After our Yoga Nidra meditation classes in Yoga Vidya, Bad Meinberg, I bought the first of the Yoga Nidra CDs of Swami Prakashananda Saraswati. I practised Yoga Nidra a few times after hiking in the mountains. (We did a 5-day trip where we walked from mountain hut to mountain hut in the French Alps). It was physically challenging because we had heavy backpacks and needed to climb lots of height meter every day. So lying down on my mattress in the mountain hut with my headphones and practising Yoga Nidra became a real treat of relaxation and rest. It was wonderful. And I clearly had the feeling that I had a great rest and felt less tired afterwards.I could observe that my body was asleep but something in me was still awake following the guidance of the Yoga Nidra teacher.

This brings me to my next observation: I can see how I was and still am sceptic to the concept of resting without sleeping. In my universe until now, the idea of profound rest and restoration is totally connected to sleep. I have a hard time to believe that one can be resting and truly recovering without sleeping. But I realise that I had some Yoga Nidra experiences in the mountains and one at home after which I felt very revitalised. My feeling is that I have still some “work” (i.e. meditation) to do to really integrate the experience and the trust into my world that sometimes a yoga Nidra session can be better or just like an hour of sleep. (This being said, I also had one experience lately where I felt as tired after Yoga Nidra than before.)

I hope you’re enjoying your traveling around Europe, meeting nice people and sharing beautiful experiences. I wish you all the best and hope to meet you a second time in this life!

When i first got in touch with Yoga Nidra i fell assleep… By the time and with some training it got easier to stay awake. I felt this undescribable, deep relaxiation that filled my whole body. I felt like floating or sometimes a feeling of sweet heaviness in the body, that i couldnt and even didnt want to move.
Times runs so fast when practicing Yoga Nidra. It feels like a lying a short time but i know it must be longer. The feeling for time seems to disappears. I feel very refreshed after a Yoga Nidra session and sorrows that bothered me before seem far away or smaller. Some Sankalpas worked in my life, some not. But i found out that even using Sankalpa at normal daily basis sometimes worked immediatly.

When the Yoga Nidra session is to long, i feel a heavy pain at the back of my head, where it`s tounching the ground. And even when i use a pillar my whole body starts to ache. It feels like the body gets stiff, or it vibrates and cramps a bit. The sweet heavyness vanishes and the stiffness comes instead. Also i am unable to produce feelings on my own as asked in the Yoga Nidra practice. I can not produce heat or cold, heavyness or lightness, pain or even happyness on my own, it feels like i am far away from this, dissconnected.

The week at YogaVidya Nordsee was amazing. We were lucky to have Swami Yatidharmananda there and to listen to his interesting and wise stories, which he told with a lot of humor. He has a beautiful toughing voice and a powerful way to drum, he deepened the rituals of Sudarsh and of any Satsang. One day I joined his Yoga Nidra session and I was deeply and benefited by this experience. Thank you so much, dear Swami, this time means a lot to me.

Once, during a Yin Yoga class about two month ago, my teacher did a 20 minute Yoga Nidra “travel” with us. This short sequence was impressive. The focus were on the third eye and after she was telling us these key-words like: waves, a rose, a driving car, … there happened something at the surface and of my third eye and went into it: There was a hugh release, like something opened up. It was a physically effective but till now I couldn´t really decide if it was either a physical or an energetic release – or both ;

This kind of experience I had as well in your Yoga Nidra class and it was even more impressive: At one point I could feel something… how can I describe…like a stripe 

of a strong material, which consistence I don´t know. It was like a shell in front of my heart. And then, softly, it disappeared and I could feel my heart better and the connection to the universe within it self.

The way of relaxation, this guidance throughout the body, the focus in relaxation, breath or particular parts like third eye, heart and so on, is a great way to relax on a deep level and to charge my whole system with energy. I’ m really grateful for that. You know, I live in Hamburg, a rather big busy city, where it’s so easy to loose oneself in the whole bustle. Sometimes when I wait e.g. for the green traffic light or in a line at the store I remind myself in charging myself with this pure, powerful and (at the same time) soothing energy. (I assume it’s soothing as well, because it’s a direct link to my inner self and then – to all.) This is so much better than to be attached on my monkey mind! Hopefully I can practice this even more!

