Involuntary body spasms during yoga nidra

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I have been practicing guided sessions for yoga nidra regularly for several weeks now. I have found the relaxation stages deeply physically and mentally relaxing and my body feels so light and sometimes I feel almost separation from my body. I hope to enter the true state of yoga nidra with continued practice.

On the last couple of occasions however, after the initial relaxation stages when I attempt to go into yoga nidra, I have had lots of muscle spasms and my head keeps jerking from side to side. This didn’t happen before and I would have thought that if it’s to do with releasing tension or something like that then it would have happened when I first started the sessions. I’m not really sure why my body is doing this now.

I wonder if any of you have any ideas about this. Please bear in mind this practice is for the aim of authentic yoga nidra and not merely for relaxation in itself.

Many thanks.

#2

Do you have an asana practice?

#3

Not specific asanas. I do lots of stretching beforehand, legs, arms, spinal twists etc, as I do prior to my normal meditation. I have read the main aim is to make the body relaxed and comfortable so one can meditate properly, and that it’s not necessary to do specific asanas, correct me if I’m wrong.

Last year I was doing some vigorous kundalini yoga from DVDs but that was before I really knew anything about yoga and meditation. Since then I have been reading and learning a lot and decided those exercises are not appropriate for me. Perhaps something gentler would be better.

My head jerking from side to side was the strangest thing. What are your thoughts on that please?

Thanks Gordon.

#4

Without observing you during the practice it’s impossible to know what is actually happening. However, I think it likely that you are tilting your head back and the muscle spasms you describe are your body’s attempt to rectify this. Try using a pillow or a block to support not only the head but the neck also.

Yoga Nidra is a practice which seems very easy to learn from a CD or download but is best learned from a competent teacher who can watch what is happening to you during YN.

#5

Thanks YogaPrem. It actually happened both with a pillow and without one.

I see what you’re saying about a teacher, but they just aren’t around in the very rural area where I live, and if there was one in the nearest city it would take hours to get to and from them, and so I wouldn’t be able to do it regularly as I can with a CD. The CD is my only option for the time being.

Appreciate your reply though, thanks.

#6

My thought is that some slight, involuntary movements during Savasana or Yoga Nidra are to be expected. Generally these are energetic releases and of no concern.

What you describe sound like more than “slight”. In the absence of a teacher you’ll have to experiment. Were it me I would try an active practice before Nidra. This is not “required” nor is it a correction regarding specificity. Just a place to start.

In addition I would be curious to know about any muscle spasms you might have in daily living or your practice.

#7

Thanks Gordon,

I don’t seem to have any muscle spasms during daily life that I’ve noticed, neither in sitting meditation.

Like you say, an active practice would be a place to start before nidra.

I did wonder if it was my mind afraid of letting go completely and then it resists, which affects my body. But I think it also might be possible that, having relaxed thoroughly in the initial relaxation stages, when it’s time for the nidra section it might be that I’m trying too hard or expecting too much for ‘something’ to happen, and then that’s mentally counteracting all the relaxation and it then affects my body.

Perhaps from now on I’ll drop any expectations I’ve had previously and see how I go from there.

Thanks again for your replies Gordon.

#8

[QUOTE=yoganewgirl;84238]I have been practicing guided sessions for yoga nidra regularly for several weeks now.

I wonder if any of you have any ideas about this. Please bear in mind this practice is for the aim of authentic yoga nidra and not merely for relaxation in itself.

Many thanks.[/QUOTE]

I dono what you mean by spasm. I experience sometimes something like one second electric shock-shake during the session… the part of the body or the whole body…my guess and few others think it is a release of muscular tension on anamaya level or release of pracnic blockage on pranic level