Yoga Nidrā: the power of sacred conscious sleep

What is Yoga Nidrā?

Yoga Nidrā [Sanskrit for Yogic Sleep] is both an ancient practice and a state of consciousness that promotes full body-mind relaxation. It is a practice in surrendering the physical body and thinking-analytical mind over to the essence of you as you guide your body into a sleeplike state. When practicing yoga nidra, you will be focused on the here and now, allowing your inner wisdom to emerge and your stress to melt away. Yoga Nidra is an effective and accessible practice for relieving stress, boosting the immune system, and not only rejuvenating but actually reprogramming the body & mind. At its very core, Yoga Nidra is a practice of homecoming—of returning home to your true nature of love, bliss and creativity. It is a practice in uncovering or remembering who you are at your core, beyond the external forces of waking life.

Yoga Nidra and Sleep

Yoga Nidra and sleep are closely entwined—sleep helps our wounds to heal, improves memory, boosts the immune system, manages pain, and lowers stress. The same healing power is found in yoga nidra, with added benefits. When you’re practicing yoga nidra, your body will relax, but your mind will also be awake and one-pointed as it is in meditation.

We’re often told we don’t get enough sleep, we need to get “more” sleep or “better” sleep, but we’re rarely given the tools or effective solutions for how to do so. From an outside observer, Yoga Nidra will look like a guided sleep journey, as it is traditionally practiced while lying down (i.e., from the comfort of your own bed if you so choose). It’s accessible and it’s effective, and regardless of which way your Nidra journey takes you, at the very least, you’ll be feeling like you hit the Reset button on your energy stores afterward.