Upanishadic Yoga Nidra - Deep Rest Beyond Sleep - by Ananya Iyer

COURSE

Upanishadic Yoga Nidra - Deep Rest Beyond Sleep

With Ananya Iyer

What if deep rest is not something you achieve, but something you remember? In this gentle seven-day course, you'll explore Yoga Nidra through the lens of the Upanishads - India's ancient teachings on awareness, stillness, and the nature of the self. Together, we'll move through the body, the breath, the senses, the mind, and the deeper awareness that exists beneath every experience. Along the way, you'll learn how to release unnecessary effort, calm the nervous system, observe thoughts without becoming entangled in them, and cultivate a relationship with rest that goes beyond sleep. Each session combines simple teaching, contemplative reflection, and guided practice to help you experience Yoga Nidra not merely as relaxation, but as a pathway into profound inner stillness. By the end of the course, you'll have a practical framework for accessing deep rest in daily life and a deeper understanding of the quiet awareness that has been present within you all along. Whether you are seeking better sleep, relief from mental busyness, nervous system restoration, or a deeper spiritual practice, this course offers a gentle invitation to come home to yourself.


Meet your Teacher

Ananya Iyer is a certified yoga professional who specialises in Yoga Nidra, deep rest practices, nervous system regulation, and contemplative wisdom traditions from India. Her work blends yoga philosophy, breath awareness, psychology, and modern understandings of stress and restoration to help people cultivate greater calm, resilience, and inner balance. Through a trauma-aware and compassionate approach, she guides students toward discovering that rest is not something that must be earned or forced, but a natural state that becomes available when the body and mind feel safe enough to soften. In her teachings, ancient wisdom is presented in a grounded, practical way that supports both everyday wellbeing and deeper self-inquiry.

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7 Days

6 students

5.0 stars

4 min / day

Relax

English


Lesson 1

Let The Body Be Received

Begin your journey into Upanishadic Yoga Nidra by learning that deep rest does not begin with effort. It begins with being held. In this session, you will soften into gravity, feel the support beneath your body, and allow the body to be received instead of controlled.

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Lesson 2

The Breath Is Already Happening

Today, we explore the second doorway of Yoga Nidra: the breath. Many people approach rest by trying to control their breathing. In this session, you will discover a different possibility - that the breath already knows what to do. As the body learns support, the breath can begin to move naturally, reminding us that not everything in life requires our effort.

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Lesson 3

Turning Gently Inward

Today, we explore the ancient yogic principle of pratyahara - the gentle turning of attention inward. Rather than constantly following the outer world, you will learn how to rest your awareness within yourself, creating the inner conditions for deep rest to emerge naturally.

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Lesson 4

The Layers Of Experience

Today, we explore one of the most beautiful teachings of the Upanishadic tradition: the understanding that we are more than any single experience. Through the lens of the five koshas, or layers of being, you will discover how Yoga Nidra gently guides us from the surface of experience toward a deeper sense of peace.

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Lesson 5

You Are Not The Restless Mind

Thoughts do not need to disappear for rest to be present. Today, you will explore one of the central insights of Yoga Nidra and the Upanishads: that awareness is larger than the movement of the mind. Instead of fighting thoughts, you will learn how to observe them with gentleness and distance.

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Lesson 6

Rest Beyond Thought

What if deep rest does not depend on the mind becoming completely quiet? Today, you will explore a deeper stillness that exists beneath thoughts, emotions, and mental activity. Rather than seeking silence, you will discover the awareness in which silence naturally appears.

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Lesson 7

Silence As Completion

In this final session, we bring together everything you have explored throughout the course. Body, breath, awareness, and stillness are no longer separate practices. They become a way of meeting life itself. Today is an invitation to discover that deep rest is not something you visit occasionally - it is something you can remember at any moment.

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