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Yoga Nidra and Sleep
Who couldn’t use some extra shut-eye? Sleep is vital to our health and sleep experts tell us we need an average of eight hours at a shot.
Even if there’s time for sleep, many of us have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. Let’s take a look yoga nidra and sleep. Yoga nidra can help in replenishing ourselves, can be used as a natural sleep aid, and more.
Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep” and has many documented benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. It is when your bodymind is actually in deep sleep but with one big difference – you remain consciously aware. This is done by going through a series of techniques to systematically get physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally relaxed. In addition, yoga nidra sparks intuition, unconditional joy, and a timeless, spacious sense of being. Witness consciousness is experienced and even surpassed. Due to the fertile brainwave states experienced, it’s also entirely possible to make positive behavior and personality changes. See the yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions and sankalpas here.
In fact, while not a substitute for actual sleep, one hour of yoga nidra practice is equivalent to four hours of sleep. This is due to the series of brain waves experienced along the way. (Saraswati 1998, Kumar 2008) With practice, you’ll eventually be able to enter the delta brainwave state but remain aware. It resembles what it feels like to be on the verge of being awake and asleep. The conscious experience of deep sleep is what makes it so restorative and unique.
Yoga nidra can also be practiced at bedtime as a sleep aid. Layer after layer of stress is cleared out so it doesn’t follow you to bed and disturb sleeping. Using yoga nidra techniques as a sleep aid should not be confused with the yoga nidra experience itself. Be careful or you will find it difficult to practice yoga nidra itself and will fall into deep sleep instead.
Yogic sleep is also a play on words of sorts. It refers to how most of us are walking around “asleep” and unaware of our True Self, the indestructible aspect in each of us that is already peaceful, joyful, wise, soulful, luminous, and loving. Whereas, the yogi is awake to one’s True Self no matter what the state of consciousness – waking, dreaming, deep sleep. Realizing this enables us to recognize the true nature of oneself and reality so we are not swayed by the changeability and unpredictability of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and such. Yoga nidra helps us experience and realize this.
In short, yoga nidra is super sleep!
How to Experience Yoga Nidra
Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results.
- Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
- Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
- Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
- Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
- Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
- Get a book or audio below.
Get Related article:
Resources: Books, Recordings & More
Get yoga nidra downloads here.
Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has over 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training,
guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com
Testimonials
Michael Arloski, Ph.D.,
Corporate Trainer, Professional Coach, Bellevue, Colorado
”In the professions of health care, wellness, training and public speaking we are all looking for an individual who combines professional qualities with personal characteristics in a genuine way. Julie Lusk is such a person and professional. Her message is received by others with openness because her very being fosters trust, love and respect. In creating a team of presenters for an impactful training for professionals, Julie Lusk would be one of my top five choices in the nation.”
Marianella Machado
College professor and composer
Julie, I would like you to know that your books, CD’s and handy-tips-to-use from the Wholesome Resources Newsletter have been extremely helpful to me. Since I have no time to attend yoga sessions at the yoga schools in Kentucky, your books, Desktop Yoga and Yoga Meditations have been my only way to practice yoga. I enjoy doing your yoga exercises because you present and explain them in a very clear and easy way to follow.
Your CD’s have also been very helpful to me. For example, Power of Presence CD has been a great way to control my physical stress as well as to enhance my meditation techniques.
Moreover, all of your handy-tips to use from the Wholesome Resources Newsletter are helping me to maintain an organized plan for improving my physical and mental health, because they make me focus my attention on what I need to do to feel better. I am looking forward to your new Mind-Body Wellness eBookCollection.
I am extremely grateful to you for your wisdom, knowledge, and kindness. You certainly are a very gifted spiritual person. May God continue blessing you with many more gifts.
Christopher Baxter, Architect, Yoga Trainer, Wellness Educator
Founding director, AtmaYoga Educational Services and Whole Human Wellness
If you, like so many of us, are faced with enormous challenges at this time, the necessity of a self-care approach to wellness is obvious. Your time invested in reading, reflecting on, and practicing the practical methods Julie provides will bring enormous relief, inspiration and renewed strength to your entire life and all those who are in your life.
As a yoga teacher and wellness educator for over 30 years, I can say with confidence that the up-to-date information and practices Julie has presented presented in her Mind-Body Wellness Collection are of the highest caliber. As a highly qualified expert in wellness, she has assembled a terrific collection and created a brilliant synthesis of their complimentary aspects. Any one of them, taken alone, will bring lasting benefits. Having them arranged in such a well organized system synergistically increases their transformational impact.
This is a powerful body of work.
→ Mike Sterling, Director of Human Resources
The Art Institute of Ohio writes:
Dear Julie: Thanks for sharing the DARE to Relax session with our staff. I have received several positive comments about it, especially the “2- Hour Nap in 10-minutes” segment.
Our staff received several valuable tips on reducing stress and the consequences of stress at work and in our personal lives. It was definitely time well spent.
→ Marianne Lang
Julie’s classes are a combination of challenge, relaxation and physical fine-tuning that are dramatically changing my life for the better.
→ Debbie Jackson
Julie’s yoga classes inspire the child within and brings to the mat asanas (postures) that touch the heart, joy that lifts the spirit and mindfulness to center the self promoting a smile to begin each new day.
Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices for Awakening

