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Yoga Nidra is yogic sleep. But, it’s a sort of sleepless sleep. You are awake and at the same time you are sleeping. The scriptures call it “jagrat sushupti,” awakened sleep. You sleep, but you don’t sleep. During regular sleep, you sleep but you don’t know that you’re sleeping. Only after you wake up do you realize that you were sleeping. But in Yoga Nidra you are sleeping and you know that you are sleeping and that is what is called  “samadhi,” sleepless sleep. One of the great South Indian saints sang, “When am I going to find the joy of sleeping without sleep?”

In samadhi you experience yourself as the Knower, as Consciousness, and you become aware of your mind sleeping, while you are awake. In Yoga Nidra you more or less go very close to that. You relax your body, relax your mind, and you just be. Who are you being? You are not being somebody; you are being the real you, the Self. When you are there like that during Yoga Nidra, you know that your body is relaxed, you know that your mind is relaxed, you recognize yourself as the Knower of everything. That is why Yoga Nidra essentially becomes a meditation. In your regular meditation practice, this should happen also—you become aware that you are Awareness, you are the Self. And that experience is what is called samadhi.

The process of Yoga Nidra can help you become aware of changes in the body and fluctuations in the mind, without your identifying with these. If you want to be peaceful always, identify yourself as the ever-peaceful witness within: You are not the body, not the mind, not the senses, not the ego. You can simply watch them as you recognize that you are the Seer, the Knower. That is what you call, knowing your Self and this is the goal of Yoga.

During Yoga Nidra, you become the observer of what’s happening within you. As you systematically relax your body you also observe this process. You are cultivating awareness and attuning yourself to that awareness. You then begin to watch your breath, bringing awareness to each inhalation and exhalation. And then, at a certain point, you become the observer of your own thoughts. By doing so, you begin to separate yourself from the thoughts. Then, you can rest in this awareness for a while.

What you experience during Yoga Nidra is something you are supposed to experience throughout your daily life. For example, during the day you can become aware of the movements of your body and mind: “Now I am observing my body waking up, now I am observing my mind getting agitated, now I am observing my mind is thinking of my job, now I am observing my mind is thinking of the afternoon plan, now I am observing my stomach is complaining that it hasn’t eaten anything.”

And then, “Now I am observing that my body is walking toward the restaurant. Now I am observing my hand is picking up the food. Now I am observing my hand is putting the food into my mouth, and I am observing my mouth chewing the food.” See? You can still do the same Yoga Nidra. Yes. As you were observing the relaxing process during your formal practice, now you are observing the acting process throughout your day.

That’s what we are supposed to do. But, unfortunately, it seems it is only there when we formally practice Yoga. By the practice of Yoga Nidra, we learn to be relaxed all through our lives—all through the day and in whatever we do. Then, we will be in constant communion with God. It is this communion that is called Yoga. So, Yoga helps us in being in constant touch with God, even during your daily activities. That’s why I say we have to practice Yoga always.

By Sri Swami Satchidananda

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(Photo by Bill Geoghegan for Yogaville)

Many years ago, I took other types of Yoga but also just regular Integral Yoga Hatha classes. And I noticed whenever I left an Integral Yoga class, I just felt so incredible. Everything was moving in slow motion, I was floating and everything was totally clear. I was stunned. I was like, what is this? I did Hatha Yoga at home. I did it in other places and the postures were not making me feel this way. So I started to pay attention and I realized at some point that it was the Yoga Nidra.

Part of the reason I teach this is first of all, it just feels so good. I love it. It can make you feel so fantastic. Another piece is that it’s so accessible. People who have a lot of trouble sitting in formal meditation can do this practice and get a lot out of it. Any kind of yoga is a mind-body practice. To me, the idea that with your mind you can change your inner state so profoundly is really exciting. Although at a basic level we’re just talking about feeling good, you can actually make significant long-term changes in your life through this practice,

I’ve studied a number of different styles of Yoga Nidra. In a full Hatha Yoga class you wouldn’t have quite as much time. My classes are a little bit longer so I’m able to do a few more things. Everything I do is based on Integral Yoga Yoga Nidra but it’s more in-depth and extended than in a regular Hatha Yoga class. Sort of like Yoga Nidra on steroids.

