Yoga nidra dates back thousands of years; it refers to the conscious awareness within the state of deep sleep. It is the third of the four levels of consciousness. Yoga nidra utilizes a specific center of the body's chakras, or energy centers, in order to reach this level of consciousness.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra is practiced in order to attain quietness, calmness and clarity. It is considered by many yogis to be one of the deepest levels of meditation. Yoga nidra literally means yogic sleep. It is a state of mind that leaves the waking state behind, passes through the dreaming state and moves into deepest sleep. It is used by many yogis to purify the samkaras -- these are the underlying forces of karma. Yoga nidra differs from other forms of yoga in three main ways. It is a complete method of attaining complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation while also maintain a deep level of awareness. It can be used as a means to manifest any physical, mental or spiritual desire. It can help to rebalance karma.
The Eight Stages
According to Armand Sagredo, co-founder and Director of Prana Yoga College, Canada's only accredited college of yoga teacher training, there are eight separate stages to the practice of yoga nidra. The first is the relaxation of the body. The second involves the silent declaration of a personal goal. The third is the process of moving the consciousness throughout the whole body. The fourth step focuses the consciousness on respiration. Step five takes the consciousness through the opposite pairs of positive and negative emotions. The sixth step involves the creative visualization of angels or spirit guides. The seventh step is a repetition of affirmations and the final step is the gradual return to full awareness.
Chakras
The chakras are energy channels that run throughout the whole body. Each one is connected to a vial organ and all chakras are connected to each other. In the practice of yoga, you may concentrate on a specific chakra related to the state of consciousness that you wish to attain. The different states of consciousness are waking, dreaming and sleeping in the case of yoga nidra.
The Heart Chakra
To practice yoga nidra, empty consciousness into the space between the breasts where the hart chakra lies. This is the chakra where consciousness operates during the state of deep sleep. The heart chakra's color is green or deep red. It is associated with the aroma of rose, the metal copper and the planet Venus. The emotion of the heart chakra is unconditional love.
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