Complete guide
Yoga Nidra: The Complete Guide to Yogic Sleep
Yoga nidra, often called “yogic sleep”, is a guided meditation practised lying down. A teacher or recording leads you through a body scan, breath awareness, opposite sensations and…
Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra is a guided, lying-down meditation that brings deep relaxation while you stay aware. It was systematised in the 1960s by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and is a forerunner of NSDR. Start with our complete guide.
1 guide
Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is a guided meditation practised lying down. It leads you through a body scan, breath awareness and visualisation for deep rest while you stay gently aware.
This hub is the home on Self Help Supermarket for yoga nidra. Our complete guide explains the practice step by step. As we check them, recordings, videos, apps and books for yoga nidra are added to this page.
Start here
New to yoga nidra? Our complete guide covers where it comes from, how it relates to NSDR, the eight stages of a session step by step and what research says about sleep and stress.
What people use it for
What the evidence says
In people with chronic insomnia, yoga nidra improved sleep and increased deep sleep (Datta et al., 2021).
Just 11 minutes a day for 30 days lowered stress and improved sleep quality (Moszeik et al., 2022).
You will find more on yoga nidra, with sources, in the complete guide.
FAQs
Where should a complete beginner start?
Read our complete guide, then try a 10 to 20 minute recording lying down.
Is yoga nidra the same as NSDR?
They are closely related. NSDR, a term coined by Andrew Huberman, is usually a shorter, secular form of the same idea.
Is it okay to fall asleep?
Yes. Many people do at first, and staying aware gets easier with practice.
How long should I practise?
Anything from 10 to 45 minutes. One study found benefits from 11 minutes a day.
Do I need yoga experience?
No. You simply lie down and follow the guidance.
Get listed
Do you teach yoga nidra? We are building a directory of trusted practitioners, courses and apps for every technique. Get in touch to be listed.
Apply to be listedThis hub is for general information and self-help education. It is not medical or psychological advice. External resources are selected by our editors and checked when listed; we are not responsible for third-party content.