The world’s largest free audio library for everyday wellbeing
Real people. Real life. Real time.
Retreat categories
All RetreatsYoga RetreatsWellness RetreatsMeditation RetreatsYoga Teacher TrainingWomen's RetreatsYoga Retreats in BaliYoga Retreats in United KingdomYoga Retreats in AustraliaYoga Retreats in ItalyFind Your Perfect Retreat
Discover transformative Retreats led by Insight Timer's best teachers.Reconnect, recharge, and return renewed.
The world’s largest free audio library for everyday wellbeing
Blog categories
Mental Health and WellbeingTips and GuidesScience and ResearchTraditionSpiritualityAt WorkTop Articles
How to Meditate
Meditation is something everyone can do. Practicing can help improve your health and wellbeing.
Explore MeditationMeditation Timer
Free meditation timer with customizable intervals, bells, and ambient sounds.
Meditation Timer OnlineYoga Nidra Meditations
Maybe you’ve found it hard to incorporate yoga flows into your wellness routine. Or perhaps you’re on the hunt for a deep, restorative form of yoga. In either case, you may want to consider exploring yoga nidra. This type of yoga requires next-to-no movement and offers benefits similar to those of popular types of meditation. Below, we’ll go over yoga nidra in-depth, along with its benefits and suggest guided yoga nidra practices suited to your unique needs.
Read more
Featured
What is yoga nidra?
Yoga nidra, also called yogic sleep, is a guided, restorative meditation that relaxes the body and places the mind in a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. It’s ideal for those experiencing sleep deprivation since it induces brainwave patterns associated with the “rest-and-digest” part of the nervous system instead of the “fight-or-flight” state.
Frequently, a yoga nidra session works best if you:
- Lie down in corpse pose on a mat, bed, or another comfortable surface
- Set an intention
- Scan the body to reduce tension
- Focus on your breath
The entire practice is guided by a trained and experienced yoga nidra instructor. Quite often, meditators even fall into a light sleep — though more advanced practices focus on actually staying awake while highly relaxed.
As you might guess, this is one of the easiest yoga and meditation practices you can implement and one of the hardest to develop, without falling asleep!
Best guided yoga nidra meditations
Insight Timer gives you access to over 200,000 free tracks, with 80+ new guided meditations added daily, helping hundreds of thousands of individuals elevate their emotional and mental well-being. When it comes to yoga nidra, there are endless meditations and sessions to choose from. Here are some yoga nidra guided meditations to get you started.
Also called “conscious sleep,” traditional yoga nidra follows the basic steps of setting an intention, scanning the body, bringing awareness to the breath, visualization, and revisiting your initial intention. These guided meditations are ideal for anyone new to yoga nidra but curious about its relaxation benefits.
2. Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)
NSDR is a type of yoga nidra that may also employ other non-traditional techniques to help further relaxation and ease the mind into the state between relaxing and sleeping. These sessions are usually shorter, meaning they integrate well into a busy schedule. NSDR may also be done seated.
3. Yoga nidra for stress relief
If you’re seeking a way to de-stress from the pulls of modern society, these yoga nidra tracks are designed to alleviate anxiety, worries, and stress, allowing you to reset.
4. Yoga nidra for sleep meditation
There’s a reason yoga nidra is also referred to as yogic sleep. Some individuals become so relaxed they drift into a peaceful slumber. For this reason, using yoga nidra for sleep can be powerful. Consider a session before bedtime or a practice with meditation music to help you wind down at the end of your day.
5. Yoga nidra for insomnia
Disrupted sleep patterns are becoming too common, with many people struggling to fall or stay asleep throughout the night. Use mindfulness sleep meditations that help you ease into sleep to overcome restless nights.
6. Chakra balancing with yoga nidra
Chakras are energy points throughout the body. When balanced, our bodies and minds can better maintain an equilibrium. However, we may be more susceptible to stress, illness, and more when these energy centers are out of balance. With these yoga nidra tracks, you can help rebalance and realign your chakras to feel more at peace.
7. Yoga nidra for self-healing
Healing is undeniably a long and ongoing journey for many. As we continue to transform and evolve, it’s helpful to have tools and practices to guide us. Whether you’re looking to heal past traumas or work through deep-rooted insecurities, a yoga nidra practice can offer guidance on your unique journey — especially if you practice it carefully, without dozing off.
8. Yoga nidra sound bath
A sound bath creates the illusion that the meditator is “bathed” in sound waves from gongs, singing bowls, chimes, and more. Combining these restorative sounds with yoga nidra can offer the ultimate relaxation experience. For a more “live” experience, listen to these with a pair of decent noise canceling headphones.
