Jessica Inman

Deepening Your Yoga Nidra Practice

This course is a follow-up to 'The Art of Conscious Napping,' although you are also welcome to listen if you haven't listened to the first one - the first course sets a foundation but it is not essential to have completed it to benefit from this course. During these nine sessions, we'll explore the philosophy and theory of yoga nidra in more detail and you will move more deeply into your personal practice with some longer daily sessions. We'll be taking a look at some of the yogic philosophy that influences our yoga nidra practice with a special focus on the five koshas, or the five sheaths or layers, that make up our incarnate selves - these are the physical body, the breath or energetic body, the mind, the intellect and the bliss or causal body.

We'll spend some time looking at each one of the koshas and exploring how the techniques in our practice work to relax, heal and give us insight into that layer. We'll also explore the inner resource, the felt sense of safety and security that allows us to feel safe and held as we practice, and the Sankalpa, the deep prayer or vow from the heart.

The first eight sessions contain five to ten minutes of information and a twenty minute(ish) practice, and the final session is a longer 55-minute practice which brings together everything from the course. Each of the practice sessions are also included as stand-alone tracks so you can return to repeat them at any time without having to skip through the lesson material.

Background music by Relaxing Time

Cover image from Pixabay

An introduction to the Master Plant Teachers Ayahuasca and Wachuma. This introductory series answers the most common questions that many have when approaching these Sacred Plant Spirit Medicines, including what to expect, information about the plants and their traditions, how they may help you and some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding them.

These recordings are adapted from blog posts and are aimed at curious seekers who are looking to learn a little more before potentially embarking on your Plant Spirit journey.

This is a five-day celebration of the Autumn Equinox with meditations and exercises to connect with the energy of the season. Occuring between the 19th and 22nd of September in the Northern Hemisphere, and between the 19th and 22nd of March in the Southern Hemisphere, at the Autumn Equinox, the days and nights are of equal length, after which the nights will be longer than the days and will continue to lengthen until the Winter Solstice. The second of the three Celtic harvest festivals, the Autumn Equinox is a time to celebrate abundance, to pause at the time of balance, and to prepare ourselves for the winter months to come.

During the course, we'll explore some ways to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, we'll look at some Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle considerations for the autumn, we'll practice some alternate nostril breathing for balance, and we'll do some reflection and meditation exercises connected to the season. The Autumn Equinox is a time of abundance when we receive the rewards from our hard work earlier in the year and celebrate the bounty of nature, and this course is intended to bring you inspiration and joy at this time.

Music by Jumping Bunny at Pixabay

Image by Mulama Mushitu

A 12-part course exploring sleep from the perspective of Ayurveda. During the course, we'll explore the factors that can inhibit, and factors that can help, your peaceful sleep, looking at the Ayurvedic concept of the three doshas and how the doshas influence our sleep patterns. We'll look at the times of sleeping and waking, the bedroom environment, the evening routine and the time os of eating during the day, examining the affect that each of these has on sleep and looking at what can be done in each of these areas to encourage deep and peaceful sleep.

By the end of the course, you'll have identified any factors that are negatively impacting your sleep and will have the tools to make changes to your habits and routines that will greatly benefit your overall sleep quality.

An introduction to the practice and theory of yin yoga.

Yin yoga is a slow practice where postures are held passively for several minutes to stretch into the fascia and connective tissue. Throughout the course, we'll be exploring the many benefits that yin yoga can bring us on every levle, along with some philosophy and theory around the practice. In each session, we'll learn a new posture and we'll put them all together at the end into a longer sequence.

You'll learn how and why to practice yin yoga and understand what's happening in your body as you practice. You'll also learn some yin yoga postures which you can continue to work with into the future.

You will need a yoga mat, and you might find it helpful to have some other props too. Yoga blocks are great, but cushions or pillows can also be used and blankets are always handy.

An introduction to the practice and theory of yoga nidra.

Over the ten sessions, you'll be guided to create a sacred and special rest routine. Yoga nidra means 'yogic sleep.' It has often been referred to the sleep of the yogi, conscious sleep or enlightened sleep.

During yoga nidra, the body rests but the consciousness remains awake and aware. In this altered state, beteween sleeping and waking, we are able to access profound levels of rest, healing and spiritual awareness.

In each session, we'll expore a different aspect of benefit of this practice. We will learn to create a beautiful and functional sacred practice space, undestand the various ways of setting meaningful intentions, and explore the benefits that yoga nidra can bring us on every level, looking at it from the perspectives of Ayurveda, yoga, spirituality and modern science.

We will look at what happens in the body physically when we experience deep relaxation, and the benefits this has on the nervous system and the whole of the body. We'll also see how the practice affects us energetically and how it can help us to feel more emotionally stable. We'll learn how to calm and balance the mind, and then we'll take a deep journey into our hearts for spiritual awareness and self-undersanding. We'll also explore the healing potential of the practice and how it can be used to enhance creativity and invite creative inspiritation.

Each session consists of a talk for about five minutes and then a ten-minute pracitcal session with a longer integration practice on the final day. Over the duration of the course, you will learn to rest deeply, consciously and productively, and to transform your naptime into an important and meaningful part of your life.

Background Music by Samual Francis Johnson

Image by Amino

This is a short course for desk workers and anyone who spends a lot of time sitting, especially at a computer, to learn some simple yoga practices for releasing physical tension, reducing stress, staying focused and feeling more present as you work. Over the five sessions, we target some of the body parts that most often experience issues when working long hours a desk.

Within the course, we practice:

• Deep breathing to ease stress and anxiety
• Eye exercises
• Neck and shoulder stretches
• Wrist, hand and finger stretches
• A short but effective guided relaxation

If you are new to yoga, this course will give you an introduction to some of the practices and benefits, and if you already have a practice, you will be given the tools and opportunity to bring your practice into your working day.

Each of the practices is also included as a stand-alone track, so you can easily listen again whenever you need to.

Photo by Höhenverstellbar Tischgestell Maidesite

Music by The Digital Artist

Ayurveda is the ancient system of medicine and healing from India, which evolved over 5000 years ago. Along with recognising that we are not separate from nature and our environment, and that our minds, bodies and souls are intricately connected, Ayurveda also prioritises prevention over cure and offers a wealth of lifestyle guidance for a long and healthy life. In this three-part introduction, you'll learn the basic principles of the Ayurvedic worldview and how this connects with your body, mind and personality, you'll explore your own body-mind constitution, and you'll learn how and why Ayurvedic healing treatments work.

Image by Nora Brody