what is yoga nidra or sleep meditation?
Yoga Nidra (Yoga nidra is a Sanskrit word, it means sleep) or sleep yoga is a meditation, this meditation helps you to relax the whole system of your body Physically and psychologically not only that through this meditation you can generate a high level of awareness or you can able to open your root chakra and this meditation leads to very good sleep.
how to do yoga nidra or sleep yoga / script for yoga nidra
This yoga or meditation is connected to your awareness and imagination, it has a total of seven steps, 1. Preparation (before you start practice), 2. prepare your body, 3. breath awareness, 4. body awareness, 5. root chakra awareness, 6. Eyebrow center, 7. close.
1. Preparation
When should you do this yoga nidra or sleep meditation?
Early in the morning At night before going to sleep or around 4.30 to 5.00 am is the best time to do this yoga nidra meditation, If you are doing it at night then do this, Three to four hours after your dinner.
Where should you do this meditation?
Chose a dry and clean place, It is better to be under the open sky, If you can get close to nature then it is very good. (If this is not possible for you, choose a calm, quiet, and clean space in your house).
What things are needed to do this meditation?
A blanket or a long yoga mat, and wear loose cloth because of comfort, If the weather is cold then you can cover yourself with a blanket or anything that feels comfortable and keeps you warm. Spread a blanket on the floor and lie on it.
2. prepare your body:-
After lying down on the blanket or on the yoga mat, keep your mouth and eyes close (throughout this meditation your mouth and eyes should be closed)
Make sure that the spine is upright and in harmony with the head and neck, while the hips and shoulders remain completely relaxed.
Do not touch your both legs together, rather keep them separate and relax.
Your arms should be beside your body but do not stick with your body, then turn your palm to face upward.
you can adjust your body so that your whole body can feel relaxed. one important thing is you can’t move your body through this meditation so adjust your body according to that.
”Then”
Keep your eyes close and look at the blank & black space in front of you, now imagine your body is merging into that empty black and deep darkness, now your body is feeling so light like a feather falls down from the sky, continue this process for 2-3 min
3. breath awareness:-
Develop an understanding of your respiration. Observe the ascension and descent of your belly button during each inhalation and exhalation. Visualize inhaling air via the navel on the intake, and exhaling air from the navel on the exhale. This is a regular cycle, and it’s important to refrain from modifying the natural breath, but rather to simply acknowledge it.
4. body awareness:-
Again feel your body as you see yourself from the outside, Remember you have to visualize with your eyes closed just keep feeling every part of your body like with your eyes closed try to see your forehead first look at your forehead then think how your face looks like, then what your hands look like fingers. In this way continue to feel every part of your body from your head to your toes. (If can’t able to visualize yourself then imagine yourself you are standing in front of a mirror)
5. root chakra awareness:-
Now focus on the root chakra location in your body. for men, it is situated in the anus and genitals and for women, it is located at the cervix. Try to see the root chakra by visualization and feel this place through visualization, when you perfectly feel the root chakra through visualization then repeat mentally Mooladhara three times.
6. Eyebrow center:-
After repeating mooladhara three times, Move your awareness to the in-between your eyebrow (if you don’t know then there is a pulse) and try to feel this pulse, at the same time if you want you can chant a mantra (OM) mentally.
7. get out of Yoga Nidra (sleep meditation):-
Then, slowly focus on your natural breathing, and slowly start moving your body, when you are fully aware of your breathing and your body slowly sits down and opens its eyes.
What happens if you fall asleep doing this meditation?
Nothing will happen, When you do this meditation and start visualization, you will have no tension and anxiety, and you will forget them. Then you will have a very deep sleep, When you wake up in the morning you will realize how much energy you are feeling and how well you slept.
READ MORE:- Root chakra blocked, Root chakra healing, root chakra balancing,
Benefits of yoga nidra or sleep meditation
- Reduces Stress and Anxiety:- According to a recent study, this meditation helps you intensely to reduce stress and anxiety. By practicing this technique, you can experience a deep sense of relaxation and release tension throughout your body. making it an ideal practice for those who experience chronic stress or anxiety.
- Improves Sleep Quality:- Do you suffer from insomnia then this is the way to go because, By practicing this technique before bed, you can help to calm your mind and promote relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.
- Increases Mindfulness and Awareness:- Throughout this meditation you are focused on your breath and body sensations. you can develop a deeper sense of self-awareness and become more attuned to your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, This can help to improve your overall well-being and enhance your ability to cope with stress and difficult situations.
- Improves Cognitive Function:- Yoga Nidra can also improve cognitive function because when you are doing this meditation you feel relaxed physically and psychologically that’s why it can help to improve memory, concentration, and focus.
- Emotional Healing:- If you are emotionally disabled or you need emotional healing then do this meditation. By cultivating self-awareness and releasing negative emotions, it can help to promote emotional balance and stability
What should you eat before or after doing this meditation?
before you start this meditation you have to purify your body, For this, you have to change your diet. If you consume alcohol then remove it completely, If you smoke then you have to remove it.
DIET
Morning:- you can’t eat more than 3 times a day and You should take four to five-hour breaks between each meal, Start your day with fruits and warm milk, soak almonds, soak nuts and you can eat easy-to-digest foods.
Then at lunchtime:- you should eat khichdi without any spices or oil, you can add some ghee to it, and add any vegetables you want, but do not add any kind of non-vegetarian food items, you can add some salt, according to your test.
In the evening:- Eat before sunset, eat easy-to-digest foods, and try to avoid salt (if not possible for you then take a small amount of salt). Crushed wheat, barley, and lentils especially in liquid form.
What to do if you are hungry at night?
Suppose you eat in the evening then at night you are feeling hungry, then you can take warm milk, or fruit juice (do not add anything to the milk or fruit juice).