When I consider the landscape of yoga nidra practitioners, I see three communities: the yoga and meditation world, a growing mental health treatment community, and the productivity/health culture that NSDR has reached through Dr. Huberman's work. Each group is finding real value in these practices.

Why not education? To me, this seems like a real missed opportunity.

Schools are responsible for the development of the next generation. Teachers are responsible for cultivating more than knowledge in their students — life skills, communication skills, pro-social values, and self-esteem to name a few. Introducing a practice that encourages the actual growth of the brain benefits students across all areas of life, from capacity to learn to emotional regulation to goal setting & decision making.

Yoga nidra and NSDR are not two different practices competing for your attention. They're two different doorways into the same room. That room is a specific state of consciousness — one where your body is as deeply relaxed as it is during sleep, while your awareness remains present and awake. Not unconscious. Not asleep. Something in between, which is profoundly restorative in ways a nap can't fully replicate.

I came to yoga nidra as a desperate insomniac at three in the morning. I stayed because it changed the way I understand what it means to be a whole person — to stop fighting certain parts of yourself and start welcoming them instead.

The body, the breath, the mind, the emotions, the deeper witnessing awareness that can observe all of it without judgment: yoga nidra holds space for all of it, simultaneously. 

I continue to share yoga nidra practices and speak about the practice because there are so many people who have never heard of it. The exhausted educators. The overstimulated students. The healthcare professionals running on empty. The people Googling how long can I survive without sleep at three in the morning.

Whether you’re feeling curious or skeptical about yoga nidra, I encourage you to try it for yourself. If you've ever fallen asleep, you can do yoga nidra. Everything else, you can learn along the way.

As you explore the world of yoga nidra recordings online, you’ll discover a variety of guides and practices to choose from. When I was a beginner, I remember thinking: How many different things can yoga nidra be for? (Seriously, search “yoga nidra for” on YouTube.)

So, where should you start?

Let’s explore some popular categories of yoga nidra and NSDR meditations.