Yoga Nidra is magic, here's why...
When I did my yoga teacher training way back in 2009 I was obsessed with how yoga nidra made me feel. The fact that I felt like I'd had 8 hours sleep after a 30 min session wowed me!
The place where science and art intersect (mysticism) is my jam, so in case you are wondering what yoga nidra is, and what makes it so magic, I am going to lay it out for you.
So, first up Yoga Nidra is a form of guided meditation, a method of Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) and an embodiment technique that has you connect with your physical self and bring awareness to your breath as you scan your body and tap into a state of relaxed consciousness somewhere between sleep and wakefulness.
Yoga Nidra translates to yogic sleep and it can feel like being suspended between worlds, in fact you are accessing the place that you also find yourself just before deep REM sleep, or as you are waking up in the morning.
In my blog on brainwaves, I go into the 5 different frequencies and when we experience which.
So, what is actually going on?
Yoga nidra literally changes the ‘fluctuations of the mind’ by slowing down brain wave frequencies.
In Yoga Nidra we feel calm and relaxed and brainwave studies show that when our brains are slowed like this we’re producing predominantly slower brainwaves. (When higher-frequency brainwaves are dominant, we feel wired or hyper alert.)
When you start Yoga Nidra, your brain is generally in an active state of beta waves.
There are then 4 stages that you pass through during a 30 min nidra session.
Stage One:
Settling or Initial Relaxation:
Stage Two:
Setting Intention, Sankalpa:
- This is where we set a sankalpa. The fifth limb of yoga, pratyahara (sense withdrawal) and the sixth limb, dharana (concentration of the mind) are incredibly important parts of any spiritual and energetic practice. Being able to focus our gaze, and choose what we focus on is a muscle that is being lost. Developing concentrated intention is something that I am very passionate about.
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Sankalpa means an intention or a resolution. The Sanskrit origin of Sankalpa (resolution) comes from San, meaning "a connection with the highest truth," and Kalpa, meaning "vow."
- This practice allows you to practice being the 'bouncer of your mind' and choose your thoughts. Connecting with your highest self in this way, hearing your intuition and planting these seeds in your most fertile soil, is hugely powerful.
- In stage two alpha, beta and theta waves increase as does the production of serotonin.
Stage Three:
Rotation of Consciousness:
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When we follow the voice directing us to each body part, our presence rests into the present moment and Alpha waves become the prominent frequency.
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Alpha waves aid overall mental coordination, calmness, alertness, mind/body integration and emotional regulation. Alpha waves create a state that can be thought of as the bridge between conscious thinking and the subconscious mind. Often described as ‘Flow State’ Alpha is the frequency range between beta and theta and is a highly desirable state to achieve, but can be difficult to maintain.
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Activating Alpha waves helps us calm down and promotes feelings of deep relaxation as well as improving memory, concentration and resetting the prefrontal cortex.
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The third stage is when we move into a predominance of Theta waves. Theta brainwaves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant in deep meditation and can be accessed while still awake. The theta state is used for hypnosis, it’s a mid point between asleep and awake, that twilight zone when you are fully internalised but aware. It can be thought of as the frequency where our subconscious resides and is where lucid dreaming takes place.
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In theta we experience vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond our normal conscious awareness. It’s where we hold our fears, shadows or ‘stuff’ and also the gateway to our creativity and intuition. Our senses are withdrawn from the external world and focused on internal signals. Most people only experience this place fleetingly as they wake or drift off to sleep.
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Theta brain waves are responsible for creative solutions ‘dropping in’ and those incredible "ah ha" moments that we wish we could manufacture by trying harder, but in fact require us to completely relax into a yin space.
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This bit is yummy! Anandamide, the “bliss molecule” which inhibits the formation of cancer cells, is produced here and it feels GOOD!
- Its the bit where you drift in and out of consciousness and melt into the magical sensations your body was designed to experience.
Stage Four:
Sense Perception and Inner Visualisation:
- This is the part that we often don't remember afterwards. Its where we experience opposite sensations or emotions without judging or reacting emotionally. This allows for emotional processing by stimulating the opposite hemispheres of the brain. By stirring the memory in this way we can release disturbing material in a beautiful dreamlike way.
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Here we touch into a Delta state before coming back through these layers to feel refreshed and awakened.
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Delta brainwaves stimulate healing and regeneration. They are low frequency and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat. Delta waves suspend external awareness and usually occur in deep sleep.
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They are responsible for controlling all of the body’s activities that we are not conscious of.
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Delta waves are required in order for proper bodily maintenance and regeneration of our organs and blood as well as producing and releasing essential hormones like DHEA, melatonin and natural human growth hormone. Delta is the state where cortisol is removed from our system. Having a good dose of Delta Waves is critical to ensure that everything is in-sync and in good working order. Delta Waves are generated only in dreamless sleep, (or yoga nidra) which is why deep restorative sleep and radical rest is so essential.
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Delta brainwaves enable you to awake feeling refreshed and like you’ve slept well. If you don’t get enough Delta waves, you may awake feeling groggy and like you’ve slept badly. They are also responsible for empathy, intuition or psychic ‘knowing’ (like when the phone rings and you know who it is intuitively without looking.)
- The difference between deep sleep and Yoga Nidra is that you stay awake during this final phase. With such blissful relaxation and awareness, you are able to access your subconscious thoughts and process past memories in the present moment. Repressed and unprocessed grief can loosen their hold, tension and grip, whilst we can learn to find a little more freedom and detachment from unhelpful habits and thought patterns.
The healing that takes place in yoga nidra is also sometimes reached in a guided breathwork practice or on a somatic journey.
I love yoga nidra because it doesn't push or force anything and is akin to a really really good night sleep.
You can enjoy a yoga nidra practice before sleep, not returning completely, but drifting off into a healing and healthy restful sleep OR you can choose to return fully and be fully awake and present again after practice.
Through regular practice of Yoga Nidra we can counteract the effect of stress and hyperactivity in the frontal cortex.
This is important for everyone, but especially those who experience ADHD. By accessing different parts of the brain that can help us regulate interoceptive awareness, and process and release tensions we can support a harmonious, restorative state overall and achieve a greater balance between the different layers of body and mind (referred to as the Koshas in Yoga Philosophy.)
The Power Pack
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In the meantime you can enjoy other meditations and workbooks that accompany them in The Power Pack, where Ebonie guides you through the a cycle of accessing and harnessing the energies of Dharma, Metta, Release and Manifest for potent and playful alchemy
Use the code NIDRA to get 60% off (making it only £32.20!)
Ebonie 'alchemy' Allard
Ebonie Allard, aka Ebonie Alchemy because she helps you to transmute your 💩 into gold. An Emotional Manifesting Generator 5/2 with LAX of Distraction - It's her purpose to help you know what to trust and what to tune out! A late-diagnosed AuDHDer with a special interest in psychospiritual development, holistic well-being and self-actualisation her approach to Human Design is integrative, bringing together deep embodied knowledge and experience of somatic awareness, nervous system regulation, neuroception, Astrology, numerology, the Chakra System, energetic alchemy and her gift for story crafting to help you GLOW UP and become FULL OF YOURSELF.
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