Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation
The most powerful relaxation technique on the planet.
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Includes: 1 Introductory Talk and 2 Guided Meditations (67 min)
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Author: Dr Swami Shankardev Saraswati
- Level: All levels
- Access: Listen online via online portal/app or download MP3s
“Big Shakti's Yoga Nidra and Meditation provide effective methods for stress reduction and healing. Using Big Shakti’s guided meditations has noticeable results even after only a few weeks of regular practice. These include an improved sense of well-being, increased inner strength, calm and serenity, and improved stamina and ability to deal with stress and life challenges. Best of all, although simple, the techniques presented are powerful, based in the authentic tradition of tantric yoga, and thus different from many of the “new age” meditation instructions, which have a much more superficial effect on our mind-body system.”
Tamara Vokes M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine, USA
Yoga Nidra Meditation
Yoga Nidra is Big Shakti’s most popular guided meditation. Performed in the lying position, Yoga Nidra meditation reduces the negative effects of stress, eliminates fatigue, and relieves anxiety. It enables you to relax, rest, restore, recharge, and rejuvenate yourself. You will easily experience a profound sense of well-being that is hard to achieve with other forms of meditation.
Relax, Restore, Recharge, and Rejuvenate
The rest gained from 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra meditation is deeper and more effective than hours of sleep.
During the practice of Yoga Nidra meditation, your body enters a sleep-like state while your mind remains awake and aware. As a result, you release tension from the deepest layers of the body and mind.
Yoga Nidra systematically releases tension from the physical body and clears worry and anxiety from the mind. It quickly reduces excessive thinking and can release long held-tensions, unresolved toxic emotions, and painful childhood memories.
This profound state of relaxation automatically generates positive feelings and emotions.
Soothing, rhythmic instruction creates a deeply relaxing, altered state
In this guided relaxation meditation, the soothing voice and slow, rhythmic instructions of your guide enable you to quickly enter into deep relaxation.
By guiding your awareness through the physical body in a rhythmic and calming manner and moving systematically through the parts of your body, you turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, which governs the state of relaxation.
You then become aware of the rhythm of your breath, which automatically slows, deepening the state of rest and relaxation. As your body and breath calm down, your thinking mind relaxes. Turning off the mind allows your body to shift into a new state, one in which healing can take place.
Harness your willpower and intention
This practice guides you to harness your conscious intention and willpower, called sankalpa shakti in Sanskrit.
The sankalpa is a short positive sentence that articulates what you really want to achieve in your life, your purpose. The sankalpa is then repeated mentally to plant it deep into the unconscious, where it continues to work during the day and the night.
By aligning your conscious intentions with your innermost wishes, you'll unleash a wellspring of energy and motivation. This practice doesn't just set goals—it awakens the dormant force within you, capable of turning dreams into reality. Your life transforms in ways you never thought possible.
When to practice Yoga Nidra Meditation
Both tracks, Introduction to Meditation and Yoga Nidra, can be practiced any time it is convenient. Practice before breakfast to promote calmness and heightened focus. Practice Introduction to Meditation before sleep to promote deep, restful sleep and to awaken refreshed. Practice Yoga Nidra any time you are tired, upon waking, after lunch, or at work.
Yoga Nidra meditation, sleep and insomnia
Some people find that it is best not to do the complete practice of Yoga Nidra before sleep as they become so revitalized that they cannot sleep afterward. It is possible, however, to use the initial stages of Yoga Nidra, especially rotation of awareness through the parts of the body, to enter into a deep sleep. Experiment for yourself.
Many people with insomnia find that practicing either track is very helpful if they wake up during the night and cannot go back to sleep. Many students have reported to us that using these guided meditations are invaluable as an aid to relax deeply and to get back to sleep after they finish.
Yoga Nidra Practice Hints
By incorporating these practice hints into your routine, you can enhance your Yoga Nidra experience, deepen your relaxation, and achieve greater mental clarity and emotional balance.
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Create a Comfortable Space: Find a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Use a yoga mat, blanket, or cushion to support your body as you lie down. Yoga Nidra is best experienced lying on your back. However, it can be practiced in any comfortable position.
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Consistent Practice: Aim to practice Yoga Nidra at the same time each day if possible. Early morning or before bedtime are ideal times to integrate this practice into your routine.
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Stay Warm and Cozy: Keep a blanket nearby to stay warm, as your body temperature may drop during deep relaxation.
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Use a Gentle Alarm: If you’re practicing before sleep, use a gentle alarm to wake yourself if you tend to fall asleep during the meditation. This helps you complete the session and reap its full benefits.
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Set an Intention (Sankalpa): Begin each session by setting a positive intention or affirmation. This Sankalpa should be a short, clear statement that resonates deeply with you.
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Remain Awake and Aware: The goal of Yoga Nidra is to stay conscious and aware while deeply relaxed. If you find yourself falling asleep, gently bring your focus back to the guided instructions.
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Mindful Breathing: Focus on your breath throughout the practice. Deep, slow breathing helps facilitate relaxation and keeps your mind centered.
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Avoid Heavy Meals: Practicing after eating causes some people to sleep. Practicing on an empty stomach or a couple of hours after a meal enhances your ability to remain awake and aware.
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Listen with Headphones: Using headphones can help you fully immerse yourself in the guided meditation and minimize external distractions.
