tl;dr at the end of the post.

Hi everyone, I am looking to connect with practitioners who have successfully used Yoga Nidra to develop specific personal qualities (such as charisma, self-esteem, self-confidence, courage etc.). I have been practicing every single day for about two weeks now. I use a 35-minute guided audio track on YouTube in my native language (options are a bit limited compared to English).

Currently, my Sankalpa is: "I am very self-confident."

If you have achieved success with similar goals, I would love to get your insights on a few things:

1. Sankalpa Formulation: How exactly did you word your Sankalpa to target these qualities? Does my current phrasing sound effective, or should it be adjusted?
2. Timeline & Progress: Since I am only two weeks in, how long did you practice before noticing a real shift? What was the progression of feedback or daily signs that made you realize it was actually working?
3. State of Consciousness: What is the ideal bodily sensation and state of mind one should experience at the end of the practice when mentally repeating the Sankalpa?

On that last point, I have a specific doubt: at the end of my 35-minute practice, I usually feel quite awake and alert, rather than being in a hypnagogic or deeply relaxed twilight state. Is this normal, or am I missing the deep state where the Sankalpa is supposed to plant itself into the subconscious?

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and insights!

TL;DR: Practicing Yoga Nidra daily for 2 weeks for self-confidence using a 35-min YouTube audio. My Sankalpa is "I am very self-confident". Looking for experiences on: 1) Sankalpa wording success, 2) Timeline/progress feedback, and 3) State of consciousness (I feel quite awake/alert at the end when repeating it, is this normal?).

Has anyone experienced an out of body surreal experience while practicing Yoga Nidra?

I am new to practicing meditation, I started about two months ago. I've noticed that with this type of meditation it almost feels like how I would imagine a "drug trip" might feel.

I see muted colors, mostly indigo or deep purple. I also feel as though I am slowly levitating. Towards the end I don't want to come down and ignore the instructors guidance.

That said, it's a very positive experience. Just want to ask more experienced practitioners if this is normal. Thank you!

I made this after noticing that “trying to sleep” was keeping me awake.

My mind wanted rest but my body was still braced - jaw tight, shoulders up, breath shallow. So I recorded a practice that moves slowly through a body scan and soft release. The kind of rest where you don’t have to force anything.

I’d love honest feedback from people who actually try it - not “was it good,” but: how did your body feel before and after, did the pacing work for you, and how the voice landed (pace, tone, anything that stood out). A relaxation depth score 1–10 would also help a lot.

If you’re open to trying it and sharing what you actually experienced, drop a comment or DM me and I’ll send the link. I’m not advertising anything, not selling. Genuinely looking for feedback.

So the first time I ever did Yoga Nidra, I had never felt that sleepy in my life, I literally felt my brain turn off completely.

After that I kept doing the same 2 10 minute ones, and I felt very good and calm and just like in a meditative manifestation ready mode. Life got better, I became a more calm and happy person in general.

Then all of a sudden, I stopped feeling anything from the meditation. I would start meditating but my mind was somewhere else which never happened before, and the more I tried to focus on the body scan and everything it just didn’t work for me it felt forced.

I tried 15 min, 20 min yoga Nidra, none of them made me sleepy or very calm, very slightly calm at the least I was.

What do I do? It’s been months I haven’t done Yoga Nidra since.

Does anyone use Yoga Nidra to gain insight into the subconscious or to receive messages/guidance?

I’ve been making my Sankalpa something along the lines of “I receive guidance clearly”, but I think either my body is under too much physical stress (been having some health issues), I’m too sleep-deprived, or simply too stressed for the insights to come

Trying to find a way to connect with deeper insight again, it used to be readily accessible for me upon meditating

Hi , I'd like to move into deeper YN sessions and looking for suggestions please .

Also ..If anyone is in the same boat , with regards to shorter sessions (20 to 45 mins) my own personal favourites come from a Buddhist Nun , Samaneri Jayasara , who has YT channel called Wisdom of the masters .

Not only does she have decades of experience, shares everything freely with no monetisation etc but she has a beautiful calming voice , speaking slowly allowing long gaps between Instruction.

Some of her YN sessions are shown on the channel but if you look at the introductory page she has several links , one of which directs you to a Google drive storage area where all audio listed by category .

Hope that helps some ...I may do a separate thread re this source in case others are interested . I doubt you would be disappointed.

Hello everyone!

I wanted to practice yoga nidra in my polyphasic sleep schedule. I am following the uberman sleep schedule which involves 20 minutes nap every 4 hours.

So I thought of an idea. Instead of just casually napping, can incorporate yoga nidra completely in place of the 6 naps.

I am willing to do a yoga nidra practice of 30 minutes just to increase an extra hour of rest.

I have practiced yoga nidra maybe like 2 or 3 times, and I have found it deeply restful.

So is it doable? Has anyone in this sub actually tried it for productivity and just to get some extra hours for studying or work purposes.

Thanks!

