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Tossing and turning or lying awake at night? The yogic technique of of deep relaxation, yoga nidra, might be just what you need to enjoy a restful night’s sleep. In this post, we’ll explore how yoga nidra offers a holistic approach to relax the nervous system and enjoy a peaceful deep sleep. You’ll also have a better understanding of yoga nidra as well as some resources to practice it so you can start getting better sleep today.
What Is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga idra is an ancient practice that induces a trance-like state by deeply relaxing the body, allowing you to access higher levels of consciousness for healing and increased receptivity.
Yoga nidra takes place lying down, encouraging you to fully relax every muscle in your body with a body scan. By seeking complete relaxation of the body, the mind also relaxes and you are guided into a blissful yogic sleep.
You may have experienced a short yoga nidra session at the end of a yoga class, it’s the incredibly blissful relaxation you do in savasana, or corpse pose. But to fully experience the profound deep relaxation effects of yoga nidra, you can practice a longer session on it’s own that involves deeper and more advanced relaxation techniques.
Yoga Nidra Can Prepare You For Deep Sleep
Much like how breathwork and meditation eases stress and anxiety and brings you into state of calm, yoga nidra offers a profound sense peace. When practiced correctly, you will enjoy a deep rest lingering in the threshold state between sleep and wakefulness, where contact with the subconscious and unconscious dimensions occurs simultaneously.
While deeply relaxing, the goal of yoga nidra is to avoid falling asleep and to find a state of transcendental deep relaxation.
You read that right, the secret to using yoga nidra to sleep better at night, is to not fall asleep during your practice of yoga nidra! Practicing yoga nidra instead, should be part of your night-time wind down routine of self-care practices to relax and soothe the nervous system.
How Yoga Nidra Encourages Sleep
Resting in semi-conscious state of deep relaxation helps relax the nervous system. According to the National Sleep Foundation, yoga nidra’s calming effect on the nervous system can reduce overall stress, eliminating the underlying cause of insomnia and poor sleep.
Stress disrupts the nervous system by triggering the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to heightened states of alertness and anxiety. The stress activates your sympathetic nervous system, the fight-or-flight response, making it seem impossible to settle down for a deep sleep.
The deep rest of yoga nidra activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest response. The guided relaxation and mindfulness techniques of yoga nidra, effectively promotes a state of deep relaxation that encourages the body to release tension, reduce cortisol levels and restore balance.
The balance of a regulated nervous system allows for improved sleep quality.
Practicing regular yoga nidra calms the mind, reduces stress and anxiety and physically relaxes the body, which regulates your nervous system, allowing you to relax and unwind at night so you can enjoy a deep sleep.
What To Expect During A Yoga Nidra Session
Yoga nidra is incredibly relaxing, which makes this holistic solution for better sleep immensely enjoyable. Whether you choose to participate in a live session with a facilitator, or you listen to session recordings, you will be guided through a series of relaxation techniques while lying comfortably on a yoga mat. You may explore some or a combination of key techniques such as a body scan to release tension, breath awareness (pranayama) and visualization exercises.
As you follow the instructions, you'll enter a semi-conscious state, allowing your mind and body to rest and rejuvenate. At the end of the session, you will be gently re-awakened, guided to make small movements and reconnect with your breath and body.
After the session, you will feel deeply rested, calm and prepared to conclude your evening, heading to bed for an amazing sleep.
Guided Yoga Nidra Resources For Better Sleep
The best yoga nidra for sleep will include techniques for you to release stress. If you are looking for some guided yoga nidra meditation for deep sleep, here are a few of my own on Aura that are great for any occasion:
Deep Rest Yoga Nidra: Invite the body and mind into deep rest and profound relaxation.
Let Go of Stress and Worry Yoga Nidra: Enjoy this track to release yourself from any stress or worry that could be keeping you awake or causing insomnia.
You can also catch me for free yoga nidra sessions on Aura Live or book a personal 1:1 yoga nidra coaching session.
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Combine Yoga Nidra And Sleep Meditations For Better Sleep
While you should not use yoga nidra to fall asleep, pairing a yoga nidra session with a sleep meditation could be a winning combination. Sleep meditations are guided audio tracks that you listen to while in bed with the intention of being lulled to sleep.
Start by completing a practice of yoga nidra. Afterward, with a sense of profound relaxation, prepare for bed. Then listen to a sleep meditation track to fall asleep. Aura offers thousands of sleep meditation tracks that can help you acheive a restful night’s sleep.
Check out of my guided sleep meditations:
Listen to Deep Restorative Sleep You Deserve: Drift into a sleep that truly restores you for the morning ahead.
Listen to Luxurious Deep Sleep: Enjoy a night’s sleep that is profoundly comfortable and lasting.
Deep Sleep For A Big Day Tomorrow: Let go of stress and worry about the day ahead so you can sleep peacefully.
Practice Yoga Nidra Consistently for Better Sleep
If you have been stressed and unable to sleep for a long time or suffer from insomnia, it will take some time to reset your nervous system. Practicing yoga nidra can be seen as both a short-term and a long-term solution to improving your sleep habits.
More the more you practice yoga nidra consistently in the long-term, it will help you to ultimately reset your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality.
However, in the short-term, you will feel day-to-day improvement in stress relief and restfulness, which will bring physical, mental and emotional benefits.
Over time, by practicing yoga nidra to promote relaxation and calm, you can enjoy reduced stress and anxiety, leading to improved sleep and overall wellbeing.
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