Yoga Nidra is often called “yogic sleep”...but that’s not quite it. You aren’t sleeping in Yoga Nidra. 

Yoga Nidra is also called “guided meditation”...but that’s also not true. While the practice is guided by an instructor, the effect of Yoga Nidra on the mind is different from meditation.

The entire practice, which can be as short as five minutes and as long as an hour, is done in savasana. If lying on the floor is not comfortable for you, the session can be done seated. Some practitioners like to practice from their bed and allow themselves to drop into sleep. There is no wrong way to do Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra, as it is done today, is a fairly modern creation. Most Yoga Nidra is based on the work of Satyananda Saraswati, who created the practice during the 1960s using a combination of ancient techniques (tantra) and the physical practice that was becoming more popular in the west.

How does Yoga Nidra work?

As you lie in savasana, the instructor will read to you from a script. The script follows a system designed to move you through what are called the pancha maya kosha—the five layers of self. Each nidra is focused around a sankalpa, sometimes also called an intention or resolve. The sankalpa is a simple phrase designed to create change from within. Some examples of sankalpa are: 

• I am healthy and whole
• I let go of what no longer serves me
• I am loved
• I have everything I need

What are the benefits of Yoga Nidra?

• Anxiety and Stress: Yoga Nidra has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. Studies conducted on heart rate during practice have shown a favourable shift in the autonomous nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic. What this means is that the nervous system regulates from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest.” 
• Decreased Inflammation: Reduction in stress can mean a decrease in cortisol, a stress hormone that can cause inflammation, chronic pain and heart disease.
• Muscle Recovery and Healing: In Yoga Nidra, our brain waves drop between the theta and delta state. It’s where our brains are during our deepest state of sleep. When our brain waves slow, our bodies are able to heal and restore.
• Trauma: By working through the layers of self to plant a seed of growth (the sankalpa), Yoga Nidra works to change our subconscious thoughts outside of our nidra practice. It’s almost like rewiring the brain. Yoga Nidra has been used to treat soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to help with the side effects of PTSD. 

Tips for practicing Yoga Nidra at home:

• Find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. If you are worried about noises in your household, consider using earbuds to listen to the class.
• Set the scene. Dim the lights. If you like to bring essential oils into your practice, you could rub some lavender or frankincense on your temples or add them to a diffuser. If you are feeling any body discomfort, stretch and move a bit before you settle.
• Take the best savasana for you and your body. In Yoga Nidra, savasana is held a lot longer than in most asana classes. This means that the floor may start to feel a little hard under you after five or ten minutes. Consider taking savasana on a carpet or placing a blanket or second mat over your mat. Your head may need a bit of extra support with a thin pillow or folded blanket. Some practitioners find that their lower back can become sore—placing a bolster or some pillow under the thighs can alleviate some of the pressure. Make sure you are warm enough. You might find that you get chilly after a few minutes of stillness. Consider wearing socks and covering yourself with a blanket. Finally, an eye pillow is a wonderful addition to any savasana. Not only does it block out the light, but it can help calm the nervous system by stimulating the vagus nerve, an important player in our parasympathetic (rest and digest) system.

Okay, I could write about Yoga Nidra all day, but that would never replace actually experiencing it! Check out this recording to try it out. I would love to hear what you think.

Yoga is so often recommended as a way to manage anxiety, but why is that? Why not Skiing for Anxiety or Golfing for Anxiety? While I do believe that any physical movement can and will help to reduce the effects of anxiety, yoga is especially powerful. Here’s why:

1. Movement and Mindfulness

While ANY form of yoga, such as meditation or breathwork, can help to reduce anxiety, I personally believe that asana, that is physical practice, can be an important key in calming both the mind and the body. Anxiety often manifests as nervous energy: to ask an anxious body to be still can increase the symptoms of anxiety. Yoga asana are wonderful because they link breath with movement. By burning off some of our nervous energy, it may become easier to come into meditation.

2. The Mind/Body Connection

Where do you feel anxiety in your body? Is it in your chest? Your stomach? Maybe it is tightness in your shoulders or clenching in your jaw. Sometimes this tightness causes other pain, such as headaches. Anxiety and depression are felt in the body:  yoga can help to relieve this tension. Without needing to get to the root of anxiety, the physical yoga practice can soothe the symptoms and build resiliency. While we may never completely eliminate anxiety, our goal is to reduce its effects.

3. Yoga Asks Us to Dig Deeper

There is a misconception that yoga is an excuse to “bliss out” or hit snooze on our lives. If a yoga practice is asking you to zone out and avoid what’s going on in your life, I would argue that it’s not really yoga. Yoga encourages us to ask questions, both on and off the mat. Sometimes this is called shadow work, and it can be the key to healing. 

Restorative yoga and pranayama (breathwork) have been shown to be the most effective to reduce anxiety, but any form of yoga is beneficial, as is any form of movement. Some tools work better than others—everyone is different. Experiment and see what works for you. For ideas on how to reduce your anxiety that don't involve yoga, check out this blog post. 

I’d love to hear what you use to help manage your anxiety. Leave me a comment below.