What happens in a guided yoga nidra meditation? This video explains the usual steps taken during most yoga nidra sessions and how and why it's able to get you to relax so deeply. Stick around till the end as I also explain how you can take your yoga nidra practice one step further - using it as a tool for deep personal growth and development.

No time to watch this 10-minute video? Read the transcript below!
And check out all my fave yoga nidra product recommendations too. :)

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LINKS IN VIDEO:

○ Get "5 Good Things To Share!" my monthly mind + body tips email - this edition is on living with intention, according to your life purpose (dharma): http://enlightenedspoon.com/5things
○ Best Stress Buster - for mental balance + grounding: https://youtu.be/_yvY-fnzFqk
○ 5 Best Tips + Tools for Deepest Relaxation: https://youtu.be/v6NHEwWdOTo
○ Practice Yoga Nidra Here: My yoga nidra playlist

DOWNLOAD MY 15-MINUTE YOGA NIDRA FOR DEEP REST:

If you enjoyed this, you might like to download a shorter 15-minute yoga nidra for deep rest and relaxation. Listen to this any time you need a moment of pause:

Download 15-minute yoga nidra for deep rest

MY FAVE YOGA GEAR:

○ Manduka PROlite yoga mat: https://bit.ly/336iDJa
○ Manduka eQua mat towel: https://bit.ly/3mi6eL8
○ Manduka unBLOK curved yoga block: https://bit.ly/37vJPoc

Use my promo code "ENLIGHTENEDSPOON" for a 10% discount when checking out at http://eu.manduka.com

MY FITNESS + NUTRITION RECOMMENDATIONS:

For the busy professional with no time, I recommend these:
○ Home workout gear: https://kit.co/enlightenedspoon/home-workout-gear
○ Rest + recovery tools: https://kit.co/enlightenedspoon/recovery-tools
○ Kitchen tools for the busy, non-pro cook: https://kit.co/enlightenedspoon/kitchen-essentials-for-the-busy-non-pro-cook
○ Pantry essentials for healthy living: https://kit.co/enlightenedspoon/pantry-essentials

PS. Some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my channel so I can continue to provide you with free content each week!

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Intro
01:07 What is yoga nidra?
02:24 Where does yoga nidra come from?
03:26 Step 1 - what happens in yoga nidra?
04:34 Step 2 - what happens in yoga nidra?
04:52 Step 3 - what happens in yoga nidra?
06:25 Step 4 - what happens in yoga nidra?
07:16 Step 5 - what happens in yoga nidra?
07:48 Step 6 - what happens in yoga nidra?
08:34 Step 7 - what happens in yoga nidra?
09:07 Step 8 - what happens in yoga nidra?
09:37 Step 9 - what happens in yoga nidra?
09:50 What’s Next?

TRANSCRIPT:

You’re curious about Yoga Nidra, perhaps even done a session or two, and maybe even benefited from falling into deep sleep in a Yoga Nidra session before. But - What is it that helps to get you in such a relaxed state? What actually happens in a guided yoga nidra meditation? Wait. Is it a meditation? Is it yoga? What is this?

In this video, I’ll go through what actually happens during a guided yoga nidra practice - how you’re expertly guided through this meditation practice and how bringing attention to breath, body, mind, can actually shift you into much deeper states of Being. Stick around til the end and I’ll explain how it can even be used as your personal tool to understand the deeper layers of yourself.

Who Am I?

Hi, and welcome back to my channel. I’m Jaime Tan at Enlightened Spoon, feeding your mind, body, soul. On this channel you’ll get lifestyle design and nerdy facts like today you can use to squeeze more goodness out of your busy day … and other times you’ll get nutrition, yoga and meditation videos… all tools to help you stress less, yet accomplish more. So hit that Like button and subscribe if you want more like this.

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What Is Yoga Nidra?

So. What is yoga nidra? Literally translated, yoga nidra means the “yoga of conscious sleep”. And what the heck does “conscious sleep” mean? You’re essentially progressively relaxing through the wakeful and sleeping states - so even if you might be dipping between the first two stages of light sleep, you’re still conscious, alert and aware in a meditative state.

Watch this previous video for more on the science of yoga nidra and how it uses these transitionary states between wakefulness and sleep to help you not only get deeper rest and relaxation, but from this very open heart and open mind space, you can use this as an exploratory tool for personal growth.

I’ve had deep personal insights, realisations, understanding, acceptance of myself and the people around me… and generally just connecting with the overall feeling that even if things don’t start off feeling comfortable, eventually I recognise that everything is exactly as it’s meant to be. I am perfect in this present moment. And I love being able to keep coming back to this state, to keep reminding myself this is “me” and this is what’s “here”.

In the busyness of life, it’s often easy to lose sight of that.

Where Does Yoga Nidra Come From?

Yoga Nidra has its roots in India, in the yogic teachings and can be traced back to the Samkhya from around 700BC, and as with all ancient teachings, it evolves, grows and develops into different schools practicing it slightly differently. So you might experience the same practice quite differently, depending on who’s teaching it and which philosophy this stems from.

I practice and teach in the iRest yoga nidra tradition, which draws from the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism, the non-dualist philosophies, but all that really means is there’s no separation, and there’s an interconnectedness between all of us in a giant expanse of Awareness. You don’t even really need to know that, but what I love about the iRest yoga nidra tradition is that it draws from these ancient teachings but takes out the Sanskrit terms that might be confusing for the Western mind. It’s the perfect bridge between East + West.

So… What Happens In a Yoga Nidra?

