“Prayatna Śaithīlyānanta Samāpattibhyām”
To Master Yoga, Abandon all Effort and Meditate on the Limitlessness.
~ Patañjali Yoga Sūtra
In this guided awareness you will progressively relax, soften all of your edges, and expand inwardly and outwardly to the realm of awareness that is beyond limit. This guided awareness is inspired by the teachings of Patañjali Yoga Sūtras as well as images and metaphors of Lord Śiva as the limitless absolute one who “wears the sky” as his clothing.
Use Ananta Nidrā as a yogic practice for inner absorption and awakening or as a deepening relaxation to prepare for sleep.
Sleep and rest are sacred.
In rest you relax and all of your hard edges resolve.
In dreams you meet the divine mother and to process your waking experiences.
In deep sleep you meet lord Shiva and go to the abode of stillness.
In yogic sleep you pass through the realms of dreams and sleep with awareness retained.
Relaxation, dreams, sleep… all these melt your inner and outer edges and drop you into the experience of ananta… or limitlessness.
And this ananta is described by Patanjali as a sign of yogic mastery.
So… in honor of Sleep Awareness month… I invite you to enjoy this free audio, Ananta Nidra – a guided awareness practice for yogic sleep, dreams & deep sleep. Whatever happens during this practice will surely benefit you… whether you stay awake, or asleep or something else altogether.
Guided Awareness of the Limitless Realm
Ananta Nidrā
Ananta Nidrā is designed to deeply soften your body and mind to the realm of the edgelessness that results from deep relaxation. This guided awareness leaves an imprint of the vastness of the sky within you and can result in increased energy, creativity, hope, openness, relaxation, softness, and inspiration. Ananta means limitless and śaithilya means effortlessness or relaxation.
The realm that is limitless, ananta, can be found in meditative bliss, the yoga nidrā state and in the deep sleep state which is praised in the Māṇdūka Upaniṣad as “lord of all”.
If you’d like to explore more of the Māṇdūka Upaniṣad as well as heel your sleep, this is the perfect time to join the Secrets of Sleep. More below.
“This deep sleep state is to be praised as lord of all, omniscient, the indweller of all, the source of all, the origin and dissolution of all beings” – Māṇdūkyopaniṣad
