Yoga Nidra for Stress: What It Is and How to Begin

Yoga Nidra… The first time I heard about it, I thought it was another type of physical yoga that I didn’t know.

Then someone explained that Yoga Nidra was a guided relaxation practice, usually done while lying down, somewhere between being awake and being asleep.

I thought, Mmmmm… not my thing.

At that time, I was really, really into my physical yoga practice. I didn’t feel the need to slow down and listen to someone speaking while I was lying on the floor. To me, yoga meant moving, sweating, improving a posture and feeling that I had actually done something.

Lying under a blanket while someone tried to make me sleep? No, thank you.

Until one of my friends joined one of my yoga retreats and offered to give the entire group a free Yoga Nidra class in the evening.

I thought, Why not?

So there we were in the Canary Islands, all wrapped up in very comfortable blankets, looking at the stars before closing our eyes as the Yoga Nidra began.

I was also part of the practice, somehow excited to finally try it.

And I got transported.

Transported into a state that felt close to sleep, but not exactly like sleep. I was still aware of my friend’s voice and could follow her instructions, but at the same time, I felt deeply relaxed and far away from everything happening around me.

The practice lasted around 40 minutes. When it was over, I felt so relaxed, happy and rested. I honestly couldn’t believe how different I felt.

That night, I slept like a baby, which was quite an achievement because I was running a five-day retreat on my own and tended to be a little stressed.

Okay, maybe more than a little.

So, what exactly is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra is often translated as “yogic sleep,” but you are not necessarily supposed to fall asleep.

It is a guided practice in which you lie down, or sit comfortably if lying down doesn’t work for you, and listen to the voice of a teacher or a recording.

There are no complicated postures. You don’t need to be flexible. You don’t need to control your breathing, empty your mind or reach some mysterious spiritual level.

You simply listen.

During a Yoga Nidra practice, the teacher may guide your attention through different parts of your body, your breathing, physical sensations, emotions or visualisations. Some practices also include a sankalpa, which is a short intention you silently repeat to yourself.

The exact structure can change depending on the teacher and the tradition, but the idea is generally the same: the body becomes very still while the mind remains gently aware.

That was the strange state I experienced during my first session. I wasn’t completely asleep, but I also wasn’t thinking about my retreat schedule, the next morning’s class or whether everyone was enjoying themselves.

For once, I wasn’t organising anything.

Why can Yoga Nidra help with stress?

When we are stressed, we often continue carrying that stress even when we have technically stopped working.

You may be sitting on the sofa, but your mind is still answering emails. You may be in bed, but you are replaying a conversation from six hours ago. You may be trying to relax while mentally writing tomorrow’s to-do list.

I know this feeling very well.

Sometimes, simply telling yourself to relax makes the situation worse. You start thinking, Why am I still stressed? I’m supposed to be relaxing! And now you have added the stress of not relaxing correctly to the original stress.

Very helpful.

Yoga Nidra gives the mind something simple to follow. Instead of asking you to suddenly stop thinking, the voice gently moves your attention from one place to another.

Your right hand. Your left hand. Your breathing. The feeling of the floor underneath you.

For me, this makes resting much easier. I don’t have to work out what to do next. Someone else is guiding the practice, and my only job is to stay comfortable and listen.

Research into Yoga Nidra is still developing, so I would be careful with claims that it can cure stress, anxiety or insomnia. However, some studies have found encouraging improvements in perceived stress, wellbeing and sleep after regular practice.

For me, the most obvious benefit is much simpler: it creates a real pause.

Not the kind of pause where you pick up your phone and somehow end up watching videos for 45 minutes. A proper pause.

Is Yoga Nidra the same as meditation?

Yoga Nidra is a type of meditation, but it can feel quite different from sitting silently and observing your thoughts.

I struggled with seated meditation for a long time because the moment I sat still, my brain seemed to become even louder. Suddenly I remembered every email I had forgotten to answer and every strange thing I had said since 2009.

With Yoga Nidra, you usually lie down and follow a voice. This can make it more approachable when sitting meditation feels difficult, frustrating or simply not very inviting.

You may still have thoughts. Your mind may wander. You may stop listening for a few minutes and then suddenly hear the teacher talking about the left shoulder while you have no idea how you got there.

That doesn’t mean you failed.

You simply come back to the voice when you notice.

What happens during a Yoga Nidra session?

Most practices begin by helping you settle into a comfortable position, often lying on your back in Savasana.

The teacher may then invite you to notice the sounds around you, feel the contact between your body and the floor, or become aware of your breathing.

From there, the practice may include a rotation of consciousness. This means moving your attention through different parts of your body without physically moving them.

You might hear instructions such as:

Bring your awareness to your right thumb… your second finger… your third finger… the palm of your hand…

At first, this can sound a little unusual. You may even wonder how thinking about your thumb is supposed to change your life.

It probably won’t change your entire life in that exact moment. But following these small instructions can help interrupt the constant stream of thoughts and bring your attention back into your body.

Later, the teacher may guide you through awareness of the breath, opposite sensations, such as warmth and coolness, or simple images and visualisations. At the end, you are gradually brought back to the room.

A session may last 10 minutes, 20 minutes or closer to an hour. You don’t need to begin with a 40-minute practice like I did. Even a short one can be a lovely introduction.

But what if I fall asleep?

Then you fall asleep.

You have not committed a Yoga Nidra crime.

The traditional idea is to remain aware while the body enters a deeply relaxed state. But if you are exhausted, you may drift off, especially when you first begin.

I used to think falling asleep meant that I had missed the practice. Now I see it more as information. Perhaps my body needed sleep more than it needed me to perfectly follow every instruction.

