Join us for a 90-minute Yoga Slumber Party at Love Cafe, 3801 North Oakland Avenue (Shorewood). Elizabeth will guide us through a yoga nidra practice (inspired by Tracee Stanley’s book Radiant Rest), as well as provide a little group reiki.
Yoga Nidra, sometimes called “Yoga Sleep, or a Yoga Nap,” includes deep belly breathing, guided visualization, and an almost hypnotic body-scan or guided meditation to bring you into the theta brain state (that feeling of being between awake and asleep). This whole experience is designed for you to feel deep relaxation, reset your nervous system by accessing the “rest and digest” mode, and can reduce stress and/or chronic pain. If you’ve been feeling physically or mentally fatigued lately, this 90-min experience has the potential to feel like a four hour snooze.
YOGA NIDRA + REIKI
Date: Sunday, November 16th
Location: Love Cafe, 3801 North Oakland Avenue
Time: 4:30-6pm, + optional Communi-tea Time
Cost: $40
Pre-registration is required to guarantee your spot, but walk-ins are always welcome. If you have any trouble with the registration link, email eb.heartwork@gmail.com or just show up — and we’ll sort out payment in-person.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Warm Welcome + Intro to Yoga Nidra
Time to Create a “Nidra Nest” with props
Breathwork for Relaxation
Yoga Nidra Guided Meditation + Reiki
Breathwork to Slowly Wake-Up
(Optional) Shares & Reflections
Tea Time + Oracle Card Reading
At the beginning of class, Elizabeth will show you a few options of how to arrange props if you need ideas. The whole goal of creating a “nidra nest” is to consider all your senses to get in the most relaxed position possible. Consider if you want something to cover your eyes, place a bolster under your knees, cover yourself with a blanket, lay on your back or your side, and arrange any other props to help you get in the most comfortable position. No need to fret about being frozen in one position. You’re free to move and adjust throughout practice if need be.
PROPS AVAILABLE (approx 5-6 of each)
Bolsters (thick and skinny)
Blankets and shawls
Eye Pillows
Yoga Mats
Note: Essential Oils will also be available for use.
WHAT TO BRING
BYO-Mat (if you can) + anything else to make you feel cozy
(Optional) Blankets, Pillows, Shawls, Eye Pillows, Thick Socks, Hat
Wear comfy clothes, consider wearing layers or even PJs (if you’d like)
BENEFITS OF YOGA NIDRA
enhance relaxation by releasing melatonin
reduces stress and anxiety
improved quality of sleep
increases mental clarity and focus
extends attention span
heightens creativity
reduces physical pain
supports cellular regeneration (post-surgery)
MORE ABOUT THE FACILITATOR
Elizabeth Bogart is primarily a kundalini yoga and reiki practitioner, but has been trained in multiple mindfulness modalities (one of which is yoga nidra). She first starting studying yoga nidra during the pandemic. While she loves the technology of Kundalini Yoga and believes everyone can access the transformative tools of mantra, mudra, and meditation — sometimes, you don’t want to sing for your supper.
Witnessing (and continuing to witness) the world in heightened states of uncertainty, fear, stress, and fatigue, Elizabeth believes we need more experiences to reteach our brains and bodies to relax (to remind the body and mind what safety feels like). As a former classroom teacher, Elizabeth sees a natural scaffolding or progression of mindfulness tools. When we’re extremely overstimulated, practices like yoga nidra, reiki, and sound baths offer passive ways to regulate the nervous system. When we are a low-level stressed or fatigued, practices like breathwork, meditation, and kundalini yoga are ways to organize our energy to convert confusion into clarity, fear into focus, anger into action, grief into gratitude, empty cup into overflow, etc. Elizabeth wanted to give folks an experience to simply be, rest and receive.
Reach out via eb.heartwork@gmail.com or IG @eb_heartwork with any questions. Or, just come with questions and try it for yourself! See you soon!