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Experience Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra really needs to be experienced first-hand to reap its benefits and feel the wonder of it.  Here’s how …

Yoga Nidra MeditationsYoga Nidra 1 2 3 is as easy as one, two, three.  Video / Audio 

Done lying down, this delightful yoga nidra meditation experience gently guides you into feeling totally at ease, refreshed, and energized.  Live harp, chimes, and flute music is soothing and mesmerizing.

Feel unconditional peace and joyfulness by sweeping away physical, mental, and emotional tension to clear space for insights and creativity to flourish. A heartfelt pledge (sankalpa) enables you to make positive changes that last.

Yoga Nidra 1 2 3 was recorded at a live yoga nidra class on zoom. You and your pets are warmly invited to join our friendly yoga nidra group on Mondays.  It’s wonderful!

Yoga Nidra 1 2 3 is from Julie Lusk’s book, Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation.  It is included in Nidra Shakti: The Power of Rest by Uma Dinsmore-Tuli.

Yoga Nidra 1 2 3 Video

 

Yoga Nidra 1 2 3 Audio

 

Handy Yoga Nidra Links

Disclosure

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Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

by

How’s Your Sleep?

Are you getting enough sleep?  Are you tired of being tired?  Could you be suffering from sleep deprivation?  Well, you’re not alone.  Most of us don’t get enough sleep.  I don’t know about you, but it’s just irresistible to stay up late, even when I must get up early the next day.

Our busy lives make it so tempting to skimp on sleep.  Lots of us have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.  Have you ever felt half-awake and half-asleep all night, here’s an explanation of why that happens with suggestions to help.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 7 hours of sleep in every 24 hours for adults. It’s nine to 12 hours for children 6 to 12 years old and teens need eight to 10 hours daily on a regular basis.  Establishing good sleep hygiene habits are important to getting a full night’s sleep.

Benefits of Sleep

Getting enough sleep helps normalize mood, improves concentration, memory consolidation, and helps pain management.  It improves performance and lowers the risk of having an accident. Sleep is good for your skin and your sex drive.  It lowers cortisol, the stress hormone, resulting in better appetite control and weight loss.  Getting enough sleep helps regulate glucose levels, supports heart-health and contributes to a healthy immunity.  Recent NIH research reveals that sleep is needed to remove the daily buildup of waste and neurotoxins from the brain. Researchers are very interested in this since these neurotoxins are elevated in Alzheimer’s patients.  It is thought that the glymphatic system rinses and flushes these neurotoxic molecules from the brain nightly during deep sleep. This clearing process seems to be more effective when sleeping on one’s side, according to a study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Here’s more information on side-sleeping.

Sleep Solutions – Yoga Style

The art and science of yoga has plenty to offer including postures, breathing techniques, meditation practices, and lifestyle recommendations for sleep improvement.  To further ease one’s mind, yoga’s wisdom teachings are helpful for gaining a healthy perspective on everything from handling life’s ups and downs to living with more meaning and purpose.  Furthermore, it addresses age-old questions like “Who am I?” and “What is my true nature?”

Students often say that they get their best sleep on the nights they attend yoga class.  Having a regular personal home practice is ideal.  Here are some of the many ways that yoga supports healthy sleep.

  • Yoga Postures: A vigorous practice is fine early in the day.  However, start winding down the evening with a practice that focuses on slow, mindful movements.  Focus your attention on postures that reduce physical tension.  Doing so has the added benefit of calming the mind and emotions.  Good ones to try include the child pose, gentle spinal twists, legs up the wall, and shavasana.  Restorative yoga works wonders as well.
  • Yoga Breathing: The Triangle Breath is a favorite for balancing oneself and is described in my book, Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (NHP, pg. 175).  It is effective for increasing your energy when feeling tired, calming your nerves when feeling anxious, and promotes sound sleep.  There are three parts to triangle breathing.  The important thing is for the exhalation, inhalation, and the retention to be equal in duration. Therefore, adjust the rate of counting to four more quickly or more slowly depending on your lung capacity and comfort.  Breathe through your nose; only use your mouth for breathing to the extent necessary.

Part 1 – Breathe out through your nose to the count of four.

Part 2 – Breathe in through your nose to the count of four.

Part 3 – Hold your breath to the count of four.

Repeat the whole process for a few minutes or until the desired effect happens.

