Yoga nidra is an ancient technique first recorded in India around 700 B.C., but in the past few years, this powerful practice has experienced a worldwide resurgence in popularity. 

Now even the United States military is using yoga nidra to help soldiers relieve the symptoms of PTSD. 

If you are ready for a simple way to slow down and relieve stress in your life, read on to find out more about what yoga nidra is, and how you can use it to rest, recover, and heal.

What Is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga nidra is a restorative, pose-free form of yoga that involves deep, conscious relaxation.

Based on the biology of our own bodies, yoga nidra progressively empties the contents of the mind, helping us move down through the different types of brainwaves to achieve a profoundly deep state of consciousness. 

In yoga nidra, we enter deep states of conscious relaxation and move awareness from our external to internal worlds. We learn how to surf between sleep and wakefulness, to find a state of deep, blissful awareness where healing happens and the mind relaxes.

Yoga nidra can be a good tool in a yoga teacher’s toolkit because it doesn’t try to “fix” anything. It is simply a way to listen to the body and mind in a heartfelt way, to find harmony and awaken to our deepest, all-knowing selves.

The Biggest Benefits of Yoga Nidra

Anyone can practice yoga nidra and gain benefit from it, but recent studies show that the practice is particularly effective at reducing the physiological and cognitive symptoms of anxiety.

While regular meditation helps us calm our sympathetic “fight or flight” responses, the deeper relaxation of yoga nidra works with the autonomic nervous system. That system regulates processes like our breathing, digestion, and circulation that happen without conscious effort. 

Yoga nidra can help us:

• Improve sleep and reduce insomnia
• Increase mindfulness and help us quiet our thoughts
• Release pain and tension
• Overcome stress and anxiety
• Improve mood, self-esteem, and wellbeing
• Process trauma and heal in a safe space

Army researchers are even studying how yoga nidra can help ease the pain of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In a study at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., nine active-duty soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder slept better and felt less depressed after being guided through 12 weeks of yoga nidra. 

“They felt more comfortable with situations that they couldn’t control, and as a result, they felt more control over their lives,” says Richard Miller, a clinical psychologist, yoga teacher, and consultant to the Walter Reed researchers.

How to Practice Nidra Yoga

Listening to instructions is the best way to induce yoga nidra, so it is usually practiced with a teacher guiding the session. You could also try it at home with a YouTube recording or a meditation or sleep app. 

Begin by lying on your back in savasana or corpse pose, using a bolster or pillow for extra support if you need it. 

Here’s an overview of the stages of a yoga nidra practice:

1. Choose a clear intention for your session. Think about why you are doing this session, and keep that at the forefront of your yoga nidra practice.
2. Find your inner resource. Tap into a safe space within your body so you can feel secure while you practice.
3. Scan and explore by rotating your concentration and sensory awareness through all the parts of your body. Notice how your breath flows in and out of your nostrils, and how your abdomen rises and falls. 
4. Be aware of your body as a whole.
5. In this deep state of relaxation, you will notice new thoughts, beliefs, and emotions emerging. Welcome and listen to them, even if they’re uncomfortable. 
6. Continue your awareness of your body and feel the stillness of the moment. Welcome the thoughts and feelings that come up.
7. Prepare to return from yogic sleep. Move your fingers a bit, take a deep breath, and open your eyes. 
8. Reflect on your practice. What did you feel during the session? What do you think you can carry into your daily life?

Practicing Yoga Nidra’s “Effortless Relaxation”

The good news is that there is no “wrong” way to do yoga nidra.

All you need to do is follow the voice that is guiding you. It is likely that you will remember certain parts of the meditation very clearly, and others not as clearly. 

It is also fine if you fall asleep! Your unconscious mind will still absorb the practice, so you will still benefit from the practice. 

Have you ever experienced yoga nidra? Tell us about it in the comments below.