Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra Deep Relaxation
The Profound Inner Journey

As is your deepest driving desire, so are your thoughts.
As are your thoughts, so are your words.
As are your words, so are your deeds.
As are your deeds, so is your destiny.
---Upanishads

The word "nidra" means sleep, but this is not ordinary sleep. This is yogic sleep, entering a profound state of relaxation in which you are able to descend into deep levels of consciousness and unlock your inner strengths. Learn how to transform your life. Change negative habits and thoughts into positive, life-affirming behaviors. Tap into your own creative potential. Re-discover how to meet life's challenges with enthusiasm and courage. Yoga Nidra holds the key. This class is a one-hour guided relaxation. No yoga experience is needed. Participants must be able to lie quietly on the floor, listening to the teacher's instructions. The class begins with a soothing series of easy yoga postures that prepare the body for deep relaxation.

How to Prepare for Yoga Nidra
You will be most comfortable if you bring a regular bed pillow and something to lie upon such as a comforter, quilt or sleeping bag. You can also bring a blanket for covering and an eyebag. Wear comfortable clothing.

Yoga Nidra Class Etiquette
Arrive early for class. Latecomers will not be admitted. If you are hard-of-hearing you should position yourself near the front of the room. Yoga Nidra is not appropriate for children under 12, individuals who cannot lie still on the floor, who have a seizure disorder, active lower back discomfort, or are beyond the first trimester of pregnancy. Do not attend if you have sinus problems that cause coughing, sniffling or sneezing.

Yoga Nidra is based upon the ancient tantra techniques of nyasa, bhuta shuddhi, and meditation using dharanas. Laura Spaulding has studied these teachings both in ashrams in India and in the U.S., and studied Yoga Nidra with Maja Trigg (founder of Yoga East) and Di Kendall (past president of The British Wheel of Yoga). Karen Strobel, Paul Long and Karen Cairns also study and teach Yoga Nidra.

Excellent materials about Yoga Nidra can be obtained from Di Kendall, Richard Miller of Sebastapol, California, and Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga in Bihar, India.