What is yoga nidrā?
Learn about the restorative benefits of yogic sleep and how it can support you as a highly sensitive person
What Is Yoga Nidrā?
Yoga Nidrā or “yogic sleep” is a fully accessible practice of guided awareness that has the potential to facilitate deep physical, mental, and emotional restoration.
The practice draws you inward from your senses and into the state between waking and sleeping in which you are conscious while in a deeply restful state.
In this state of conscious awareness exists the potential to heal multiple layers of your being while also giving a felt sense of your innermost nature.
How Is Yoga Nidrā Different Than Meditation?
Though many yoga teachers refer to this practice as a relaxation meditation, yoga nidrā is not meditation according to my teacher.
In meditation, it is usually recommended that the practitioner sit upright to remain awake and alert. In Vedic tradition, meditation typically involves one-pointed attention on something such as your breath or an object. There is some amount of effort to sit upright without falling over, as well as maintaining your awareness on one focal point.
In contrast, yoga nidrā is practiced lying down in a position in which your body is completely supported and effortless. There is no focal point and your mind and awareness are welcome to travel where they naturally go even if taking a detour from the teacher’s guidance. There’s a sense of trust that whatever happens in your practice will have a beneficial effect.
Why Yoga Nidrā Is Beneficial for HSPs
Of course, this practice can be beneficial for everyone, as it supports rest, relaxation, and a healthy immune system.
Yet, I find that my highly sensitive students seem to particularly appreciate the practice of yoga nidrā. This may be because we are keenly aware of our overworking minds and need for rest and inward-oriented practices to cope with sensory overload. We’re not usually fast-paced people and naturally know the value of restful practice.
Here are some specific reasons you may benefit from yoga nidrā as an HSP: This practice has the potential to:
- Ease anxiety and allow mental chatter to soften with guided support.
- Help you restore your senses and access inner calm.
- Prepare you for better sleep, especially if you struggle with insomnia.
- Serve as a restorative, refreshing practice that can be substituted in place of a nap.
- Support your system in processing emotions and resolving past conditioning at a subtle level.
- Bring you into a state of the true purpose of yoga, which is realizing your true nature or the Self of the self.
If you’re curious and would like to experience this practice in the comfort of your home on your own time, you may download my audio recording below.
What is yoga nidrā?
Learn about the restorative benefits of yogic sleep and how it can support you as a highly sensitive person
Yoga Nidrā or “yogic sleep” is a fully accessible practice of guided awareness that has the potential to facilitate deep physical, mental, and emotional restoration.
The practice draws you inward from your senses and into the state between waking and sleeping in which you are conscious while in a deeply restful state.
In this state of conscious awareness exists the potential to heal multiple layers of your being while also giving a felt sense of your innermost nature.
How Is Yoga Nidrā Different Than Meditation?
Though many yoga teachers refer to this practice as a relaxation meditation, yoga nidrā is not meditation according to my teacher.
In meditation, it is usually recommended that the practitioner sit upright to remain awake and alert. In Vedic tradition, meditation typically involves one-pointed attention on something such as your breath or an object. There is some amount of effort to sit upright without falling over, as well as maintaining your awareness on one focal point.
In contrast, yoga nidrā is practiced lying down in a position in which your body is completely supported and effortless. There is no focal point and your mind and awareness are welcome to travel where they naturally go even if taking a detour from the teacher’s guidance. There’s a sense of trust that whatever happens in your practice will have a beneficial effect.
Why Yoga Nidrā Is Beneficial for HSPs
Of course, this practice can be beneficial for everyone, as it supports rest, relaxation, and a healthy immune system.
Yet, I find that my highly sensitive students seem to particularly appreciate the practice of yoga nidrā. This may be because we are keenly aware of our overworking minds and need for rest and inward-oriented practices to cope with sensory overload. We’re not usually fast-paced people and naturally know the value of restful practice.
Here are some specific reasons you may benefit from yoga nidrā as an HSP: This practice has the potential to:
- Ease anxiety and allow mental chatter to soften with guided support.
- Help you restore your senses and access inner calm.
- Prepare you for better sleep, especially if you struggle with insomnia.
- Serve as a restorative, refreshing practice that can be substituted in place of a nap.
- Support your system in processing emotions and resolving past conditioning at a subtle level.
- Bring you into a state of the true purpose of yoga, which is realizing your true nature or the Self of the self.
If you’re curious and would like to experience this practice in the comfort of your home on your own time, you may download my audio recording below.