Here is a 20-minute nidra from the end of last week’s online gentle class, live from VG.
We’ve had a lovely class of gentle yoga moves, a few classic hatha postures and breathing exercises. The thoughts and emotions of the day are left behind, bodily tension dropped and the mind slowed. A process of stilling our system.
Now it’s the last part, yoga nidra, a kind of guided lying down meditation.
The awareness is brought to the awareness, and taken on a journey around the body. In one of those yoga paradoxes, by bringing awareness to the body, the body is dropped. The mind surfs mindwaves equivalent to dream sleep and deep sleep. The psyche relaxes its safety barriers and becomes freer to intuit.
Often people fall asleep. With more practice you understand how to dwell in the liminal space, ‘hear’ and explore. But in the first instance, people return to nidra practice because somehow a brilliant night’s sleep follows. And often for a few nights after.
Here you have an unthemed, ‘vanilla’, half-nidra of 20 minutes; a classic length is 40. These are offered here at VG and online themed in rhythm with the season of the year (monthly online, in day and weekend retreats), and for the season of life (for instance with coaching). Half-size vanilla is an ideal quick fix. Perhaps in bed, all the better to turn over into full sleep.
If you know some yoga or other somatic movement, it’s great to do this first, but it’s also good if you’ve simply been quiet, reading, say. Make sure you are warm and won’t be disturbed.
Classically nidra is done lying down, the knees with a cushion or bolster underneath so as to support the lower back. But you can lie on your side or in an easy chair. Or as I mentioned, in bed already.
Do not listen to this while operating heavy machinery (ie driving, but you might like to listen to it first while awake (ironing is ideal!) to get the gist. If you are going out afterwards, ensure you drink something warm, have a snack, sing or talk to someone. It’s important to bring your thinky mind and soft body back to the pace of the world.
Otherwise, roll over into bed and sleep well, well dropped.
Take a look at what’s on at Viveka Gardens, here in Devon and online
Lovely if you can like and comment, and do send a meage with your needs, wants and questions
