Awaken Your Unconscious with Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra meditation is much more than a simple yet powerful relaxation meditation technique. Yoga Nidra is most commonly used to gain deep rest, re-energize, and rejuvenate the body and mind, that is, to remove the negative effects of stress.

Once you have progressed through the initial phase of relaxation and rejuvenation, you can use Yoga Nidra to connect your awareness to your subconscious and deeper unconscious, which contains your greatest strengths, abilities, knowledge, and wisdom. You can create stronger connections to this part of you by regularly practising Yoga Nidra to develop your intuition and expand your sense of self.

Yoga Nidra enables you to access your unconscious by teaching you how to remain awake and aware as you relax deeply.

Yoga Nidra is a powerful relaxation meditation technique that enables you to remove tensions from the body, mind, emotions, and the deeper psyche. It guides you systematically through the layers of your being so that you feel where you are holding tensions. The powerful rhythmic process that you enter into then enables the release of these tensions. You will come out of the practice feeling relaxed, revitalized, and rejuvenated.

In the higher stages of Yoga Nidra meditation, you aim to remain relaxed, awake, and aware, even while you are in a deep sleep state. This exalted state of consciousness is equivalent to the highest states of yoga and meditation.

Awaken Your Unconscious with Yoga Nidra Meditation

Yoga Nidra, often referred to as yogic sleep, is a powerful meditation technique that allows you to tap into the deeper layers of your consciousness. It is a state of conscious relaxation that lies between wakefulness and sleep, where the mind is exceptionally receptive and open.

Here’s how you can awaken your unconscious with Yoga Nidra meditation:

1. Create a Relaxing Environment

Set up a quiet, comfortable space where you won’t be disturbed. Use a yoga mat, blanket, or cushion to lie down on, and ensure the room is at a comfortable temperature. Dim the lights or use an eye mask to block out light.

2. Set an Intention (Sankalpa)

Before you begin, set a positive intention or Sankalpa. This is a short, affirmative statement that reflects your deepest desires or goals. The Sankalpa is a powerful tool that can help reprogram your unconscious mind and manifest your intentions. Repeat your Sankalpa mentally a few times with conviction.

3. Lie Down and Relax

Lie down on your back in Shavasana (Corpse Pose) with your arms at your sides, palms facing up. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, allowing your body to relax completely. Bring your awareness to your breath, noticing the natural rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.

4. Body Scan

Begin a systematic body scan, bringing your attention to different parts of your body one by one. Start from your toes and work your way up to your head, mentally noting each part and encouraging it to relax. This process helps to release physical tension and prepares the mind for deeper relaxation.

5. Rotation of Consciousness

Guided by a teacher or a recording, you will be led through a rotation of consciousness, where your awareness is directed to specific body parts in a particular sequence. This technique further deepens the state of relaxation and helps to withdraw the mind from external distractions.

6. Awareness of Breath

Focus on your breath, observing the natural flow of inhalation and exhalation. Notice the sensations of the breath as it moves in and out of your body. You may also be guided to visualize the breath moving through different parts of your body, enhancing your connection with your inner self.

7. Visualization

The guide may lead you through a series of visualizations, using vivid mental images to evoke feelings and sensations. These visualizations can help to unlock memories, emotions, and thoughts stored in the unconscious mind, facilitating deep healing and self-awareness.

8. Revisit Your Sankalpa

Towards the end of the session, revisit your Sankalpa. Mentally repeat your intention with conviction, allowing it to sink deeply into your unconscious mind. This reinforces the positive programming and helps to manifest your desires.

9. Gradual Return to Wakefulness

Slowly bring your awareness back to your physical body and the present moment. Wiggle your fingers and toes, stretch your body gently, and take a few deep breaths. When you feel ready, open your eyes and sit up slowly.

10. Reflect on Your Experience

Take a few moments to reflect on your experience. Notice any insights, emotions, or sensations that arose during the practice. Journaling about your experience can help to integrate the insights gained from the session into your conscious awareness.

Important Stages of Yoga Nidra Meditation

Before you begin, take notice of the following integral stages to get the most from your experience. 

Stage 1: Stay awake and aware in Yoga Nidra meditation

Most people fall asleep when they relax, so the first stage of learning Yoga Nidra is to practice remaining awake and aware. This has many physical and psychological health benefits that evolve as you discover more and more of the hidden treasures that lie dormant inside you.

Remaining awake is the key to becoming aware of the tensions you habitually hold that corrode your health and vitality. Awareness is the greatest healer because when you become aware of something, you can make positive, creative changes that support better health and that optimize your life.

Start using Yoga Nidra Meditation to experience profound relaxation, recuperation, and healing benefits.

Stage 2: Create a powerful resolve, called a Sankalpa in Sanskrit

The second stage of Yoga Nidra meditation is to learn how to create and use a resolve called a Sankalpa in Sanskrit.

Sankalpa is the Sanskrit word for a resolve formed into a statement of intent. The Sankalpa is a statement of intent that is linked to something you really want in your life. While you are in a state of deep relaxation during Yoga Nidra, you can say a word or phrase that encapsulates a desire or something you deeply wish for. This desire may be small or grand and becomes planted in the deeper mind, eventually empowering your most cherished desires and heartfelt purpose. When you have planted the sankalpa into the deep unconscious mind, your psyche, it continues to function in your psyche, harnessing the powers, skills, and intuition you need to fulfill this Sankalpa.

A strong sankalpa empowers you to focus on what you truly want and mobilizes you to actualize your desire.

How do I choose a Sankalpa?

For many people, the Sankalpa is a concept that is not well understood. Many people, even advanced yoga practitioners, use the sankalpa for years without it ever coming to fruition. They remain unfulfilled despite having what they believe is a worthy sankalpa.

To be effective, the Sankalpa has to be true to your nature and your dharma, and you need to understand how to enact it.

Formulating a Sankalpa occurs in three steps:

• Examine your desires and choose one.
• Imagine what is required to achieve your goal.
• Articulate your desire as a short, simple, positive sentence that reminds you of your goal.

Repeat the Sankalpa mentally before and after practising Yoga Nidra meditation or any other meditation technique. The Sankalpa is powerful because it is linked to something that you really want in your life. A good Sankalpa will also help you to remain awake as you go within.

Use a Sankalpa to connect to your unconscious, intuitive self.

By constantly repeating the same sankalpa in Yoga Nidra meditation practice until the desire is fulfilled, thoughts and feelings associated with the Sankalpa continue to operate at the junction between your conscious and subconscious mind while you are engaged in your day-to-day activities. You can easily remember your Sankalpa when you need it, for example, when you feel low, lost, or confused. Over time, you begin to embody this connection with the subconscious mind, which is far more powerful than your conscious mind.

Learn more about Yoga Nidra and other powerful Meditation practices

To learn more about creating a powerful Sankalpa, read How to find your life purpose - your Dharma.

We have also created a powerful Find Life Purpose Online Course that will guide you systematically into the theory and practices that enable you to find your life purpose and create a powerful Sankalpa that will carry you to your goal.

To learn more about Yoga Nidra meditation, the other forms of meditation that we teach here at Big Shakti, see our range of Guided Yoga Meditations and Transformational Courses.