Yoga Nidra: Your Go-To Practice to Relax the Nervous System and Sleep Better

During busy or stressful times it can be harder to fall asleep. The mind stays a little too active, and the body doesn’t seem to fully unwind. That’s when I turn to Yoga Nidra—a gentle practice that helps me relax deeply and prepare for restful sleep.

What Is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra, often called "yogic sleep," is a guided meditation practice that brings you into a state of deep relaxation. While lying down, you’re guided through steps like body awareness, breath focus, and visualization. It’s incredibly calming, helping you shift out of stress and into a state of rest.

The origins of Yoga Nidra trace back to ancient Tantric traditions, and it was developed into a structured practice in the 20th century by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Originally intended for self-awareness and inner healing, it’s now widely used as a tool to reduce stress and improve overall well-being.

How Yoga Nidra Supports Relaxation and Sleep

Yoga Nidra is especially helpful during stressful periods because it directly affects the nervous system. By slowing your breath and guiding your attention inward, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s “rest and digest” mode. This calms your mind, releases physical tension, and allows to access our subconscious to consciousness. This deeply restorative practice in fact involves guiding our mind into a state of relaxed awareness that lies between wakefulness and sleep, known as the hypnagogic state.

During this practice it is preferred not to fall asleep (however at times it is unavoidable! 😋)

Even a short, 15 to 30 minutes Yoga Nidra session can leave you feeling more rested and grounded.

Guided Yoga Nidra Practice

My Experience with Yoga Nidra

I’ve found Yoga Nidra to be a great support when life feels full and my mind doesn’t switch off as easily. Especially during busier times, iI found it such a beautiful, simple and effective way to reconnect with my body and let go of the thoughts clouding my mind.

I have been guiding Yoga Nidra at the end of Yoga classes, before Sound Healings and during Yoga Teacher trainings, and students from all ages have shared with me the powerful experiences they had, often feeling rejuvenated and supported after a short session.

How to Get Started

If you’re curious to try Yoga Nidra, you only need 20-30 minutes and a quiet space to lie down. \

For the traditional insights on Yoga Nidra, check out the original book from Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

I also love and can totally recommend this Yoga Nidra Podcast from Ayla Nova on Spotify.

I also offer guided sessions live and recorded - just contact me to receive free Yoga Nidra audio recordings!

So, whether it’s to help youself to fall asleep or to take a restorative short break during the day, I recommend you to try Yoga Nidra as a way to recharge your energy.

Let me know your experience in the comments!