Free · no account · lie down and press play
Yoga nidra for sleep
Yoga nidra is a guided rest you do lying down. A calm voice moves your attention slowly through the body while you stay still and breathe, which makes it an easy thing to do in bed with the lights off. Pick a session, press play, and if you drift off, let it happen.
Guided session · 6 min
Pre-Sleep Wind Down
A slow guided body scan for when you first get into bed.
Back to Sleep4 min
Awake at 3am? Four quiet minutes to settle again.
How to use yoga nidra at bedtime
- 1
Get ready for bed first
Brush your teeth, set your alarm and switch your phone to do not disturb, so nothing pulls you back up once you're lying down. Turn the screen brightness right down.
- 2
Lie on your back
Rest your head on a pillow, arms a little away from your sides. A pillow under the knees helps if your lower back is tight. If you sleep on your side, start on your back and roll over when you're ready.
- 3
Press play and put the phone down
Headphones are optional. Soft earbuds are comfortable lying down, and a speaker on low means nothing is in your ears if you turn over.
- 4
Follow the voice without trying
When your mind wanders, and it will, come back to the next part of the body the voice names. There's nothing to get right.
- 5
Let sleep come if it comes
At bedtime, falling asleep is the point. The audio ends on its own, so you don't need to stay awake to stop it.
Why it can help you fall asleep
Lying in the dark trying to sleep hands a busy mind a blank page, and it tends to fill it with tomorrow. Yoga nidra gives it something simple to do instead: notice the right hand, then the wrist, then the forearm. Long, slow exhales are one of the simplest ways to signal the body to slow down.
The research is early but encouraging. In a small 2021 trial of 41 adults with chronic insomnia, self-reported sleep improved over eight weeks of yoga nidra, as it did with CBT for insomnia. Source: Datta et al. (2021), National Medical Journal of India
In a 2023 sleep-lab study, most of the 18 adults with insomnia drifted off during a 30-minute yoga nidra recording, although they didn't fall asleep any faster than with a control recording. Source: Sleep-lab study (2023), Journal of Psychosomatic Research
So treat it as a calm, low-effort way into sleep, not a cure. If poor sleep has lasted for weeks, CBT for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first treatment doctors recommend, and a GP can point you to it.
Yoga nidra or NSDR?
NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) is a term coined by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman for practices like yoga nidra. Our sessions are NSDR: the lying-down body scan and slow breathing at the heart of yoga nidra, in plain English, with nothing to believe in. Source: Huberman Lab: NSDR
Traditional yoga nidra adds a few more stages, such as a personal intention and a series of images. If you'd like to try the full version, our yoga nidra script walks through every stage, and you can read it aloud or record it.
Questions
What if I fall asleep halfway through?
Good. At bedtime that's the point. The audio stops on its own when the session ends, so there's nothing to switch off.
Which session should I play tonight?
Pre-Sleep Wind Down when you first get into bed, and Back to Sleep if you wake in the night. If you're still awake after one, lie still and play it again rather than reaching for something else on your phone.
Will it disturb my partner?
Not if you use earbuds. Soft ones or a sleep headband are comfortable lying on your side. If you use a speaker, keep the volume low enough that only you can hear the voice.
What if I wake up at 3am?
Stay in bed with the lights off and play a short session such as Back to Sleep. Keep the screen dark and face down so you aren't tempted to check anything else.
Is yoga nidra safe?
For most people, yes: you lie still and listen. Body-focused practices can occasionally bring up difficult feelings, especially after trauma. If that happens, open your eyes, stop, and talk to someone you trust or a clinician.
Yoga nidra is a relaxation practice, not medical care. If you have a sleep disorder, an anxiety disorder or another health condition, talk to a clinician.