Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)

During my Yoga Teacher Training in Denver, Colorado, I had the pleasure of learning yoga nidra from Jeremy Wolf. Nidra is “yogic sleep.” It is about entering a deep state of rest while remaining conscious in the body. The practice offers unique guided visualizations and focused breathwork that lulls you into a deep sense of relaxation with heightened awareness of yourself. One of the biggest benefits for me personally is that it has allowed me to enter a state of mind where I can release an emotional charge to an event or situation that is causing me distress. I don’t know of any local yoga nidra teachers, so I have continued to listen to Jeremy’s CD throughout the years. I return to it often. However, one difficulty that I have is that I regularly fall asleep 🙂 which defeats the purpose. It could be the way the meditation is sequenced or just that I often listen to it in the evenings. 

Last year, I stumbled upon Andrew Huberman’s NSDR video on youtube. Right away I recognized the similarities between NSDR and yoga nidra. For me, NSDR is a shorter practice that is not as deep in my opinion. Which is great because you can use it as an afternoon reset when you are feeling stressed or tired. So if you are looking for a midday reset, please check out this NSDR link:  #NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) with Dr. Andrew Huberman – YouTube

And if you are looking for a deeper practice, please consider checking out a local yoga nidra teacher or tracking down Jeremy Wolf as he is the best teacher that I’ve found for that practice. 

Want to read more about both practices? Mehdi Yacoubi has a great blog on nidra and NSDR- check it out here!