Learn the art of relaxation with yoga nidra

Fort Rouge

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There is no doubt that the stresses of life appear to be doubling down on us. We need a break, big time and Roslyn Sutherland may have an antidote for some of us. It is called yoga nidra, a lying-down type of meditation.

What exactly is it?

Well, imagine yourself lying in a comfortable position and closing your eyes while a gentle voice leads you through a series of suggestions inviting you to let go of all tension and surrender to the present moment. Gradually, you enter a state of profound relaxation, where the boundaries between wakefulness and sleep begin to blur.

Roslyn Sutherland a yoga and meditation teacher and former director of Serene Yoga studio, said she discovered yoga nidra during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even though I have daily yoga practise, I can be nervous in stressful situations and during the pandemic my nervousness increased,” she explained. “I decided to step down from my role as director of Serene Yoga Studio and took Total Yoga Nidra Teacher and Facilitator training online from the U.K.”

Learning and practising yoga nidra has helped Roslyn remember how to access relaxation and to feel a sense of calm without a lot of effort.

“We are all so busy doing,” she said. “The beauty of this type of meditation is that it is the ultimate in non-doing and it’s in this state of non-doing that conscious relaxation can occur.”

Roslyn said that yoga nidra, which is often referred to as “yogic sleep,” is a profound and transformative practice that takes you on a journey of deep relaxation and inner exploration.

“We are living in extremely stressful times,” Roslyn said. “For example, young people cannot buy a home as easily as they could have in previous years. People are struggling in a way this generation, at least, has not seen before. It is a wakeup call to self-care.”

A far as she is aware, Roslyn is one of only a few yoga nidra instructors in Winnipeg.

She tailors her focus depending on the needs of the group she’s working with and has found herself focusing more on anxiety. “Anxiety appears to be the overwhelming issue of the day and yoga Nidra does help. “

Roslyn, who was born in England of Barbadian parents, understands the stressors facing many including people from her cultural community but said that the body can be coaxed to let go and relax through yoga nidra.

Roslyn offers yoga nidra workshops as well weekly Mindful Movement and Meditation classes at Serene Yoga Studio, now located at 485 St. Anne’s Rd. For details, visit www.sereneyogastudio.com. If you are interested in a private or group yoga nidra session, you can reach Roslyn at rwellness.u@gmail.com