There is a lot you can do with Yoga Nidra. You can incorporate many breathing practices and use intentions and a more elaborate sort of guided imagery. Different steps like opposites, things like heavy and light can be incorporated. Also, what they call the rotation of consciousness. In a Deep Relaxation class I can go into greater depth. In the rotation of consciousness, for example, we go through every single part of the body, all 60 points. You can just use simple relaxing imagery or that it’s a beautiful day. But you can also do very elaborate guided meditations. I try to be intuitive about what I’m feeling and what the students in class need. I also tend to be very attuned to the weather and the time. I find those are really powerful influences on your body and your state of mind, like the time change, winter solstice and cold weather. And I try to get inspired by what’s really happening right now in my own experience if I feel it’s an influence. Daylight Savings, for example, is a big shift in your whole energy level. That’s something I bring into the class or feelings related to Thanksgiving and holiday times.

You can do a lot with single states like happiness, contentment, and feeling safe. That’s really important because, first of all, for people to get the most out of this practice, they have to feel safe. They must feel secure just to be able to relax. (Yoga Nidra is also great for students coping with the effects of trauma). Then you are able to take them to some really deep places. I do a lot of things with emotions that express contentment and gratitude. I follow the basic format of the Integral Yoga practice, which is an awareness practice that goes through the five koshas or energetic layers.

People think of relaxation as just lying on the floor but it’s actually a very deep and powerful meditation practice that has many, many benefits. It’s also something you can work at. You can develop the ability to drop into these states very quickly and easily. It’s like a muscle. People might feel like they can’t measure results the way you see improvement in strength or stretches. They don’t feel like they are doing anything but the simplicity of the practice is deceptive and amazing. Some people really cannot relax or just let go. It’s very hard for some people. But it is a skill that you can develop. It is a form of meditation. It feels good, it’s relaxing but it can actually be a very deep form of spiritual practice for a serious meditator.

The practice of Yoga actually has some fairly profound effects on your brain chemistry. Most are probably short term. It stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system. It stimulates serotonin, which is known as the happy neurotransmitter. It stimulates GABA, which slows your thoughts down and helps you become calm. It stimulates oxytocin, another happy neurotransmitter. There are other things that it helps your brain with if you do it over time. For example, consolidation of memory. It can improve memory and be used as a repetitive learning technique during sleep when your brain is so relaxed and open that you can absorb a lot of information. It is also great for improving your sleep. It can also work with the two sides of the brain. There is a lot of research about how different parts of the brain can be accessed. If you have a stroke on one side, another side can take over some of the functions. Or for example, if you fracture your left arm and it’s in a cast and you exercise the same muscles on the right arm, you can maintain the muscle strength on the fractured side. There is a lot of new brain research that is amazing.

And our subconscious thinks in terms of imagery. You can use imagery to trigger deep subconscious memories and feelings. It can be like a cleansing where you break old patterns or emotional scars. People struggling with certain things emotionally for years can loosen them. It’s not like talk therapy; it’s subconscious. The imagery triggers deep held patterns of thought and allows you to process them. Sometimes people experience emotional reactions during this practice. They start crying or they’re very happy. I’m not saying that taking a 45-minute class will solve all your problems but over time it becomes almost like a yogic purification. These are all amazing things.

This practice is totally safe. You can’t physically hurt yourself because we’re not doing anything physical. It’s not a physical practice. That means that anybody, any age, as long as they are cognitively able, can do this practice, It can be done in a wheelchair or a bed. A lot of people afraid to try other Yoga classes would feel very comfortable doing this practice. And that’s another fantastic benefit for these people. Of course, most people just come because it’s relaxing and reduces stress and anxiety. There is nothing wrong with that, especially in this day and age when things are so intense now. It can also help with healing. Some of the neurotransmitters I mentioned are known to help with things like wound healing and managing pain. When you get into those deep states of relaxation the brainwaves change. Because your brain is so relaxed it’s easier for intentions to manifest. If you are recovering from surgery or an illness this can be very powerful. I’m not saying curing. I’m not making elaborate, crazy or unsubstantiated claims. I’m referring to the relaxation response that Herbert Benson wrote about. There is a lot of scientific research these days about the benefits of relaxation and meditation on the brain and body.

