Experience Yoga Nidra: Guided Deep Relaxation: Remastered Audio CD – June 15, 2012

I often have trouble meditating but this really is amazing how it engages you in a way to get out of your mind's grip. I always come away more relaxed and grounded

This is just awesome! Yoga Nidra is the perfect way to relax body and mind. Yoga Nidra as taught by Swami Janakananda Sarswati in this CD is actually Swami Satyananda Sarswati's creation (Swami Janakananda's guru) based on the Tantric practices of Nyasa. I highly recommend to first read Yoga Nidra book by Swami Satyananda Sarswati. This book has both theory and practice which will help to enhance Yoga Nidra practice. CD has both short (21 minutes) and deep (45 minutes) version of Yoga Nidra.Yoga Nidra is basically 5th stage ("pratyahara") of Patanjali's yoga sutra. Yoga Nidra can be practiced even if you don't practice any style of Hatha Yoga (that is, Asana-Pranayama-Mudra-Bandha). But I find more benefits from Yoga Nidra when I practice Asana/Pranayam before Yoga Nidra practice (basically, after I come home from Vinyasa yoga class, I practice Nadi Shodhana Pranayama and then I practice Yoga Nidra). Pratyahara means withdrawal of senses and Satyananda Yoga Nidra (as taught by this CD) achieves exactly the same, which results in deep body and mind relaxation.I have read some negative reviews about distraction of voice, too much talk etc. For those I would highly recommend to read Yoga Nidra book by Swami Satyananda Sarswati first to really understand what Yoga Nidra is. Yoga Nidra is not just guided visualization or relaxing music. It's a practice based on Tantric science which involves systematic stages such as resolve (Sankalpa), rotation of consciousness, breath awareness, feelings and sensations, visualization. This book has practices as well, so you can create your own practices (recorded in your or your spouse/relative/friend's voice) if you don't like certain aspects of the CD (voice, music etc).

This is a wonderful CD. I purchased it off Amazon after reading the reviews and it totally lives up to the comments.Swami Janakananda Saraswati voice is lovely and the music and sound are beautiful on the CD. There is sitar and harp music, but intermixed with nature sounds like streams, birds, and even some farm animals. He guides you through a relaxation of the body, beathing practice, and then lovely nature visualizations. I wake up so relax (and happy) when I'm done.There are 3 tracks on this CD. First is Called Wholeness of Your Nature which is 21 minutes (my favorite). Then mandala harp is played by Roop Verma, 7 minutes (absolutely beautiful). And the final, long meditaton is called Discovery of Your Self, 45 minutes. I've fallen asleep on this last one, so you might want to try it sitting up. Also, you get a little booklet with the CD that explains Yoga Nidra and the Chakras.This CD is well worth the money and highly recommended. Please see my other reviews on meditation CD's and Yoga DVD's on Amazon. Namaste'

I have tried a bunch of different Yoga Nidra CDs. I tend to drift into sleep but this one keeps me closest to the sleep/awake line without drifting over into sleep-mostly. He talks throughout which I prefer to long silences so if you drift off you know where you are when you come back. It also has a lot of variety so you can do it many times without it being predictable. I like both the shorter and longer version although prefer longer because it gets into the chakras. His accent was a little tough to understand at first but now I like it. I look forward to doing it every day and feel it is really enhancing my life-making me more able to be present and clear and energized.

A great product, which I found amazing because a few simple instructions had such a relaxing and positive effect on me. It is definitely worth a try for anyone who needs to relax and recharge their batteries, thereby directing their positive energies to take advantage of their own resources.It is a great do-at-anytime-of-the-day exercise and allows your body and mind to co-exist and maintain a balance. The instructor's rhythmic voice is very soothing and the sound effects in the CD enhance the instructions in a balanced and harmonious way. Some of the techniques in the `Nidras' are so relaxing that you might fall asleep for a short while, after which you wake up feeling calm, focused and fresh. The CD can be a good stress-buster if the instructions are followed and can be used by anyone on the lookout for a means of relaxation that actually works!

I love to meditate, and am quite partial to Bodhipaksa's CD, but I'm always on the look-out for something new and different.Well, this is vastly different from any other meditation CD I have ever used. There is a short form, about 28 minutes, and a long form, about 45 minutes.I agree with one reviewer who said the narrator speaks too quickly. That is definitely a challenge, as I generally like their verbal pacing to slow down my breath.The accent is obvious, but not a big impediment. (Bodhipaksa also has an accent, but it's from the British Isles and only adds to my enjoyment.)I actually found myself laughing during the short version, as there are sounds of cows, and the narrator can be funny. This only helped me relax.I didn't find the longer meditation any more relaxing than the shorter form.In retrospect, if I were to only buy one mediation CD this would not be the one I chose. The Bodhipaksa CD, with its three options: breathing, loving-kindness, and walking, is the best of all I have used, so far.NOTE: I wrote the above review after using this CD a few times. Now that I have used it more regularly I am sorry I didn't give it 5 stars. It isn't a relaxation CD, per se, it's a mind retraining system. You focus your attention on a wide variety of things and shift between them fairly quickly. In time, I imagine this leads to more mental flexibility and tolerance...just the way asanas (yoga postures) develop flexbility, strength, and endurance on a physical level.