Yoga Nidra means yogic sleep. Lying in Shavasana, you are guided through the body, the breath and inner imagery until you reach a state between waking and sleeping.

The stages

  1. Settling — lie down, close the eyes, make the body still
  2. Sankalpa — set a short, positive intention
  3. Rotation of awareness — move attention through each part of the body
  4. Breath awareness — watch the natural breath
  5. Visualisation — calm, guided imagery
  6. Return — repeat the Sankalpa and slowly come back

Many practitioners find 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra as refreshing as a few hours of ordinary sleep.