Yoga Nidra - mental training

At 6.15am this morning I turned up for a yoga session with a difference. No bending, no sweating and no breathing out my bum! All I had to do was lie down, be wrapped in blankets, close my eyes and not speak - me not speak! Can't be that hard can it? However you are not allowed to move as my yoga teacher talked me through the exercise. It was all internally focused around my breathing and awareness of my body. A pain started at the back of my head after a while caused by the weight of my head staying in the one spot; but I wasn't allowed to move. I had to be unconsciously conscious and make sure I didn't fall asleep, something that happens regularly apparently. At the end of the exercise she asked me to open my eyes and sit up. Easier said than done. All of a sudden I felt my physical weight of my body and seemed very heavy. What I didn't realise was I had been lying in this position for 1 hour, without moving! This workout was to get me more in touch with my inner being rather than my physical body which is what all my training is consentrating on at the moment. It will be essential when I reach the dark corners on my training or the up coming endurance events. I will then use the techniques I learned today in the Yoga Nidra. It's nice to experience something different and get a better understanding of your body - yoga is fantastic in so many different ways.