“Yoga Meditations offers a wonderful and generous assortment of simple but powerful, eminently practical practices to guide and empower its readers, from beginner to sophisticate.”
→ Belleruth Naparstek Creator -Health Journeys guided imagery
Variety is the spice of life….and meditation, October 19, Milwaukee, WI
Yoga Meditations by Julie Lusk is a gem of a book – chock full of inspirational meditations for beginners as well as more seasoned practitioners. The variety here is nice – everything from breathing meditations to chakra meditations. You don’t have to be a yoga student to utilize these as they are appropriate for anyone. As a yoga instructor, this book helps to bring more diversity to the meditations at the end of our classes. My students have been really enjoying them.
This book comes with a CD, which features some of the meditations in the book. It is a nice bonus.
Wonderful resource!, June 5, 2008
| By | Kathy Bingham (Los Angeles, California) – |
Yoga Meditations is a wonderful book! I teach yoga and stress management at the college level and I use this book in both classes multiple times during the semester. The author Julie Lusk takes concepts that we as teachers study for years to understand (like the subtle anatomy or differing forms of meditation) and she explains them in a clear, concise and logical manner without oversimplifying them, but making the ideas accessible to teachers and students alike. She has invited other respected experts in mind-body techniques to contribute to the many guided exercises offered and the book also serves as a great resource guide.
Desktop Yoga ®

I’d give Desktop Yoga 6+ stars if I could!, October 23
|
Desktop Yoga is a God-send,
This is a wonderful resource that helps me get through every day at work. My headaches and neck aches are better since I started using the yoga stretches and breathing techniques. It has taught me how to powernap for relief from feeling exhausted, and has given me lots of tips on how to cope with change, handle stress, and enjoy life more. A lot of helpful information is packed into the useful book. Thank you very much.
30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing – Volumes One & Two
Volume 1


Finally! A comprehensive Imagery guide!, April 6
I use this book all the time., December 27
This is one of my favorite books because it is such a helpful resource to help me relax and benefit from guided visualization in incredible and powerful ways. Not only that, I use it all the time with my stress management, yoga and meditation clients. This book doesn’t get old.
Hurrah for Volume Two of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery
December 27, 2001
I am extremely pleased with this book and am now the proud owner of both volumes of this book. It is one of those books that I use all the time, which says a lot. It helps me personally and is a terrific resource when I teach stress management sessions.
Testimonials

Michael Arloski, Ph.D.,
Corporate Trainer, Professional Coach, Bellevue, Colorado
”In the professions of health care, wellness, training and public speaking we are all looking for an individual who combines professional qualities with personal characteristics in a genuine way. Julie Lusk is such a person and professional. Her message is received by others with openness because her very being fosters trust, love and respect. In creating a team of presenters for an impactful training for professionals, Julie Lusk would be one of my top five choices in the nation.”
Marianella Machado
College professor and composer 
Julie, I would like you to know that your books, CD’s and handy-tips-to-use from the Wholesome Resources Newsletter have been extremely helpful to me. Since I have no time to attend yoga sessions at the yoga schools in Kentucky, your books, Desktop Yoga and Yoga Meditations have been my only way to pr actice yoga. I enjoy doing your yoga exercises because you present and explain them in a very clear and easy way to follow.
Your CD’s have also been very helpful to me. For example, Power of Presence CD has been a great way to control my physical stress as well as to enhance my meditation techniques.
Moreover, all of your handy-tips to use from the Wholesome Resources Newsletter are helping me to maintain an organized plan for improving my physical and mental health, because they make me focus my attention on what I need to do to feel better. I am looking forward to your new Mind-Body Wellness eBookCollection.
I am extremely grateful to you for your wisdom, knowledge, and kindness. You certainly are a very gifted spiritual person. May God continue blessing you with many more gifts.
Christopher Baxter, Architect, Yoga Trainer, Wellness Educator
Founding director, AtmaYoga Educational Services and Whole Human Wellness
This is a powerful body of work.
If you, like so many of us, are faced with enormous challenges at this time, the necessity of a self-care approach to wellness is obvious. Your time invested in reading, reflecting on, and practicing the practical methods Julie provides will bring enormous relief, inspiration and renewed strength to your entire life and all those who are in your life.
As a yoga teacher and wellness educator for over 30 years, I can say with confidence that the up-to-date information and practices Julie has presented presented in her Mind-Body Wellness Collection are of the highest caliber. As a highly qualified expert in wellness, she has assembled a terrific collection and created a brilliant synthesis of their complimentary aspects. Any one of them, taken alone, will bring lasting benefits. Having them arranged in such a well organized system synergistically increases their transformational impact.
→ Mike Sterling, Director of Human Resources
The Art Institute of Ohio writes:
Dear Julie: Thanks for sharing the DARE to Relax session with our staff. I have received several positive comments about it, especially the “2- Hour Nap in 10-minutes” segment.
Our staff received several valuable tips on reducing stress and the consequences of stress at work and in our personal lives. It was definitely time well spent.
→ Marianne Lang
Julie’s classes are a combination of challenge, relaxation and physical fine-tuning that are dramatically changing my life for the better.
→ Debbie Jackson
Julie’s yoga classes inspire the child within and brings to the mat asanas (postures) that touch the heart, joy that lifts the spirit and mindfulness to center the self promoting a smile to begin each new day.
Yoga Meditations: Timeless Mind-Body Practices for Awakening

