Yoga Nidra - Session 3

Vedic Yoga Nidra session 3 with Swami Veetamohananda and Martine Texier

Course programme and sign-up details here

Courses on Vedic Yoga Nidra take place in 3 sessions. Each session allows the student to progressively deepen their knowledge, raise their awareness, and stabilize their mind in order to maintain a connection with pure consciousness.
You can follow the same session several times, since the ultimate purpose is internal growth to facilitate future transmissions. The content of each session is refreshed and tailored to the group.

According to Swami Veetamohananda, yoga nidra is the experience of a state in which we are no longer conscious of the indriyas and of all “isms” and in which our ego is instead connected solely with Pure Consciousness.  

VEDIC YOGA

The concept of yoga dates to the times of the Vedas. Rishis (spiritual scientists) were one with Nature. They understood this Reality, the Infinite, by directly experiencing it.
By orienting our individual awareness towards the forces of the cosmos, our consciousness becomes Pure Consciousness itself.
It is thanks to this union with the Infinite that the Rishis were able to feel the manner in which the force of the cosmic Self expresses itself. They transmitted this experience to us: it is through Yoga (union) that we can connect with the Source—the Self.

YOGA NIDRA

Within the realm of yoga, nidra means mastery of our sensory organs, or alternatively pausing our sensory organs. Only the soul—the self—is active within our consciousness. 

First stage: purification

Our organs are present in the body and in the mind, but they are not active. This is why we begin with a purifying prayer or invocation prior to commencing Yoga Nidra, such as: “May my soul or self be purified by the Light of the Supreme. May I dwell among the Light of the Supreme.” 

Second stage: focus Dharana on Pure Consciousness

Practicing focus can be done on the Light, by visualizing a flame. We remain conscious of the flame and we bring it within ourselves. The flame enters the heart and becomes stable. From this point of stability onwards, we begin to expand our awareness. This flame is the Self.

We can visualize that “each cell and each molecule of our body shines like rays in the infinite Light.”

We can then consider that “we are like the rising Sun, full of luminosity and full of infinite beauty.” And the blue sky or space of the infinite, we can imagine the sun expanding limitlessly. We can thus expand our awareness to infinity.

Through practice, we can remain in this state of Pure Consciousness.

During Yoga Nidra, our sensory organs are asleep. In contrast, during our daily lives they are active and cause excitement. None of this excitement is present in the state of Yoga Nidra.

As a result we intensify this state of Pure Consciousness, little by little.

This is exactly what Patanjali recommends. When we are able to remain in this stable state, it burns all impressions of the past (samskaras). Indeed, when we burn a seed, it no longer has the capacity to grow.

The first step when performing Yoga Nidra is to master our habits and our sensory organs. Then, once we are able to reach this state of Pure Consciousness, we reach Dharana: our consciousness becomes stable, undisturbed, and no force can affect it.

It is this state which supports us. In the word Dharana, there is Dharayati: “that which supports”. In this state, we are supported by this Pure Consciousness.

Third stage: the vibration of the mantra
The aim is to recite various mantras and make each part of our body vibrate in line with the rotation of our consciousness, which enables us to remain in the state of Pure Consciousness. The body transitions from a state of density to a state of vibration of Pure Consciousness.

Fourth stage: visualization
Everything is in place to enable visualization or evocation, while remaining within this experience of expanding our awareness and of connecting with the Supreme.

The visualization involves experiencing one or several of the seven aspects of the Infinite (Harmony of pure energy, luminosity, beauty, pure love, intelligence, knowledge, and bliss) by paths that are both varied and infinitely rich, which leads to numerous Vedic Yoga Nidra themes like lunar atmosphere, nectar of immortality, harmony and peace, joy, the cosmic sun, etc.

Experiencing Vedic Yoga Nidra during the whole week, in addition to the regular spiritual activities in the Ashram (meditations, recitals of mantras, moments of silence, pujas, etc.), enables the exploration of states of Pure Consciousness and lead to profound transformation.