Meditation with Alan
Season 1
Guided meditation: Yoga Nidra
Guided relaxation: Auto-suggestion
by Alan
This episode is a re-use of an older recording from my (now retired) youtube channel, so you'll hear some differences in the audio. Yoga Nidra is a practice I learned many years ago from teachers in the Satyananda Yoga tradition. Its intended to promote deep insight, and can induce a dreamlike sleep-state. The practice is best done somewhere warm, and dimly lit. Lying down with a pillow and blanket will ensure you get the most out of the practice. This is a good book if you'd like to learn more: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1032197.Yoga_Nidra
In this episode I'll guide you through an auto-suggestion relaxation. This is a type of body scan, and is intended to promote deep relaxation. Its also a relatively simple technique, so after practicing it a few times you may find that you can do it by yourself.
In this episode I talk a little about the nature of stillness in meditation, before leading a guided relaxation. Today's relaxation uses the 'withdrawal of awareness' technique (sometimes known as 'antar mouna', though these are not exactly the same thing). If you're new to meditation, try not to worry about how you're sitting or breathing, or how often you get distracted. Just sit any way that works, follow along as best you can, and see how it feels for you.