Yoga Nidra: Resting Into Awareness

Yoga Nidra is often described as yogic sleep, but this ancient practice is not actually about sleeping. It is a state of deep, guided rest where the body experiences something akin to sleep while awareness remains gently awake.

Yoga Nidra is not a total shut-down. It offers something radically different: intentional rest that restores the nervous system, supports healing, and reconnects us to an inner sense of steadiness and inner anchoring.

And yet, this is not an easy practice.

Just because you are lying still does not mean the practice is effortless. It can be surprisingly challenging to stay attuned to the cueing, to remain present without drifting into sleep, or becoming preoccupied with sensation, discomfort, or restlessness in the body.

I completed my Yoga Nidra teacher training with the incredible Tanis Fishman, a renowned Yoga Nidra teacher, while I was pregnant with my first son, over 15 years ago. At the time, I was in a great deal of physical discomfort, and lying still felt almost impossible. The practice demanded a level of mental presence and inner awareness that I had rarely encountered in yoga before.

It was some of the most challenging inner work I have done, and also some of the most effective and rewarding. One that I circle back to often in my own practice and teaching.

The Origins and History of Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra has its roots in ancient tantric traditions and classical yoga philosophy. References to a Nidra-like state appear in early yogic texts, where deep relaxation and conscious awareness were used as tools for transformation and insight.

Since then, Yoga Nidra has continued to evolve and is now utilized in yoga studios, therapeutic settings, hospitals, and trauma-informed spaces worldwide.

What Makes Yoga Nidra Different from Meditation

While Yoga Nidra is sometimes grouped with meditation, it is its own distinct practice.

Unlike seated meditation, Yoga Nidra is usually practiced lying down, fully supported, with guidance offered throughout. There is no effort to control the breath, clear the mind, or focus in a particular way.

What makes Yoga Nidra unique is that it works by:

• Systematically relaxing the body and nervous system

• Guiding awareness through sensation, breath, imagery, and states of attention

• Allowing the mind to move between waking and sleep states

Rather than concentration, Yoga Nidra helps to cultivate effortless awareness.

The Structure of a Yoga Nidra Practice

While different lineages use slightly different language, most Yoga Nidra practices follow a similar arc:

• Settling the body into comfort and safety

• Setting a sankalpa (a heartfelt intention or resolve)

• Rotating awareness through the body

• Bringing awareness to the breath

• Exploring opposite sensations or emotional states

• Visualization or imagery

• Gradual return to waking awareness

Each stage is designed to guide the nervous system toward deeper states of rest while maintaining a thread of awareness.

The Benefits of Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is meant to support rest on levels that ordinary sleep often cannot reach. Benefits may include:

Nervous System and Mental Health Benefits

• Activates the parasympathetic nervous system

• Helps regulate stress and cortisol levels

• Supports anxiety reduction and emotional strength

• Improves sleep quality and depth

Physical and Energetic Benefits

• Encourages deep muscular relaxation

• May assist with pain management and fatigue

• Creates conditions for cellular repair and restoration

Inner and Reflective Benefits

• Cultivates self-awareness without effort

• Helps clarify intentions and inner values

• Supports healing after illness, burnout, or major life transitions

Yoga Nidra and the Power of Sankalpa

A unique element of Yoga Nidra is sankalpa: a short, present-tense intention that reflects what is most true or meaningful to you.

Rather than a goal or affirmation, sankalpa is often described as a seed planted in the soil of deep rest. When the body and mind are relaxed, intention can land more deeply, without force or effort.

Practice Yoga Nidra With Me

I am co-hosting the Magic of Rest Retreat this coming Sunday, January 25, 1-5 pm, with Jenn Gardner. Here is a blog written by Jenn about the Magic of Rest and our retreat. Yin and Yoga Nidra practices will be part of the retreat.

If you would like to book a private or small group Yoga Nidra class with me, please click here to connect.

Sources & Further Reading

• Yoga Nidra Wikipedia

• Tanis Fishman

• Alison Goundry