YIN YOGA, YOGA NIDRA & REIKI

YIN YOGA FOUNDATIONS

• History and People
• The Basic Components
• The Challenges
• The Practice Principles

YIN YOGA PRACTICE & TEACHING

• 35 Yin Poses +
• Variations + Additional Poses for the Upper Body
• Sequences for each Daoist Element / Meridian
• The Art of Sequencing and Teaching Yin
• Embodied Practical Experience

YIN YOGA AND THE MOVEMENT-MECHANICS OF THE BODY

• The Theory of Exercise – Maintaining and Improving Mobility
• Yin Tissue & Fascia
• Everyone’s Unique Variation of the Structure of our Skeleton
• Aesthetic vs. Functional Alignment
• Compression vs. Tension
• The Piezoelectric Principle in the Poses

THERAPEUTIC ASPECTS OF YIN YOGA

• The Concept of Balance, Yin & Yang and Chi
• The Theory of the Daoist Elements, their Physical, Emotional and Energetic Value
• Insight into the Oriental Medicine Meridians
• The 3 different ways to Activate Chi Flow
• The Transformative Power of the Rebound

HEALING TOOLBOX

• Anatomy of the Energetic Body & the Mind
• Mindfulness
• Reiki and Yoga Nidra for Healing
• The Power of Visualization, Breath & the Dan Tiens

ABOUT YOGA NIDRA

Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep as it is commonly known, is a beautiful and powerful meditation technique that is becoming increasingly popular as a strong and effective antidote for our modern, stressful lifestyles. It is one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain. While the practitioner rests comfortably in Savasana (corpse pose), this ancient systematic meditation technique takes you through the pancha maya kosha (five layers of self), leaving you with a sense of wholeness, rejuvenation and deep relaxation.

In Yoga Nidra, the practitioner becomes systematically and increasingly aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions. The practitioner is guided into a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping that is conducive to deep emotional and physical healing, rewiring of the brain and deep self-exploration.

Yoga Nidra is an effective and efficient way to access the “rest and digest” parasympathetic state of the nervous system and has been found very successful in reducing stress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety. Yoga Nidra is among the deepest possible states of relaxation, while still maintaining full consciousness. It helps to rest, restore, de-stress, increase awareness, undo bad habits and bring awareness to deep-rooted conditioned behavioral patterns, it helps bring insight into our true calling and will help with bringing our life into alignment with our truth. Thirty minutes of Yoga Nidra practice is said to be equivalent to 3 to 4 hours of deep sleep.

The health benefits of Yoga Nidra include:

• Relaxing and rejuvenating the body
• Soothing the nervous system
• Reducing fatigue
• Lowering high cholesterol and blood pressure levels
• Strengthening immunity
• Improving quality of sleep
• Reducing depression
• Reducing mental, emotional and physical pain
• Boosting concentration and memory
• Supporting brain function and boosting creativity

ABOUT REIKI

Reiki is an energy healing art with its roots in Japanese origin. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word ‘Rei’ which means “Universal Life” and ‘Chi’ which means “Energy”. Reiki is not affiliated with any particular religion or religious practice. It is not a massage nor is it based on belief or suggestion. It is a subtle and effective form of energy work using guided life force energy. Reiki is the life energy that flows through all living things. Reiki practitioners understand that everyone has the ability to connect with their own healing energy and use it to strengthen the energy in themselves and help others. It is believed that a person’s Chi or energy should be strong and free-flowing. When this is true a person’s body and mind is in a positive state of health. When the energy becomes weak or blocked it could lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance. A Reiki session can help remove energetic blockages, ease tension and stress and can help support the body to facilitate an environment for healing on all levels – physical, mental, and emotional. A Reiki session is usually very pleasant and deeply relaxing experience and is often utilized for one’s personal general well being or for healing specific mental, emotional or physical conditions. Reiki can be conducted either hands-on, in which several parts of the body are lightly touched by the practitioner’s hands to direct the energy there, or hands-off, where the hands are held slightly above the body. In addition, as Ki is not limited by distance or time, distant or remote Reiki healing is also possible without the client being physically present.

Reiki Initiations and Courses

The ability to use Reiki is not taught in an intellectual sense but is transferred to the student during a Reiki attunement (initiation) given by a Reiki teacher (Reiki Master). This ceremony, called Reiju (Ray-joo) in Japanese, is performed by the Reiki Master and opens and expands the main energy channels of the student’s body, allowing universal energy to flow more freely and deeply. The Reiki initiation allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy” and to use this energy to heal himself and others. Because of this opening process, the attunement also does what Reiki is meant to do in the student, namely clear blockages. This can create significant energy changes within the student and may initiate a period of transformation and self-growth.

In the Usui Reiki system, there are usually three levels that can be attained and these are all centred on the initiation process, combined with education and practice. Reiki Level I is a practitioner’s initiation into Reiki. The focus in Level I is on opening the energy channels on a physical level and allowing the practitioner to connect to the universal life force energy. Reiki Level II is often defined by a focus on practising Reiki on others, as well as an expanded opening of the energy channels. In addition, the student also receives some of the Reiki Symbols. The Reiki symbols allow the practitioner to connect more deeply to the universal energy, as well as draw on the qualities that the symbols represent. This includes the ability to provide distance Reiki, or send healing energy to individuals wherever they may be. Reiki Level III (Master Level) is traditionally considered the teacher’s level, a practitioner who has received the energy and knowledge to attune new Reiki practitioners.