I just can’t function without sleep!"
I hear this all the time.
If you’re like most women going through peri/menopause, then you’ll recognise these scenarios:
- You can’t get to sleep and spend hours tossing and turning
- You wake up during the night and can’t get back to sleep
- You fall into a deep sleep just as the alarm clock rings
Maybe you struggle with all of these on the same night? If so, I have a solution.
Not only has this solution had a profound impact on my own sleep, but it has made me so much more relaxed and calmer throughout the day and less triggered by stress.
So, what is this magic solution?
It’s called Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep - an ancient meditation practice from India. But before you switch off in disbelief, hear me out.
ONE HOUR OF YOGA NIDRA IS THE EQUIVALENT TO 3 HOURS DEEP SLEEP
What??? I know, I was shocked too. Why haven’t we been told about this wonder remedy before?
Naturally, as a yoga teacher, I was super keen to experiment with Yoga Nidra as I know from firsthand just how much sleep deprivation in peri/menopause can impact our day-to-day life…. not to mention our work and relationships too.
So, I gave it a go and immediately signed up to become a certified teacher.
So, where’s the magic?
Well, any practice that begins where most other yoga classes end has got to be worth exploring.
Yes, that’s right. Yoga Nidra begins in Savasana – the yummy lying down relaxation pose at the end of a typical yoga class.
Then, listening to a guided meditation, you are taken on a journey through various stages of relaxation and breathing techniques that serve to completely relax both the mind and body. But this is not Netflix relaxation, this is relaxation and surrender on a whole new level.
In Yoga Nidra, you enter the dream state, REM sleep where your thoughts slow down and you begin to enter ‘nothingness.’
This is THE most restorative state for your body, in which your organs regenerate, and cortisol (the stress hormone) is removed from your system.
The final state that can be reached in Yoga Nidra is one of deep surrender. So profound is the relaxation at this stage that it’s hard to open your eyes or even remember your name. I can only describe it as pure bliss.