9. Yoga nidra and nature sounds
Nature sounds can be deeply nourishing, especially when paired with a yoga nidra practice. These tracks offer an excellent way to deepen your meditation experience and connection with Mother Nature.
11. Yoga nidra for kids
Yoga nidra can be just as helpful for kids as it is for adults. It can help them learn how to manage stress early on, improve focus, and enhance their overall well-being. These sessions are short and sweet, incorporating lots of imagery and playfulness.
12. Yoga nidra for creativity and inspiration
Moments of inspiration and creativity can strike when we least expect them to. But sometimes we face creative burnout, like writer’s block or a hurdle in a workflow. A yoga nidra session can help you tap into the subconscious mind, bringing new ideas and inspiration to the forefront.
Yoga nidra techniques
A basic yoga nidra meditation practice incorporates the following techniques.
Sankalpa (intention setting)
Intention setting usually takes place at the start of your session. Your instructor asks you to set a personal intention, which may involve something you want to manifest in your life or even something you want to let go of. You can then repeat this intention to yourself at the beginning and throughout your practice.
Pratyahara in yoga nidra
Pratyahara is the practice of withdrawing the mind away from impressionable sensory distractions during a meditation session. It focuses on turning the attention inward toward internal rather than external stimuli. Smells, sights, sounds, and thoughts all drift away during yoga nidra, which makes it a pratyahara practice.
Body scan technique
The body scan deepens the concept of pratyahara in yoga nidra. It involves systematically scanning areas of your body and releasing tension as instructed by your teacher.
Breath awareness & pranayama
Maintaining awareness of the breath, or pranayama, is crucial to achieving a deeper and more relaxed state during your yoga nidra session. By observing the natural flow of each inhale and exhale, you’ll be able to further bring your attention inward and drift away from outward stimuli.
Integration of opposites
The integration of opposites involves focusing on contrasts and a range of sensations, unifying the body, mind, and soul. For instance, your instructor may guide you to focus on the heaviness of your limbs. Shortly after, they may guide you to feel the lightness in those same areas, creating a contrast between two extremes. They may also ask you to recall moments of sadness, then joy. This can help further the relaxative state and allow the ego to fade away.
Yoga nidra visualization
Visualization is another technique frequently incorporated into yoga nidra sessions. You may be guided to visualize specific images or scenarios. Ideally, these are created in the mind’s eye for further restoration, emotional healing, or creativity.
Benefits of yoga nidra
Deep relaxation and stress reduction
Research confirms that yoga nidra is the perfect practice to help you reduce stress. It taps into the rest-and-digest nervous system, reducing stress hormones and slowing breathing and heart rate. Body scans, an integral part of yoga nidra, also help relieve physical tension and enhance mindfulness and awareness.
Enhanced mental clarity and focus
One of the biggest benefits of yoga nidra is that it guides you toward letting go of worries, stressors, pressure, and any other mental clutter. Along with balancing the nervous system, this can lead to greater mental clarity and focus. With regular practice, studies suggest, you may find it easier to switch between tasks without distractions or notice you’re less likely to reach for your phone when focused on a particular activity.
Emotional healing and well-being
By engaging the deep layers of the subconscious mind, yoga nidra facilitates greater emotional processing. This can help you along your healing journey, as well as remove associated stress or anxiety. Research confirms that regular yoga nidra sessions may further enhance emotional intelligence and well-being.
Improved sleep quality
Many times, falling asleep and staying asleep can be hindered by high stress and anxiety. According to research, yoga nidra offers a path toward peaceful slumber by turning off the stress response in the body and activating the parasympathetic nervous system. As mentioned above, it also alleviates mental clutter, helping your mind go offline more easily and maintain deep sleep throughout the night.
Spiritual growth and self-discovery
Since yoga nidra helps us connect with our inner selves, you might find your intuition and wisdom at the forefront after a session. Reflecting on those insights by journaling can be a useful tool for reaching deeper levels of self-discovery and aligning with your core values. Studies confirm a link between regular yoga nidra practice and spiritual growth.
How yoga nidra fits within modern life
With the emergence of technology and its integration into our daily lives, moments of stillness and rest aren’t as common as they once were. In place of these restful moments, many find themselves scrolling their phones or answering messages, filling the space between every activity and leaving little room for true restoration.
On top of this, stress is a common complaint amongst the general population. Our society rewards those who do more, leading to intense competition and increased levels of stress. It’s no surprise that mental illness is on the rise or that there are reportedly more people with sleep issues.
Yoga nidra can fill the wellness gap by helping you de-stress, relax more easily, and improve sleep quality and overall well-being. As a bonus, practicing stillness can also help you spend less time on your phone throughout the day.
