by Ian Laver

The methods of Yoga work in and around the inherent unity of body, mind and spirit. Although there is often a heavy focus on working with the physical in a modern yoga session, all three elements come into play. 

We begin by settling and centering down, moving inwards to connect with the breath and the more subtle aspects of our awareness.  The breath focus is sensitized, we become aware of 'being aware' and perhaps begin a few rounds of chanting. All these gradually increase our sense of 'self' and prepare the inner world to be connected to the activities of the body and breath during the asana session.  During this centering phase we have the opportunity to set an intent for our practice. This may be something as simple as more open hips, freeing the breath or finally allowing ourselves to relax into savasana, instead of being caught in the whirlings of a still busy mind. Intention setting has a key ingredient - you must let it go. Too often we stay attached to our intentions and never give them the freedom to express and manifest - our fears keep them bound to our sides. Setting an intent before our asana practice means to allow the intention to come up as a wish, feeling or desire and then to release it fully to the universe, knowing that it will be met and all will be well. We don't remain emotionally attached to it - we trust. It is this trust that allows us to feel supported and loved.

This intention setting process has a deeper and more powerful side to it, a side often (but not always) practiced during a Yoga Nidra session. Yoga Nidra is a gentle, inward turning process of deep relaxation concerned mainly with pratyahara (withdrawing senses form sense-objects) and dharana (concentration) - we touch the surface of it at the end of our practice during savasana. Yoga Nidra means sleeping consciously and is a methodical relaxation process which induces true relaxation while maintaining consciousness. In normal sleep consciousness is absent and the unconscious is in charge. In Yoga Nidra consciousness directs the unconscious to relax. This achieves complete relaxation and releases unwanted patterns from the unconscious. Yoga-Nidra gives us an opportunity to understand our mind and cuts through its blind conditionings. It is an efficient and effective form of psychic and physiological rest and rejuvenation. Normally, when we sleep, we do not unburden totally.  Our frustrations, conflicts, pain, and turmoil stay with us, when this is the case, sleep never goes deep enough and great tension remains in the mind and body. The practice of Yoga-Nidra not only relaxes but has the potential to restructure and reform our whole personality from within. We burn old habits and tendencies (samskaras) in order to be born anew with every session. In essence it is a state of mind suspension in-between wakefulness and dream - the hypnogogic state. At this moment, your intellectual mind is operating but when you fully and completely relax, the sub-conscious and unconscious levels of mind open up. These are the most powerful forces operating within the human being. The Sub-conscious mind can, under the right conditions be a very obedient servant - it will immediately carry out any order that is put to it.

In Yoga-Nidra, the most effective means of training the mind is found in setting a sankalpa - a resolution. This you make for yourself during each practice, first at the beginning and then bringing it to mind again at the end. It is an important stage of Yoga-Nidra and has a powerful potential for reshaping your personality and giving a new direction in life along positive lines. When conscious mind and body is in deep relaxation, at that time whatever sankalpa (resolution) you make, it will be accepted and eventually (perhaps over along period of time) become fulfilled. The resolution you make at the beginning of the practice is like sowing a seed and the resolution at the end is like irrigating it. The sankalpa must be of a positive nature, the wordings clear and precise and set in the present tense. It is not something that you hope will happen - it is a promise you make to yourself about what you intend to do. For a complete practice it is best to avoid minor resolves like, 'I will give up smoking' etc, and let it be about something higher. A few such resolves might be:

• I am awakening my spiritual potential
• I am successful in my all undertakings
• I am experiencing total health
• I love unconditionally
• I am a positive force in the spiritual progress of others

The remainder of the session involves the facilitator taking the student verbally through such techniques as rotation of bodily consciousness, working with pairs of polar opposites, reliving emotions and the rapid visualization of images and symbols. All these work to release tensions and anxieties gently and safely. They put the practitioner into a state where the unconscious is very receptive and therefore more able to accept the suggestions from the conscious mind more completely. The repeated sankalpa, being concerned more with the positive goals in life then becomes a powerful tool if done with sincerity and regularity.

by Ian Laver

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