What is Yoga Nidra meditation
Yoga Nidra is a form of meditative sleep. It’s usually done guided so you listen to a voice, either live or from a recorded audio. I do live classes in Berlin, online and I also upload them onto YouTube and make personalised audios for my clients. There are so many ways to experience it. If you want to know about Yoga Nidra you can read my blog post What is Yoga Nidra? here. In this post, I want to tell you about this 40 Minute Yoga Nidra.
Why does it help with anxiety and stress
The short answer is yes it does! It helps us tap into the rest and digest system of the body. By finding a comfortable position, closing the eyes and inviting the body to relax we can experience a release of tension and begin to let go of the stress we’ve been holding on to in the day. There is often a step with some breathwork that can help the relaxation response and allow you to relax and with practice you will find that you can experience deeper and deeper levels of rest and healing. You can find out more in this post about reasons you might want to cultivate a regular practice.
Should I do a 40 minute practice or shorter?
If this is your first time you might want to try and a shorter Yoga Nidra session. I have a 10 minute audio for beginners on my YouTube channel and also many that are 20 minutes audios also. But, if you want to dive right in with a 40 Minute Yoga Nidra then that is fine.
It can be more difficult to remain awake and alert in a longer Nidra practice and you can sometimes feel a bit more sleepy after a longer practice, so I would usually recommend doing a shorter practice during the day if you still need to get things done, and a longer practice later in the day when it’s time to wind down.
How to do a Yoga Nidra meditation
What you should do is find a safe and peaceful space where you can relax and won’t be disturbed. It’s best to turn your phone off or onto do not disturb mode. Ask your flatmates or family not to disturb you for the duration and try and make the space as peaceful as you can.
Decide whether you want to lay down on the floor, sit back in a soft chair and even sit back against a way if that makes you feel comfortable. Just remember that you may fall asleep so don’t try it standing up or in a precarious position.
Then you can decide to get warm and cozy, cover yourself with a blanket or even a duvet, maybe use an eye pillow or mask, and then get the phone or laptop close enough to hear the audio unless you’re using headphones.
It’s best not to do it in bed because ideally, you want to stay awake for the practice and we want to keep the association of sleep in the bed, so I tend to do Yoga Nidra on the floor on a mat with pillows, but it’s ultimately up to you. If you’re doing right before bed in order to go to sleep, then it’s of course fine to do it in bed. You decide what works for you.
And that’s it. Try the 40 Minute Yoga Nidra video below and let me know in the comments how it was for you.
Made with Love
Kelley
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