Reviewed by Sahil Chopra, MD, and Stacey Gunn, MD.

Research by Savit Malhotra.

Introduction

A few months ago, we published a series of articles on naps, the different types of naps, and which type was best. In this article about which type of nap was best, we spent some time looking at non-sleep deep rest, otherwise known as yoga nidra. This week, we want to take a moment to discuss the topic in greater detail, highlighting what exactly yoga nidra is, the history behind this rest and relaxation practice, and how to perform it.

What is Yoga Nidra? 

Yoga nidra is often thought of as being a type of meditation, which is only half true. Instead, yoga nidra is a lot more active than typical meditation, often involving training the mind to achieve a deep state of relaxation, one where you are still conscious and aware.[1] This occurs through the combination of guided mental imagery and a yoga posture called the “corpse pose,” also known as Shavasana, to achieve a “yogic sleep.”[2] This key difference is one way in which yoga nidra is different from meditation; meditation is typically performed upright. 

Yoga Nidra works by altering the balance of the autonomic nervous system, the part of the body that is responsible for uncontrollable body actions (like blood pressure and metabolism). These uncontrollable actions are the result of the sympathetic nervous system, also known as the “fight-or-flight” response. When your sympathetic nervous system is active, you feel stressed and experience the resulting symptoms (high heart rate, nervous sweats, slowed digestion, etc.). By practicing yoga nidra, you are able to calm this part of your nervous system and attain a relaxed state. Furthermore, the parasympathetic nervous system (the direct counterpart of the sympathetic nervous system; the “rest and digest” part of the body) takes charge. When the parasympathetic nervous system is activated through yoga nidra, the brain begins to send off theta and delta brainwaves, which are responsible for a deep state of relaxation and a deep sleep, respectively.[3]

Practicing yoga nidra before bed can help people decrease their sleep onset latency (the amount of time it takes for them to fall asleep) and get more high-quality sleep.[5] It is thought that these effects occur because yoga nidra is able to reduce stress and pain by the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system and the reduction of activity by the sympathetic nervous system. Aside from benefiting sleep, however, yoga nidra has also been shown to increase alertness, increase reaction time, lower blood sugar levels, and much more.[6]

The History Behind Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra is an ancient practice, with verbal teachings dating back to ancient India circa 1000 BC (with the first written evidence dating back to 700 BC).[7] Over time, the ancient practice was taken up and interpreted in many diverse ways. For example, author Annie Payson Call wrote about deep rest in her book Power through Repose in 1891. In 1934, Edmund Jacobson, an American psychiatrist, published his own book called You Must Relax, in which Dr. Jacobson discussed progressive muscle relaxation. However, the most notable rise of yoga nidra in the modern world came from the 1973 work by Dennis Boyes, a French yoga practitioner who published his work titled “The Yoga of Waking Sleep: method of relaxation, yoga nidra” (translated from French) in which he explicitly discussed Yoga Nidra.[8] Since then, the practice has continued to evolve and scientists continue to explore the clinical applications of the practice.

One of the most well-known applications of yoga nidra is Dr. Andrew Huberman’s non-sleep deep rest (or NSDR, for short). This practice includes yoga nidra (in addition to meditation) to help a person achieve a state of deep yogic sleep, like yoga nidra. The neuroscience behind NSDR (activation of the parasympathetic nervous system) is similar to yoga nidra, the key differences between NSDR and yoga nidra primarily lie in the “yogic language.” NSDR is described as being a more specific practice that has small differences in the language, narration, and practice that some people may find easier to follow if they are not used to traditional yogic practices.[9]

How to Perform Yoga Nidra

Yoga nidra consists of several steps, and while different sources may list these steps differently, the overarching theme tends to remain the same. We will do our best to simplify these steps below.

  1. Find a goal. The first step of yoga nidra tends to be finding something that you want to attain in life. Seeing this goal, visualizing it, helps prime you for the remaining steps.
  2. Find a reason to practice yoga nidra. Whether it be to get some rest during the day, step away from your stress, or for another reason.
  3. Find your inner strengths. These inner strengths will help you stay at peace during your practice of yoga nidra. 
  4. Perform a body scan. This is where you find and focus on different parts of your body and what you feel in those parts. Finding where your body is tense can help you relax. 
  5. Focus on your breathing. By paying attention to your breathing, you can slow down and relax more easily. 
  6. Acknowledge your feelings. Whether it is happiness or pain, be mindful of what it is that you are experiencing. 
  7. Make visualizations of your emotions. Thinking and seeing happy thoughts and recalling joyful memories is a great way to slow down and minimize your stress.
  8. Repeat a positive/affirmative statement. Reinforcing happy thoughts is key in maintaining a stress-free state. 
  9. Become aware of your surroundings again. After you are finished performing yoga nidra, ground yourself and reflect on how you feel and what you have accomplished.[10,11]

To further guide your journey through yoga nidra, a number of YouTube tutorials exist for your reference, as well as several guides published on NSDR by Dr. Huberman. We have included a guide on yoga nidra here and one on NSDR here for your reference. You may notice that one of the videos is 30 minutes long, but we want to make sure you know that this doesn’t mean you have to spend 30 minutes performing yoga nidra. In fact, one study compared a 30-minute session to an 11-minute session and found that even the short 11-minute session was just as effective as the longer 30-minute session. Both led to measurable improvements, including reduced stress, anxiety, depression, and better sleep quality. So while the linked video is 30 minutes long, you can still get positive effects from a much shorter session.[12]

Conclusion

Yoga nidra is an incredibly powerful tool that you can use to help you achieve a deep state of rest and relaxation and reap some of the benefits of sleep. However, this is not to say that it can replace sleep entirely. Your nightly rest is precious, and although you can use tools like yoga nidra to get over groginess during the day caused by maybe one night of sleep loss, you cannot use these tools to justify not getting proper sleep at night. If you are worried you may have a sleeping disorder, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, that is impacting your nightly rest, it is important that you see a sleep medicine physician so that they can help you get back on track with your sleep. Namaste!

‍