Wired and tired
why Yoga Nidra is such a powerful practice for deep rest

transcript - Wired and tired - why Yoga Nidra is such a powerful practice for deep rest

Wired but tired. Over the past few weeks, we've talked a lot about feeling overwhelmed, about always rushing, [00:01:00] about trying to switch off.

This week we're exploring a practice that I love to the very bones of my being , which is Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra has really increased in popularity over the last few years. It's used for sleep, for stress, for anxiety, for pain.

And you'll often come across claims like 20 minutes of yoga nidra is equivalent to three hours sleep, or 45 minutes of yoga nidra is equivalent to a full night's sleep, et cetera. You'll often see that it, in inverted commas, "resets" your nervous system, lowers cortisol, activates your vagus nerve, and all sorts of other things.

But what does the research actually say? What are researchers actually studying when they study yoga [00:02:00] nidra? What does the evidence actually tell us about yoga nidra's impact on sleep, on stress, on anxiety? And probably most importantly, why might the ancient practice of yoga nidra be particularly interesting for those of us who feel wired and tired, completely exhausted but still unable to switch off?

Let's have a look Before we get into the research, let's look at what actually is yoga nidra. Okay, so yoga nidra, it translates as yogic sleep, and the yogic here is really important. It distinguishes it from simply just sleep. Yoga nidra is a guided relaxation or a meditation which guides you to a state somewhere between [00:03:00] being awake and being fast asleep.

And I would say here, if you're practicing yoga nidra and you fall asleep, that's not some kind of magical, mystical, hidden meaning. It just means that you needed that sleep , right? And if you keep practicing yoga nidra and you keep working on your sleep improvement, keep your eyes peeled 'cause we'll talk about this in a couple of weeks, over time you will stop falling asleep in yoga nidra, I'm sure of it So different traditions teach yoga nidra differently, but usually a practice involves, um, getting comfortable, usually lying down, but comfort is unique to you

Withdrawing your attention away from the external environment, so closing your eyes, softening your gaze, bringing your sound attention [00:04:00] inwards. Usually, it will also include moving awareness systematically through the body, becoming aware of the breath, and sometimes working with sensations or imagery or intention.

The amazing thing is that you're not doing very much. Maybe that's the beauty of it, the permission to not do

So now let's look at what the research says about yoga nidra and stress and anxiety. This year, 2026, there was a systematic review and a meta-analysis which brought together 73 studies, which is quite a lot of studies, looking specifically at yoga nidra and stress, anxiety, and depression. So in broad terms, yoga nidra [00:05:00] was associated with improvements in all three of stress, anxiety, and depression.

And when yoga nidra was compared with active control interventions, the results still favored yoga nidra for these three states

that review also said that some of the studies were judged to have a high risk of bias, and some of the studies had concerns. But overall, yoga nidra could well be a useful complementary practice for stress, anxiety, and mood

So what about sleep? I think that sleep is probably one of the biggest reasons that people discover yoga nidra in the first place. You know, nidra means sleep. A couple of weeks ago we talked about that struggle to switch off. You're exhausted, but your mind is going round and round and round and round.

And I think that yoga nidra is [00:06:00] such an accessible practice because it guides the body through relaxation, but it gives your mind something to focus on as well. so instead of your mind spiraling about the unknown future or trying to change and analyze the unchangeable past, actually your mind is focused on the present moment through the practice of yoga nidra

There was another systematic review and meta-analysis published again this year, 2026, and this looked specifically at adults who were experiencing poor sleep quality or insomnia

And all in all, yoga nidra demonstrates potential therapeutic benefits for sleep disturbances and insomnia. But again, the research has called for more evidence, more research on the subject. But the findings, the initial findings are really promising

So [00:07:00] in the world of yoga nidra and research, there's something quite cool, uh, that's really subjective, but I think it's really interesting because researchers are looking at physiological measures along with asking people subjectively how they feel, which I would argue is just as important as the physiological measurements.

A systematic review from last year, 2025, brought together 28 studies which looked at cardiovascular outcomes associated with yoga nidra. And across the studies, the researchers found changes in measures including blood pressure, heart rate, and some measures of heart rate variability. Again, some of the research had some limitations

But again, the review found really promising results for blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability [00:08:00] when compared to active control groups So why might yoga nidra help? What's going on here? Why might it work? So during a yoga nidra, you are usually physically still. Your external sensory demands are reduced. Your attention repeatedly returns to something that's going on in the present moment, and you are guided, so you're not having to decide what to do next and how to do it. You are guided. And so for that time, there's nowhere that you're trying to get to, nothing that you're trying to achieve, nothing that you need to solve or plan or decide.

And so for most of us living in this modern [00:09:00] world, that's quite an incredibly dramatic change in the demands that we face mentally, physically, emotionally every day

And I did tell you that I love it to the very bones of my being, and that is why I'm hosting a seven-day yoga nidra challenge. Because while I truly believe that for most of us, a 30-minute yoga nidra practice will make us feel loads better

I'm much more interested in what you might notice when you deliberately make space for Yoga Nidra daily. So for seven days, I'll guide you through a practice each day. You do not need to be, in inverted commas, "good" at meditation. You don't need to be able to switch your thoughts off.

You might be completely new to the practice. You might be really experienced. You might [00:10:00] be totally exhausted. You might feel like a Duracell bunny . Wherever you are, whatever your experience, your energy levels, you are so, so welcome to join me. All of the details that you need are in the show notes, and I cannot wait to get started.

And as always, happy practicing