In today’s world, the country is collectively stressed out. During the COVID pandemic people were having mental health issues off the charts. During this time I think it is so important that people have this practice available in their tool chest. Again, I think that for a lot of people, it doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything. To pay money to take a special class just to do nothing doesn’t seem to make sense. But there is a lot that can be done with this practice.

Yoga Nidra is a perfect practice. Integral Yoga is a gentle approach that incorporates so many different things, awesome breathing, meditation, chanting, and of course, deep relaxation. So I think Yoga Nidra is a wonderful part of the total Yoga that is offered at the Integral Yoga Institute.

About the Author:

Peter Karow is a long-time practitioner of Yoga and meditation. He is a Yoga Alliance certified Yoga teacher and is certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists as a Yoga Therapist. He has taught at the Integral Yoga Institute New York City since 2010. In addition to his Yoga practice, he is a licensed Physical Therapist and a Health Care Administrator who has worked in Health Care Administration for many years. He has completed trainings in Yoga Therapy in Cancer and Chronic Illness (YCAT) and Therapeutic Yoga and has extensive training and experience teaching Yoga Nidra, a gentle guided meditation practice suitable for practitioners of all ages and experience levels. He is also a Certified Yoga for Arthritis and Pain instructor and particularly loves teaching these classes and helping students with pain and special needs. He has a special interest in yoga as a vehicle for self-knowledge, healing and inner balance.

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I remember early on in my practice, being asked to lie down at the end of the class, and thinking the class was over. I wondered, “What are we doing now? What is this all about?” I remember being that student, who sits up in the middle of savasana, opens his eyes, and looks around the room, wondering if everyone else is still just lying there and trying to figure out if I was doing something wrong. Am I supposed to be doing something right now? If so, what am I supposed to be doing?

Savasana isn’t about staying awake and it isn’t about going to sleep either. The goal isn’t to take a short nap at the end of a physical practice. It’s also not to collect your thoughts and let your mind wander or go over the endless to-do list that we are constantly checking off in our minds.

Savasana is a pratyahara practice. Pratyahara means sense-withdrawal. Think of this as the beginning of meditation. When you are in savasana, you are practicing letting go of your attachment to the body, the sense organs and the outside world. You are encouraging your mind to go inward. This happens when you go to sleep too. The difference between sleep and savasana (and also meditation) is that during savasana you are present during the experience. You are not present to your experience when you are sleeping. In savasana it’s like you are asleep but also awake.

The final resting pose is one of the most healing poses in Yoga. When you go to sleep your body gets the chance to repair itself. Dharma says it is like taking the car to the mechanic. When you stay in the car the mechanic doesn’t do any work. You have to leave the car alone and come back and get it when it is ready. It’s the same with the body. When the mind is attached to the body, and the nervous system is active, and the sense organs are active and providing feedback, the body doesn’t repair itself. A tremendous amount of healing takes place when you leave the body alone.

Another teacher of mine, Srivatsa Ramaswami, says to think of your meditation as a test that lets you see how you are doing with the rest of your practice. It is the same with savasana. Think of it as a test at the end of your practice. Are you cultivating balance in your practice? When you arrive in savasana, having cultivated balance, you are able to let go of the body, the sense organs and your attachment to the outside world and let the mind turn inward quite easily. You’re able to leave the body by itself so that the mechanic can come and do the repairs.

The next time you are in class, take a moment after your savasana and observe your experience. If you were wide awake in your savasana, your mind fidgeting, your body unable to relax, aware of every sound in the room—then you needed to focus more in your practice leading up to savasana and you need to practice more concentration.

If you drifted off and fell asleep in your savasana, didn’t stay present to your experience, maybe had to be woken up by the teacher because you were snoring, or missed the cue to come out—then you may have been working too hard during your practice leading up to savasana and you need to practice more relaxation.

You want to try to find balance in every pose. Concentrate and let the fire build, then practice surrendering into the fire and letting go. Find the balance between working hard enough to keep the mind focused and not working so hard that you become overwhelmed. If your body is fidgeting and your mind is wandering during your practice, you’re not working focusing enough. Don’t let the mind wander.

