Tell me about Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is a form of guided meditation often translated as yogic sleep.
But despite the name, you’re not actually sleeping.
Instead, you lie down comfortably and are guided through a series of instructions — usually involving awareness of the body, the breath, and sometimes visualisation. The body rests deeply, while the mind remains gently aware. Many people describe it as that space between waking and sleeping — deeply relaxed, yet still conscious.
Unlike other meditation practices, Yoga Nidra doesn’t require effort, concentration, or sitting upright. In fact, the whole point is to rest.
For many people, especially those living busy, full lives, this makes it one of the most accessible forms of meditation.
What is Yoga Nidra doing to your brain and nervous system?
When we practice Yoga Nidra, the body shifts out of the “fight or flight” response and into the parasympathetic nervous system — the state responsible for rest, digestion, repair, and healing.
Brain activity also begins to slow, moving toward patterns that resemble deep sleep, even though you remain awake.
This is one reason the practice can feel so restorative.
Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman often speaks about Yoga Nidra using the term Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) — a more scientific label for practices that bring the brain and body into deep relaxation without actually falling asleep. He describes it as:
“A powerful practice that guides your brain and body into a state of deep relaxation without falling asleep completely.”
From a brain and nervous system perspective, Yoga Nidra can help:
reduce stress hormones like cortisol
support nervous system regulation
improve sleep quality
restore energy and focus
create conditions for healing and recovery
In simple terms, it gives the body a chance to reset.
Why practice Yoga Nidra?
Many people come to Yoga Nidra because they feel tired, overwhelmed, or wired but exhausted. Others come because they struggle to meditate in a traditional way.
Yoga Nidra meets you exactly where you are.
You don’t need to clear your mind.
You don’t need to sit still.
You don’t even need to stay awake the whole time.
The practice works because the body is given permission to rest deeply — something many of us rarely allow ourselves to do.
Over time, regular practice may support:
deeper sleep
reduced anxiety and stress
improved mood and emotional regulation
better focus and clarity
a greater sense of calm in daily life
Some traditions even suggest that 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra can feel as restorative as several hours of sleep, due to the depth of relaxation achieved.
While it’s not a replacement for sleep, it can be a powerful support — especially during busy or demanding periods of life.
Yoga Nidra is not about doing — it’s about allowing
One of the most beautiful aspects of Yoga Nidra is that it shifts us out of the constant “doing mode” that many of us live in.
So much of our day involves effort — working, planning, responding, achieving, pushing forward.
Yoga Nidra invites the opposite.
It invites us to lie down, soften, and allow the body to rest.
For many people, this can feel unfamiliar at first.
Sometimes even uncomfortable.
But with practice, the body begins to recognise the state of deep rest — and starts to trust it.
When should you practice Yoga Nidra?
There is no perfect time. It depends on what you need.
You might practice:
During the day — to reset your nervous system
In the afternoon — to restore energy without caffeine
After work — to transition out of stress
Before bed — to support sleep
During busy or emotional periods — to regulate the body
Even 10–20 minutes can make a difference.
My experience teaching and practicing Yoga Nidra…
Many students tell me they feel like they “can’t meditate” because their mind is too busy. Yoga Nidra often changes that.
Because the practice is guided, and the body is supported by the ground, people are able to relax in a way that feels safe and natural. The nervous system softens. The breath slows. The mind settles — not by force, but by rest.
Sometimes people fall asleep.
Sometimes they don’t.
Both are completely okay.
The real value of Yoga Nidra isn’t perfection — it’s restoration.
A simple way to think about Yoga Nidra
Meditation helps you train the mind.
Yoga Nidra helps you restore the nervous system.
Both are valuable.
Both support each other.
And in today’s fast-paced world, deep rest is not a luxury — it’s a necessity.
Here’s a Spotify link to a 20min Yoga Nidra you could try.
Let me know how you go, send me an email: hi@touchbodymind.com.au
Written by Yoga and Meditation Teacher, Tarren Hehir
Based in Fitzroy and Melbourne’s Inner North
