WHY SHOULD WE SURRENDER IN YOGA?

Let’s explore the importance of surrender. How does surrendering in yoga translate into our lives off the mat?

In a way, surrender seems the opposite of setting an intention, but it’s not really like that in yoga. The two concepts complement each other and are equally important. The process of building a yoga practice is led by surrender to our own body’s capacity rather than our intellectual or cognitive determination alone. It is an exercise in trusting the goodness, the strength, and the honesty of the body. And it is by intention, about trusting the body’s capacity to tell us what it needs, that we are actually able to advance in our practice.

Surrender can be perceived as a type of weakness. It brings up thoughts of powerlessness and losing control. In our everyday life, it can be hard to let go and accept what lies ahead of us without complaining. Yet, by learning to surrender, we can achieve true peace and freedom. The idea of surrender is a tricky one to master for the human brain as it goes beyond logical reasoning. At a certain point we need to stop asking, as there are no more answers or logical explanations. We could choose to either tirelessly work the rest of our lives to try to find some answers, or gracefully surrender to the mystery of a higher design. One path can lead to frustration, confusion and anger, while the other path perhaps offers ease, peace and support, if we let these in. It is when we surrender to something greater than ourselves and open up to the flow of the universe that we express our readiness to receive. Seen in perspective, what looks like inaction is simply the recognition that now is not the time to act. For this reason, masters of surrender tend to be masters of flow, people who know intuitively how to move with the energies at play in each situation.

Surrender requires practice. The great paradox about it is that though we can practice surrender, invoke it, or open up to it, we can’t actually make it happen. In other words, just as the practice of ‘being loving’ is different from ‘being in love’, so the practice of surrendering is different from the state of being surrendered. As a practice, surrender is a way of deeply relaxing your psychic and physical muscles. It is an antidote to the frustration that we experience when we try to control the uncontrollable. However, the state of surrender is always a spontaneous arising, which we can allow by being open to it, but never force.

The main benefits of surrender are serenity and a sense of freedom from our self-imposed burdens. With surrender comes the understanding that everything works out in its own time. If accepting and respecting the limits of our bodies is how we practice surrender on the mat, doing our best and then letting go of the result, or gently refusing to live up to some image we have of ourselves are great ways to master surrender off the mat and in our everyday life. The ultimate goal should be the wonderful relief from the feeling that we have to struggle to get through life and a deep sense of being guided and cared for by something greater.

Original Article - Marcia Sharp.

Unlocking the Secrets of Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra also known as ‘Yogic Sleep’. It is an ancient yogic practice of healing and relaxation facilitated and induced by guided meditation.

The aim is to calm your mind as you move down through the progressive brainwave states where there is naturally less and less thought, ultimately coming to rest in a profoundly deep state of consciousness. Body – breath awareness techniques are used to help us move from the thinking mind into the feeling body, which helps us to sink into a deeply relaxed state of being. The body does this naturally when we go to bed at night, but Yoga Nidra combines the deep relaxation of sleep with a state of alert awareness.

The heightened state of awareness achieved through the practice of Yoga Nidra is not the only aim. By accessing the pranamaya kosha (energy sheath) through the breath the practice unblocks the channels (or nadi) through which prana (energy) flows through us. The free flow of prana through the body allows the body to heal itself. 

Standard Yoga Nidra sessions last between 15 minutes and 1 hour, although advanced practitioners have been known to practice for much longer. There is some evidence that an hour of Nidra is equivalent to several hours of ordinary sleep. Since Yoga Nidra is a very specialised form of meditation, not all yoga teachers are trained to lead it, so sessions must be run by a qualified Yoga Nidra guide.

BENEFITS OF YOGA NIDRA

The state of mind induced by this method of deep relaxation takes the practitioner to a place somewhere between being awake and asleep. It helps to release physical tension and slows the breath, which in turn slows the heartbeat down enough to establish a calm body and mind. The benefits are heightened after an asana class,as it helps to cool and moderate the body’s natural temperature as well as conserving the energy from the movement practice. It also relaxes the entire anatomical system.

Many benefits have been reported by practitioners after doing regular Yoga Nidra and according to research done by clinical psychologist and yogic researcher Richard Miller, PhD, of The Integrative Restorative Institute (iRest) the following responses to the practice have been observed:

• Reduced anxiety and stress

• Better, less interrupted sleep and reduced symptoms of insomnia

• Relief in some chronic pain conditions

• Profound physical and spiritual experiences

• Better, more positive outlook

• Increase in the ability to stay focused

• Healing of emotional imbalances

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Traditionally, the following consecutive steps are used during the Yoga Nidra process:

Step 1 – Preparation of the Body for Relaxation

Yoga Nidra is done in savasana. Lying on your back, place your arms away from the body, palms facing up. Feet should be about hip-distance apart. Let the toes fall out towards the side.

Quick tip: If you experience any discomfort in the lower back then place a bolster, cushion or rolled-up yoga mat under the knees to release those muscles.

Step 2 – Introduction of the Sankalpa

Before you start in earnest it’s good to set a positive intention, also called Sankalpa. Repeating the Sankalpa helps to ground the affirmation in the practitioner’s subconscious, although there is an art to creating a good one.

Step 3 – Body Awareness

Next, you may be instructed to bring your focus to the points of contact with the back of the body. Often, a full guided body scan is introduced where you are asked to bring your awareness to each individual body part for a moment before moving on to the next. Sometimes this is also approached by tensing each body part in turn and then releasing it fully.

Step 4 – Breath Awareness

The practice will often start with your guide inviting you to take note of any faraway sounds, outside of the room, for instance. Then moving on to noticing sounds within the room. After that, you’ll be directed to notice the sound of your own breath.