Now, back in the everyday life, I practice Yoga Nidra on a nearly daily basis with some Yoga Nidra recordings. (It´s not the same like if you or my teacher conducting it, but it works too.)

Of course I don´t want to loose these healing, linking effects to let grow my ability to love myself and the others or better: us : )

Thank you so much for these important experiences. All the best for you on your way, warmly

My Yoga Nidra session I expierenced the pleasure to move around outside the body, wherever my antfasy and the pictures that where given took me. By “leaving” the body, my body turned really peaceful. Those where good “journeys” and I felt light afterwards.
One Yoga Nidra session was special to me, I think it also had something to do with the pudjas and workshops given by the brahmin priest before that. When I reached the top of that mountan in a mental visualisation, I had the strong impression of my anahata chakra moving like a wheel and out of somewhere my mind started to chant ” OM namah sivaya”. That was a gift.
The expierience of beeing there and at the same time beeing everywhere.

I felt good to just lie on the floor, it gave me a feeling of ‘Now i can let go, i don’t have to do anything then lying on the floor’. At the same time i felt enclosed. Kind of caged into my body. This scared me in some moments. To not move, just lying with total awareness. In a way there was a kind of pressure. “Now i am a spiritual being” 🙂 it was not easy to lie.
During the exercise i could relax more or better to say, i accepted the fact to be there in this moment. And i recognized some limits in my mind. Accepting the moment was/is also hard for me. I get sad very easily. Something is missing. And i feel pain.
This is the fact in my everyday life. I feel pain. And during Yoga Nidra the pain could release, i was also crying.
I felt very close to my feelings. My emotions are also dominating me, i think. I react very emotionally.
So, i liked your way of speaking. You are, in my opinion, a very open, relaxed and funny person 🙂
I mean, i simply liked your way to lead this Yoga Nidra lesson.
You were completly THERE and i felt it.
This gave me peace and joy!

I felt good to just lying on the floor, it gave me a feeling of ‘Now i can let go, i don’t have to do anything than lying on the floor’. At the same time i felt enclosed, kind of caged into my body. This scared me in some moments. To not move, just lying with total awareness. In a way there was a kind of pressure. “Now i am a spiritual being” 🙂 it was not easy lying down.
During the exercise I could relax more or better to say, I accepted the fact to be there in this moment. And I recognized some limits in my mind. Accepting the moment was/is also hard for me. I get sad very easily. Something is missing. And I feel pain.
This is the fact in my everyday life. I feel pain. And during Yoga Nidra the pain could release, I was also crying.
I felt very close to my feelings. My emotions are also dominating me, I think. I react very emotionally.
So, I liked your way of speaking. You are, in my opinion, a very open, relaxed and funny person 🙂
I mean, I simply liked your way to lead this Yoga Nidra lesson. You were completely THERE and I felt it. This gave me peace and joy!

Om, Om, Om Swamiji. First I would like to thank you for the wonderful Yoga Nidra seminar. It was exactly at the right time for me. Since I have a lot of stress at work, I find it difficult to let go of these thoughts. After the Yoga Nidra I could fall asleep very easily. But the last few times I have always woken up at night and notice that the thoughts are briefly present, but then disappear again. Once I had a restless sleep after Yoga Nidra and in my dream I saw a simple hut, the earth was reddish and then I saw a lot of butter lamps.

Over all Yoga Nidra was very helpful to me, I was able to let go of my thoughts and relax. A wonderful basis for further meditation.

The seminar was very helpful to me. I am very interested in learning more about Yoga Nidra and got the book “Yoga Nidra” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati “. It’s a shame that your seminar will be over soon, a continuation would be great!

Much love in Om, stay healthy.

 

Greetings from Germany

 

Ananta