Heart of the Village Yoga

Nidra means sleep. Yoga Nidra is a technique for entering into a deeply relaxed state that swiftly heals and repairs the physical, mental, and emotional body. Minutes of Yoga Nidra are equivalent in their regenerative power to hours of deep sleep.

After experiencing a Yoga Nidra session, Russell Dean, MS, LMHC, said “I haven’t felt that relaxed since the last time I had anesthesia.” Dean is a Vietnam veteran with back injuries.

Once settled into Savasana (relaxation pose) practitioners are asked to privately create a sankalpa, a statement expressing  your heart’s deepest desire. You are asked to privately state your intention in the present tense, as though it’s already happening,and is true.  You will then be led through a body scan, rotation of consciousness, breathing, and guided imagery techniques, inducing a deep state of relaxation and healing. It could be said that the main purpose of yoga nidra is to realize one’s sankalpa.

Throughout yoga nidra class, students remain lying down in Savasana. Unlike more athletic forms of yoga, yoga nidra does not require familiarity with additional yoga poses and is intended purely as a meditative, restorative, class, where deep healing takes place. No experience necessary.

Jo Kirsch ©2014