Yoga nidra was adapted from tantra yoga by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, an outstanding spiritual leader, and the founder of the Bihar Yoga Tradition. Also known as yogic sleep or sleep with awareness, yoga nidra is a systematic method of inducing complete physical, emotional and mental relaxation. It uniquely unwinds the nervous system, which is the foundation of the body's well-being. You can rejuvenate in a short period of time - 30 minutes of yoga nidra is as restful as two hours of conventional sleep. Practiced lying down, it does not involve movement, just listening and relaxing, therefore it is suitable for any physical condition.

A very important stage of yoga nidra, which makes it more than just a relaxation session, is Sankalpa. Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as resolve or resolution. We all make a resolve at least once in a life-time (to quit smoking, to start exercising regularly, etc) but our resolves do not necessarily become a reality in our lives. Ever thought about the reason why? For the resolve to be successful, it should be planted when the mind is relaxed and ready to accept and absorb it. Such a state occurs during yoga nidra - in the receptive state created by yoga nidra we are able to correct the negative patterns already existing in the brain. Once the seed of sankalpa is planted deep in the subconscious, it gathers the vast forces of the mind in order to bring about its fruition.

Sankalpa is a very powerful instrument and it should be used intelligently. The purpose of sankalpa is not to fulfill desires, but to create strength in the structure of the mind. If you know what you want to achieve in life, sankalpa can be the creator of your destiny. But first you must have a direction. Most of us are going with the flow, but we have a choice in life, and that choice is created by the sankalpa. You can choose a sankalpa that will change your whole personality so that you become more balanced, happy and fulfilled. Each of us has the power to remould our own mental structure. No personality is beyond reformation, and no fear or obsession is so deeply-rooted that it cannot be changed. The sankalpa made during the practice of yoga nidra never fails.

Applications of Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra is a very versatile technique. It has been investigated in many research centres around the world and showed extremely favourable results in many fields:

1. Doctors and healers in many countries now prescribe yoga nidra as a preventive and curative therapy for stress-related diseases. Stress is, or may be, a contributing factor in everything from backaches and insomnia to cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. Some estimates say that 40 - 80% of all visits to doctors may be directly related to stress. Heart disease, high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, chronic pain, poor immune function, colds, flu, viruses, headaches, sleep problems, chronic fatigue, respiratory aliments... Have you ever experienced any of these problems? Unfortunately, most of us have illnesses or conditions brought on by stress or made worse by it. Fortunately, yoga nidra has been successfully used in the management of stress-related diseases, and not only - sankalpa can bring about even the impossible in life, therefore even cancer and AIDS patients can benefit.

2. Yoga nidra is a successful therapy for psychological disturbances of all kinds, such as anxiety, depression, mood swings, etc. Yoga nidra helps to remove physical fatigue, emotional imbalances and mental tensions. In yoga nidra the subconscious mind is tapped - previously suppressed material, which is the source of psychic pain, is rising spontaneously into awareness, where it can be relived and reintegrated into the conscious personality. The practitioner of yoga nidra becomes his own psychotherapist. During the practice you will follow the instructions and not the instructor. The instructor is only a guide; this is not something like hypnosis, where the therapist dominates your mind and will. In yoga nidra you do everything yourself, and when you become familiar with the technique you don't even need an instructor anymore. Yoga nidra helps you to recognize your own personal problems and systematically alleviate them.

3. You can also use yoga nidra to stimulate your personal growth .The combination of alert awareness and the deepest form of relaxation helps you to dive into the subconscious and unconscious levels of the mind - the nature of your mind can be changed, you become able to reshape your personality and direction in life, bad habits can be given up much easier. It also helps to restore your creativity - we all have genius; we just do not use it often. Here everything depends on the sankalpa that you choose.

4. Another application of yoga nidra is enhancing the learning process by using our ability to absorb knowledge through the subconscious mind. Many pioneering educators utilize yoga nidra to create an atmosphere in which knowledge is gained without effort. Experiments are showing that yoga nidra is an extremely efficient means of increasing learning capacity. For example, a Bulgarian psychologist, Dr. Lozanov, has been able to teach a foreign language in 1/5th of the time required by conventional methods.

5. And the last but not the least application: yoga nidra is a meditative technique. Relaxation is a necessary prerequisite to meditation. Once you master relaxation, your meditation becomes a much more meaningful experience. Knowledge of truth only comes when you are free of tension. The ultimate purpose of yoga nidra is to take you deep into the state where you are completely united with your inner being, where your body, mind and soul are becoming the one. That is the true meaning of yoga - "union".

Practice of yoga nidra improves over time. Even if you don't happen to feel completely blissed-out after yoga nidra today, you are priming the body for quiet and ease tomorrow. The skills we learn in our yoga practice can support us for the rest of our lives, helping us manage stressful times with clarity and live in balance.

Yoga Nidra Class is 60 minutes long and includes a yoga nidra session (20-40 min), breathing exercises (pranayama) to increase lung capacity and cleanse the energy of the body and a short meditation to balance the mind.