Yoga Nidra (Sanskrit: योग निद्रा) is a form of guided meditation that allows the practitioners to withdraw there senses to focus inward. Yoga Nidra brings the practitioners into the state in between sleep and consciousness often including body scanning. Yoga Nidra is opposite to traditional yoga in the sense that you do not bring the focus inward to a single point, but rather work through layers of awareness until you reach a final focus. These layers make the practitioner increasingly aware of their inner world in order to achieve relaxation. This form of meditation is said to relieve stress and has been practiced for thousands of years. Recently, the US army have used Yoga Nidra to help soldiers recover from post traumatic stress.
I personally love this form of meditation and have used it a lot in the past. I found this first in high school, where one of my favorite teachers introduced it to me. I find it offers me a level of relaxation that the other forms of meditation have not, but I am cautious not to do it when I am too tired, as I have a tendency to fall asleep. One of the great Yoga Nidra practices I used this week is linked below.