The evolution of yoga nidra: Ancient practices to today
Yoga is one of the oldest restorative practices for the body and mind. Yoga nidra, in particular, was first mentioned in the Hindu text Mahabharata around the 3rd century of the common era. These early texts usually refer to yoga nidra as a state associated with deep sleep and meditation. However, it was likely practiced long before recorded history.
It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s that the modern practices involved in yoga nidra emerged.
Yoga teacher and guru Satyananda Saraswati emphasized:
The goal of yoga nidra is complete relaxation.
This was also when it started to be described as a state of mind between sleeping and wakefulness.
Since then, yoga nidra has joined the ranks of other popular yoga techniques, with studios offering classes and meditation apps, like Insight Timer, providing guided yoga nidra meditations. In recent years, it’s further been popularized by mainstream podcasts, such as Huberman Lab, where it’s referred to as a relaxation technique called non-sleep deep rest (NSDR).
The science and spirituality of yoga nidra
So, how does yoga nidra work? Research indicates that yoga nidra lowers sympathetic (fight-or-flight) nervous system activity while increasing parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system activity. In turn, this can lead to significant improvements in both mental and physical health. It’s also associated with higher vagal nerve control, which means you may be able to de-stress with greater ease and reduce anxiety with yoga nidra practices.
In terms of spirituality, yoga nidra is thought to enhance inner wisdom and intuition. When we let go of our daily stressors, we can tap into our innermost selves. This can guide us toward our full potential and improve alignment with our life path.
With Insight Timer’s yoga nidra meditations app, you gain access to top meditation teachers worldwide for free. Consider trying one of our free guided meditations tonight.
Resources and tools for sleep meditation
Insight Timer’s free meditation app
Insight Timer provides access to an abundance of free guided yoga nidra meditations. With a variety of types and lengths to choose from, there’s something suitable for practitioners of all ages and levels.
Online resources and communities
Premium yoga nidra meditation courses
Premium yoga nidra meditation courses provide more detailed and structured guidance that you can incorporate into your practice. If you’re ready to take your meditations to the next level, check out the premium course options below.
Upcoming Retreats
Teachers
Popular teachers exploring this topic.
Frequently asked questions about yoga nidra (FAQs)
References
- Alshoaibi, Y., Bafil, W., & Rahim, M. (2023). The effect of screen use on sleep quality among adolescents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 12(7), 1379–1388. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_159_23
- Datta, K., Tripathi, M., & Mallick, H. N. (2017). Yoga Nidra: An innovative approach for management of chronic insomnia- A case report. Sleep Science and Practice, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41606-017-0009-4
- Ferreira-Vorkapic, C., Borba-Pinheiro, C. J., Marchioro, M., & Santana, D. (2018). The Impact of Yoga Nidra and Seated Meditation on the Mental Health of College Professors. International journal of yoga, 11(3), 215–223. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoy.IJOY_57_17
- Ganpat, T. S. (2020). Yoga Nidra practice enhances emotional intelligence in university students. Alternative & Complementary Therapies, 26(5), 214–218. https://doi.org/10.1089/act.2020.29294.tsg
- Moszeik, E., Von Oertzen, T., & Renner, K. (2020). Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being in a large and diverse sample. Current Psychology, 41(8), 5272–5286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01042-2
- Nayak, K., & Verma, K. (2023). Yoga-Nidra as a mental health booster: A narrative review. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine, 14(6), 100842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2023.100842
- Pandi-Perumal, S. R., Spence, D. W., Srivastava, N., Kanchibhotla, D., Kumar, K., Sharma, G. S., Gupta, R., & Batmanabane, G. (2022). The Origin and Clinical Relevance of Yoga Nidra. Sleep and vigilance, 6(1), 61–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41782-022-00202-7
- Parker S. (2019). Training attention for conscious non-REM sleep: The yogic practice of yoga-nidrā and its implications for neuroscience research. Progress in brain research, 244, 255–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2018.10.016
- Vaishnav, B., Vaishnav, S., Vaishnav, V., & Varma, J. (2018). Effect of yoga-nidra on adolescents well-being: A mixed method study. International Journal of Yoga, 11(3), 245. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_39_17
- Wu, Y., Wang, L., Tao, M., Cao, H., Yuan, H., Ye, M., Chen, X., Wang, K., & Zhu, C. (2023). Changing trends in the global burden of mental disorders from 1990 to 2019 and predicted levels in 25 years. Epidemiology and psychiatric sciences, 32, e63. https://doi.org/10.1017/S2045796023000756
How can we help?
Trusted by 35 million people. It’s free.