A Practice of Sacred Rest and Inner Enquiry

Yoga Nidra is a deeply restorative meditative practice with its roots in the ancient tantric tradition. Unlike sleep or relaxation alone, Yoga Nidra guides you into a state between waking and dreaming — where the body rests deeply, while awareness remains quietly present. It is a guided practice of conscious rest, offering the body an opportunity to slow down, soften, and settle.

In this state, the nervous system down-regulates, the mind softens, and access to the subconscious and unconscious layers of being becomes available. It is here that Yoga Nidra becomes not only a practice of rest, but one of inner enquiry, healing, and transformation.

Rest for a Stressed Nervous System

Many people arrive to Yoga Nidra feeling exhausted, overstimulated, or unable to switch off. Yoga Nidra works by supporting the nervous system to gradually move out of stress activation and into a state of rest. This shift may feel subtle or profound, immediate or slow. All responses — including restlessness, sleepiness, emotional movement, or simply noticing very little at all — are completely natural; your experience is valid exactly as it is. In the traditional understanding of Yoga Nidra, rest is not something to be earned, and awareness is not something to be improved. From this perspective, distress, fatigue, restlessness, or emotional discomfort are understood as natural responses to life — to overstimulation, loss of balance, or prolonged effort without adequate rest.

Yoga Nidra does not ask you to change yourself. It invites you to recognise what is already present, without judgement. When awareness is allowed to rest with experience — rather than pushing it away or trying to alter it — the system naturally begins to reorganise itself. In this tradition, healing arises not through effort, but through allowing. When the body begins to feel safe enough to rest, and the mind is no longer required to perform or strive, deeply held patterns may soften in their own time. Nothing is to be forced; Yoga Nidra is a practice of remembering that you are whole, exactly as you are, in this very moment.

The Tradition of Yoga Nidra

Modern Yoga Nidra was systematised in the mid-20th century by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, drawing upon ancient yogic and tantric practices concerned with awakening awareness.

In this tradition, Yoga Nidra is a systematic method of pratyahara — the withdrawal of the senses — allowing awareness to move beyond surface thought and into subtler layers of the mind. Historically, such practices were used not as relaxation techniques, but as powerful tools for inner enquiry, the transformation of deeply held conditioning, and spiritual development.

In contemporary practice, Yoga Nidra is also recognised for its profound capacity to support rest, integration, and nervous system regulation — making this ancient wisdom especially supportive within modern life.

The Power of Sankalpa

Central to Yoga Nidra lies sankalpa — a heartfelt intention. A sankalpa is not a goal or affirmation created by effort or willpower. Rather, it is a concise, positively framed intention that arises from clarity and inner truth. When introduced during Yoga Nidra — as the mind enters a receptive, relaxed state — the sankalpa is traditionally understood to gently seed the subconscious, without force or analysis. Over time, this process may support the softening of unhelpful habits, emotional patterns, and conditioned responses, allowing space for new ways of being to emerge naturally.

Traditionally, the same sankalpa may be gently held over time, with the understanding that it can evolve or be set aside as needed. In our classes, guidance around sankalpa is offered with care and respect — always invitational, never forced. You may choose to work with a personal intention, or simply rest in awareness.

Honouring the Inner Experience

Each Yoga Nidra experience is entirely individual. Some people feel deeply rested, others feel neutral, and some may simply notice the mind wandering or the body shifting. All of these experiences are completely natural and valid.

The practice of Yoga Nidra is designed to be received internally, without analysis or external validation. Sharing experiences in a group setting can sometimes shift attention outward or create expectations about what ‘should’ happen. For this reason, I gently ask that participants refrain from discussing their experiences with other students after class. This helps minimise comparison, interpretation, or the sense that there is a ‘right’ or ‘better’ way to experience the practice.

If you would like to share, ask questions, or check in about your experience, you are always welcome to speak with me privately. You may also find it supportive to keep a Yoga Nidra journal, noting anything you observe after each class. Journaling offers a quiet, personal way to integrate the practice — allowing sensations, emotions, or insights to settle without the need to explain or make meaning of them. There is no right or wrong way to journal — a few words, a sentence, or simply noting how you feel is more than enough. Over time, this can help you notice subtle shifts in awareness and habitual responses, while keeping the experience grounded and your nervous system supported.

Your Quiet, Supportive Space

Our Yoga Nidra classes are offered in small groups to preserve the integrity of the practice and the safety of the inner experience.

This nurturing format allows for:

• A quieter, more contained environment

• Individual comfort and support

• A sense of shared presence without obligation to interact

• Deeper settling of the nervous system

You are welcome exactly as you are — tired, busy, curious, or simply needing rest.

An Invitation

Yoga Nidra offers a rare opportunity: to rest deeply, listen inwardly, and allow change to arise gently from within.

If you feel drawn to a practice that honours both ancient wisdom and modern life, I would love to hold this space for you.

namasté, anna xx