  • Yoga Nidra: Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep” and has many documented benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. It happens when your bodymind is in deep sleep but with one big difference – you remain consciously aware.  How?  A series of techniques are used systematically to relax physically, energetically, mentally, and emotionally.  Yoga nidra awakens intuition, unconditional joy, and a timeless, spacious sense of being.  Get more on the stages of yoga nidra and how to practice it here.

Yoga nidra can also be used as a natural sleep aid at bedtime.  It eliminates layer after layer of tension and stress, allowing you to drift comfortably off to sleep and stay asleep. It’s like drinking a cup of comfort.  More on this here.

Watch this short video on how yoga nidra helped her insomnia.

One hour of yoga nidra practice approximates four hours of sleep. This is due to the series of brain wave states experienced during yoga nidra (Saraswati 1998, Kumar 2008).   Therefore, yoga nidra can help address sleep deprivation and renew your energy.  The conscious experience of deep sleep is what makes it so restorative and unique.  Due to the fertile brainwave states experienced, it’s also entirely possible to make positive behavior and personality changes. See the yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions and sankalpas here.  Remember, yoga nidra is not intended to be a substitute for sleep.

How to Experience Yoga Nidra:  

Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results.  It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

  1. Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
  2. Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
  3. Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
  4. Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
  5. Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
  6. Get yoga nidra downloads here.
  7. Get a book or audio below.

Sweet Dreams!

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD
Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD
Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.
Quantity:  
Price: $9.99Price: $16.99 

Julie Lusk

 

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has more than 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her audio downoads and CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com

Business, Organization, Conference Speaker

Stress Management, Wellness and Mind-Body Mastery Speaker

Are you looking for a conference speaker, business speaker or lunch and learn presenter for your organization or meeting?  You just solved it!IMG_5755 (3)

Benefit now from our motivational training and resource materials provided in-person or remotely on Zoom. 

  • Stress management training skills for stress relief and increased productivity
  • Wellness promotion techniques to improve total health
  • Increase employee satisfaction with fitness techniques for the mind and body
  • Desktop Yoga chair exercises & techniques to improve productivity and morale
  • Yoga, Meditation and Teacher Training Workshops
  • Julie has written five books and produced numerous audio recordings on these subjects.  Review the testimonials page and look at the client list (PDF)

 Book Julie Lusk – Call 513-248-9642 or click here to email.

Desktop Yoga ® 

Keep employees alert and productive while reducing risks associated with repetitive motion injuries with Desktop Yoga ®.  Effective chair exercises are taught to relieve aching backs, tired eyes and tight shoulders.  Energy is replenished by learning ‘How to take a two-hour nap in two-minutes’  Julie is the author of Desktop Yoga ®.

 

DARE to Relax © Stress Management Workshop

Transform daily stress into the energy needed to enjoy life.  DARE’s self-care principles include Diet; Attitude and Awareness; Rest, Relaxation, and Relationships; and Exercise. 

 

Mike Sterling, Director of Human Resources, The Art Institute of Ohio writes:

Dear Julie:  Thanks for sharing the Dare to Relax session with our staff.  I have received several positive comments about it, especially the “2- Hour Nap in 10-minutes” segment.

Our staff received several valuable tips on reducing stress and the consequences of stress at work and in our personal lives.  It was definitely time well spent.”   Mike

Book Julie Lusk – Call 513-248-9642 or click here to email

Spices for Life ™  Wellness Workshop

Discover how to create, balance and enrich professional and personal power through a comprehensive approach to living.  SPICES represents the six components of wellness: Social, Physical, Intellectual, Career, Emotional, and Spiritual health.

Mind-Body Mastery for Wellness

Gainan understanding of the principles and practices of the mind-body connection.  You’ll learn a variety of techniques that effectively increase physical, mental and emotional health while decreasing stress.

  • Mental Benefits: Improve concentration, memory and problem solving, increase energy, spark creativity, reduce frustrations and increase emotional stability.
  • Physical Benefits:  Increase immunity, reduce muscular tension and pain (headaches, backaches, etc.), regulate blood pressure, sleep better, cell rejuvenation and repair

Book Julie Lusk – Call 513-248-9642 or click here to email

Julie T. Lusk, M.Ed.
Wholesome Resources
Milford, OH   45150

Greater Cincinnati Area

513-248-9642

Chakra Chart

Chakras: Subtle Energy Centers

→ Page Includes Complete Chakra Chart with helpful instructions

Each of us has has seven primary subtle energy centers called chakras. Chakras are considered as one of the most important indicators of a person’s health and well-being.

Traditionally, the seven primary chakras are described as spinning wheels of subtle energy that span from the base of the spine to the crown of the head.

