Photo by David Newkirk
A Different Kind of Meditation
Yoga Nidra is one of my favorite forms of meditation. It's taught me more about myself and the Universe than any other practice. It is varies quite a bit from other meditation disciplines in some important ways. For one, it acts like a guided meditation for the most part. For two you are encouraged to lie down on the floor and close your eyes when you practice it You had me at lie down! And for three, it uses relaxation instead of fierce focus to lead practitioners to Awareness
One of the most fascinating things about Yoga Nidra is that it acts like a bridge, connecting seemingly separate parts of our being so that we can experience the non-dual part of us, that which eternal, the grand Singularity of the Universe, Awareness itself. Stay with me…
Yoga Nidra as a Bridge
Yoga Nidra bridges the waking and dreaming mind. In fact, Yoga Nidra means the practice of coming into Oneness (Yoga) by using the Nidra (sleeping) state of mind. While Nidra is often translated as sleep, in actuality it means something closer to daydream, specifically that hypnagogic, liminal state between waking and dreaming consciousness.
Yoga Nidra acts like a bridge between your infinite and finite parts of being so you can experience the transcendent feeling of being BOTH an infinite being, Source, the Everything of the Universe AND a finite expression of Source that has a body, opinions, and has to wake up early on Tuesdays cuz it’s your turn to carpool the kids to school.
Using this in-between state of consciousness, Yoga Nidra also helps to bridge your conscious and unconscious mind. Sometimes when you build the bridge between these two states of your consciousness, the two sides can have a conversation together and your conscious mind can sometimes hear your own deep inner wisdom speaking from deep within your unconscious mind.
Yoga Nidra has taught me volumes about myself. It’s help me to bridge the gap between my practical and spiritual self, helped me to bridge the gap between feeling separate from and one with the Universe, and because of the bridge it’s given my conscious and unconscious mind to converse, I’ve learned some fascinating things about myself taught to me from my own deeper inner-wisdom.
The Bridge to What You Already Have
Lastly, one of the coolest things about Yoga and Yoga Nidra is that it’s not giving you anything that you don’t already possess. These practices merely uncover the blinders from you seeing your True Self.
May we always be searching for our most true, infinite, and wise self. If you’re interested, here’s a free Yoga Nidra recording that leads you to hear the wise inner teacher inside of you. Enjoy and please tell me what you think.
Scott Moore Yoga (Photo by Alex Adams)
Scott Moore is a senior teacher of yoga and mindfulness in the US (New York, Salt Lake City, LA) and abroad and the author of Practical Yoga Nidra: The 10-Step Method to Reduce Stress, Improve Sleep, and Restore Your Spirit. When he's not teaching or conducting retreats, or traveling to teach, he also writes for Conscious Life News, Elephant Journal, Mantra Magazine, Medium, and his own blog at scottmooreyoga.com. Scott also loves to run, play the saxophone, and travel with his wife and son. Check out his yoga retreats and trainings in places like Tuscany, France, and Hong Kong , his online Yoga Nidra Course and his Yoga Teacher Mentor Program. Scott currently lives in Southern France with his wife and son.
