I recently read a book titled 'The Power of your Subconscious mind' by Joseph Murphy and being a yoga practitioner, I couldn't help but connect the dots between the concepts explained in the book and the practice of what is known as 'Yoga Nidra'.
"Shara put herself into a sleepy, drowsy, state each night at bedtime, then began to imagine the best possible ending to her problem. She put herself into a state of feeling it to the best of her ability and visualized a perfectly harmonious solution. After a few weeks, what she had been imagining and feeling became true."Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is a state of deep relaxation with inner awareness; where consciousness is maintained at a level between sleep and wakefulness. In this state, the mind is super receptive and therefore can be used to develop memory, increase knowledge and creativity, or even to transform one's personality. Yoga Nidra was first formulated by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, deduced from the ancient philosophy of Nyasa.
"What we think and feel, we create. We create what we believe"According to yogic science, the human body is made up of 5 energetic layers or sheaths known as 'Koshas'. As per the study of Koshas, any disease first originates in the mind (Manomaya Kosha) and only then manifests in the weaker parts of the physical body (Annamaya Kosha). The same was explained by Dr. Murphy is in his book as follows:
“All disease originates in the mind. Nothing appears on the body unless there is a mental pattern corresponding to it.”In the book, Dr. Murphy talks about how the subconscious mind never rests or sleeps and is always active controlling all our vital forces. When the mind is relaxed and we accept an idea, our subconscious mind goes to work on execute the idea. The feeling of health produces health, the feeling of wealth produces wealth. Yoga Nidra works on the exact same principle. Healing takes place when the parasympathetic nervous system is relaxed. Yoga Nidra relaxes the mind and induces complete physical, mental and emotional restoration. Yoga Nidra can be used to cure psychosomatic diseases and has a range of therapeutic applications. It is a more complete rest than sleep.
Another interesting realization that came about when I was reading the book is the relation between the fear of failure and temporary amnesia. Often times, I have found myself going blank on topics which I am otherwise an expert in, upon being cold-called to speak unexpectedly. Have you ever experienced it before? During an examination, you suddenly feel blank at simple questions and are able to recollect all the answers after the exam. It so happens that, if you had any sorts of negative thoughts or fear of failure before the event, it is the failure that the subconscious mind brings into reality.
"The fear of failure itself creates the experience of failure, by way of temporary amnesia or memory loss."Our subconscious mind is a storehouse of memory. It has a perfect record of everything we read and hear. The way to be in deep rapport with it is to be relaxed, peaceful and confident. When you still the mind and relax, the thoughts of your conscious mind sink into the subconscious mind and manifest into reality.
"Your conscious mind is the camera, and your subconscious mind is the sensitive plate on which you register or impress the picture. Picture the happy ending and sustain it with confidence."To learn more about Yoga Nidra, visit my blog on www.yogadeepika.com
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