What is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation and conscious relaxation practice that is intended to induce total physical, mental and emotional relaxation.

It is one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain. It is practiced while rests comfortably in savasana, and this systematic meditation takes you through the five layers of self (known as koshas), leaving us feeling whole, relaxed and grounded.

What are the Five Layers of Self?

The first is our physical body, known as the Annamaya Kosha. This is the one we are all familiar with consisting of our organs, bones, tissue and skin. It is the body we physcially feel, feed and exercise. Together with this body, we also have energic bodies.

We may not be able to see the four energic bodies with our eyes, but we can intuitively sense them. We can think of these layers as Russian nesting dolls. Like the dolls, our true self is at the center of several other layers, or koshas.

Our Energy Body or Pranamaya Kosha is composed of the body’s subtle life-force energy prana, which is our life force. It contains the action that causes cells to produce, coordinated body functions such as the pumping of our heart, digestion of food, and breathing. The breathe helps to regulate this body.

The Mental Body or Manomaya Kosha represents our mind, emotions and our nervous system. We can connect with this body through our emotions. By calming our minds and soothing our nervous system, we can heal from the effects of stress on the mental body.

The Wisdom Body or Vijnanamaya Kosha refers to our inner knowing, our intuition. It is here that we develop awareness and a deeper insight for who we are and how we relate to the world around us. It is in stillness that we can hear and connect to the wisdom body.

The Bliss Body or Anandamaya Kosha is your higher self, your spirit or soul. It is here that we experience the joyfulness of our true nature. It is here that you find a sense of peace and connectiveness, and your consciousness expands beyond the limits of your physical body.

When we experience physical, mental, or emotional distress in our lives, we can look to the koshas to find the root cause of what may be ailing us. The health of one kosha affects the health of all the others.