Sleep is a precious commodity. There’s too much to be accomplished in given day and too many things to worry about. When all is done, it’s time to hit the couch and catch up with your favorite TV series. Sleep get’s the slack. You wake up in the morning, all groggy to catch the early morning train because you live in the suburbs. Or you live in the city making enough only with two jobs. Or you are a student with a part time job. Okay, I get it. You are a high profile jet setter or some senior executive with too many responsibilities. Or you are an ambitious person who wants to accomplish a lot and has a hyperactive mind. As if this wasn’t enough, you take your smartphone to bed and even enabling the ambient night light on your smartphone screen doesn’t help. Even if your eyes are stressed, indicating you to shut them and go to slumber, you fight it and keep on swiping your smartphone aimlessly for an email that can wait, a notification that’s not important, a Facebook update from a friend that’s pointless, to an aggregator that might throw some interesting article giving life lessons. But what’s the point if you don’t pay heed to it.
Whatever it is, sleep is on a decline and that is not good.
It’s common knowledge that 8 hours of sleep is a must for your faculties to recharge and be ready for the next day. Your inner system deserves it. You deserve it.
With Yoga Nidra you can do with 4 hours of sleep
“Yoga Nidra” (or Satyananda Yoga Nidra) is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation. During the practice, one appears to be asleep, but the consciousness is functioning at a deeper level of awareness – biharyoga.net
Here’s what you should do when you go to bed. I have included three YouTube links (Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced) for the practice which are audio files. Start with the “Beginners” version and then proceed to the next level after a month of practice of the prior level. First lie in the posture as described. It’s called “shava asana” and is similar to what you see in the featured image of this article. And follow the instructions in the YouTube audio. It’s that simple.
Although, during the practice, one appears to be asleep, I can guarantee you that you will fall asleep in no time despite the audio instructions. You will wake up feeling amazingly relaxed; mind, body and soul.
Here’s what I do. I wake up at 4:00 AM in the morning because that’s when I do most of my writing. I set up an alarm for 3:00 AM and practice “Yoga Nidra” and when I conclude, I wake up fresh and raring to go. I am not groggy anymore.
People feel that they are relaxing when they collapse in an easy chair with a cup of tea or coffee, a drink or a cigarette and read a newspaper or switch on the television. But this, in fact, is merely sensory diversion. Twentieth century research into sleep has proven that even entering into this traditional haven will rarely banish stress. True relaxation is an experience far beyond all this. For absolute relaxation one must remain aware. This is Satyananda Yoga Nidra, the state of dynamic sleep. biharyoga.net
Cheat Sheet
If you are super busy and have an early morning train to catch, duck the “shava asana” posture. Listen to the YouTube audio while sitting on your chair and follow the instructions.
Got hooked and want to learn more?
It always helps to know in more detail about this wonder sleep technique. Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati is the most authentic book you can find from the creator and inventor of Yoga Nidra himself. It has been reprinted 8 times and is your go to body of knowledge.
