Healthy Living: Yoga Nidra with Seated Yoga

Your tutor will encourage you to bring a blanket, a couple of cushions, dim the lights, maybe even light a candle with some incense sticks and simply lie down with the volume turned up and let go.

To begin yoga Nidra, you will be asked to lie on a bed, couch or floor with the eyes closed and the arms and legs extended in a yoga posture called Shavasana, or corpse pose. Hands should be relaxed and loose

You will then be guided to produce and release tension in the hands and legs by tensing and stretching opposite parts of the both the mind and the body. This is be followed by thinking of a Sankalpa, a heartfelt intention or mantra, resulting in a state of mind that will help guide future actions. An example of this may be “I am strong,” “I am grounded,” “I am capable,” or “I am present.”. emotional freedom techniques may be embedded into this session

This beautiful practice helps with the following

• Decreasing stress and anxiety

• Improving sleeping problems

• Increasing creativity and learning abilities

• Improving cardiovascular health

• Increased alertness

Some weeks you may be asked to perform a scan of your body, focusing attention on different parts and releasing tension throughout. Slow breathing is encouraged throughout your Nida session.

The practice often ends with visualizing calming images, such as a deep forest, the waves of the sea, or a green garden. Individuals are again encouraged to think about their Sankalpa. Following this, they are asked to slowly transition back into normal awareness by bringing some gentle movement back to the body.