Yoga Nidra

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Yoga Nidra, which literally means "sleep of the yogis," is used to prepare both mentally and physically prior to seeking deeper levels of consciousness and awareness through meditation. However Yoga Nidra is also regularly practiced on its own as a daily relaxation technique. Adherents claim that half an hour of Yoga Nidra can replace up to three hours of normal sleep, although its regular use as a sleep substitute is not recommended as the body and mind still requires sufficient rest through standard sleep.

The true sleep of a Yogi is a state of consciousness in which the Yogi is believed to be connected with the Divine energy pervading the whole Cosmos. This energy is thought to be beyond space and time, allowing the Yogi to possibly see the past, the present and the future. A Yogi may also become aware of his past lives. Through Yoga Nidra the Yogi can work through Karmas, as this clarity penetrates levels of the subconscious. It is used to help purify the subconscious through use of certain vows known as Shankalpas. Experienced Yogis claim to use Yoga Nidra for astral travels and in its highest level it leads to Samadhi.

Yoga Nidra should not be confused with techniques of autosuggestion, or "autogenous training."

[edit] History

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Paramyogeshwar Sri Devpuriji developed Yoga Nidra and passed it on to Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji and it was taught to his disciples since 1880. On his journeys to the Himalayas, Sri Devpuriji met, among others, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, who is well known in Europe and conveyed the technique of Yoga Nidra to several Yogis and Swamis, such as Swami Satyananda Saraswati and Swami Janakananda.

The modern form of Yoga Nidra was constructed by Swami Satyananda about 40 years ago. The development of yoga nidra incorporated features from the ancient tantric practice called nyasa. Nyasa was a practice whereby the practitioner mentally placed Sanskrit mantras within the body parts, while meditating on each part (of the body).

With Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda's and Swami Satyananda's extensive worldwide tourings and teachings, Yoga Nidra gradually spread throughout India, Europe, Australia and the United States and is taught in the system in Satyananda Yoga and Yoga in Daily Life.

The modern form of the Yoga Nidra practice - taught by Swami Satyananda - exists today with 8 clearly defined stages (Internalisation, Sankalpa, Rotation of Consciousness, Breath Awareness, Manifestation of Opposites, Creative Visualization, Sankalpa, Externalisation) ; some stages of the Yoga Nidra practice deepen pratyahara. Pratyahara is an effect as well as a state which is induced by the withdrawal of awareness from sensory perception. Yoga Nidra is best done as a guided practice, that is, with an experienced yoga teacher who verbally delivers the instructions.

To date, active schools training Yoga Nidra Teachers include Yogi Amrit Desai who is currently educating teachers in Amrit Method Yoga Nidra; Richard Miller, PhD Founder and president of the Center for Timeless Being who offers a Yoga Nidra Teacher Training and whose book and accompanying CD Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga has recently been published.

Yoga Nidra refers to Yogic Sleep. Yoga Nidra has been known for thousands of years by the sages and yogis. Of the three states of consciousness of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, as expounded in the Upanishads, particularly the Mandukya Upanishad, Yoga Nidra refers to the conscious awareness of the deep sleep state, referred to as prajna in Mandukya Upanishad. This is the third of the four levels of consciousness of AUM mantra, relating to the state represented by the M of AUM. The four states are waking, dreaming, sleep, and turiya, the fourth state. The state of Yoga Nidra, conscious deep sleep, is beyond or subtler than the imagery and mental process of the waking and dreaming states. As a state of conscious deep sleep, Yoga Nidra is a universal principle, and is not the exclusive domain of any more recent teachers or traditions.

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Topics in Yoga
Yogas: Agni Yoga - Anahata Yoga - Anusara Yoga - Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga - Bikram Yoga - Hatha yoga - Integral yoga - Iyengar Yoga - Kriya yoga - Kundalini yoga - Natya Yoga - Sahaj Marg - Sahaja Yoga - Satyananda Yoga - Sivananda Yoga - Six yogas of Naropa (Tummo) - Surat Shabd Yoga - Viniyoga - Yoga in Daily Life - Yoga Nidra
Texts: Hatha Yoga Pradipika - Yoga Sutra - Gherand Samhita
Hinduism paths: Bhakti yoga - Karma Yoga - Jnana Yoga - Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga limbs: Yama - Niyama - Asana - Pranayama - Pratyahara - Dharana - Dhyana - Samadhi
Lists: Yoga schools and their gurus - Hatha yoga postures
Related topics: Ayurveda - Chakra - Mantra - Tantra - Vedanta - Yoga (alternative medicine) - Yoga as exercise
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