Isher Singh Jasrotia
The human being is owned with unlimited hidden potential which are restrained and blocked beyond application and hindered from free expression and imaginative creativity. Research and practical experience has shown Yoga Nidra to be an impressive technique that can help transformation and innovation of our mindset into new ideas in possible, positive and creative way.
Yoga Approach to Education
Swami Satayandanda Sarswati (1981) states that evey person has the potential of a genius but these potentials are never emerged and transformed into the form of realization due to fears, phobias, conflicts, complexities, excessive egoism, conditioning and other multifarious essence of life. Once the screen is removed, the inner potentials and knowledge will spontaneously come out unrestrained and uninhibited and reveal itself.
The simple, direct and powerful poetry of Jaaderva established that to embrace God, the best ways is Aradhana, Sadhana in the form of Bhakti. It is a sort of solemn dedication (chetna) in the form of devotion and consecration. In the modern world and changing scenario we are deviating from physical exertion, yoga is the advantageous and desirable way to get relief from mental worries, stress, physical disturbance and diseases and attainment of divinity and spirituality. The personality of human being is manifested by the physical fitness and sound mind and other characteristics of life but complexities of life, the prevailing circumstances and environment have complicated the whole life. The purpose of yoga is to create the awareness and to separate the negative from the positive – negative to be rejected and positive to be adopted.
It is the perception of our mindset by practicing yoga that we realize the like and dislikes, action and reaction in our social life. To make this perception experimental, we proceed further and start understanding the reality of our life, leaving behind our negative thinking, adopt positive, make self confidence, self-development, excel our energies, talents and abilities in the right perspective which ultimately bring us contentment, peace, prosperity, containment and discern the reality of life.
Yoga Nidra is a state of dynamic sleep in which one appears to be asleep, but the conscientious and scrupulous is achieved. In this context, subconscious and unconscious dimensions of mind occurs spontaneously. One becomes present, receptive and sensitive. There is deep relaxation with alertness and inner awareness. When the relaxation is complete, the receptivity is greater. This is the secret of Yoga Nidra. The main principle working behind Yoga Nidra is deep relaxation of the mind, which allows it to engross knowledge like sponge absorbs water, so the learning process is not physically or mentally tiring.
Stages of Yoga Nidra:
Preparation when physical relaxation is induced in Shavasana as the mind is withdrawn from external objects and awareness is taken to different parts of the body. Sankalpa takes the form of a short, positive mental statement, impressed on the subconscious mind during Yoga Nidra. This is powerful method of reshaping one’s personality. Rotation of consciousness: The physical tension is released by systematically relaxing all the physical organs of the body. It also cleans the nerve pathway, making the circuits clear, removing panic blockages and releasing and diverting the blocked energy towards the Brain, thus awakening the dormant centers of the brains, sharpening intellect and developing memory and concentration.
Breath Awareness: The breach is like a vehicle between the body and kind. Awareness of the breath gradually develops dissociation from the body and the breath leading to a deep state of relaxation and introversion of mind ready to be explored
Feeling and sensations: By creating and intensifying opposite feeling and sensation, we make use of both hemispheres of the brain and leads to balanced emotions and prepares the mind for managing the emotions in the best possible way
Visualization: This is a very effective and important state to develop positive traits of personality. Imagination that possesses the positive brain with intensity in every session of Yoga Nidra can actually make it a reality.
Swami Satyananda (1982) had pointed out that by regular practice of Yoga Nidra, new circuits are cleared of blockages and dormant areas of the brain are awakened as the neurons are stimulated. This has possible effect on the enhancement of the long terms as well as short-term memory.
Yoga can be performed by different methods and asanas like asanas yogasan, Bhujasan, Pranam, Kapalbhati, Pryanam, Bhramari Pryanam, Onkarjap, Agnisar Pryanam in different way for giving us satisfaction and attainment.
Yoga has its importance in school and colleges and educational institutions. Once employing specialist in yoga in the school, it can change the behavior pattern, attitude, and relationship among the children and improve their confident building measures. If school authorizes could introduce a period of 15-20 minutes of Yoga Nidra into the daily schedule, it would be very beneficial and worthwhile.
If we identify with the inner experience of happiness but react externally in our attitude and behavior, experience can never be complete. An international group, which drafted a manifesto for the future of education in year 2006 in Soel, it was of the prudent view that physical infrastructure-based universities have outlined their utility. It focused upon the physical education and application of Yoga.
It is fact that where medical facilities are lacking in some remote area, yoga has proved to be very useful in the improvement of people’s health and kept them away from diseases. The asanas of various types in the morning and in the evening times have been recommended as regular exercise and many old age peoples are getting relief from the old age diseases.
When we starts thinking on positive side using affirmative elements, we can bask in the shining accomplishment of the newly created self, tasks assigned, feel standing tall in the world, strong in foundation and feel established in the society. With the continuous practice of yoga, we are endowed with the ever-lasting abilities, talents with new thinking of everyday activities of our life and our actions and reactions with others. Having self-confidence in ourselves, we start thinking that we have reconstructed our life style in the prevailing circumstances. It is known proverb that “a man and woman gain a lot by experience”. The pressure which the people are experiencing in stress and strain due to varieties of reasons in their profession may it be business, job, family stress or the other, starts decreasing and physiological effects starts giving positive response and results.