I did Yoga Nidra for the first time back in 2018 during my first yoga teacher training. “Nidra” is the Sanskrit word for “sleep,” so you can think of it as exactly that: yogic sleep.
It’s a practice that involves the practitioner lying in savasana for upwards of an hour (though you can do shorter practices), as they’re guided into a deeply relaxed, dreamlike state. You move your awareness around your body, notice your breath, visualize calming things—and eventually feel like you’re somewhere between awake and asleep.
It was incredibly relaxing that first time I tried it, but I admittedly never incorporated it into my personal practice or my classes. Recently, though, I was trying to get out of the habit of doomscrolling before bed, so I decided to pull up a Yoga Nidra video. Half an hour later, I was out like a light—and the next morning, I remember being struck with the realization that I actually felt alert.
So I did it again, and again, and again. Each time, I woke up the next morning without a problem, sometimes even before my alarm. And now on the nights that I don’t do it, I can definitely feel the difference in the morning, so it’s become somewhat of a newfound staple in my routine.
And it’s really no wonder, considering this ancient practice has been trusted in yogic culture since as early as 1,000 B.C.E.—not to mention the scientific literature is starting to catch up.
In one recent study on Yoga Nidra for insomnia, researchers concluded that Yoga Nidra is a “well-tolerated, feasible intervention for adults reporting insomnia.” In additional recent research, study authors say that Yoga Nidra practice “improves cognitive processing and helps improve night-time sleep in healthy novices.”
