Yoga Nidra and missing bits

[allenuk]

I practise Yoga Nidra, as I find it helps keep me calmer than I might otherwise be.

At one point in the practice, there is a 'rotation of consciousness', where you have to move your awareness from body part to body part in sequence. When it comes to the 'left ankle, sole of the left foot, left big toe' and so on, initially I mentally skipped over it, but then I let my decades-old memories take over, and now when I get to the lower left bits, I am quite happy to 'remember' them, in sequence.

I was worried whether such increased awareness might lead to phantom pains, but it hasn't. Maybe the tranquility of the yoga exercise helps.

Allen (left bka)

[erintm]

Interesting. Hadn't thought about this. I would think it would almost be an anti-pain thing to do, imagine the leg/foot just normal.

Erin

left BKA

[allenuk]

Hello Erin.

Good point. I've been lucky (crossing everything and touching wood like crazy) on phantoms. It seems that when my stump hurts, I get some phantom pains, but when my stump is okay, then nothing else.

But visualising my complete leg and foot might well help in that area - I hadn't considered it. The only active thing I do when phantoms appear is to TRY (ain't easy) to 'look' somewhere else, rather than focus on the pains. That seems to help a bit.

I'm no guru in this - I just get on with it (life) and hope for the best, like most people!

Allen, bka, London.

[bluedogz]

Allen-

I am totally unfamiliar with yoga overall, yoga nidra even more so. But it sounds like something I'd like to learn about. Does missing bits pose any more of a challenge other than the phantom issue?

[allenuk]

Hello bluedogz. I was always turned off Yoga proper, I must say. I liked the idea of it, but all that mystic stuff left me a bit cool.

Yoga Nidra doesn't involve movement, at all. In fact, that is one of the first rules - don't move! You lie there, relaxing, but not sleeping. It is supposed to take you to the EDGE of sleep, but not across it, as in that 'hypnogogic' state your brain is supposed to function better. I'll let you know if that ever happens...

I suppose any practice that gets you relaxing for 45 minutes must be a Good Thing, and if it quietens the monkeys of the brain, stopping them jabbering for a little while, all the better.


Allen.