“Yoga Meditations offers a wonderful and generous assortment of simple but powerful, eminently practical practices to guide and empower its readers, from beginner to sophisticate.”
→ Belleruth Naparstek Creator -Health Journeys guided imagery
Variety is the spice of life….and meditation, October 19, Milwaukee, WI
Yoga Meditations by Julie Lusk is a gem of a book – chock full of inspirational meditations for beginners as well as more seasoned practitioners. The variety here is nice – everything from breathing meditations to chakra meditations. You don’t have to be a yoga student to utilize these as they are appropriate for anyone. As a yoga instructor, this book helps to bring more diversity to the meditations at the end of our classes. My students have been really enjoying them.
This book comes with a CD, which features some of the meditations in the book. It is a nice bonus.
Wonderful resource!, June 5, 2008
| By | Kathy Bingham (Los Angeles, California) – |
Yoga Meditations is a wonderful book! I teach yoga and stress management at the college level and I use this book in both classes multiple times during the semester. The author Julie Lusk takes concepts that we as teachers study for years to understand (like the subtle anatomy or differing forms of meditation) and she explains them in a clear, concise and logical manner without oversimplifying them, but making the ideas accessible to teachers and students alike. She has invited other respected experts in mind-body techniques to contribute to the many guided exercises offered and the book also serves as a great resource guide.
Desktop Yoga ®
I’d give Desktop Yoga 6+ stars if I could!, October 23
|
Desktop Yoga is a God-send,
This is a wonderful resource that helps me get through every day at work. My headaches and neck aches are better since I started using the yoga stretches and breathing techniques. It has taught me how to powernap for relief from feeling exhausted, and has given me lots of tips on how to cope with change, handle stress, and enjoy life more. A lot of helpful information is packed into the useful book. Thank you very much.
30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing – Volumes One & Two
Volume 1


Finally! A comprehensive Imagery guide!, April 6
I use this book all the time., December 27
This is one of my favorite books because it is such a helpful resource to help me relax and benefit from guided visualization in incredible and powerful ways. Not only that, I use it all the time with my stress management, yoga and meditation clients. This book doesn’t get old.
Hurrah for Volume Two of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery
December 27, 2001
I am extremely pleased with this book and am now the proud owner of both volumes of this book. It is one of those books that I use all the time, which says a lot. It helps me personally and is a terrific resource when I teach stress management sessions.
Details 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing – Volume 2
by Julie Lusk
30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing provides
- Reliable ways to relax, get stress relief and boost your energy
- Ways to look inside yourself so you can make valuable, well-informed decisions.
- Uncover a powerful resource – our intuition and instincts
- Safely benefit from your true feelings
30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing is packed full of
- Fresh, easy-to-follow relaxation scripts
to use personally or with others - Designed for professionals and semi-professionals
- Includes strategies for stress relief and relaxation training exercises
- Progressive muscular relaxation
- Breathing techniques
- Creative visualization
- Guided imagery and guided meditation

