Nod Off Approach

There is a relaxation technique in yoga called a yoga nidra, also known as ‘yogic sleeping’. A yoga teacher guides you into a deeply relaxed state by directing your awareness to different parts of the body. It is carried out in a set order and quite swiftly. The teacher will also take you through various sensations and images (such as hot and cold, snow and ice, sun and moon). This allows both muscles and mind to relax into a meditative-like state where both the right and left sides of your brain are open. You are constantly reminded ‘not to fall asleep’ though this is often what happens!

 ‘Yogic sleeping’ is said to be three times as refreshing as normal sleep and probably a cousin of the catnap. It is a state of pure potential where issues that may be affecting your life such as phobias, fears and karma can be dealt with. It is where transformation can take place by planting a seed in your subconscious. This ‘seed’ is known as a ‘sankalpa’ (akin to a New Year resolution). It should be directed at the bigger picture. So rather than choosing ‘I want to give up smoking’ (reminding you of how useless you are to actually be smoking), a more positive sankalpa would be ‘I want to grow in health and vitality’. Giving up smoking would be a natural side effect. Rather than ‘I want to lose weight’ (reminding you of how fat and unable to lose weight you are), a more powerful sankalpa would be ‘I want my body to be full of health and energy’.

 The sankalpa (or mission statement) is personal to you. It is affirmed at the beginning and end of the yoga nidra and should become part of your everyday thoughts.

 A really good article about setting your sankalpa can be found here in Yoga Journal.

 But how can a Yoga Nidra help you learn?

‘Yogic sleeping’ doesn’t mean that your brain is asleep. On the contrary, both right (creative and intuitive) and left (logical and fact-based) sides of the brain are open and receptive to information. The trick is to re-listen to the information when you are awake so that it becomes embedded in your memory ready to dredge up as required. For an in-depth study of yoga nidra, read Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

 When I studied yoga nidra, I realised it was a great way of teaching people something they wanted or needed to know about but which they probably tensed up at – grammar! This tension, rather like a mild phobia, often means a barrier has been erected. Relaxation overcomes any barriers you might consciously or unconsciously put up.

 For those of you shaking your heads and muttering ‘yoga mumbo jumbo’, see whether you are already using this kind of technique.

 I would argue that probably the best practitioner of this kind of approach is Michel Thomas. During the war he learnt through experience the capabilities of the mind:

‘It was during Michel’s wartime experiences, particularly his torture by the Gestapo, that he discovered his ability to block out pain and unearth the untapped potential of the human mind. The only way he survived his wartime experiences, particularly his capture by the Gestapo, was by concentrating and placing his mind beyond the physical.

He said, I concentrated so hard, that I stopped feeling pain. I was amazed at myself.

Fascinated by this experience, he was determined that after the war, he would devote himself to exploring this further, and dedicated his life to education. 

I contemplated the untapped reserves of the human mind. The great hidden depths of the brain. I learned from it.’ 

 ‘With Thomas's method, the teacher cautions students to avoid making notes and to refrain from making conscious attempts to memorise, promising that the teacher will "be taking full responsibility" for their learning. Thomas stated that keeping the students relaxed, focused and stretched with a feeling of mounting successful achievement, is at the heart of the method. The removal of the stress and anxiety 'of being put on the spot' of conventional language learning, especially school language learning, is a key goal of the method.’ (Wikipedia)(Michel Thomas).

 And there were other accomplished people who used a similar approach:

 Einstein

When Einstein wanted to find out the answer to a problem, he would use the ‘stone technique’. He would sit with a stone in his hand and relax all of his body until the stone fell out and his body was completely relaxed. He would then focus his attention on the problem and wait for the answer to come to him in an intuitive dream.

 Leonardo da Vinci, would catnap. This is his advice:

‘Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.’

 So why not order a Nod off /Relax and Learn and find out how it can work for you.