Relaxing in Yoga Nidra

Relaxation is essential to the Yoga Nidra practice. Yoga Nidra is relaxation. Deep relaxation. As you begin to settle in at the beginning of a Yoga Nidra class, you may hear the phrase "release and relax." Some of us at some time find releasing and relaxing hard to do. With practice relaxation does become easier.

Just what does release and relax mean? Releasing means letting go of tension and tightness in the body. It means letting go of tight spaces in the body. Releasing the tension in the muscles helping your mind to settle in deeper.

Relaxing is a whole other matter. Yoga Nidra exists so that we can explore a profound tranquil state of being. We start the relaxation process at the very beginning of Yoga Nidra and continue deepening it throughout the practice.

Deep relaxation in Yoga Nidra is a structured process that unfolds into a full state of relaxation, thus allowing for real rejuvenation and change.

We start this process by beginning to settle in with our props, pillows and blankets. We continue it on through sankalpa, rotation of consciousness (body scan), through to the breath the subtle body and so forth.

Tracee Stanley (2021) posits that "as we journey through the subtle body rotating conscious awareness may extend to our physical body, our thoughts, and our spirituality."

Essentially, the releasing & relaxing moves us forward through a full Yoga Nidra adventure. Thereby, relaxation helps us to overcome decades of ingrained behaviors that may not quite serve us now. It is this deep relaxation that allows us to let go and receive the full benefits of Yoga Nidra. It takes time, it takes practice.

Resources & Other Readings

Stanley, T. (2021). Radiant Rest (p. 51). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.