Chakras guide the developmental stages of our body, mind, and emotions, and awaken our potential as spiritual beings. The chakras are referenced in the yogic wisdom books dating back five thousand years. Many medical, mental health, spiritual and mind-body professionals now seek to understand and apply the ancient knowledge of the chakras within their field of expertise.

Each of the seven chakras is associated with and has an influence on physical locations in the body as well as on adjacent muscles, organs, glands, and nerves. Yogis believe they house the guiding intelligence of prana, the universal energy of life.

Furthermore, each is related to stages of psychological growth and human development and has lessons to guide us through life that are integral to our soul’s journey.

Because they are energetic rather than physical structures, they are not considered to part of our physical anatomy.  They can be described as psycho-energetic or psycho-spiritual centers located in the subtle body. Like magnetism existing within an iron magnet, they exist within the body without having a physical presence.

Each chakra is associated with color, crystals, sounds, goddess archetypes, yoga postures, healing and balancing colors, an element, and sounds.

Establishing and maintaining balance throughout all the chakras is optimal since one chakra is not particularly better than the others. Chakra energy currents move both vertically and horizontally. When the chakras are unbalanced with either excessive or deficient energy, the result is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual difficulties. Fortunately, a wide range of techniques exists to open, align, and activate the chakras.

The chakra chart provides information to further your understanding and growth.  It was originally published in Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices in 2005 and  is continually updated to include more information.

Chakra Chart

This Chakra Chart (C) is for personal use only and not duplication.  It is reprinted with permission from Julie’s Yoga Meditation book.  Order your own beautiful 8.5 x 14″  full-color laminated chart below. Volume orders are welcome. Contact us. 

How to use the Chakra Chart for healing and balancing yourself

Begin by familiarizing yourself with the names, locations, and characteristics of each chakra. Here are some ideas for getting started.

  • Balanced Chakra Energy: Maintain balance with continued healthy attitudes, behaviors, emotions and appropriate yoga postures, breathing practices and activities.
  • Unbalanced Chakra Energy: Examine the chakras’ lessons, rights, responsibilities and challenges to determine what areas need improvement and make suitable changes. Practice the breathing practices, yoga postures and other healing activities and healthy behaviors. Set an intention and enhance it with the musical notes, instruments and crystals. Practice self-care and get competent help from others as needed.  In addition:
  • Excessive Chakra Energy: Use the chakras’ balancing color. Chant or sing the vowel sounds to send and release excess energy. “Too much of a good thing” is harmful so decrease behaviors that are excessive.
  • Deficient Chakra Energy: Use the chakras’ emanating color. Chant or sing the Bija mantra sounds to increase and attract energy.

Don’t be mistaken by seeing this information boxed into columns and rows. The lines are there to help clarify the information.  Think of it as an intermingling or as a gradual blending. It’s somewhat like how the colors in a rainbow gradually transform from one shade to another and at the same time a color can stand on its own.

Ultimately, there is no separation.  We are in a unified field of oneness that is as directionless and timeless as it is spacious.  http://JulieLusk.com

Yoga Meditations features the full chakra chart, guided meditations for each chakra, a full description and picture of a yoga posture for each chakra as well as all the other information described below.

Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices - Book & CD set
Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices - Book & CD set
Awaken joy, peace and inspiration with this yoga meditations book. Yoga Meditations contains a wide variety of mind-body practices, such as: * Guided relaxation exercises * Breathing practices * Yoga Nidra * Meditations and guided imagery * Affirmations * Yoga postures and meditations for each chakra * Yoga wisdom for contemplation Get a FREE Wholesome Energizers CD in every book! CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...
Quantity:  
Price: $29.95
Chakra Chart
Chakra Chart
Finally! A complete Chakra Chart with all the chakra names, locations, colors, sounds, yoga postures, breathing techniques, psychological & energetic influences and more. There's handy tips for using the chart on the reverse side. It's 8 1/2 by 14" and laminated. CLICK on the blue title link above to find out more...
Quantity:  
Price: $11.99Price: $13.99 

Chakra-Based Guided Meditations

Real Relaxation: Yoga Nidra CD

Real Relaxation Yoga Nidra takes you into a deeply relaxing and powerful restful state of being fully aware while being in the state of deep yogic sleep.  It helps with balancing chakra energy, and can improve immunity, heart health, relieve stress and give you inner peace and balance.

Get it from Amazon, iTunes, Spotify & other online

stores.

Handy Links


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