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Be Patient and Gentle with Yourself: If your mind wanders or you fall asleep, be patient. Gently guide your attention back to the meditation without self-judgment.
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Keep a Journal: After each session, jot down any thoughts, emotions, or sensations you experienced. Over time, this can help you track your progress and insights gained from the practice.
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Progress at Your Own Pace: Follow the guided tracks according to your need. Progress at a pace that feels right for you.
Start your journey to deep relaxation with the...
Start your journey to deep relaxation with the...
Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation
This guided meditation series helps you manage stress, eliminate fatigue, and achieve a deep sense of calm and well-being.
Experience the most powerful relaxation technique on the planet.
Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation
This guided meditation series helps you manage stress, eliminate fatigue, and achieve a deep sense of calm and well-being.
Experience the most powerful relaxation technique on the planet.
“Thank you so much, Big Shakti, for your excellent Yoga Nidra relaxation meditations. I have practiced Yoga Nidra almost daily for a year now, and it has brought me out of a severe exhaustion and depression. I have learned so much about myself and the importance of relaxation from this wonderful transformative practice. It's also made me a much better yoga teacher, as I now feel much freer from my own tensions and repressions. I also more fully understand the depth of exhaustion in our culture, and the importance of true deep relaxation. I also realize that we hold tensions on many levels, some very deep and subtle and not easily accessed or even recognized by us. This Yoga Nidra practice reaches those places and allows us to let go and release. I have done some psychotherapy work, and have found the Yoga Nidra practice to be a much easier and actually delightful way to let repressed "holdings" just bubble to the surface and be released! It's so easy this way! I am so happy to be able to share this with my yoga students. Thank you from all of us.”
Nancy Schalk (Narayani)
Yoga Teacher, USA
Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation Track Guide
Track 1. Talk on Meditation and Yoga Nidra
This lecture introduces the subject of Yoga Nidra and Meditation. It describes how the main benefit of these practices, increased awareness, is the ability to feel, experience, and understand more of yourself and life. Developing self-awareness is vital if you want to live a happy, creative, and fulfilled life. Learn how meditation can help you to cultivate this essential self-awareness and how you can use it to explore a healthier, more satisfying, and more intelligent way of living. This talk provides an understanding of what relaxation meditation and Yoga Nidra can do to improve your life.
Sample Audio:
Track 2. Introduction to Meditation
This Introduction to Meditation is beneficial for both beginner and advanced meditators. It offers a firm foundation for any style of meditation. Even experienced meditators need to improve their basic skills and deepen their relaxation, breathing, and mindfulness.
This guided meditation practice teaches the essential elements required to create a calm, energized center and a deeply enjoyable and refreshing meditative state. It teaches you how to find your correct sitting position so that you can sit comfortably while you engage your breath and mind in meditation. It also supports you in using your breath for healing and energizing your body and mind. This practice does not require you to stop your thoughts, rather, it teaches you how to cultivate a relaxed, stress-free state and heightened awareness.
Track 3. Yoga Nidra
This Yoga Nidra meditation technique brings about a profound therapeutic transformation. It combines the best of classical Yoga Nidra with a powerful healing process. Yoga Nidra is one of the deepest, most effective forms of relaxation combined with meditation and the development of greater self-awareness.
This Yoga Nidra focuses on the rotation of awareness through the parts of your body and breath awareness. It has been proven to remove the exhaustion of modern living, to give you the energy to work more effectively and to engage with life with greater joy. Once you have removed exhaustion and recuperated your energy, you can use this Yoga Nidra and the more advanced Yoga Nidras on this website to develop powerful internal awareness and great mental strength.
Sample Audio:
“As an educator, I believe that Big Shakti's Yoga Nidra and Introduction to Meditation is one of the most transformative tools I have ever encountered. It stands as the perfect educational meditation practice, and I firmly believe that every high school should incorporate it into their curriculum. What I appreciate most about this meditation is its complete absence of religious connotations, making it accessible and suitable for anyone, regardless of their beliefs or background. The language used throughout the practice is clear and easy to understand, ensuring that its message can be grasped by all. I recall sending a copy of this meditation to Hungary, and even those with limited English proficiency were able to comprehend its teachings in their entirety. This is a testament to the universal nature of the wisdom shared through this practice.”
Eva Pozniak
Teacher, Australia
BIG SHAKTI YOGA NIDRA MEDITATIONS
BIG SHAKTI YOGA NIDRA MEDITATIONS
What Others Are Saying
What Others Are Saying
Achieve Profound Relaxation and Healing
Achieve Profound Relaxation and Healing
Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation
Experience the benefits of Yoga Nidra with our expertly guided meditations. Feel more grounded, centered, and resilient as you release deep-seated tension and stress from your body and mind. Transform your mind and uplift your emotions. Gain greater mental clarity and inner peace.
Meditation Pack Includes:
Talk on Meditation & Yoga Nidra – 11min 26sec
Introduction to Meditation – 26 min
Yoga Nidra Meditation – 30 min
Introduction to Yoga Nidra and Meditation
Experience the benefits of Yoga Nidra with our expertly guided meditations. Feel more grounded, centered, and resilient as you release deep-seated tension and stress from your body and mind. Transform your mind and uplift your emotions. Gain greater mental clarity and inner peace.
Meditation Pack Includes:
Talk on Meditation & Yoga Nidra – 11min 26sec
Introduction to Meditation – 26 min
Yoga Nidra Meditation – 30 min
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