Yoga Nidra...accessing the OFF switch

​Wouldn’t you love to find the OFF switch sometimes to shut down your busy mind and over stimulated nervous system so that finally, you could rest deeply?
​Yoga nidra is a special practice that brings you into a very deep state of rest. “Nidra” means sleep. But this is not any ordinary sleep – the body sleeps as the mind remains lightly aware, taking us into very deep states of relaxation.

So many things we do to relax are not actually resting for the body and mind. Think of the things you might do to relax – perhaps watch a movie, catch up with friends, go for a walk or bike ride, gardening, cooking – all might be enjoyable and worthwhile but they do not switch off our over burdened nervous system. While we are receiving input from the external world, our nervous system is fired up sending data to the brain for processing. In yoga nidra, we shut down the sense organs and turn inward to reduce the nerve impulses to the brain. We activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is our rest and digest mode.

Why is yoga nidra better than sleep? According to yoga philosophy, we are releasing tensions from every part our being resulting in the integration of the “pancha koshas” – five layers/bodies.

The five layers/bodies:

• Physical body (Annamaya kosha) – this is the densest form of self. By rotating awareness around our body we relax every part, literally turning the switch off at that part of the body and the nerve pathway to the brain.
• Energetic body (Pranamaya kosha) - we use breath practices to calm the body and mind. As the breath becomes more regulated and the body more relaxed, our prana can flow freely, unimpeded by tensions in the body and mind.
• Mental body (Manomaya kosha) – this is the lower part of the mind associated with emotions, feelings and thoughts. We use a practice of stilling the mind and holding opposites which allows us to free habitual habits of thinking and feeling.
• Wisdom body (Vijnanamaya kosha) –during waking states our brain is in beta waves, associated with lots of activity. The deeper we move into the practice, we switch to alpha brain waves (our slowing down state) into theta and perhaps delta states – the most restorative states with very little activity and few thoughts. In this state we can access our own inner intuition and sub conscious mind. Often we can come out of yoga nidra with a clearer understanding of a challenge or issue we have been facing in our life and change unwanted patterns.
• Bliss body (Anandamaya kosha) – in the deepest states of yoga nidra, we move into turiya, a fourth state of being, the deepest state of complete surrender where we are able to tap into our subconscious mind and come to experience our true nature – that we are more than this body and mind. You may experience a sense of expansion, a deep sense of peace and connection, a heart overflowing with love. 

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Experience yoga nidra in our Wednesday evening Yin Yoga classes, 6:45pm at Dragonfly Zen, Grafton St, Cairns.
​Please contact me for more information or book your spot.​​