Yoga Nidra and Hypnosis

Yoga Nidra and Hypnosis brings about a state of sensory withdrawal. But they are two very different sciences.

• Although they may start at the same point of relaxation and receptivity, Yoga Nidra proceeds in one direction and Hypnosis in another.

• When the mind is dissociated from the sensory knowledge, it passes through a hypnotic state but the state of mind achieved in yoga nidra is far beyond hypnosis.

• The aim of yoga nidra is to take consciousness as far as you can lead it. When you are transcending up to a certain point, you are actually passing through the range of hypnosis.

• During yoga nidra, the brain is completely awake and it receives a higher quality of stimuli and develops a different type of awareness. However in hypnosis, the subject is led into a deep sleep in which the brain is completely shut down. The consciousness in hypnotic state is very limited and confined to a very small area. This is tamasic condition, while yoga nidra creates a sattvic condition.

• According to Yoga, there are three important nadis or energy channels in the physical body known as ida, pingala and sushumna. Ida conveys the mental force, Pingala the vital force and sushumna the spiritual force. Throughout our lives, Ida and Pingala Nadis are continually feeding the brain with the necessary stimuli which enable it to cognize an object, a sound, an idea. If you close off Ida and pingala, then brain is isolated. That is hypnosis. But in yoga nidra, the sushumna nadi is activated and provides the necessary energy and stimuli to the brain. Because of sushumna activation, the brain receives a higher quality of stimuli and a different type of knowledge.