Throw out your Xanax. Forget your tranquilizers. I have something better that I would like to share with you. If you are searching for a peaceful meditative state where you radiate joy, and there are no pharmaceutical drugs involved, I recommend Yoga Nidra. Recently, a colleague of mine, owner of Sundance (East Greenwich, RI) introduced me to Yoga Nidra, yogic sleep, an ancient tantric yoga path that leads to inner freedom. Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness, quietness and clarity. Yoga Nidra is one of the deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of mental process to a state of supreme stillness and insight. Yoga Nidra is a state of conscious Deep Sleep. In Meditation, you remain in the Waking state of consciousness, and gently focus the mind, while allowing thought patterns, emotions, sensations, and images to arise and go on. However, in Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state, go past the Dreaming state, and go to Deep Sleep, yet remain awake.
Yoga Nidra involves Shavasana, the traditional yogic pose for inducing deep relaxation while lying completely still on the floor. The instructor began the class by having us do some breath work and then carefully guided us through approximately 30 minutes of gentle stretching. At the end of this initial stretching, she expertly guided us into a place where we were asked to be conscious of sensations throughout our body, as well as to opposing experiences such as warmth-coolness, agitation-calmness, fear-equanimity, sorrow- joy, and separation-oneness. We were then asked to pay attention to sensations brought on by pairs of opposites until we were able to embody these opposing experiences with neither attachment nor aversion to what we were experiencing. Whew, not an easy task. Let me tell you. Keeping the mind focused and quiet for 40-45 minutes, while not falling asleep takes some fortitude.
But after I completed the class, all I could do was bask in the stillness that I felt. I felt relaxed, calm and present. I almost felt the need to be alone so that I could just enjoy the wonderful state I was experiencing. I even overheard some of the other students saying, “I am not sure if I can drive home, I am so relaxed.” The best part of this meditative state for me was that it continued to live within me for a couple of days. It left me wanting more. It awoke in me the strong desire to deeply understand the art of Yoga and especially the process of Shavasana. I am now off to a weeklong Yoga Nidra Retreat to study this practice in more depth.
During that first Yoga class, I learned that this practice is open to everyone who is interested in finding true peace of mind that remains undisturbed, free of circumstance or situation. I know that sounds like a tall order, but trust me on this one, it is true. And I know that if I can realize it, so can you.
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