Yoga Nidra: The Ultimate Pratyahara Technique for Transformation
In this article we will shine a light on how the pratyahara techniques implemented in Yoga Nidra are utilized to positively transform your life physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, empowering you to live your life’s purpose and to accelerate the achievement of your goals, dreams, and spiritual aspirations.
The pratyahara techniques practiced in Yoga Nidra systematically guide your body and mind into deep peaceful states of consciousness that facilitate the awaking of the full potential of your mind. In this heightened state of awareness, you develop the ability witness and understand, the preconceptions, emotions, the flow of thoughts, past memories and limiting beliefs that are holding you back in life. You begin to witness the inner world of your mind and understand the link between conscious, subconscious, and the unconsciousness mind.
Once you understand the inner workings of your mind more clearly, the catharsis of the root causes of mental, emotional tensions, and past impressions of the mind takes place. This purification process creates a calm, balanced, tranquil mind, and provides a solid foundation to further utilize affirmation and visualization techniques to accelerate the transformation of the whole human personality.
Gersten (1978) said that the practitioner of Yoga Nidra becomes his own psychotherapist, recognizing and systematically alleviating his own personal problems and interpersonal difficulties.
How Yoga Nidra’s step-by-step procedure that guides you into a state of pratyahara.
Yoga Nidra in its own right is a complete pratyahara practice. Each step is designed to systematically withdraw your senses inwards from all external stimuli so it is completely withdrawn to a point where it is only operating through the auditory sensory channel. When the mind is completely internalized from the outside worlds external stimuli, evolved states of consciousness are more easily accessed from the deeper layers of your mind.
Here are the 8 stages of a Yoga Nidra Practice.
Stage 1 Internalization:
This stage of our Yoga Nidra practice is where your attention is taken consciously to the surroundings, the mind is saturated with the senses, ie touch, taste, sight, smell and sounds until the mind becomes naturally disinterested and internalizes. This process systematically disengages the mind from the immediate impact of the senses so that interaction with the world temporarily subsides and the mind can begin to internalize.
Stage 2 Sankalpa:
The positive resolve repeated during the initial Sankalpa stage calms the mind and deepens pratyahara a by concentrating your awareness with on positive statements of change. (In yoga, a Sankalpa can be defined as a resolve—a kind of resolution that you’d like to intend for your own evolution on the spiritual path, or any goal for example that is preferably aligned with your life’s purpose)
Stage 3 Body Rotation:
Pratyahara is again deepened by re-engaging your consciousness to follow the flow of prana to the physical dimensions of the body. In this stage of Yoga Nidra, you are taken on a journey from neural pathways of the brain throughout the entire nervous system of the body. Your awareness is so saturated with physical sensations that it disengages and internalizes.
Stage 4 Breath Awareness:
In stage four your awareness is shifted to totally focus on your breath, further guiding the mind inwards, as conscious awareness of the breath is a process of your more evolved brain. The state of pratyahara is deepened and complete physical and pranic relaxation is achieved at this stage.
In stage five your awareness is directed to wittiness opposite feelings and emotions. The process of detached mental recognition and awareness of opposite feelings and emotions harmonizes and balances your nervous system. Equilibrium of the mind is achieved as feeling and emotions are cleansed of their emotional charge. The effect of this deep emotional release and relaxation deepens pratyahara even further as the mind relinquishes its need to focus on feelings and emotions.
By stage 6 the mind is in a deeply internalized calm state where is very receptive to change and transformation. The visualization techniques introduced in this stage further deepen pratyahara, purify the subconsciousness mind, and train the brain to envisage positive outcomes for the future.
Stage 7 Repetition of Sankalpa:
In stage seven the mind is in an even more deeply internalized state of pratyahara where it is directed again to repeat the same positive affirmations recited in stage two. This repetition enhances the effects of the original Sankalpa’s recital and is an efficient technique to train your brain to focus on transformation and spiritual development.
Stage 8 Externalization:
This final stage progressively externalizes your awareness from the deep pratyahara state and re-engages the senses so the interaction with the outside world can recommence.
Yoga Nidra: The perfect tool for transformation.
The systematic pratyahara techniques practiced in Yoga Nidra are powerful tools to access the deeper layers of your mind. Once the depth of your mind is intelligently witnessed and analyzed, purification of karma’s takes place, unleashing the full potential of your mind to focus on transformation and consciously living your life’s purpose