Yoga Nidra: How to Sleep Without Sleeping

Lotus flower

Have you ever had a bad night of sleep and felt like you could barely make it through the next day? Or woken up in the early morning hours, tossing and turning, stressed as the minutes tick by without rest? Or just felt chronically underrested, like you’re always trying to catch up? 

For much of my life, I struggled with getting consistently quality sleep and feeling rested. When I was in a period of not sleeping well it would feel like not only were nights stolen from me, but days were as well. Walking through life half awake, body in rebellion, and chronically under-engaged with everything I was doing. As anyone who has experienced chronic fatigue can tell you, it’s a bleak landscape. 

Then I found yoga nidra and started practicing regularly—and it changed my life. Using this tool, I was able to rest deeply even when I couldn’t sleep. That alone was empowering beyond belief, but as my practice deepened the positive effects began to grow beyond supplementing poor sleep. I found it helped me cultivate a deeper connection with myself and with life. 

What is Yoga Nidra? 

Yoga nidra is a guided somatic meditation (received lying down) that uses a series of tantric techniques to guide the listener into very subtle states of consciousness. Imagine you could stay floating in that place right before you fall asleep and you have the basic idea. Many creators and scientists have attested to the creative insight accessible in this space—Isaac Newton was reported to nap with a ball in his hand so that he could wake up right after nodding off and jot down ideas!

In yoga nidra, our brain waves mirror those present in deep sleep, but the practice eventually takes us into a state of consciousness that is distinct from waking, sleeping or deep sleep. At first it may be difficult to stay awake and aware (as is intended), but with practice, occupying this deeply nourishing state of ‘yogic sleep’ brings one not only into deep rest, but also opens up reception to manifesting intentions or beliefs in the subconscious self. 

Yoga nidra is one of the most restful, relaxing, and restorative practices in the whole tradition of yoga.  Practices may vary in length, but it is said that 40 minutes of yoga nidra is roughly equivalent to the amount of restoration one receives from four hours of sleeping. From personal experience, I can say a deep 20-30 minute practice often feels equivalent to napping for several hours and will help me finish a tired day with energy, presence, and joy.

Studies have shown yoga nidra produces positive effects on various physiological and psychological health areas such as insomnia, anxiety, addictive behavior, chronic diseases, pain therapy, pregnancies, geriatrics, asthma, and disorders of the cardiovascular system, and has been used to support those recovering from trauma, PTSD, and depression among other things. 

Practicing Yoga Nidra 

The techniques of the practice draw our attention inwards from our environment, physical body, and senses toward the more subtle layers of our energetic body and, with practice, eventually into the space of our subconscious or innermost self. Practice will bring one into these deeper and more restorative states with increasing ease, enjoyment, and clarity. 

Here are some simple ways to support your yoga nidra practice:

Where do I find yoga nidra mediations? 

Yoga nidra is becoming more popular and you may find local offerings at yoga studios near you (in-person or streamed).

There are also many wonderful online resources, for example: 

It’s best to experiment with different teachers and voices to see what resonates with you.  You may also enjoy having different lengths of practices on hand – typically ranging from about 10 minutes (for a very short rest) to 45 minutes (a full length practice) – so you can choose an appropriate practice for the moment (think mid-afternoon rest, before bed, or waking up in the middle of the night). 

Whoever you are, for whatever reason this practice may appeal to you, I applaud your desire to support your rest and relaxation! It’s hard to slow down in a busy world, but doing so allows us to bring a fuller version of ourselves to the world and to our loved ones. It also makes life a lot more fun 🙂

Wishing you a beautiful practice and peaceful rest!

Relaxation does not mean sleep. Relaxation means to be blissfully happy; it has no end. I call bliss absolute relaxation; sleep is a different matter. Sleep only relaxes the mind and senses. Bliss relaxes the atma, the inner self; that is why, in tantra, Yoga Nidra is the doorway to the bliss of Samadhi.”

Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Yoga Nidra, pub. Bihar School of Yoga, 1976.

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