Sports & Fitness

How Yoga Nidra helped me let go

It's a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, induced by guided meditation

Updated 5 years ago · Published on 02 Jun 2021 11:00AM

How Yoga Nidra helped me let go

by Atilia Haron

I'VE never heard of Yoga Nidra before this and I didn’t realise I had been doing it all these years before and after every class.

My teacher Azmi Samdjaga who is in Singapore texted me and said, "Do you want to do a session this Wesak? I miss my Malaysian students and I want to help heal the pain you guys are going through with this pandemic. You do the Nidra part and I'll do the Nada part."

I was like urghhhh what do I do? What do I say? I mean Azmi is the teacher I want to always impress. So I said okay let’s do it. After many hours researching on YouTube and Google, I spent the whole night writing my Nidras and I was so happy when so many people joined us that Wednesday morning.

Azmi said after the session that my Nidra is the best one so far for him. I wanted to cry. Okay, let me tell you what is Yoga Nidra and how it helped me gather more positive energy on that lunar eclipse day. 

Yoga Nidra is a practice that originated from India. It is believed it was first practised in 700 BC. 

Yogic sleep is an amazing state of consciousness and unconsciousness. It's that feeling you get just before sleep, prompted by a guided meditation. It's a great stress reliever. 

How to? Easy. Just melt and let go. Lie down and spread your feet wider than your mat. Try not to sleep. Be as present as you can. Bring all your awareness and attention to your body and slowly feel like your body is getting heavier. 

Yoga Nidra allows change through deep relaxation. In a Nidra session, the practitioner is completely relaxed and a teacher will guide them using a guided meditation script or sometimes even without a script. Usually, it takes about half an hour. 

Begin by thinking of an intention for the session, and develop positive thoughts throughout. The guide will help assist the practitioner to focus on sensations in the body, breath, thoughts and emotions. 

Now, for a few minutes, let's do this together. I have recorded a video for you to listen to and relax. Let's go. - The Vibes. June 2, 2021

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