Step 5 – Visualisation/Imagination

It is also common to be given a number to count back from with the instruction that, if you lose count, you just need to start again. Suggested visualisations can often be a scene of serene, natural beauty or it may be an invitation to imagine energy or light flowing through the body.

Step 6 – Reiteration of the Sankalpa

You will be reminded to bring your awareness to your Sankalpa just before you go into deep relaxation as well as at the end of this phase of the practice.

Step 7 – Reorientation to a Normal State

At the end of the session you will often be guided back up through the layers of consciousness, bringing your awareness back in turn to your breath, sounds and your body before ending the session.

Want to sleep like a baby? Yoga is the answer!

Up to a fifth of adults experience insomnia and almost 25% use sleep medication at some point in a year. There are many factors influencing how easy or not we fall asleep, how well we sleep, and if we wake up during the night. Many of them have to do with our mental health, stress levels and anxiety. Lack of sleep can result in tiredness, chronic fatigue, irritability, low mood, memory impairments, lower ability to learn and process information, and conflicts – which may then lead to yet more difficulties with getting enough sleep. It’s easy to get trapped in this vicious circle. And that’s where Yoga can achieve great results. 

And the same applies to our mental performance – sleep is crucial for your brain to process and sort information and experiences, and to recharge its cognitive abilities. Research shows that sleeping only 4 hours a night has serious negative impacts on your reasoning, verbal skills, and overall cognition comparable to aging your brain by 8 years. The good news is, with getting 7-8 hours of sleep, you can bounce back very quickly – physically and mentally!

If you think you don’t need as much sleep as others, consider this – men who sleep less than 6 hours a night have smaller testicles than men who get 7-8 hours of sleep, and lower testosterone levels. In women, natural hormone fluctuations result in more sleep disturbances which is why women generally have a higher need for sleep – and if they don’t get it, it leads not just to physical but also mental fatigue. Too little sleep and disturbed sleep also make you (regardless of gender) more hungry and prone to overeating – your body isn’t rested and recovered enough and it asks for more energy. And the list could go on – we simply need our sleep, ideally 7-8 hours each night.

Stress reduction

Even in highly stressful professions, Yoga can achieve great results. When Border Security Force personnel received just a few days of Yoga training, their anxiety levels decreased yet their vigilance increased. This was accompanied by improved quality of sleep. Yes, Yoga is that powerful!

Yoga practice helps to decrease your stress levels in a number of ways – the physical practice brings more oxygen into your tissues and stimulates the ‘happy hormones’ (endorphins and serotonin) release, it makes you breathe deeper and slower, and it also teaches you to be more mindful. Research shows that practicing mindfulness changes how your brain responds to stress – you have greater emotion control, are less reactive to stress triggers and recover from tense situations faster. 

Yoga practice also includes various breathing techniques which significantly reduce your stress hormones and help you unwind. They won’t make you stress-free but can make a world of difference to your sleepy time.

Sleep-easy Yoga

Research on Yoga and sleep brings encouraging results – as one study showed, three Yoga practices a week can markedly improve the quality of your sleep as well as your mental wellbeing. But what if you don’t have time for three yoga sessions weekly? Worry not! Even two Yoga practices per week can help a great deal. As a study of hospital nurses showed, having regular, twice a week Yoga practice reduces stress and improves sleep quality so you wake up more rested.

If you suffer from chronic insomnia and think you need something stronger than Yoga to make you sleep – think again! Yet more research data suggest that regular Yoga practice can not only enhance the quality of your sleep but also makes you fall asleep faster. These results are supported by a large study which revealed that Yoga makes you feel better during the day, and sleep better and longer at night. Essentially, Yoga is a one-stop sleep aid. 

It doesn’t matter when you do your Yoga practice, you will reap the sleep benefits regardless. However, if you do Yoga right before going to bed, avoid fast-paced and challenging sequences as they are too energising – go for slower, more relaxing practice instead.

Pre-sleep routine

Whilst Yoga helps in general, you may want to introduce a little pre-sleep routine if you have trouble falling asleep. It may be simple – for example a seated forward fold for a couple of minutes, breathing deeply, followed by alternate nostril breathing for another few minutes. 

Any forward fold position helps to calm the mind and pacify anxiety – you may also want to try Child’s pose, wide legged forward fold, or sitting cross-legged and folding forward. These positions followed by a balancing breathing technique stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system – that’s the part responsible for rest and relaxation. It’s the best preparation for sleep and will only take a few minutes of your time.

When we close our eyes and want to sleep, the mind is often very active, processes events of the day, worries or plans ahead. What works really well for many of us is a quick check-in when you’re in bed and ready to sleep. 

By checking-in with your body, your brain automatically switches off some of its hyperactivity and it can help you fall asleep.

Sleep like a pro

Who wouldn’t want to wake up well-rested, recovered and energised? Yoga practice can be a great help in this aspect, along with bringing more mindfulness into your life. If you’d like to try a slow-paced stress-relief Yoga, we have just the thing for you – all you need is 20 minutes. 

Whenever you can’t fall asleep, try one of the calming breathing techniques or curl up into Child’s position and do the physical check-in. It may seem like a small thing but it helps to quieten the mind and break its fretting.

Obviously where and how you sleep also has a big impact on your shut-eye time so you may need to make some adjustments there as well – a new mattress, different sleeping position, smaller pillow, opened window or earplugs. The tiniest changes sometimes make the biggest difference!

We are creatures of habit, whether we like to admit it or not. When it comes to sleep, creating healthy habits, including regular Yoga practice, might just be the key to sleeping like a baby.