Yoga Nidra - or yogic sleep - is a form of guided meditation.

Nidra Meditation is a method of Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses) that allows you to scan the body and tap into a state of relaxed consciousness as the mind settles in a place between wakefulness and sleep. Yoga Nidra works on the central nervous system and helps to relax the body from the inside out. The central nervous system is the main hub for all subconscious and conscious behavior and includes voluntary action and involuntary action.

In Tantra Yoga, the Panchamaya Kosha System is the system that is used to access subtle bodies, and it includes the physical body (Annamaya), energetic body (Pranamaya), mental body (Manomaya), intellectual body (Vijnanamaya), and bliss body (Anandamaya). The central nervous system is accessed by moving through the layers of the body, typically from the outside layers to the inner layers. In yoga, we have many practices that come together to help achieve union. These practices include moral observances and spiritual practices unique to each practitioner, physical practice, breath practice, mental practices using the senses, and states of being that move from concentration, meditation, and union. By moving from the projected thinking-mind to the physical body and, eventually, through the energetic body to the mental body, we can begin to communicate with ourselves on a cellular level. At my weekly hosted Yoga Nidra Meditation and Sound Bath, you can cozy up with your pillows and blankets, select from a variety of crystals or essential oils to heighten your experience, and enjoy the healing sounds of crystal singing bowls following your practice to seal your intentions for the night.