This page provides opportunities for you to quiet down, chill out, and spend some quality time with the inner you.
Even before the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, I had trouble with insomnia. Every night, I would close my eyes to go to sleep, and start to drift off. Then, just as I was on the verge of falling asleep, my mind seemed to snap into an unpleasant, re-awakened state, characterized by constant, circular patterns of anxious or negative thinking. Though I was aware of what was happening, I could not stop the thoughts, no matter how hard I tried. I would lie awake for hours.
This “normal” bedtime anxiety ritual has been eliminated since starting the meditation practice below:
Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra is an artful, exploratory method of relaxation inspired by old school Hindu scriptures. It is a type of meditation that combines a focus on the body with symbolic mental imagery. Yoga nidra invites muscular, emotional, and mental tension release by inducing a state between sleep and wakefulness. Essentially, one rests fully while still awake. If you share my issues with insomnia, or are ready to take your general stress level down a notch, give this style of meditation a try. The practice can be done any time of the day, not just before bed.
The nidra sessions I am reading in the tracks below all come from a book entitled Yoga Nidra, written by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Check out more of this Swami and learn more about the practice in my recent post here. You do not need to know anything about yoga nidra for it to have a profound effect on you.
In preparation for yoga nidra:
Listen to nidra tracks through speakers or headphones. Find a quiet spot out of direct sunlight where you will not be disturbed. Each session lasts anywhere between 20 and 50 minutes.
Nidra session 1:
Each yoga nidra session begins with a resolve, or intention that should be chosen by you. What are you aiming for? Who do you wish to be? Pick a word or short phrase that encompasses an important goal you wish to achieve, or a trait you wish to acquire. Some example of this: “I am healthy”, “openness”, or “I share the wealth”. Repeat the same statement for several sessions to reinforce the intention, and always state them in the present tense, as if they are already true.