If you catch yourself holding your breath, biting your lips, clenching your jaw, or squinting your eyes and you feel yourself getting frustrated or angry or overwhelmed, you’re working too hard. Relax. Breathe more deeply. Back off and slow down. Practice surrendering and softening. Try a less advanced variation of the pose you are doing or use a modification. Try to find the balance in every pose. Can you stay in the pose and also stay calm? Can you match the focus with surrender? Keep thinking of your goal of preparing for a deep, relaxing and healing savasana at the end of your practice.

Tips for a Successful Savasana

Lie down. Separate your feet a little wider than hip distance. Let the toes fall out away from each other. Feel the legs completely relax. Rest your arms alongside your body, with the palms turned up. Let your shoulders relax. Keep the back of the neck long. Close your eyes. You can use a pillow under your head. You can cover your eyes with a towel. Place bolsters under your knees if you feel pain in your lower back.

About the Author:

Garth Hewitt is the creator of the Shiva Yoga® style of Yoga. His classes focus on setting intentions, practicing gratitude, finding balance and quieting the mind. He also teaches Shiva Deep™ deep stretching classes, Yoga nidra guided meditation classes, seated pranayama classes, and seated meditation classes. Garth is also the owner of the Mama Kuka™ Yoga props company and the Director of the Shiva Yoga® Practice online Yoga studio and platform. For more info, please visit www.garthhewittYoga.com. (Article reprinted from LA Yoga magazine.)

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Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT-500, NCC, has a new book out:

Yoga Nidra is “yogic sleep.” It’s a profoundly healing and empowering meditation that starts with six levels of relaxation and deeply restorative rest done lying down for a joyful meditative experience. Yoga Nidra shines because it blends Yoga’s ancient and modern wisdom teachings with proven state-of-the-art tools and techniques that are unifying and uplifting to the body, mind, and spirit. Yoga Nidra is a state of important conscious awareness.

Relaxation is the road taken, not the destination. The ultimate purpose of Yoga Nidra is to realize that each of us has an inborn reservoir of positive energy just waiting to be discovered and used. Yoga sages refer to it as the Atman, or our true nature. It is unconditionally peaceful and joyful and is spacious and free. These treasures are always present. This essence-nature is everlasting and cannot be harmed in any way. According to Yoga sages, this aspect of oneself is typically hidden under koshas, the Sanskrit term for layers. The five of them are described below. We are under the illusion that these layers are the entirety of who we are because we are so familiar with them.

Recognizing these important layers for what they are and learning to put them to rest for a while is healing and rejuvenating. Specialized relaxation exercises, breathing techniques, meditation, and guided imagery are used for this in a systematic, progressive way. This process typically takes about 30 minutes. Yoga Nidra is not just for Yoga enthusiasts. Novices to experts and kids to elders can successfully practice Yoga Nidra using the meditation scripts in my book, Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation. The book begins with Swami Satchidananda’s Guided Relaxation script.

Backed by contemporary science, specialized meditations are included from other leading experts for easing anxiety, lifting the blues, boosting immunity, helping to reduce chronic pain, improving heart health, enhancing memory, increasing concentration, and much more. You’ll enjoy experiencing your own calm spot, energy enrichment, and an expansion of your consciousness. It’s blissful meditation without having to try.

Yoga Nidra is usually done in a Yoga posture called savasana, which is simply lying down. Sitting in a comfortable chair is another option. Here are the six levels of conscious relaxation experienced by balancing, healing, and relaxing the koshas (layers) as described in the book.

6 Levels of Yoga Nidra

1. Deep calm, feeling grounded, and healing. Anna-maya kosha refers to the physical body. Dropping bodily tension reduces muscular tension and increases flow. The nervous system becomes balanced by stimulating the relaxation response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Health improvement takes place as physical tension releases. A delightful feeling of deep calm and heaviness happen. A variety of relaxation techniques can be used. Examples include progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and releasing every muscle group sequentially. Another method is to take a mental tour throughout the body based upon the brain’s sensory motor cortex, the chakras, and nerve centers called marma Autogenic relaxation is another approach that utilizes autosuggestion.
2. Energy enrichment. Prana-maya kosha refers to the energetic body. Relaxing energetically soothes the static while balancing the body and mind. A sense of inner stillness accompanies deep relaxation. This is primarily done by using specialized breathing techniques. The enjoyment of being motionless naturally occurs as breathing deepens. Balancing the chakras is another way. Depending on the techniques used, this can feel either calming or energizing. During this stage, thoughts start moving effortlessly into the background.
3. Mental clarity and emotional well-being. Mano-maya kosha refers to thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Mental restlessness, emotional turmoil, and limiting beliefs can be released and calmed during this stage. Feeling light and buoyant are experienced during this phase due to the relief of not being “held down” by physical, mental, and emotional tension. It feels like floating without a care in the world. Imagination and creativity awaken and it’s dreamlike. Subtle tensions and stress are released. Guided visualization, mindfulness, mantra repetition, and a technique called the paradox of opposites are some of the techniques that can be used.
4. Inner insights and awareness are unleashed. Vijnana-maya kosha refers to the realm of intuition, higher intellect, and wisdom. When the mind is no longer burdened by limiting thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, one’s soulful wisdom is set free. A sense of detachment from worldly cares, weightlessness, and lightness are experienced as the intellect and ego go offline for a while. It is non-mental and goes beyond rational thinking. Witness awareness, guided imagination, and simply being quiet are key techniques here. done lying down or in a comfortable chair.
5. Bliss. Ananda-maya kosha is pure, unconditional peace and joy. Total and complete relaxation naturally happen when all the other layers are resting and relaxing, healing and restoring. It is soul-quenching and supremely tranquil. The sense of time disappears as expansiveness flourishes.
6. Pure awareness. Profound contentment, a sense of oneness, and awareness of existence beyond the body-mind arise as all one’s layers are transcended, and one’s essence-nature is experienced firsthand. As this happens, self-understanding and sensing divinity is realized. The Atman is not a separate “being” and is not a kosha. It is our essence-nature, which is pure Awareness.

Yoga Nidra gives us a new, uplifting perspective that is centered and grounded. Feeling mental clarity, alertness, and relaxed energy are common. The way to find out for yourself is to experience it personally.

SPECIAL NOTE: Yoga Nidra Training and Certification Level 1 with Julie Lusk, E-RYT 500, M.Ed. September 3 – 8, 2021 and Level 2: September 10 – 15, 2021 in Yogaville.

About the Author:

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT-500, NCC, has specialized in Yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation for decades. An international writer, recording artist, and workshop leader, Julie is talented in bringing the best out in others through her depth of knowledge, natural lightheartedness, and caring nature. Julie has written six books, including her latest Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation (Llewellyn Publications, 2021).

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A beautiful relaxation experience led by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Yoga Nidra is a classical Yoga practice for de-stressing the body and mind that leads the practitioner toward the recognition of one’s essence-nature. The practice enables you to let go of body-mind-ego identification and tap into a deep experience of eternal being, pure awareness, and unending joy (sat-chid-ananda in Sanskrit), which is one’s true nature. We hope you enjoy this experience.

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Yoga Nidra is based on Yoga teachings and backed by contemporary science. Yoga Nidra is fundamental to a complete Hatha Yoga session and can also be done as a separate practice on its own. It is gratifying and exhilarating. Register via Yogaville Online.

• Experience six amazing levels of relaxation to replenish your energy and activate creativity and intuition using pratyahara (sensory withdrawal)
• Clear out useless habits, bringing about positive and permanent changes in your personality and life by using sankalpa (self-selected resolve)
• Boost the immune system, regulate blood pressure, decrease pain, and improve other health conditions
• Regular practice can improve memory, concentration, and relieve anxiety and depression
• Feel truly refreshed: One hour of Yoga Nidra practice is equal to four hours of sleep

Continuing Education (CE) Opportunities

• Yoga Alliance (YA): Approximately 8 contact hours.
  You can input your contact hours using your YA login information.
• Integral Yoga Teachers Association (IYTA) can provide you a CE certificate with your program’s total contact hours for a $10 fee (free for IYTA members.) For more information, email ce@iyta.org.

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When a doctor operates, at first it hurts the patient. But the doctor has a good motive and knows that the temporary hurt will relieve the permanent hurt. That is what we call love, and that is what a yogic life really is. We should always take care of others, and others means anything or anyone that is outside of you. Anything that is separate from you is other. What does this really mean? Isn’t your body separate from the real you? So, you should serve your own body also. When we say to serve everybody, that includes own our body and mind.

We need to care of both the body and mind of everyone. After eating a few pieces of chocolate, your mind may be very happy. But if you eat too much, it might feel terrible. If you love your body, if you are serving it, you won’t overeat. You won’t put all kinds of unhealthy things into it. The same is true of your mind. You should love your mind and that means you have to feed your mind with positive thoughts, not negative ideas. If you love your mind, you should not allow it to run around picking up all kinds of unhealthy thoughts.

When you love something, you would want to keep it in good condition. We all love a puppy if it listens and obeys. If you say sit, it should sit. But if you say sit, and if jumps all around, it’s not conditioned or trained well. Likewise, your mind should be trained to listen, to obey your commands. You are truly loving your mind when it has been trained to listen to you, and you are loving your body when it remains healthy. That’s the reason why we have the proverb that says: “Charity begins at home.” It means, that more than anything else, you love your own self.

When you love something, you keep it somewhere special, so that it stays beautiful and so that you can admire it. You won’t just throw it here and there. So, if you love yourself, you will never allow yourself to be thrown here and there either. That’s what happens when you identify with something that you are not. In other words, don’t identify with the body or the mind. Instead, remember that you have a body and a mind, but you are the ever peaceful, unchanging Self. If you really love and want to serve everybody, you must first realize your Self. You should not have any wrong identifications. The minute you think that you are the body, you have misplaced yourself because you have brought it to a very low level. You have brought that never changing principle into an ever-changing body.

So you see, love extends into every area of your life—your own mind, your own body, and all things outside, all people outside. That’s why a person who wants to lead a good life should be vigilant every minute of the day; not that we practice Yoga only during certain times, and other times we are different. That’s the reason I always ask you to be conscious of whatever you say and do. When you greet people, when you talk to people over the phone, always be nice and show that you are a disciplined yogi. Be different from the ordinary person who would be less aware of what they say and do, and how it affects others as well as themselves. Spiritual life is not a normal life, it is an abnormal life—a life with the consciousness of the spirit that is within everything. That consciousness should permeate into every area of your daily life, including how you look, how you dress, and the condition of your room. It should be present as you work, speak, and eat. Otherwise, it’s not possible to live a clean, yogic life. Our daily life needs to be a constant meditation on these things. If your Yoga is limited only within the four walls of your meditation room, but not everywhere else, then your idea about Yoga is very narrow. It should expand; it should embrace every aspect of your life. Then you are always expressing your love.

By Sri Swami Satchidananda

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This short Integral Yoga Guided Relaxation, with Integral Yoga senior teacher Nalanie Chellaram, is designed to help you relax, fall asleep, and rest well.

Sweet dreams!

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If you practise relaxation regularly, no energy will be wasted. You will be very active and energetic. During relaxation, the muscles and nerves are at rest. The prana or energy is stored up and conserved. Most people waste their energy by creating unnecessary movements and by putting the muscles and nerves under great strain. Some people shake their legs unnecessarily while sitting. Some strum their fingers on the table while their minds are idle or vacant. Some whistle. Some shake their heads. Some tap their chests or abdomen with their fingers. Energy is thus dissipated through all these unnecessary movements, due to lack of knowledge of the elementary principles of the science of relaxation.

Do not mistake laziness for relaxation. A lazy person is inactive, full of lethargy and inertia. But the person who practises relaxation only takes a rest. He has vigour, strength, vitality and endurance. He never allows even a small amount of energy to trickle away. He accomplishes a great deal of work gracefully in a minimum amount of time.

