Yogic sleep, or the space between fully asleep and awake, is achieved through a guided Yoga Nidra practice. This powerful meditation technique reduces anxiety, leaves clients feeling well-rested and helps them fall asleep faster, and creates a more peaceful internal environment.

 

This practice is appropriate for everyone regardless of age or agility, and is one of the easiest practices to maintain. It can be done in savasana (corpse pose, lying down) or even in a seated position – the practice simply asks you to BE and follow Sara’s soothing voice as she guides you through varying levels of consciousness.

 

As one of three iRest™ Teachers on Oahu, Sara is trained to skillfully guide her students through this conscious meditative practice. iRest Yoga Nidra is a researched-based variation of the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra and proven effective in healing PTSD and other traumas, including sexual and domestic violence. Studies show that one 35-minute session of iRest Yoga Nidra can produce the physiological benefits of 1-4 hours of deep sleep.

 

Sara guides Yoga Nidra practices in-person one-on-one, in group settings, or via Skype.

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HOW IT WORKS: 

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Yoga Nidra begins with awareness of the body, including body scans and breath awareness. This awareness promotes deep rest and relaxation, leading to better health and less stress.

The specific breathing techniques and body scans of Yoga Nidra trigger the body’s relaxation response. This response balances the nervous system and left and right brain, shifting the brain from a beta, or awakened, state, to alpha, a more relaxed state. Sara guides the yogi slowly through the theta state and into the delta state, or the deepest – and slowest – level of consciousness. It’s in delta that people receive the most restorative form of rest. From here, the yogi is guided back to a waking state, more peaceful, more rested, with a little more space for the rest of the day.

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“The Yoga Nidra practice is an opportunity for self-exploration. With each practice, we are extending an invitation within to identify and heal emotions, negative thought patterns, and essentially return home to the true self.” - Sara Ironhill