Yoga Nidra Session Led by Usuff Omar, Laughter Yoga Instructor

The participants were independent minded seniors – hard for me to tell them what to do.  There were humorous interjections at the start of the yoga nidra, just as there were throughout my preceding laughter presentation.   But they soon quietened down.  Looking around the room at the close, most were in deep.  A few never got into it, kept their eyes opened throughout, observing the others, but I could count them on one hand out of the almost 30 participants.

Yoga nidra is an integral part of any  hour long plus laughter yoga session.  (Shorter sessions, eg half an hour, don’t have enough time for it.) It works!  Participants feel better for it.  Yet the training I got in this subject as part of my laughter leading certification was sparse.  I don’t think I got much or any.

I attended a laughter yoga workshop in Sydney in 2007.  The presenter led a yoga nidra session in person without reading from a script.  It brought me to a deep, almost mind altering place.  The next year I attended a longer laughter workshop in California.   The subject of yoga nidra was covered, but not in much depth.   Workshop participants also weren’t given the opportunity to practice it.  (To be fair, I wasn’t in attendance at the workshop all the time, I skipped the evening classes to use the resort’s renown spas.) And when it came time for the workshop participants themselves to experience a yoga nidra session, a commercial CD was played!   I listened not to the human voice but a recording.   The result –  I fell asleep within minutes, never got into it.  There’s nothing like the live interactive human voice in yoga nidra.  A recording won’t do  it for me the same.

This is the first time I’m blogging on yoga nidra after two years of experience in leading it.  I’ve put an audio and  transcript of this seated yoga nidra session up here as well: see the links below.  Why?  Especially as I have qualms about my voice and I’m not an expert: what I know I’ve taught myself.   Its because so I have a record of this session and can come back to it in future years and  as a tool for learning and refining.  I  like the idea of the possibility of sharing ideas on this discipline worldwide and receiving constructive criticism.  I thrive on feedback.

In future blogs I’ll  look at aspects of yoga nidra – what it is, the wording of the script, script vs impromptu, pace of delivery, use of repetition,  quality of voice (pitch, enunciation, volume),  vocal exercises to develop the speaking voice  of the yoga nidra deliverer (hey, from the recording below I know I’m not there yet!  I have work to do), the  importance of  syncing with participants, safety issues:  drop in body temperature,  sudden loud noises, roaming pets; spiritual aspects: energy flow in the body, out of body sensations…

Hey, there’s lots to blog about! And I don’t have the answers to many of the subjects above!

Here it is, the  link to the audio of the 14 minute seated yoga nidra session can be found here.     (Note: there is a two or so minute gap towards the end of the audio – its where the participants have zoned out and I’m giving them time to be in that space.  I conclude the session at the very end of  the audio by gently bringing them back.  Just in case you wonder why the audio suddenly goes quiet towards the end.)  The script that I used for this yoga nidra session can be found here.  (Note: I did deviate from the script in places depending on how I felt participants were responding. )

Any feedback  welcomed.  Thanks!