No matter what school of thought you come from, generally this is what happens in a yoga nidra session:

Step 1:

It’s often taught with the student laying down in complete relaxation, being guided by the teacher’s voice. If you find it hard to focus while laying down, some people might fall asleep, or find it uncomfortable, you don’t have to lay down. You can try the practice sitting up, standing up, or even as your form of a walking meditation. I talk about all of the positions you can use in this previous video, along with my 5 best tips and tools on how to get most comfy and relaxed in your yoga nidra practice.

Step 2:

A typical session lasts between 30 - 45 minutes, but you can still get deep rest and relaxation anywhere between 10 - 30 minutes too. These shorter sessions I find helpful as a daytime practice - any time I need a bit of a mental break from my busy workday, I use these shorter practices as my enhanced naps. You can check out any of my shorter yoga nidra sessions in this playlist, I’ll link to it down below too.

Do you practice yoga nidra in the middle of the day too or is this only a night time thing for you? Let me know in the comments below - and if you’re enjoying this video, I’d appreciate a mega smash on that like button and subscribe to my channel for more like this.

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Step 3:

As with any meditation practice, most yoga nidras open by bringing you into this present moment. Whether it’s noticing where you are at right now, checking in with breath, body, mind… perhaps even tapping into all 5 senses and noticing what is here, right now.

Then most yoga nidra’s open with setting an intention, feeling into how this intention might support a deeper, heartfelt desire for this life.

This is where the juiciness lies. Attention goes where energy flows, and if we make this our daily practice - to tune into what your intention and heartfelt desire is for this life… it can help to connect you with this life’s purpose. Of course this might sound a bit lofty and maybe a bit woowoo, but if we’ve only got this one life - I dunno about you, but I want to be intentional about it. It doesn’t even have to be anything big like “what I am doing to make my mark on the world”... but even if it’s just learning to tune into the small things like “how am I feeling right now?”... “What do I need right now, in this present moment”

... It’s through starting to tune into these small mindful moments, that eventually we learn to sit and listen to what else might be present, what else wants to be seen that may be supporting this deeper life’s purpose.

Cultivating Your Heartfelt Desire

So we learn to cultivate this heartfelt desire in every yoga nidra practice. I go into more detail about it in this month’s email - I send out 5 Good Things to Share! Every first Sunday of the month and this one’s is all about living with intention. Connecting with your purpose in life also known as your “dharma code” and you can sign up for it in the link in description below. If you’re watching this after this edition but want a link to it - let me know in the comments below, or you can send me a message on Instagram too.

Get the latest "5 Good Things" Email

Step 4:

After we’ve set our intention, connected with our heartfelt desire, in the iRest tradition quite different from the other yoga nidra styles, we typically also first get anchored into your inner resource - it’s your safe space from within, this grounded anchor you can always come back to. It’s a great way to connect back with that part of you that’s always steady and grounded, no matter what life throws at you.

Of course we aren’t always this person, but if we keep connecting back to this part of ourselves and feeling good within ourselves when we do it, we develop the neural pathways that help us remember this grounded, anchored, safe space from within. So we’re able to find our way back here even through all the messiness of life.

Practice, practice, practice. It’s all about the practice.

Step 5:

Then in helping you further develop concentration, we usually start with some form of body sensing. Calling out various body parts from head to toe, or vice versa and feeling and sensing our way into them. This not only helps to focus the mind when you’re paying attention to that particular body part, but feeling into all of the physical sensations at that point also helps to relax the body, bit by bit. When the body relaxes, it’s easier for the mind to relax too. It’s all interconnected.

Step 6:

We then go into breath sensing, working with any number of breathwork techniques, since the breath is the connection between mind and body and yet another tool we can use to further enhance relaxation. Whether it’s breath retention on the inhale or exhale, counting the breath, extending the exhales, alternate breathing through different sides of the body… there are so many different pranayama techniques that can be adapted while laying down.

As you can imagine, you’re deeply relaxed by this point, and sometimes this is enough for you to drop off into sleep if you’re using this as a sleep meditation… and that’s great! But if you want to take this deeper and use yoga nidra as a tool for personal development, this is where it can go really deep.

Step 7:

Once we’re fully relaxed in both mind and body, yet fully conscious and aware, it’s in this open mind and heart space that we can work with any emotions or thoughts using a number of different techniques to meet and greet some of the deeper layers of ourselves. I’ve found it a great way to work with challenging emotions or limiting beliefs and eventually making peace with them through this practice. Of course, yoga nidra is not a substitute for therapy, but it can be a really good complement to it, to help develop self-awareness.

Step 8:

And then usually by this point in the practice, you’re opening up into the huge expanse of Being. The always present. Awareness. Where you’re interconnected with everything, yet nothing at the same time. Words fail the experience, but if you know, you know. Some of us might have experienced this through other kinds of meditation, maybe even through psychedelics… but this sense of Oneness and feeling at peace… is what I love about this practice.

Step 9:

And then usually when we’re coming out of the practice, we touch back into our intention and heartfelt desire, as a way to acknowledge and hold it close to us, as a way to close off the practice. Now usually when you’re being guided through the practice, you have no idea what’s what as you’re just focused and in your blissed out state… and there’s no need for you to know REALLY what’s going on.. But for me, I know I appreciate the theory of stuff and understanding why things are the way they are… so I hope this little nerding out helped you understand a little bit more about the theory and practice of yoga nidra.

If you’re ready to jump right in, you can start with with this yoga nidra you can practice in the middle of your busy day to help find some calm, or this video on how to get most comfy for deepest relaxation in your yoga nidra.

Don’t forget to smash like, subscribe, I hope this helps you flow through your busy life with more grace, ease and flow… and I’ll see you in the next one!

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WATCH NEXT:

○ Liforme vs. Manduka Yoga Mat Reviews: https://youtu.be/WJw8245xT4c
○ 15-minute Yoga Nidra Meditation for Deep Relaxation: https://youtu.be/jDKWBVLNBlM