in REM sleep, or in a deep, dreamless sleep.

The goal of Yoga Nidra is to keep you hovering on the edge of theta and delta, where you are aware only of the instructor’s voice, but you are not actually asleep. This meditative state is associated with coming up with ideas, working through problems or issues, and sometimes even uncovering forgotten or repressed memories. To prevent us from slipping into the delta state, Shoshana had a singing bell to ring occasionally to bring anyone back to theta who may have fallen asleep. Yoga Nidra has been used for treatment of PTSD, and has been shown to reduce blood pressure, increase heart rate variability, regulate hormones, and stabilize glucose levels. 

We began with some gentle yoga poses, a couple of twists, and used a strap for some stretching. We had the option to dab a little essential oil on our wrists before the meditation. Then we were set up into a supported savasana pose – we padded our mat with a blanket, used a blanket for a pillow, and set up blocks and a bolster for under our knees. Finally, we placed eye pillows over our eyes and one in each hand, and Shoshana covered anyone who was chilly with another blanket. Sometimes in savasana, I get a little antsy, like I become aware I’ve been in the same position for an extended time and it suddenly feels incredibly uncomfortable in some way. That didn’t happen at all during this class, though, which I suspect is about the deeper meditative state we were in.

I couldn’t tell you probably more than a quarter of what was said during the guided meditation. At one point I was certain I had fallen asleep, when I heard her say, “Now you see a unicorn…and then a purple kitten.” After the class, I mentioned that, and it turned out she had actually said that as part of the meditation. Apparently, for the Nidra practice, throwing in a couple of very unexpected, jarring images that aren’t sensical can keep people just alert enough to stop them falling asleep.

What I found most interesting was the focus on bringing up memories, especially places and people of importance in our lives, as we were taken through the meditation. At one point we were imagining we were driving along a road, and passing places that were familiar to us, people we loved, places that had a special meaning in our lives. After the meditation was finished, I used our journaling time to write down everything that had appeared in my visualization. What surprised me was the level of detail my mind was able to recall of childhood places I hadn’t consciously thought about in years. I was also surprised by how many recent places from my life appeared as I ‘drove’ down the road in the meditative state.

After the class, I felt totally spaced out for an hour or so – like I was still waking up from a deep sleep. That evening, I almost felt like I was coming down with a cold – my sinuses felt pressure and my head felt heavy and stuffy. I slept longer and deeper than I had in a couple of weeks that night, and I had vivid dreams. I’m sure the physical response to long meditation is different for everybody – my boyfriend who did the class with me said he felt totally relaxed afterward, and then exhausted, to the point of not wanting to move much when we got home. This was kind of a bummer for him because he was making dinner that night. 😉

I’m so glad I got the chance to experience Yoga Nidra, and I recommend trying it, whether you’re used to meditating, or you’re totally new to the practice. I enjoy almost every yoga class I’m able to take, but the experience of the deep meditation from this one has definitely stayed with me long after leaving the mat.

Have you tried guided meditation or Yoga Nidra before?