Yoga * Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
This article is directly from the SwamiJ.com website, and is in printed form for your
convenience. The layout is not intended to be fancy or professional, but rather, practical and
in a form that is familiar from the website.

In loving service,

Swami Jnaneshvara

It is a universally known feature of Deep Sleep that there
are no images in the mind. If there are images, that is the
Waking or the Dreaming state, not the Deep Sleep state.
Yoga Nidra relates to conscious Deep Sleep.
("Nidra" means "Deep Sleep" not "Dreaming")
Dreaming and Not-Dreaming are NOT the same thing.
Yoga* Nidra:
Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Homepage
Advanced Yoga Nidra: The form of Yoga Nidra being described in this article can be called
Advanced Yoga Nidra. In recent years Yoga Nidra has been distorted in ways similar to Yoga
itself. Unfortunately, almost any guided practice that brings a modicum of relaxation is now
called Yoga Nidra. Therefore, it is now virtually essential that we use another term, such as
Authentic Yoga Nidra, Traditional Yoga Nidra, or Advanced Yoga Nidra. I've opted for the
term Advanced Yoga Nidra in this article.
Yoga Nidra brings an incredible calmness, quietness and clarity. Yoga Nidra is one of the
deepest of all meditations, leading awareness through many levels of mental process to a
state of supreme stillness and insight. The descriptions in the article below can be difficult to
understand. With patient and thorough reading, the understanding is well worth the effort,
allowing you to see the profound depth of Yoga Nidra, which is far beyond just relaxation. It
is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes it takes thousands of words to
get the inner "aha" of the meaning. Most important of all, it is the persistent practice that
brings the real joy of the practice of Yoga Nidra, as with all useful practices in life and Yoga.
Yoga Nidra means Yogic Sleep. It is a state of conscious Deep Sleep. In Meditation, you
remain in the Waking state of consciousness, and gently focus the mind, while allowing
thought patterns, emotions, sensations, and images to arise and go on. However, in Yoga
Nidra, you leave the Waking state, go past the Dreaming state, and go to Deep Sleep, yet
remain awake. While Yoga Nidra is a state that is very relaxing, it is also used by Yogis to
purify the Samskaras, the deep impressions that are the driving force behind Karma (See
Karma article).
Page 1 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep

(Yoga Nidra practice methods are linked below)
Intro Track of CD plus video: This file contains the
audio of the Introduction track of the Yoga Nidra CD. It
explains the process of Yoga Nidra and the guided

8-minutes
practices on the CD (The guided practice itself is on the
other tracks of the CD). This video file also has
graphics to help explain the audio narration.
Intro Track of CD: Listen to the Introduction track
(same sound as above) of the Yoga Nidra CD, which

explains the process of Yoga Nidra and the guided
7-minutes
practices on the CD (The guided practice itself is on the
other tracks of the CD).
Yoga Meditation Visualized: This 7-minute video
summarizes the process of Yoga Meditation, which is

extremely thorough and deep. It includes Yoga Nidra
7-minutes
and how authentic Yoga Nidra fits into the overall
process of Yoga Meditation.

Yoga Nidra has been known for thousands of years by the sages and yogis. Of the three
states of consciousness of Waking, Dreaming and Deep Sleep, as expounded in the
Upanishads, particularly the Mandukya Upanishad, Yoga Nidra refers to the conscious
awareness of the Deep Sleep state, referred to as prajna in Mandukya Upanishad. This is
the third of the four levels of consciousness of AUM mantra, relating to the state
represented by the M of AUM. The four states are Waking, Dreaming, sleep, and turiya, the
fourth state. The state of Yoga Nidra, conscious Deep Sleep, is beyond or subtler than the
imagery and mental process of the Waking and Dreaming states. As a state of conscious
Deep Sleep, Yoga Nidra is a universal principle, and is not the exclusive domain of any more
recent teachers or traditions.

In Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking state,
go through the Dreaming state,
and into the Deep Sleep state,
yet remain fully awake.
Contents of this web page:
Yoga Nidra and Meditation
How consciousness recedes
Not Yoga Nidra
Page 2 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
Brain waves are at Delta
Parachuting and Yoga Nidra
Purifying samskaras, deep habit patterns
Like the backdrop of a stage
Emptying process
Destination, not the journey
Chakras and Yoga Nidra
Tantra and the three levels
Methods are many, and simple
Methods of practicing Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra begins to come naturally
See also these articles:
5 Yoga Nidra method 1 2 3 4 5
OM and the Seven Levels of Consciousness
4 Levels and 3 Domains of Consciousness
Relaxation methods before meditation
Yoga Nidra CD from SwamiJ.com


Meditation: Imagine that you are in the WAKING state, with all of its distractions of mind.
You systematically do this and that with directing your attention. You are practicing
concentration and letting go, leading you towards meditation. The thoughts and pictures of
the DREAMING state start to come to the surface, even though you are still in the WAKING
state. Gradually, the distractions fade away, your mind becomes focused, and you are
having a nice meditation. You are deeply relaxed. You are still in the WAKING state of
consciousness, which is the nature of meditation.
Yoga Nidra: Now, imagine that at some point you DROP or FALL or EMPTY (or other such
words) into the STATE of DEEP SLEEP, much like you would normally do at bedtime (when
not Dreaming). However, this time, you fell all the way THROUGH the Dreaming state, and
came to rest in the DEEP SLEEP state, though, paradoxically, you remained aware and alert.
This is the level UNDERNEATH both the WAKING and DREAMING states, and all of the
thoughts and impressions that go along with those two states. Now you are in the STATE of
CONSCIOUS DEEP SLEEP. This state is the state of YOGA NIDRA (Yoga Nidra refers to a
state of consciousness, not just the methods that lead you there). Nidra means sleep (not
Dreaming), and Yoga means union, where all of those other thoughts and impressions have
receded back into the unified field from which they arose.
Swami Rama describes "sleepless sleep"
and it's greater depth than alpha brain waves
in this 1973 cover story.
PDF cover story - More research here
"One of the popular terms arising from exploration into the mind is alpha wave. Again,
the Swami points out a common misconception and says emphatically, 'Alpha and
meditation are not the same. Alpha is created by relaxation. It is not a high state.
Once, when I hooked my German Shepard dog to the biofeedback machine, he created
75 percent alpha.'"
Page 3 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
Yoga Nidra - Conscious Deep Sleep:


See also the article:
Bindu: Pinnacle of Yoga, Vedanta and Tantra
Companions to the higher goal: This is not yet the higher goal of sadhana (spiritual
practices), which is to experience consciousness itself, independent of any grosser false
identification, etc. (one might call this purusha, atman, or the experience of the state of
turiya, the fourth, but that's a different thing, which is just beyond the level of conscious
Deep Sleep, the goal of Yoga Nidra). However, Meditation and Yoga Nidra work together, as
companion practices, in preparing one for such higher experience.
See also these articles on the Levels of Consciousness:
OM and the Seven Levels of Consciousness
4 Levels and 3 Domains of Consciousness
Mandukya Upanishad

Yoga Nidra and
Yoga Meditation are Companions


In Meditation, you remain in the
Waking state of consciousness, and
gradually allow the layers of the
unconscious and subconscious to come
forward, expanding the Waking state
with one-pointed concentration and non-
attachment to the streams of impressions
flowing in the field of mind.

• Waking state
Waking state
• A of AUM
A of AUM

Page 4 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
In Yoga Nidra, you leave the Waking
state of consciousness, and go to the
Deep Sleep state of consciousness, yet,
paradoxically, remain fully awake. It is an
extremely relaxing state in which
samskaras of attachment and aversion,
the driving force behind karma, are
attenuated in strength.

• Deep Sleep state
Deep Sleep state / M of AUM
• M of AUM
Reverie that is experienced between the
Waking and Dreaming states, such as
when you sometimes wake up in the
morning with a pleasant half-here and
half-there feeling, is not Yoga Nidra. This
reverie is often the goal of relaxation and
visualization exercises, but Yoga Nidra is
far deeper.

• Transition/reverie
Transition/reverie
Yoga Nidra brings access to the to
latent, or subconscious level of mind,
that is underneath even the processing,
fantasizing, imaging level of mind. It is
the doorway to the causal level of reality,
out of which springs the subtle, psychic,
astral plane of reality, which in turn
brings forth the gross level.

• Deep Sleep state
Deep Sleep state / M of AUM
• M of AUM
Meditation and Yoga Nidra work
together, as companion practices,
through which you purify the deepest
levels of the mind, and expand the
conscious state to include what was
previously unconscious. Finally, the
expansion includes the realization of the
pure consciousness that permeates all of
the levels.

