Olivia Silverwood-Cope

When we let the soft animal of the body deeply rest, somewhere between sleeping and waking states, the magic of nidrā happens. I love how it's an adaptogenic practice, so you get what you need, whether it be restored vitality, enhanced creativity, clarity and intuition, deep nourishment and rest, or something else. As a midwife and yoga nidrã practitioner, I’ve witnessed how nidrã is particularly potent during the empowered journey of giving birth. I love devising and sharing nidrãs for pregnancy and birth, drawing on my experience and understanding of birth physiology and of the phases of birth as a rite of passage: preparation, separation, liminality, emergence and integration. So much can be accessed during nidrã to soothe the autonomic nervous system, access deep calm, connect with baby, and with our mammalian self, to honour and release fear — luxuriating in timeless lovespace - horticultural (not industrial) time, and experiencing vivid, triumphant birth rehearsals. I love working with individuals, tailoring practices for specific needs, and working with online groups - nidrã works well online as mammals relax beautifully in their own familiar nest spaces (a surprise benefit of ‘pandemic’ practice). Accompanying people on these sacred journeys is a privilege, not to mention the potential for positively impacting the birth experience for those giving birth and being born. As well as midwifing, I edit a midwifery magazine, and help teach on Uma’s Pregnancy Yoga Teacher Training course. As part of my midwife role, I offer antenatal classes, which include yoga and yoga nidrã. I also spend as much time in water as possible - quarries, pools, lakes, rivers, the sea. You can read a bit more about my nidrã journey in this blog post from 2017 — Yoga nidrã and the ‘gift’ of injury