Yoga Nidra for relaxation and peace

Sometimes a change of mental state can be brought about in a quantum leap with a simple word called surrender. Yoga Nidra or sleep with awareness is the art of total surrender to the unknown and a total let go of your conscious state moving towards the superconscious state, which is totally silent. In a second, you can transform yourself into the most relaxed and peaceful person if you decide to take a leap into your true nature, which is always peaceful.

Caution: Avoid falling asleep while doing this.

Exercise 1

• Lie on your back on a mat or on a hard mattress

• Concentrate on your breath. Breathe deeply from the abdomen and only be aware of yourself inhaling and exhaling

• There are sixteen vital points in your body which can relax you totally if you concentrate on them. Start concentrating on the forehead, move progressively to the nostrils, lips, chin, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingertips, chest, abdomen, thighs, knees, calves, ankles and toes. Repeat this cycle twice or thrice

• Now imagine your limbs are detached from your body. Only the head, chest and abdominal area exist now. As you breathe in, feel the air entering your spine and cleansing it

• Concentrate on the different vital nerve plexus or nerve junctions called chakras and breathe in and out five to ten times while concentrating on each point

• Start with the root plexus or mooladhara in the space between your anus and your genitals

• Move to the solar plexus or swadhisthan, four fingers above the navel

• Then to the midpoint of the chest, anahat

• Move to the throat, to visudhi

• Move to the point between the eyebrows, ajna

• Finally move to the crown, the suryachakra

• Imagine your limbs are once again attached to your body.  Be aware of your whole body as one unit for about two minutes

• Slowly open your eyes, stretch and get up.