Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a profoundly transformative practice that leads to lasting psychological, physical and spiritual healing. It accomplishes this through two parallel approaches: the release of long-held negative beliefs that give rise to self-destructive patterns, and, through meditative self-inquiry, the realization of one’s true nature. True freedom arrives when conditioned patterns of who we think we are give way to living and relating from our core center. Yoga Nidra, an ancient technique from the tantric wisdom teachings, is a simple but highly refined process we use to welcome, explore, and heal dysfunctional states of body, mind and emotion.
In Yoga Nidra we explore the roots of conditioning that give rise to misperceptions that underlie dissatisfaction, anxiety, fear and suffering. These include sensation, energy, emotion, cognition, imagery, joyful equanimity and ego-identification, and patterns of shame, blame and guilt. Psychological and physical healing spontaneously arise when these changing states of consciousness are brought into awareness and then are naturally transcended as we rest in that which is free of all resistance. (Adapted from Richard Miller's website, www.nondual.com.)
Yoga Nidra as a tool for healing post-traumatic stress in active duty soldiers is currently being studied at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Bethesda, MD. This is one of several planned studies to assess the efficacy of Yoga Nidra for the treatment of various issues. Richard Miller, who is acting as a research consultant, developed the protocol used in these studies.
Practitioners rest on the floor with a pillow under the head and under the knees, a blanket cover and an eye bag to soften the eyes and the thinking mind. The teacher then leads a deeply relaxing mediation. Students report deep relaxation and a sense of peaceful acceptance.
Everyone is welcome! Call 217-698-8177 or email info@namasteyoga.com.
