Our body has an innate homeostatic mechanism in the autonomic nervous system consisting of the sympathetic -our flight or fight response and the parasympathetic -our relaxation response. Both are responsible for maintaining balance and health. Chronic tension and stress will progressively weaken our ability to maintain this balance (homeostasis) creating an overload and dominance of the sympathetic nervous system.

Responses of the sympathetic NS in the body: increase in blood pressure, increase in muscle tension, increase in inflammation, increase in perspiration, increase in pulse, increase in breathing rate, increase in anxiety levels, blood glucose and stress hormones increase.

Responses of the parasympathetic NS in the body: decrease in blood pressure, decrease in muscle tension, decrease of inflammation, decrease perspiration, pulse decreases, respirations return to normal, anxiety levels lower, blood glucose and stress hormones decrease.

The above examples are in no way a complete picture of the autonomic nervous system but you get the idea of how important maintaining this balance is for our well-being. As stated above, stress creates anxiety, including emotional ups and downs, tension, irritability, anger, reaction and oxygen consumption. The body is mobilized to react in flight or fight where brainwaves are active in Beta state-producing 2000 thoughts every hour.

Yoga Nidra initiates the parasympathetic nervous system restoring and creating balance by using simple step by step relaxation techniques focusing on body and breath. This initiates the restoration and balance-secreting beneficial hormones of Melatonin, Gaba, DHEA-S by slowing the breath, stilling the mind, relaxing the body and into slower brainwave states of Theta while remaining fully conscious in observation.

Our ability to create new channels towards greater health and well-being, where all the systems of self are aligned and balanced, on the mat and beyond, is easier than you think with this deeply profound relaxation meditation of Yoga Nidra.