Expansion/Realization
• Expansion/Realization
Page 5 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
See also these articles on the Levels of Consciousness:
OM and the Seven Levels of Consciousness
4 Levels and 3 Domains of Consciousness
Mandukya Upanishad
Yoga Nidra is a state of consciousness,
not the methods that lead you to that state.
Consciousness recedes in Yoga Nidra


Waking State: In the Waking state of consciousness, all three
levels are active and being used. The Conscious mind is
obviously being used. The Unconscious mind is also
processing, though typically out of view, much like the active

microprocessor of a computer (during Meditation, this comes
Waking
into view). The Subconscious is also active, in that it its data is
AUM
available when needed, much like the data on the hard disk of
a computer. [Note that sometimes people reverse the names
for the Unconscious and Subconscious. The choice of words in
not important; the meaning behind them is what counts.]



Dreaming State: In the Dreaming state of consciousness, the
level we call Conscious functioning has receded back into the
field of mind from which it arose. Only the Unconscious
processing is still there, along with the storage source of the

Subconscious. The impressions from the Subconscious stir and
Dreaming
become part of the dream process that is going on in the
U of AUM
Unconscious level of mind.



Deep Sleep: In the Deep Sleep state of consciousness, both
the Conscious and Unconscious levels have receded back into
the field of mind from which they arose, where memories are
stored. Only the Subconscious level is still active. At this

Subconscious level the memories are in a formless form, and
Deep Sleep
there are therefore no pictures or images as in the dream
M of AUM
state. Rather, this is the level that gives birth to those images.
At this level there is also no playing out of thoughts and
actions in the Conscious state either. This deep stillness is the
domain of Yoga Nidra, when experienced consciously rather
than inertly, as in typical sleep.



Page 6 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
Receding process: The significance of this receding process cannot be overstated. It has
become very common in modern Yoga circles to think that Yoga Nidra is merely another
terminology for relaxation exercises. This is not the case. Almost all relaxation exercises
operate when one is in the Waking State or in the reverie between Waking and Dreaming.
Some modern practitioners consciously dream, a process which has become known as Lucid
Dreaming. While this may be a useful exercise as a Meditation exercise, particularly if used
to cultivate non-attachment (vairagya), this too is not Yoga Nidra. (Non-attachment or
vairagya is one of the two core principles of Yoga. See Yoga Sutras 1.12-1.16)
Conscious Deep Sleep: To repeat, Yoga Nidra is the state of conscious Deep Sleep. It is
beyond, or deeper than these other practices, however useful they may be.
Yoga Nidra - Conscious Deep Sleep:

Compatible, not contradictory: It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because the
state of consciousness of Yoga Nidra is beyond or deeper (see above) than that of some
other practices, this also necessarily means better. One might then seek and do what is
perceived to be the better practice, avoiding what is perceived to be the lesser practice.
Regardless of what names or terms one uses, such as Yoga Nidra, Dhyana (meditation), or
Smriti (mindfulness), the practices with the three levels of Waking, Dreaming, and Deep
Sleep states of consciousness are compatible, not contradictory. For the Yogi, practices are
done with all three levels, regardless of what he or she might call those levels and the
methods of practice. This would still be true if the name Yoga Nidra had never been used by
anybody for any practice or state of consciousness.
• The Yogi consciously explores the Waking state.
• The Yogi consciously explores the Dreaming state.
• The Yogi consciously explores the Sleeping state.
• The Yogi seeks to experience all three collectively.
• The Yogi seeks to experience the Absolute beyond all three.
Formless thoughts: To understand Yoga Nidra, it is imperative to understand that
thoughts are in a formless form. There are literally no pictures and no words (as there are
in the Waking and Dreaming states). There is no visual awareness of any form whatsoever,
including the physical aspects of your own body, or of any dream sequence. Yet, there is a
truer, deeper knowledge than any of the knowledge that is of pictures and words. This level
has been called the infinite storehouse or knowledge, or the infinite library (Deep Sleep,
Prajna).
Page 7 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep

