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YOGA
WHAT IS YOGA
Yoga is primarily a practice intended to make someone wiser, more able to understand things than they were before. Asana (postures) can help in this and that is wonderful, however there are many aspects of yoga that can be the means instead.
Yoga is not fixed. Yoga is creation. Each teacher has different experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives on yoga and why it is important for us. The Yoga Sutra say that each person gets different things from the same teaching based on his or her own perspective. There is nothing wrong with this, this is how it is.
No one can practice every kind of yoga. It needs to be right for the person. The where and how the practice of yoga shall begin….should we always begin on the physical level?
It may be that in practicing the asana, one begins to understand yoga through the experience of the body. Or it could begin with meditating, pranayama (the breath), or with a study of the Yoga Sutra of Pantanjali which emphasize all aspects of human life. The Yoga Sutra text seems to me to be the most important text as a guide to yogic practice, defining yoga as the ability to direct the mind without distraction or interruption.
Yoga attempts to create a state in which we are always present, in every action, in every movement. Although it theoretically appears possible for body, breath and mind to work independent of one another, the purpose of yoga is to unify their actions.
Many interpretations of the word yoga have been handed down over the centuries. “Union”, “to unite”, “to come together”, “to tie the strands of the mind together”. Once the mental strands come together to form an intention, we are ready to begin the physical work.
There are no prerequisites for beginning yoga. We begin where we are and how we are. Remember that yoga is a practice of observing yourself without judgment.
I can help you find your own way, your own dharma, to what is suitable and most beneficial for your personal growth and experience.
MEET ME ON THE MAT
Where we set intentions, practice without judgment, trust the process and come home to ourselves. Are you in?
YOGA NIDRA
The Yogic Sleep
Yoga Nidra is the state of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. It is a powerful technique in which you learn to relax consciously. A systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. A state of receptivity and potentiality.
True relaxation is an experience far beyond collapsing in an easy chair. For absolute relaxation you must remain aware. This is Yoga Nidra, the state of dynamic sleep...sleep with a trace of awareness. Science calls it the “hypnogogic state”, during which time we can release muscle tension, mind chatter, toxic patterns, suppressed emotions and much more.
A single hour of Yoga Nidra is as restful as four hours of conventional sleep. Relaxation does not mean sleep, rather it means to be blissfully happy. Bliss is absolute relaxation, after throwing off the burdens....It has no end.
Yoga Nidra is derived from two Sanskrit words...yoga meaning “union” or “one-pointedness” and nidra which means sleep. During the practice, one appears to be asleep however, the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness. This state of relaxation is reached by turning inwards, away from outer experiences.
Yoga Nidra is one aspect of pratyahara, a “withdrawal of the five senses”, which leads to higher states of concentration and samadhi, a “unification of the mind”. Yoga Nidra is the doorway to samadhi. The subconsciousness and the unconscious mind are the most powerful forces in the human being. Through the practice of Yoga Nidra we are not only relaxing, but restructuring and transforming our whole being from within, re-aligning ourselves with our natural state, where we may then begin to act on those ideals in which we believe.
In Yoga Nidra, one of the most effective means of training the mind is found in setting your Sankalpa, a Sanskrit word that translates to “resolve” or “resolution” which you make for yourself during each practice when your mind is calm and quiet. Its purpose is to create strength in the mind. If you prepare the mind and sow the Seed of your Sankalpa properly, it will grow and become a powerful directive in your life.
Yoga Nidra is not hypnosis. In hypnosis, the therapist generally dominates the mind and will of the subject. Yoga Nidra does not depend on suggestion and persuasion. The only suggestion during Yoga Nidra practice is contained in the Sankalpa, the “resolve”, which is made entirely by the student. The Yoga Nidra Instructor is only a Guide, giving the technique, which leads the mind to illumination and independence of judgement. The student consciously cultivates his/her own inner faculties and allows the intuitive inner knowledge to blossom forth.
Yoga Nidra is a transformational tool and its process is not only much quicker than other systems which work on an external basis only, but the results are more reliable and permanent.
Are you ready to Melt into Meditation and experience the deeper dive that is Yoga Nidra? The entrance to the sanctuary is inside you. I would love to be your Gentle Guide in this art of stillness.
