Yoga Nidra—known as yogic sleep—is a meditation and conscious relaxation practice that is intended to induce total physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. It’s been practiced by Yogi’s for thousands of years and it has even been said that 1 hour of Yoga Nidra is as rejuvenating as getting 4 hours of deep sleep; maybe that’s why some many of the great Yogi’s were able to accomplish so much in their lives.

Yoga Nidra can help to ease insomnia, decrease anxiety, alleviate stress, reduce PTSD and chronic pain as well as heighten awareness and focus.  Regular practice can also help to transform negative habits, behaviours, and ways of thinking to foster feelings of peace, calm, and clarity.  So, in some ways it is similar to meditation, but with Yoga Nidra you move into a deep sleep state while your mind remains awake.  This is why Yoga Nidra is so restorative for the body.

My Introduction to Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra was something I first came across when I started my 200hr Yoga teacher training with Yogacourse.  Kelly, one of the wonderful teachers there offered a class on Friday evenings during lockdown in 2020 and I decided to give it a try.  Although it is also called ‘sleep yoga’ the aim is not to fall asleep.  By being guided to different points around the body, paying attention to my internal and external environments, having my mind directed to random objects, I found myself being able to relax in a way that was completely different from meditation; for me, it provided a completely different level of relaxation and rejuvenation.  When I completed my initial Yoga Teacher Training, I then undertook a further course to write my own Yoga Nidra scripts and add those classes to my offerings.

I now practice Yoga Nidra most days, usually during my lunch break because it helps me replenish my energy to help me get through the rest of my day.  If you are one of my clients I work with in the evenings, the reason I am always so ‘switched on’ later in the day is because of Yoga Nidra.  A lot of my Yoga Nidra recordings I access from a free Yoga Nidra library, but I have also made some of my own recordings which are available to listen to below.

Below are a collection of free Yoga Nidra recordings I have created.  I will be updating this resource on a regular basis so if you have any requests or would like a theme specific for you, please get in touch.