I did Yoga Nidra for the first time 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 is a practice that involves the practitioner lying in savasana for over an hour (although you can do shorter practices), while being guided into a deeply relaxed dreamlike state. You move your awareness around your body, notice your breathing, visualize things that calm you, and finally feel like you are somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.
It was incredibly relaxing the first time I tried it, but I admit I never incorporated it into my personal practice or classes. However, recently I was trying to kick the habit of doomscrolling before bed, so I decided to watch a Yoga Nidra video. Half an hour later, I fell unconscious, and the next morning I remember realizing that I actually felt alert.
So I did it again and again and again. Each time I woke up the next morning without any problems, sometimes even before the alarm went off. And now, on the nights I don’t, I can definitely feel the difference in the morning, so it’s become kind of a newfound staple in my routine.
And it’s really no surprise, considering that this ancient practice has been relied upon in yogic culture since 1000 BC. C., not to mention that the scientific literature is beginning to catch up.
In a recent study Regarding Yoga Nidra for insomnia, the researchers concluded that Yoga Nidra is a «feasible and well-tolerated intervention for adults suffering from insomnia.» In additional recent researchThe study’s authors say that Yoga Nidra practice «improves cognitive processing and helps improve nighttime sleep in healthy beginners.»
