HOW TO PRACTICE THE YOGA NIDRA !

 

                              OUTLINE OF THE PRACTICE

                      YOGA NIDRA IS A PRACTICE WHICH GENERALLY LASTS FOR TWENTY TO FORTY  MINUTES. THERE ARE SEPARATE TECHNIQUE FOR PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM HYPERTENSION AND OTHER PROBLEMS, AND FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO GO DEEP INTO THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF YOGA.

                             YOGA NIDRA IS ACTUALLY A VERY SIMPLE PRACTICE, AND YOU CAN LEARN IT FROM A RECONDING. BEFORE STARTING, CHOOSE A QUIET ROOM AND CLOSE THE WINDOWS AND DOORS. TURN OFF THE TELEVISION OR RADIO, LOOSEN YOUR COLLAR AND TIE, AND SWITCH ON THE RECORDING. THEN LIE DOWN IN SHAVASANA AND LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS. GO ON FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS MENTALLY. DO NOT CONCENTRATE, DO NOT CONTROL YOUR BREATH, JUST LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTIONS AND FOLLOW THEM MENTALLY. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOGA NIDRA IS TO REFRAIN FROM SLEEP. IF YOU FALL ASLEEP YOU LOSE THE AWARENESS WHICH YOU ARE AIMING FOR IN THE PRACTICE.

                          PREPARATION FOR THE PRACTICE

                           YOGA NIDRA IS PERFORMED IN SHAVASANA, WHICH MINIMIZES TOUCH SENSATIONS BY ELIMINATING CONTACT BETWEEN THE LIMBS OF THE BODY. FINGERTIPS, WHICH ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE ORGANS OF TOUCH, ARE KEPT AWAY FROM THE FLOOR BY TURNING THE PALMS OF THE HANDS UPWARDS. LIGHT, LOOSE CLOTHING SHOULD BE WORN. THE ROOM SHOULD BE NEITHER HOT NOR COLD, AND THERE SHOULD BE NO BREEZES OR DRAFTS HOT NOR COLD, AND THERE SHOULD BE NO BREEZES OR DRAFTS DIRECTED TOWARDS THE BODY. SIGHT STIMULI ARE ELIMINATED BY SIMPLY CLOSING THE EYES.

                                   THE MIND IS THEN FOCUSED ON EXTERNAL SOUNDS. IF AL SENSORY IMPRESSIONS WERE FORCIBLY EXCLUDED, THEN THE MIND WOULD BECOME RESTLESS AND DISTURBED. THEREFORE, THE MIND IS DIRECTED TO THINK OF EXTERNAL SOUNDS, AND TO MOVE FROM SOUND TO SOUND WITH THE ATTITUDE OF A WITNESS. AFTER SOME TIME THE MIND LOSES INTEREST IN THE EXTERNAL WORLD AND AUTOMATICALLY BECOMES QUIET. THIS METHOD OF CALMING THE MIND IS CALLED ANTAR MOUNA. IT PREPARES THE CONSCIOUSNESS FOR PRACTICING YOGA NIDRA.

                        RESOLVE

                               YOU MUST CHOOSE YOUR OWN SANKALPA VERY CAREFULLY. THE WORDING SHOULD BE VERY PRECISE AND CLEAR, OTHERWISE IT WILL NOT PENETRATE THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND. THE FOLLOWING ARE A FEW SHORT, POSITIVE AND CLEAR STATEMENTS WHICH CAN BE USED.

• I WLL AWAKEN MY SPIRITUAL POTENTIAL.
• I WILL BE A POSITIVE FORCE FOR THE EVOLUTION OF OTHERS.
•  I WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN ALL THAT I UNDERTAKE.
•  I WILL BE MORE AWARE AND EFFICIENT.
•  I WILL ACHIEVE TOTAL HEALTH.

                           CHOOSE ONLY ONE SANKALPA ACCORDING TO YOUR NEES AND INCLINATIONS. DO NOT BE IN A HURRY. ONCE YOU HAVE CHOSEN A SANKALPA YOU MUST NOT CHANGE TO ANOTHER. DON'T EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT. TIME IS REQUIRED DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE RESOLVE AND THE DEGREE TO WHICH IT IS PLANTED IN THE MIND. THE RESULT DEPENDS ON YOUR SINCERITY AND DEEP FELT NEED TO ATTAIN THE GOAL OF YOUR SANKALPA.

                        ROTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS

                 ROTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THROUGH THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE BODY IS A PRACTICE OF CONCENTRATION, AND IT DOES NOT INVOLVE ANY PHYSICAL MOVEMENT. DURING THE PRACTICE THERE ARE ONLY THREE REQUIREMENTS TO BE FULFILLED. 

1. REMAIN AWARE
2.  LISTEN TO THE VOICE,
3.  MOVE THE MIND VERY RAPIDLY ACCORDING TO THE INSTRUCTIONS.

                           WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR SAYS "RIGHT HAND THUMB"  REPEAT IT MENTALLY, THINK OF THE RIGHT HAND THUMB AND MOVE ON. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BE ABLE TO VISUALIZE THE DIFFEREN BODY PARTS. YOU HAVE ONLY TO BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO FOLLOWING THE SAME SEQUENCE, MENTALLY REPEATING THE NAMES OF THE DIFFERENT PART BODY IN THE SAME WAY THAT A CHILD LEARNS TO REPEAT THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET. YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMEMBER WHAT PART COMES NEXT. THE WHOLE PROCESS TAKES PLACE IN THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND.

                           THE SEQUENCE OF BODY PARTS HAS TO BE AUTOMATIC, SPONTANEOUS AND THOROUGH. SOME PEOPLE TEACH YOGA NIDRA IN A VERY UNSYSTAMATIC WAY. SOMETIMES THEY BEGIN WITH THE LEFT THUMB AND OTHER TIMES WITH THE RIGHT. HOWEVER, THE PRACTICE OF YOGA NIDRA  IS VERY SYSTEMATIC.

                          THE ROTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN YOGA NIDRA PROCEEDS IN A DEFINITE SEQUENCE, BEGINNING THE RIGHT THUMB AND ENDING LEFFT THUMB TO THE LITTLE TOE OF THE LEFT FOOT. SUBSEQUENT CIRCUITS PROCEED FROM THE HEELS TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD, AND FRO THE HEAD AND INDIVIDUAL FACIAL FEATURES TO THE LEGS.