With time and regular practice, you may find it easier to remain somewhere between waking and sleeping. But there is no need to fight with yourself.

If your main purpose is to stay aware, you could practise earlier in the day rather than at bedtime. You could also keep your forearms lifted or choose a slightly shorter recording.

But if you are using Yoga Nidra before sleep and you drift off peacefully, I personally wouldn’t complain.

Is Yoga Nidra a replacement for sleep?

No. And this is important.

You may see claims online suggesting that 20 or 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra is equal to several hours of sleep. It sounds wonderful, especially when you are busy, but there is not enough reliable evidence to treat Yoga Nidra as a replacement for proper sleep.

Yoga Nidra may help you feel rested. It may become part of your evening routine, and some research suggests that regular practice may support sleep quality.

But we still need actual sleep.

Unfortunately, we cannot sleep for four hours, listen to a 20-minute recording and tell our bodies that everything has been taken care of. If only life were that convenient.

Think of Yoga Nidra as an additional form of rest, not a way to negotiate your way out of sleeping.

Yoga Nidra when you are always pushing yourself

For women experiencing a missing period or hypothalamic amenorrhea, slowing down can feel surprisingly difficult.

When you are used to training, working, planning and being productive, resting may feel like wasting time. You might even feel guilty for doing nothing.

I understand this because I used to value the physical part of yoga much more than the quieter practices. A strong class felt useful. Lying down felt… lazy.

Yoga Nidra slowly changed my relationship with rest.

It gave me a way to stop without feeling that I had to achieve anything. I wasn’t trying to burn calories, improve my flexibility or perfect a posture. There was nothing to measure.

Yoga Nidra is not a treatment for hypothalamic amenorrhea, and listening to one recording cannot replace eating enough, reducing an energy deficit or getting appropriate medical support.

But if stress and constant activity are part of your life, it may be one gentle practice to add to your recovery toolbox.

Sometimes, learning how to rest is a practice in itself.

How to begin your first Yoga Nidra practice

You don’t need much.

Find a quiet place where you are unlikely to be interrupted. Lie on your back on a yoga mat, bed or carpet. If lying flat is uncomfortable, place a cushion underneath your knees or practise on your side.

Make sure you are warm. This is more important than it sounds because your body can become cooler when you stay still. Use a blanket, put on socks and make yourself properly comfortable.

You can close your eyes, but you don’t have to. If closing your eyes makes you uncomfortable, keep them softly open.

Start with a recording of around 10 to 20 minutes. A shorter practice can feel less intimidating when you are new to it, especially if lying still for 40 minutes sounds like a punishment rather than relaxation.

Then listen.

You do not need to concentrate perfectly. You do not need to understand every instruction. You do not need to feel deeply relaxed within the first two minutes.

Just notice what happens.

And please don’t practise while driving or doing anything that requires your attention. Yoga Nidra is meant to take you into a deeply restful state, which is not exactly what we want while operating a car.

What if Yoga Nidra doesn’t relax me?

It might not, at least not immediately.

Some people feel restless when they first try to lie still. Others become irritated by the teacher’s voice. Some spend the entire practice wondering when they will finally relax.

If that happens, you are not doing it wrong.

We sometimes imagine relaxation as an instant switch: stressed one minute, completely peaceful the next. In reality, slowing down can take practice, particularly when your nervous system is used to staying alert and busy.

Try a different teacher, a shorter practice or another time of day. The voice matters. The pace matters. Even the music in the background can make the difference between feeling relaxed and wanting to throw your phone across the room.

You are also allowed to stop. If a practice makes you feel emotionally overwhelmed, unsafe or disconnected, open your eyes, move your hands and feet, and bring your attention back to the room. People with significant trauma or certain mental health conditions may feel more comfortable beginning with a qualified, trauma-informed teacher.

Yoga Nidra should feel like an invitation, not something you force yourself to endure.

When is the best time to practise?

There isn’t one perfect time.

You could practise in the afternoon when your energy drops, after work to create a separation between your working day and your evening, or before bed as part of your sleep routine.

I often like Yoga Nidra in the evening because it helps me move out of “doing mode.” But practising earlier can be better if you want to remain aware instead of falling asleep.

Even once or twice a week can be a beautiful start. You don’t need to immediately turn it into another daily task that you feel guilty about missing.

That would slightly defeat the purpose.

What I wish I had understood earlier

I wish I had understood that yoga did not always need to be physical to be powerful.

At the time of my first Yoga Nidra, I loved movement. I loved feeling strong, flexible and active. I thought slowing down meant that I wasn’t doing enough.

Then I spent 40 minutes underneath a blanket, listening to my friend’s voice under the stars, and discovered a completely different side of yoga.

Nothing dramatic happened. I didn’t suddenly become a permanently calm person. I still experienced stress, worried about things and occasionally lay in bed thinking about everything I needed to do the next day.

But I had found a tool that could help me pause.

Yoga Nidra will not remove every source of stress from your life. It cannot answer your emails, cancel an exhausting commitment or have a difficult conversation for you.

But it may help you step out of the noise for a little while.

And sometimes, 20 minutes of being guided into stillness is exactly what we need.

If you would like to experience it for yourself, you can access my free Yoga Nidra practice and find a comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. Bring a blanket, lie down and let yourself do absolutely nothing for a while.

A small note

Yoga Nidra is a supportive relaxation practice, not a medical treatment for anxiety, chronic stress or insomnia. If stress or sleep problems are affecting your everyday life, consider speaking with a qualified healthcare professional.