Yoga Nidra: Deep Relaxation, Mindfulness, and Transformation

Blood Moon shot in January 2019

Yoga Nidra, rooted in the Tantric tradition, is a powerful yogic practice that induces deep physical, mental, and emotional relaxation. Often called “yogic sleep”, during Yoga Nidra the body appears to rest while the consciousness remains active at a deeper level, naturally oscillating between conscious and subconscious states.

Beyond relaxation, Yoga Nidra has transformational benefits for mental and emotional patterns, habits, and overall well-being. Practicing Yoga Nidra regularly helps deepen connection with your intuition and Higher Self, offering inner guidance and clarity. Advanced practice can support the opening of the third eye, allowing one to move beyond identification with the body-mind, resting in a state of complete awareness, in ānanda.

Common benefits of Yoga Nidra include:

• Improved sleep and relief from insomnia

• Reduced stress, anxiety, and mental chatter

• Emotional balance and detachment from unhelpful thought patterns

• Enhanced mindfulness and self-awareness

How a Yoga Nidra session works:
After a brief warm-up, such as Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) or gentle energizing movements, the practitioner lies in savasana, maintaining a comfortable position for the duration of the session. The practice centers around a sankalpa (a personal resolve or intention), which is repeated throughout the session and sometimes across multiple sessions until it manifests in life. A sankalpa can be simple, e.g., “I relax until the end of this class.”

Yoga Nidra is versatile: it can complement any style of yoga class (15–30 minutes at the end of a session) or be practiced as a stand-alone class lasting up to 2 hours. This makes it ideal for practitioners seeking deep relaxation, meditation, and personal transformation.

Try a 35-minute Yoga Nidra session here to experience deep relaxation, mindfulness, and stress relief