Practice of yoga asana, or poses, creates a body and mind that are strong, flexible and clear enough to become still and awake, without anxiety, the perfect way to start a meditation!
Meditation is simply the practice coming back to the present moment. So often we live in the future or past, planning or remembering, that we rarely occupy the only thing we completely have: now. Meditation trains us to return to now by practicing recognition of our wandering attention and committing to return to our sensations and open awareness in the present moment over and over again. Meditation is focus + concentration.
Sometimes having a method makes all the difference in learning to be still and present. Yoga nidra offers just such a flexible, effective method. Yoga nidra is often referred to misleadingly as “yogic sleep.” This meditative technique actually takes you to a place of presence that is different than our usual rat wheel of thinking and more aware than sleep. Richard Miller is a nationally known yoga teacher who is popularizing yoga nidra with his IRest program.
In yoga nidra, the attention is systematically rotated around the body, focusing on specific locations each in turn with wordless sensation. From the relaxed state this produces, you can then cultivate focus and concentration.
You can be lead through this process by Janya Wongsopa, an experienced meditation teacher, on Saturday, October 1 from 2-4:00pm at Yoga of Los Altos. “Yoga Nidra & Meditation” promises to begin with simple postures to prepare the body and guidance to lead the mind into a state of relaxation and concentration. Think those words don’t go together? Come and find out how you can live from this vibrant, relaxed and awake state of mind!