Birth of dreams: While there are no pictures at this level, attention may drift slightly
outward (thus, starting to leave Yoga Nidra), through the transition stage between the Deep
Sleep state and the Dreaming state. Here, the birth of images leading to dream sequences
and mental processing is experienced. In Yoga Meditation science, this transition stage is
called Aladani, somewhat like the story of Aladin's lamp, where the genie who was in latent
form (like in Deep Sleep) goes through a transition stage of being like a wispy cloud before
taking the human like form (first in the Dreaming or subtle level, and then in the Waking or
gross level).
Beyond archetypes: Some schools of psychology refer to deep impressions of archetypes.
However, these archetypes are referred to as having form. In the context of these
archetypes, Yoga Nidra is touching the causal level that is prior to, or underneath the
archetypes. It is the seed or bija level out of which the archetypes and subsequent dramas
arise.
Attenuating Karma: It is because of the access to the seed or bija level that one is able to
directly attenuate the samskaras, or deep impressions that drive karma, or actions.
Page 8 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep

Consciousness is there 24-hours: Another way to view this process is that the
consciousness at the subtler level is existent 24-hours per day. Sometimes that
consciousness comes outward, expressing into the subtle, psychic, or astral level, which we
commonly know as Dreaming state. At other times consciousness comes even further
outward, expressing into the gross, external world through the physical body. Viewed this
way, it is also easier to see how it is that the sages have said that death, Deep Sleep, and
samadhi are very similar, or related like siblings.
See also these articles on the Levels of Consciousness:
OM and the Seven Levels of Consciousness
4 Levels and 3 Domains of Consciousness
Mandukya Upanishad

It is a universally known feature of Deep Sleep that there
are no images in the mind. If there are images, that is the
Waking or the Dreaming state, not the Deep Sleep state.
Yoga Nidra relates to conscious Deep Sleep.
("Nidra" means "Deep Sleep" not "Dreaming")
Dreaming and Not-Dreaming are NOT the same thing.

NOT Yoga Nidra
The depth of Yoga Nidra has become almost lost in recent years, as has happened with Yoga
in general. Here are a few points that should help to clarify the nature of Yoga Nidra.
Not merely relaxation: It has become popular to use the term Yoga Nidra for any method
that might help induce relaxation. Yoga Nidra is not mere relaxation, as very useful as
relaxation exercises might be. Yoga Nidra is a specific state of consciousness, which has to
do with the conscious experience of dreamless, Deep Sleep. This may seem unimportant,
but if one does not discern the difference between relaxation and Yoga Nidra, the greater
depth of Yoga Nidra might be completely missed. Better that one see the difference, enjoy
relaxation for its own value, and then pursue the depths of Yoga Nidra when he or she is
ready for this deeper practice.
Page 9 of 25

---

Yoga Nidra: Yogic Conscious Deep Sleep
Not guided imagery: If one is in the process of guided imagery, that is not Yoga Nidra.
Guided imagery may be a very useful practice, and may be used as preparation leading up
to Yoga Nidra, but it is not, itself, Yoga Nidra. In the depth of Yoga Nidra, the aspects of
mind used for visualizing have receded, as described in the last section.
Guided imagery is not, itself, Yoga Nidra.
Affirmations are not Yoga Nidra.
Music is not Yoga Nidra.
Yoga Nidra is not new.
Not affirmations or autosuggestion: Yoga Nidra is also not a practice of autosuggestion
or verbal affirmations, whether affirming desired personal qualities or worldly objects that
are desired. It is also not a process of verbally affirming that you are in Yoga Nidra. If you
are still in such a conscious level that you are still making oral affirmations of any kind, then
you are definitely not in the subtle state of Yoga Nidra. In such a case, the conscious,
Waking state mind has not yet receded into the cause from which it arose.
Not music: Yoga Nidra is also not music, as relaxing as music might be to the conscious
mind. It is not that music is a bad thing to experience. It might be very pleasant, but it is
simply not Yoga Nidra. No amount of pretending that it is will make it so. Yoga Nidra is the
experience of conscious Deep Sleep (Prajna), and that does not occur while you are
listening to music.
NOT Yoga Nidra:

Not "alpha" or reverie: Between the Waking and Dreaming states there is a transition
stage that is often called "reverie." We have virtually all experienced this relaxing,
intriguing, insightful and useful state from time to time in the early morning transition as we
awaken from sleep. This stage of awareness is often cultivated in relaxation training, and
correlates with alpha brain waves. However useful and pleasant this may be, it is, however,
NOT the stage of Deep Sleep, which is characteristic of true Yoga Nidra. Unfortunately, it
has become common to use the term "Yoga Nidra" for any type of relaxation.
Page 10 of 25

---