We live in a chaotic and busy world that has many of us running around like lab rats in a maze. So many of us don’t seem to have a purpose in life. That’s unfortunate because life without a purpose can feel meaningless and empty. But there are ways to discover – or even rediscover, if you will – a purpose. One of them is yoga nidra.
Scott Moore is an internationally known yoga educator, mindfulness mentor, and transformational retreat leader. Clients coming to him seeking to discover a lost purpose are common. Through yoga nidra and mindfulness, Moore helps them along the journey of discovery.Â
One Form of Yoga
Yoga nidra is just one form of yoga. It is rooted in the concept of deep, meditative relaxation that allows participants to enter new levels of consciousness. It’s also one of the most accessible forms of yoga given that it can be practiced regardless of age, physical ability, educational level, etc.
Yoga nidra is also a guided practice. Scott Moore guides sessions in person. So do other yoga nidra teachers. But practitioners can also take advantage of mobile apps and recordings to practice yoga nidra at home with an electronic guide.
Yoga Nidra and Discovering Purpose
The main point of this post is how yoga nidra helps people rediscover their purpose. So let’s get into it. It starts with deep relaxation and the clarity that comes with it.
Yoga nidra encourages a profoundly relaxed and meditative state designed to quiet the mind. While fully aware, the mind is not encumbered by all of life’s distractions. During this ultimate state of relaxation, a practitioner can dive deeply into multiple layers of awareness. The greater awareness yields to improved clarity as practitioners reflect on their own values, desires, and needs.
There are four key things in play:
Subconscious Connections – Yoga nidra leads a person to a state of consciousness that is somewhere between fully awake and fully asleep. This state allows a person to tap into the subconscious and unconscious levels of the mind. This is where true insight is found.
Release – Yoga nidra also encourages the practice of identifying and releasing limiting beliefs, repetitive thought patterns, and emotional blocks. The point is for the practitioner to free themself from self-imposed limitations. They find new direction as a result.
Empowerment – A central tenet of yoga nidra is empowerment through intention. Practitioners establish an intention, or sankalpa, at the start of each session. Intentions are positive. They are intended to influence behavior even after the sessions are over.
Creativity – In a deeper state of relaxation and self-consciousness, yoga nidra seeks to release a person’s creativity. This leads to creative problem solving and a level of intuitive knowledge that is not achieved otherwise.
It’s important to recognize the fact that yoga nidra is a holistic practice by design. It incorporates the body, mind, and emotions for a complete experience into higher levels of consciousness.
Purpose Is Found in Breaking Through
If it is not yet apparent to you how yoga nidra helps people rediscover purpose, think of it this way: purpose is found once a practitioner breaks through. Yoga nidra’s success is helping practitioners temporarily escape the busy and overwhelming world they live in. The physical, mental, and emotional escape they experience with each session allows them to think and feel more deeply.
When a person breaks through all the noise, they are more open to purpose. The practitioner can see more clearly what truly matters. That is where purpose is found. It is found deeply inside of each person.
