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Struggling to drift off? Yoga Nidra might be the gentle bedtime ritual you’ve been looking for. This calming practice helps you unwind into deep rest.
6 Min Read | By Holly James
Last Modified 22 August 2025 First Added 9 June 2025
In today’s fast-paced world, switching off can feel harder than ever, making restful sleep difficult to achieve. Yoga Nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” is a calming practice that guides you into a state between wakefulness and rest, encouraging deep restoration.
Rooted in ancient Indian wisdom and backed by modern research, it has been shown to improve sleep quality, ease stress, and support overall well-being. In this article, we’ll explain how Yoga Nidra works, why it’s different from other practices, and how to make it part of your bedtime routine.
Yoga Nidra comes from the Sanskrit words yoga (union) and nidra (sleep). It originated in India as a meditative practice used by yogis to reach profound states of rest and awareness. Unlike typical meditation, it doesn’t demand intense concentration. Instead, you’re guided step by step into relaxation while remaining consciously aware.
This unique balance between wakefulness and sleep allows your body to release tension while your mind stays lightly engaged. Today, Yoga Nidra is widely practised not only for better sleep but also as a gentle tool for calming the nervous system, reducing stress, and restoring emotional balance.
Yoga Nidra isn’t quite the same as regular Yoga – it’s a guided practice that takes you through each step with care and intention. Here’s a simple way to experience deep relaxation and restoration:
Choose a quiet, distraction-free space where you feel at ease, ensuring the room is at a comfortable temperature. Using soft lighting or candles can help invoke a calming atmosphere. Consider playing calming background sounds to create a more tranquil setting.
Start by lying flat on your back. Let your arms rest gently by your sides, palms facing up. If needed, use cushions or a blanket to help you feel comfortable and at the right temperature.
Yoga Nidra encourages you to melt into the moment, stay relaxed, and be fully present. Start by taking a few slow, comforting breaths, and let yourself settle into the natural rhythm of your inhale and exhale. Counting them softly can help you find a steady, grounding pace.
Choose a brief, uplifting phrase – your personal Sankalpa – that reflects how you’d like to feel through this practice. It might be as simple as ‘I am calm’ or ‘I welcome rest.’ This is a gentle pledge to yourself, guiding your attention and nurturing your inner growth.
To stay present and at ease, let your awareness travel slowly from your toes all the way to the crown of your head, one body part at a time. As you do, let each part soften and let go, inviting a wave of calm to flow gently through you.
Once you have finished scanning your body, keep yourself in a tranquil state by thinking of peaceful scenes or calming sensations. These visualisations help deepen relaxation and keep your mind lightly engaged.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself to unwind. Unlike sleep, the aim is to stay in a restful state of awareness. There’s no need to concentrate hard, just notice what thoughts and feelings come and let them pass.
Take your time returning to the present. Wiggle your fingers and toes, stretch gently, and open your eyes when you’re ready.
Yoga Nidra offers more than just better sleep – it’s been shown to support both your body and mind, helping you feel calmer, healthier, and more balanced. Here are some of the benefits:
Unlike regular sleep, where worries can still linger, this gentle practice clears mental clutter and sets the stage for truly restorative rest. As your brainwaves naturally slow, you remain consciously relaxed, allowing your body to recharge more deeply. Research even shows it can improve both the quality and quantity of sleep, making it a soothing tool for anyone facing restless nights.
Helping to slow your breath and enter a deep state of relaxation allows the body to let go of built-up tension and calm the mind. Studies, including ones in the International Journal of Yoga, show that regular practice can significantly lower stress levels, making Yoga Nidra effective for managing anxiety and regulating emotions.
Read our article for more tips on how to soothe feelings of anxiety for better sleep.
Beyond easing stress, Yoga Nidra is also known to support those experiencing symptoms of depression. Its holistic approach encourages you to explore deeper states of awareness, helping promote emotional healing and balance. By fostering a connection between mind, body, and spirit, Yoga Nidra encourages the release of negative thought patterns that can weigh heavily on mood.
Yoga Nidra doesn’t just calm the mind; it can also support heart health. By guiding you into deep relaxation and steady breathing, this practice helps balance the nervous system, ease tension, and promote a sense of inner calm. Over time, these effects may improve heart rate variability (HRV), a key marker of how well your body adapts to stress.
Yoga Nidra may also offer gentle support for those living with sleep apnoea, which disrupts your breathing during sleep. Early research suggests its calming nature could help ease symptoms by lowering stress, supporting healthier blood pressure, and even encouraging steadier breathing patterns. While it works best alongside medical care, this deeply relaxing practice shows promise in improving overall sleep quality and offering more settled, restorative rest.
While both Yoga Nidra and sleep offer rest, the way they work is different. In Yoga Nidra, you’re guided into a deeply relaxed state while remaining conscious, unlike traditional sleep, where the mind fully switches off.
Through a calming sequence of breath awareness, body scanning, and visualisation, Yoga Nidra encourages deep physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. While natural sleep focuses on physical repair, Yoga Nidra is more focused on mindful rest that supports overall health for the mind and body.
It’s important to find the right balance of duration and frequency. Sessions should typically last between 20 and 45 minutes, giving you enough space to fully relax and move through each part of the practice without falling asleep. If you’re just starting out, shorter sessions are a great way to ease in, gradually building them up as you feel more comfortable.
Practising regularly, two to three times a week, can make a noticeable difference in your sleep quality and stress levels. Over time, this steady routine strengthens the connection between mind and body, helping you feel calmer in everyday life.
While both Yoga Nidra and meditation help achieve a state of tranquillity, they differ in how it is achieved. Meditation is usually practised sitting upright, focusing on the breath or a single point of attention to build mental clarity.
Yoga Nidra, on the other hand, is a guided practice done lying down, gently leading you into a state between wakefulness and sleep. It’s less about concentration and more about complete relaxation, with structured steps like body scans, breathing, and setting intentions, offering a more restful alternative to traditional meditation.
Yoga Nidra also differs from mindfulness in its approach to reducing stress. Mindfulness is about being fully present in the moment, tuning in to your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. It’s often practised during everyday activities, like eating or walking, or through simple breathing exercises.
In contrast, Yoga Nidra is a guided form of deep relaxation that intends to lead you into a sleep-like state while staying gently aware. Where mindfulness sharpens awareness in waking life, Yoga Nidra helps you fully let go, offering deep rest for both body and mind. Both can support better sleep, but Yoga Nidra may feel especially soothing at the end of a busy day.
Whether you’re struggling with sleepless nights or simply looking for a new way to unwind, Yoga Nidra could be the calming addition your sleep routine needs. With regular practice, this technique can help ease your mind, relax your body, and prepare you for more restorative rest. By giving yourself time to slow down and let go, you’re not just promoting better sleep; you’re nurturing your overall well-being, which in turn helps you feel better both day and night.
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