Yogi Himanshu
The benefits of a restful sleep extend beyond full rest to the body. It helps to relax mind, alleviate stress, and even builds immunity over a period of time. If a normal sleep can be so rejuvenating, the benefits we can derive from a Yoga nidra are innumerable.
Yoga nidra can be practiced by anyone and it is one of the most powerful ways to de-stress the body. It is like a restart button that your mind needs when overwhelmed with excessive thoughts, tricky life situations and general exhaustion. If practiced regularly, it can help one lead a more mindful and stress-free life.
It is especially a boon for people who suffer from insomnia, anxiety, stress and other such issues. Over the period of time without us even realizing, stress builds up in each part of our body tightening the muscles and making our breath shallow. The hectic lifestyle we all lead these days worsens this problem resulting in stress piling up with each passing day and making us susceptible to various mental health issues and lifestyle diseases.
There are many people who complain of burnout where they feel completely drained of energy and lack motivation to even carry on with the day to day work. These are physical symptoms like headache, fatigue, high blood pressure, palpitation. When such symptoms are ignored and stress is not properly released from the body, it can manifest into deeper problems like depression, anger issues, social withdrawal, panic attacks among other things.
One can tackle the stress, exhaustion and anxiety issues with the help of Yoga nidra. Taking out 30-40 minutes regularly for practicing the same can reap great benefits. It starts with Savasana and involves systematic rotation of consciousness across the body parts, relaxing each and every bit of the body completely. Through Yoga nidra, one can reach a state of relaxation which is equivalent to deep sleep and has rejuvenating properties. It helps us connect with our subconscious and work on our issues at a deeper level.
Yoga nidra is also beneficial for people who suffer from insomnia or difficulty falling asleep. It provides the benefits of a deep sleep and thus helps people who are sleep-deprived.
Yoga nidra has a crucial role to play even in practicing other yogasanas. After practicing yogasanas, it is often advised to lie down in Savasana and enter Yog nidra for reaping the full benefits of the asanas.
In nutshell, it can be practiced by anyone for better quality of sleep, relaxation and alleviating stress.
Image courtesy: Wikipedia
(Author is a well-known yoga teacher and Founder of Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh)