Yoga nidra is a technique loosely translated as ‘yogic sleep’ however it is more about being in a state of complete relaxation while remaining fully aware throughout the process.

Some of the reported benefits include (but are not limited to):

• reduced feelings of stress and anxiety
• an ending/lessening of insomnia
• greater rest in body and mind
• an improved outlook/organization to one’s daily activities

It is a practice which is accessible to all, no experience is needed. It has been said historically that one hour of yoga nidra practice is equivalent to the benefits of approximately 4 hours of deep sleep – find out if this is true for you.

Yoga nidra is a guided meditation technique or a vehicle to take yourself into deeper states of rest, relaxation, and awareness. Additional benefits include the release of tension (muscular, emotional, and mental), training the mind, enhanced memory, and increased learning capacity. It is also the powerful distillation and culmination of yoga philosophy into a simple posture of lying comfortably on the back for the class duration. It is suited to ‘beginners’ and ‘experts’ alike. 

This is a path toward your true self without any story around attachments and aversions. This technique is used as a stepping stone away from owning toward knowing, from pleasing to releasing toward ultimate liberation or moksha. 

This is Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss = Satchidananda 

The practice:

You will be lying comfortably on your back while being verbally guided through the process. 

For props it is suggested to have 1 bath towel tightly rolled up to support the underside of your neck and 2 blankets – one to roll up tightly to support the underside of the knees and one folded to support the low back. A yoga bolster can be substituted for the underside of the knees and an appropriately folded blanket or two yoga blocks can be used to rest the feet upon. As the practice is essentially motionless, it may be useful to wear warm clothing and have an additional blanket to lay over top of the body to avoid the distraction of feeling cold.

A few preparatory recommendations are to have eaten approximately 90 minutes beforehand, to have had some light exercise and/or cardio throughout the day, a shower, and a dimly-lit and quiet room where you can lie down and let yourself float into the practice of deep rest, relaxation, and restoration.

The technology:

The class is conducted via Zoom, a web-based video conferencing application. It may be handy to have downloaded the application beforehand on the device that will be used for the class. The Zoom application can be downloaded at this link.

The class is audio-only, there is no need to use video and it is encouraged to keep the camera off to allow for a more personal experience. The set-up and preliminary instruction is provided via video at the beginning and then yoga nidra guidance is purely audio-only. There will be time at the end of the class to field any questions or comments via video/audio/chat.

Be sure to have ample power/charging on the device that will be used for class and prepare the appropriate speaker/headphone devices accordingly. It is also highly encouraged to have the do not disturb setting enabled on the device for a seamless experience.

Schedule, registration and fees:

Class is every Monday evening from 9-10:15 pm EST and will begin promptly unless otherwise indicated via the class schedule page. The online class entrance goes live at 8:50 pm EST.

Register with your name, e-mail, and any additional inquiries via this contact form.

Upon registration an invitation will be sent to the specified e-mail address a few hours prior to the class. Open the invitation on the device that will be used for the class. Please ensure that payment has been sent prior to the start of class.

$40 CAN for 4 consecutive Monday evenings or $12 CAN for a single drop-in.

Corporate rates are available, inquire here.

PayPal and e-transfer accepted via premadasa@playuyoga.com