A person with an easily irritable nature cannot enjoy peace of mind. The brain, nerves, and muscles are always under great tension. Although he may be endowed with physical strength, he is weak because he loses his balance of mind very easily. If you really want to enjoy unruffled peace and abiding joy, you must try to possess a calm, controlled and balanced mind by eradicating the impulses of worry, fear and anger. If you worry frequently, a worrying habit is developed. Your vitality and energy are drained away. The muscles and nerves are always under contraction and great tension. Why should you be afraid of anything at all, when everything is nothing but your own Self?

The raising of impulses and counter-impulses, or repressing impulses, causes more tension in the nerves, muscles and brain. Many people are slaves to their impulses; hence they do not enjoy peace of mind. They are tossed about hither and thither. The science of relaxation is an exact science. It can be learnt very quickly. Relaxation of the muscles is as important as their contraction. I lay great emphasis on the relaxation of the mind, the nerves and the muscles. Relaxation is of two kinds – physical and mental.

Physical relaxation

You must know how to relax all the muscles of your body. This will rest the body and the mind. The tension of the muscles will be relieved. People who know the art of relaxing do not waste any energy. They can meditate well. After finishing your exercises and asanas, lie flat on your back. Keep the arms relaxed at the sides. Keep them quite loose. Relax all the muscles from head to foot. Roll the mind over the body from top to toe. You may find that certain muscles are not completely relaxed. Relax them also. Roll on to one side and then relax as completely as possible. Do not strain any of the muscles. Relax completely. Roll on to the other side and then relax again. This is done naturally by everyone during sleep. Relax the head, shoulders, arms, forearms, wrists, fingers, thighs, legs, ankles, toes, knees, elbows, waist, etc. When you practise this exercise, think of calmness and strength.

Relaxation refreshes you completely. If you do not possess a knowledge of this science of internal and external relaxation, you will waste your physical and mental energy considerably. Yogis conserve their physical and mental energy and utilise it to their best advantage. Those who practise relaxation never experience fatigue. They can close their eyes for a few minutes even while standing and so prepare themselves for further work. Energy flows into their nerves when they relax, just as water flows when a tap is opened.

Physical relaxation is an art and as such it has to be practised regularly in order to achieve success and gain the maximum benefit. Success in physical relaxation will make mental relaxation easier.

Mental relaxation

Just as you relax your muscles after having practised your asanas and physical exercises, so also you have to relax the mind after concentration and meditation, and after the practice of memory training and will-culture. Relaxation of the muscles brings repose to the body and relaxation of the mind brings repose to the body. The body and mind are intimately linked. The body is a mould prepared by the mind for its enjoyment.

The mind gathers experiences through the body and works in conjunction with the prana, senses and body. The mind influences the body. If you are cheerful, the body will also be healthy and strong. When you feel depressed, the body cannot work. Conversely, the body has some influence over the mind. If the body is healthy and strong, the mind also will be happy, cheerful and strong. If there is a little stomach-ache, the mind cannot work well. Thought manifests as action, and action reacts on the mind. The mind acts on the body and the body reacts on the mind. Removal of tension in the muscles brings repose and calmness to the mind.

By relaxing, you rest the mind, the tired nerves and the overworked muscles. You get immense peace of mind, strength and vigour. When you practise relaxation of either the body or the mind, the brain should not be occupied with various kinds of irrelevant, extraneous thoughts. Anger, envy, disappointment, failure, misery, sorrow and quarrels cause internal mental strain. The practice of relaxing the mind will remove this internal mental strain and fill the mind with new mental energy. It will make you cheerful and happy.

Sit for fifteen minutes in a relaxed state in an easy, comfortable position. Close your eyes. Withdraw the mind from all outer objects. Still the mind. Silence the bubbling thoughts. You can think of anything that is pleasant, a beautiful scene, a lovely sunset, a vast expanse of ocean, the infinite blue sky. Imagine that the whole world and your body are floating like a straw in this vast ocean of spirit. Feel that you are in touch with the Supreme Being. Feel that the life of the whole world is pulsating, vibrating and throbbing through you. Then open your eyes. You will experience great mental peace, mental vigour and mental strength. Practise and feel this power within.

Source: “The Art of Relaxation based on the Teachings of Swami Sivananda Saraswati,” Yoga Magazine of the Bihar School of Yoga

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