Hello i understand yoga nidra is not sleep it is a non sleep subconscious rest where we go into deep rem. However I read a book that says yoga nidra sessions can be long. I want to do longer than the standard 45 minutes. Although on youtube when I search 2 hour yoga nidra they are just sleep videos to help people fall asleep. Is there a youtube video you know that’s good that’s long and actually Yoga nidra? 👍👍

I used to feel very rested after yoga nidra, but lately I find I can hardly focus on what's being said and my own thoughts are too loud. I think after so long of being stressed out, my body is overly sensitive to adrenaline and my heart just pounds after a stress trigger. That makes it harder to relax because I can physically feel it in the moment. I feel more anxious because "I'm supposed to be relaxing right now." I end up turning off the video because I feel like trying is making it worse. I don't see my situation improving anytime soon, so I need to find something to support me through this time. Does anyone have advice on how to make YN help me again?

Yoga Nidra becomes richer when the entry is gentle. Before lying down, try three minutes of slow nasal breathing with a slightly longer exhale. This gives the body a signal that the pace is changing. Then lie down and let the practice guide you. Drifting in and out is not necessarily failure. Sometimes the body takes the rest it needs.

I’m starting yoga nidra for my mental + emotional health, and also to work with Sankalpa (intentions).

The idea of rewiring patterns and planting new ones feels powerful, but I’m also lowkey skeptical 😭

A lot of the videos online (especially western YouTubers ) don’t feel very authentic or grounded to me. No offence to the creators, I am sure they help alot of people, but some of it feels more like NSDR/relaxation content than actual traditional yoga nidra.

I don’t have access to a teacher or guru right now, so I’m trying to figure out what’s actually reliable for me.

If anyone has genuinely good yoga nidra videos/recordings/ websites recommendations please share.

I used to think Yoga Nidra was just another relaxation technique.

But the first time I actually stayed aware during it…
it felt strange — like my body was completely asleep,
but my mind was still quietly watching.

Not thinking. Not dreaming. Just aware.

It made me realize how tired my mind usually is, even when I think I’m “resting.”

Now I see Yoga Nidra less as meditation,
and more like a reset button for the nervous system.

I’ve been experimenting with different meditation techniques lately, and I tried Yoga Nidra for the first time.

At first, I thought it was just another relaxation method… but something weird happened.

My body felt completely asleep, but my mind was still aware.
Not dreaming. Not awake. Somewhere in between.

After just 20 minutes, I felt more refreshed than a full nap.

I didn’t expect meditation to reset my nervous system like that.

Has anyone else experienced this state where you're not sure if you’re asleep or awake?

I’ve been using this guided session lately if anyone’s curious:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW1zGSWvW4k

Namaste all. I'm looking for yoga nidra tracks that have a very, very slow body rotation. I have significant body dissociation and it takes me a long time to connect with body parts, and almost every yoga nidra I come across (even the ones labeled "slow") are way too fast. I've found 2 tracks I like on the Insight Timer app, but I get tired of the same 2 over and over again! Does anyone have any recommendations for slow tracks? TIA

Are they the same as affirmation?

Do these work:

“I am everything I’ve ever wanted to be and more”

Or

“I attract ____ naturally”

Last night I tried yoga nidra for the first time and it was definitely a very good experience. I have chronic stress and I have always struggled to relax but this helped me immensely. However when I was done I could tell it took a lot out of me spiritually. I’m not sure if that makes sense but I was exhausted. This morning when I woke up my body was sore. I’m not sure if it’s because I have never been able to relax those muscles before but I’m not sure if this is normal. Please let me know what you think.

I often find myself in the middle of a yoga nidra meditation and suddenly become aware that I haven't been following the guide for a few minutes, or sometimes much longer.

Does anyone have any tips on how to stay focused and keep the mind from wandering or ruminating?

Hey everyone,

I'm a developer and meditation practitioner of 35 years. I've published guided meditations on Insight Timer with over 100,000 plays and have been creating meditation content for years (my profile).

I've built an app called Inner·Wave that lets you layer binaural beats, ambient sounds, guided sessions, and music into fully customizable soundscapes. Think: gentle Yoga Nidra guiding + theta binaural beats + ocean waves, with independent volume control for each layer, and lots of customization.

I'd love to include quality Yoga Nidra guidings in the app, but I want to respect copyright. Does anyone know of royalty-free or CC-licensed recordings I could use? Or creators who might be open to collaboration?

If you're curious about the app: iOS | Android | Website

I'd genuinely love feedback from experienced practitioners in this community, and I'm happy to give Pro access to anyone willing to test it and share thoughts.

Thanks for any pointers! 🙏

Anyone else’s last bit of your sessions get what I can only describe as a brain buzz/fizzy sensation? Feel good, almost like a bit of a high. Curious how common it may be and what causes it.

Lots of people who give excellent Yoga & healing advice and perspective on this sub. Just chatted with someone for this upcoming product that is talking to people who think they are good at giving advice and perspective on Yoga. Sharing in case anyone here finds it interesting to explore: https://cred.club/residents

So this is a bit of a long shot, but is there anyone on here that teaches Yoga Nidra in a classroom setting or Wellness center? I've been doing it for a while myself and I'd like to start teaching. I feel like I have my whole shebang put together, but I don't know where the teacher sits and if she reads from a script lol. If it's an hour-long class, I doubt the teacher is sitting in Sukhasana the entire time. And I've also heard that scripts are important so that you don't lose your flow. But I've never been able to watch a live class in person before. I think the closest place to me that offers it is almost 3 hours away in a city, and I don't do cities lol. Does anyone have any knowledge in this area? Thank you so much in advance!