What Is Yoga Nidra, and Why is it So Good for Sleep?

Curious about Yoga Nidra or NSDR? Yoga instructor Kate Kendall explains what it is, how it works, the reported benefits and how it’s different from meditation.

If you’ve ever fallen down a digital rabbit hole Googling a cure for insomnia — and/or listened to the Huberman Lab podcast — there’s a good chance you’ve come across Yoga Nidra in your online travels.

Like Ayurveda, Yoga Nidra is an ancient practice that’s gained traction in the last decade, and it’s one that’s touted for its ability to improve sleep and reduce total sleep need (among a slew of other benefits).

So, if better quality sleep is on your priority list, or you just want to feel more rested overall, Yoga Nidra might just be the ticket. To learn all about it, we consulted yoga instructor, Founder of Spiritually Fit and Co-Founder of Flow Athletic, Kate Kendall.

Read on for a complete breakdown of all things Yoga Nidra, from the benefits to how it works and how long you should practice for to feel a difference.

What is Yoga Nidra?

Sanskrit for "yogic sleep," Yoga Nidra is a state of conscious relaxation that guides practitioners through a systematic body scan, breath awareness, visualisations, and sometimes mantras. It is often practised lying down and induces deep physical and mental relaxation.

“Yoga Nidra [has] also given the name of Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) by neuroscientist and podcast giant Dr. Andrew Huberman — who is a big advocate for the practice,” Kendall tells Bed Threads Journal.

“Although it’s not exactly sleep, it resembles the state between wakefulness and sleep, where the body is fully relaxed, but the mind remains alert and aware.”

What are the benefits of Yoga Nidra?

It turns out, practising Yoga Nidra comes with a myriad of benefits, with research finding improvements in deep sleep quality, cognitive function, stress reduction, mood, and memory chief among them.

“[The] research studies suggest that Yoga Nidra replenishes dopamine, reduces cortisol levels and reduces total sleep need,” says Kendall.

As for how? Yoga Nidra is reported to influence brain wave activity. It’s reported that yogic sleep encourages a shift from beta brain wave activity (your wakeful, alert mind) to alpha and theta brain waves (calmer states linked to gentle focus, deep relaxation and creativity, collectively), and even delta brainwaves (the ones responsible for the healing and restoring the body during deep sleep).

“In other words, Yoga Nidra turns off the pre-frontal cortex and takes us from an ‘over-thinking’ mind into a more calm and quiet mental state. One might assume that from this state of deep relaxation, we are more creative, more present and more attuned to the world around us as well as the one within,” she adds.

How is Yoga Nidra different from meditation?

Meditation and Yoga Nidra sound awfully alike at this point? Despite their similarities, Yoga Nidra and meditation are not the same thing. Although both are deeply transformative practices with regularity, they differ in their approach, method, and benefits.

Read on for some of the key differences between Yoga Nidra and meditation.

1. Meditation is more varied

“Both aim to promote relaxation, mental clarity, and emotional well-being, but they work in distinct ways,” Kendall explains.

“Meditation differs in that it is a broad category of practices aimed at cultivating mindfulness, concentration, and awareness. It can involve focusing on the breath, mantras, visualisations, or simply observing thoughts and sensations without attachment.

“It can be practised in various postures — seated, lying down, walking, etc. — and usually has an intentional focus on cultivating present-moment awareness or altering states of consciousness.”

2. Yoga Nidra emphasises restorativeness

Think of meditation as a great practice for focus, sharper concentration and emotional regulation, and Yoga Nidra as your golden key to deeper rest and sleep and providing a brain wave state that helps to promote physical and mental healing.

“In my personal experience, Yoga Nidra feels more restorative in nature whereas meditation asks me to show discipline and really ‘show up’ when it would be easy not to sit with my feelings and any state of unrest,” Kendall adds.

3. Yoga Nidra is a guided and structured practice

Another key difference is that Yoga Nidra is a structured practice guided by another, either through a recording or with a teacher in person. It combines a structure that takes the practitioner into various states of consciousness.

“Each teacher will have a slightly different approach depending on their training, but commonly you will be asked to set an intention or ‘Sankalpa’, then be guided into a body scan in a restorative posture like Savasana (Corpse Pose) to relax the physical body and turn attention inwards,” says Kendall.

“Next will often come guided visualisations to get the brain into a receptive state, in which time space and logic begin to dissolve, providing the perfect space for healing and a return to an authentic state; one that is at ease, regulated and more present.”

How long should a Yoga Nidra practice be to see benefits?

There are no rules when it comes to how long a Yoga Nidra or NSDR session should be, and it’s possible to experience benefits after even one session. That said, according to Andrew Huberman — who practices this way personally — anywhere between 10 and 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra a day can have a positive impact, even when you’re not sleep-deprived. If you are sleep-deprived, he recommends bumping that up to anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes.

Pro yoga instructor tip? A bit of Yoga Nidra could be the perfect 3pm pick-me-up.

“I like to practice in the afternoon when I start to feel that ‘slump’ or feel like it’s time to reach for a sugary snack to help ‘get me through’,” says Kendall.

This article is not intended as individualised health advice. If you are concerned about your sleep, well-being or health, please speak to your doctor, who will advise a correct treatment plan.