In honour of Sleep Awareness Week 2015 (taking place from the 02 – 08 March), Natasha Kerry tells us why she champions yoga sleep and all about her very own Yoga Sleep Method which she’ll be sharing in her special yin + yoga nidra workshop this Friday…
What is The Yoga Sleep Method?
The Yoga Sleep Method is an amalgamation of techniques, tools and simple cues I have learned through my time in India and thereafter. It combines the simple mind-exercises of Yoga Nidra with creative visualisations of nature and meditation on the Chakra energy points within the body.
The Yoga Sleep Method audio is especially beneficial if you find it hard to fall asleep at night or if you wake up during the night and find it hard to get back to sleep.
I do Yoga Nidra every evening without fail and enter my night’s sleep with the intention to rebalance my nervous system, let go of the tensions of my day and to connect with my true Self.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is sleep with awareness. In the practice of Yoga Nidra, the student listens to the instructor’s voice as they move through different mind exercises that take them deeper into their psyche and the subconscious mind.
For a beginner, it feels like a really nourishing nap but as you develop your Yoga Nidra awareness you can arrive at a point where you see flashes of information from your subconscious mind and watch dream sequences play out in front of you. Every Yoga Sleep session is a different experience and will unfold according to what the practitioner needs. You really do need to experience it first-hand to understand its power to deeply relax you.
How can The Yoga Sleep Method help with better sleep?
Many of my students report having the best night’s sleep after attending a Yoga Sleep Method workshop. The speed of our thoughts greatly depends on the state of our nervous system. Most people live with a mind in a constant state of arousal and tension, which prevents them from slipping off to sleep with ease at night.
By using the Yoga Sleep Method audio, you practice the art of “sleep with awareness” which calms the mind and lowers anxiety levels.
With a shift in your nervous system your body is allowed to finally “rest and digest”. So later in the day, when you do head to bed, the effects of your earlier Yoga Sleep practice are felt and remembered by the nervous system, which makes falling to sleep so much easier.
Yoga Nidra strengthens our connection to the involuntary processes within our body that are set up to calibrate and find equilibrium, so the practice can improve the state of dynamic stability in our internal conditions (homeostasis) and reconnect the brain to the physiological make-up of our system. With a stronger mind-body connection we function more effectively with the stresses of daily life.
Yoga Nidra also strengthens our connection to our “Super Conscious” nature; the part of our being that is all-seeing, all-knowing and is never asleep. There is a part of us, deep within, that is always calm and serene.
When we forge a strong connection with this part of us, we ultimately realise our true nature, which brings a deep sense of peace.
Where can the reader practice The Yoga Sleep Method?
I recommend trying Yoga Sleep within a workshop setting first of all, this allows you to get a feel for the practice and understand its effects. Then you can use The Yoga Sleep Method audio at home whenever you would like to. I recommend using an audio every day to gain maximum benefits and if you would like to see a great difference in your state of mind, your mood, your health, your emotions and your outlook on life itself.
Join Natasha Kerry in Soho for her workshop…
friday night sleep session! yin + yoga nidra
friday 06 march, 7.45pm – 9.15pm, £20
Click here for details and to book.
Having worked in the corporate world since leaving University Natasha felt the need to reevaluate her career path, to follow her heart and her love of Yoga, so she undertook her first teacher training in India at the Yoga Vidya Gurukul ashram, where she was first introduced to the Yogic way of life and Yoga Nidra. Following India, Natasha has dived deep into Vinyasa Yoga, Hot Yoga, Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra. Natasha’s classes aim to create a playful and open space for you, the student, to go deeper into your practice and your own experience. Natasha conducts one-to-one sessions with a wide range of successful clientele and has a successful Yoga Nidra online download for relaxation. Natasha loves the power of Yoga it’s ability to transform her students into their true, happy and peaceful selves.https://www.natashakerryyoga.com/
