Yoga Nidra: The Art of Deep Rest
If there’s one thing modern life has taught us, it’s how to do more. More work, more productivity, more self-improvement. Even when we rest, we often try to optimize it—tracking sleep cycles, perfecting evening routines, consuming endless content about how to relax better. But what if deep rest wasn’t something to achieve? What if it was something to simply allow?
Enter Yoga Nidra—a practice that’s been around for centuries but feels more relevant than ever. Often translated as “yogic sleep,” Yoga Nidra is a guided practice that takes you into a state between wakefulness and sleep, where the body fully relaxes, yet the mind remains aware. It’s not about drifting off—it’s about accessing a kind of rest that goes beyond what normal sleep can offer.
And let’s be honest—most of us are exhausted, even when we sleep eight hours.
The Difference Between Sleep and Deep Rest
You know those nights when you technically sleep, but wake up feeling just as tired? That’s because sleep and rest are not the same thing. Sleep is a biological function—your body cycles through different stages, repairing and restoring itself. But deep rest? That’s different. Deep rest is about switching off the constant input, processing what’s already there, and allowing yourself to exist without demand.
This is where Yoga Nidra comes in. It guides you into a state where the nervous system shifts out of stress mode (sympathetic) and into true relaxation (parasympathetic). Unlike regular sleep, where the mind keeps processing at subconscious levels, Yoga Nidra helps you consciously enter a deeply restorative state.
What Happens During Yoga Nidra?
A Yoga Nidra session usually lasts between 20 and 45 minutes and follows a structured process:
Settling In – You lie down, get comfortable, and set an intention (Sankalpa).
Body Scan – The teacher guides you through different parts of your body, helping release physical tension.
Breath Awareness – You focus on the breath, shifting the mind into deeper relaxation.
Imagery & Visualization – You may be guided through calming imagery to access deeper layers of the mind.
Integration – You slowly come back to waking awareness, ideally feeling rested and reset.
It sounds simple, but the effects can be profound. Studies show that Yoga Nidra can reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and even support healing from trauma. But most importantly, it teaches us something we often forget: we don’t need to be asleep to truly rest.
Why Deep Rest Matters (and Why We Suck at It)
Our world celebrates doing, achieving, and performing. Even in wellness spaces, there’s pressure to meditate right, move mindfully, perfect the breathwork practice. But deep rest isn’t something you “win” at—it’s something you receive.
The problem? Most of us don’t trust ourselves to rest. We fill every empty space with distractions—scrolling, checking messages, listening to something, watching something. Even when we’re tired, we keep going because stopping feels… weird. Unproductive.
But here’s the thing: Deep rest isn’t just an indulgence—it’s a necessity. If we don’t allow space for our minds and bodies to process, we burn out. We carry tension. We mistake exhaustion for normalcy.
Yoga Nidra gives us permission to step out of the cycle. To rest deeply, without needing to fix anything.
Bringing Yoga Nidra Into Your Life
You don’t need a studio or a teacher to start—though having a guide can be powerful. Here are a few simple ways to introduce Yoga Nidra into your routine:
Try a guided practice. There are great free resources on YouTube and apps like Insight Timer. Look for Yoga Nidra recordings between 20–30 minutes.
Practice before bed (but don’t expect sleep). Yoga Nidra can help with insomnia, but the goal isn’t to fall asleep—it’s to rest deeply.
Use it as a midday reset. Instead of another coffee or a doomscrolling break, try lying down for a short Yoga Nidra session. 20 minutes can feel like hours of rest.
Let go of expectations. Some days, you’ll feel deeply relaxed. Other days, your mind might be racing. Either way, you’re giving yourself the space to rest—without needing to earn it.
Rest Without Guilt
We don’t need more pressure in our lives. We don’t need another thing to get right. What we do need is permission to pause. Yoga Nidra is a practice of letting go—of tension, of control, of the belief that we have to do more to be worthy of rest.
So maybe today, instead of trying to squeeze one more task into your schedule, you carve out a little space for deep rest. Not sleep. Just being.
And trust that it’s enough.
