Do you ever dream of just lying down and doing nothing for a while? Wouldn’t that be nice—to just stop and rest? Maybe you should—it will do you more good than you can imagine. Yoga’s deep relaxation, called Yoga Nidra, gives the body and mind much-needed downtime.
I’m sure your days are as busy as mine—perhaps you work, then rush home to prepare a meal, to help kids with homework, or throw in some laundry. The pressure of trying to fit it all in is added to the already stressful situations we experience in life—difficult relationships, health problems, stress at work, to name just a few.
This constant stress is not our friend—in fact, it can contribute to a host of diseases. We become more prone to catching viruses, experiencing insomnia, or getting depressed or short-tempered. It also affects our ability to make good decisions and do our jobs effectively.
Yet the body has a remarkable capacity for healing if we give it the tools it needs. One tool is deep relaxation. While we spend several hours sleeping each night, we don’t always get the deep rest our bodies need. Sometimes we go to bed too late (it’s best to be in bed by 10 pm for optimum healing). Or we may have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep or just toss and turn all night.
Yoga Nidra offers us the deep relaxation we need. We can practice this technique at any time of day. In fact, 40 to 60 minutes of Yoga Nidra is said to be the equivalent of 4 hours of sleep. It offers huge benefits in reducing the stress in our lives and making us healthier and more productive.
This relaxation technique takes us into a deep state of rest as we consciously relax the entire body, from head to toe. It also includes soothing visualizations that help us stay focused, and calm the mind. Relaxing fully turns off the fight or flight response… finally, consciously, we’re at rest. Stress dissolves. Healing can begin.
Because this is a guided relaxation, to make it easier for you to practice, I’ve created a downloadable Yoga Nidra CD with techniques of different lengths depending on how much time you have available. You can sample them on iTunes and Amazon. All of them are relaxing, though I suggest making the time to do the longer one. When you emerge, you will feel delightfully calm, relaxed, and ready for whatever the day brings, whether it’s going back to work or tucking yourself snugly into bed.