Benefit now – Buy now
- Discover answers you’ve been searching for
- Benefit from the power of relaxation to heal
- Manage your feelings smoothly
- Gain personal power and peace
Table of Contents: 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery & Inner Healing – Vol. 2
Julie Lusk
Whole Person Associates Publisher
Becoming Relaxed
The cornerstone of all guided imagery work lies in the ability to relax the body, mind, and emotions. This is true whether you would like to awaken your intuition, communicate with your inner guide, connect with nature, or benefit from the healing visualizations. You will be wasting your time if you don’t relax first.
Practice the following exercises until you become comfortable doing them. The method used for relaxing isn’t important; being able to relax is. Relaxation opens the door to your inner resources. Try out each exercise several times and choose the ones that work best for you.
After you’ve mastered the relaxation exercises, explore the different types of guided visualizations in the other sections of this book, or of those from volume 1.
- Relaxing while Lying Down
Learn to lie down and relax by alternately tensing and relaxing all muscle groups and by mentally releasing tension. (10 minutes) - Expanding and Contracting
This short relaxation exercise, performed while lying down, combines progressive relaxation with breathing and body scanning techniques. (4 minutes) - Magic Carpet Ride
This deep breathing exercise works well for people who have difficulty with relaxed breathing. (15 minutes) - Threshold Relaxation
In this exercise, you will slightly tense a specific part of their body until it begins to feel tense. Once tension is felt, it is held a moment and then relaxed. Threshold Relaxation teaches participants to be sensitive to small changes in the body. Through practice (several times a day at first) the body learns what relaxation feels like in each muscle and how to regulate itself in automatic and unconscious ways. (12 minutes) - Heavy
This script helps you experience the freshness of spirit and calmness of mind that results from passive attention to the rhythm of their breathing and the relaxed heaviness in their hands and feet. (15 minutes) - Warm
This autogenic relaxation routine asks participants to gently focus on warmth spreading through their bodies, bringing complete relaxation and a sense of personal peace and renewal. (15 minutes) - Relaxation Training for Children
This entertaining relaxation script is perfect for children (and adults) because it teaches them how to tense and relax their muscles while utilizing their fantasy and imagination skills. (12 minutes)
Nature and the Environment
This section contains a variety of guided meditations that will help deepen your ability to relax and sharpen your ability to visualize, whether you visualize by using your imagination to see, feel, smell, or hear the scenes described. When you practice using all your senses, your experience will be enriched.
Getting in touch with nature is soothing, inspiring, and healing. To get the most out of these visualizations, first take the time to thoroughly relax. Remember to briefly describe the content of the guided visualization to the people you are working with. If a particular setting makes anyone uncomfortable, select a different script.
- Finding Your Own Sacred Place
Participants are gently guided into a relaxed state of being and then given instructions for discovering and exploring a comfortable, personal sacred place. (20 minutes) - Mountain Tops
A mountain top is the setting for this relaxing journey to relaxation and renewal. (8 minutes) - Caribbean Vacation
This guided meditation promotes inner peace, beauty, renewal, and release of negativity. Participants are encouraged to feel connected and grounded to the universe. (10 minutes) - Mighty Pine
Participants take an imaginary walk into a grove of trees to find a mighty pine tree from which they draw strength and energy. (10 minutes) - Listening to Mother Earth
This script can help participants experience their connection to Mother Earth and learn from her wisdom. (5 minutes) - Flying
This script begins with a relaxation exercise that emphasizes the feelings of heaviness and lightness to help participants more fully experience the imagery of flying. (20 minutes) - Hot Tubbing
Participants experience feelings of peace and understanding by imagining they are lounging in an outdoor hot tub. (5 minutes)
Inner Answers
Using the guided imagery exercises in this section will help you listen to what you already know. In other words, you will awaken your intuition to help you be consistent and in alignment with your own inner, individual truth.
These scripts are written to unlock your creative potential, provide you with insights, help you see patterns and possibilities, and understand yourself better. In order for this to happen, it is crucial to relax your body and quiet your mind first. So be sure to use a relaxation exercise whenever you are instructed to do so.
Read Awakening Intuition by Frances E. Vaughan for more information about accessing your intuitive self.
- Cruise Meditation
This script helps participants receive special messages from their own personal inner guide. (8 minutes) - Imagery for Nurturing Your Inner Child
In this guided imagery, each participant is invited to meet and lovingly nurture his or her inner child. (10 minutes) - Your Private Space
This visualization works well with individuals in weight classes and in other classes dealing with the need for boundaries, protection, positive body image, healing, and unconditional love. (15 minutes) - Body, Mind, Soul
Help your clients get in touch with their body, mind, and soul while they increase personal awareness and create personal strength and well-being. (8 minutes) - Visiting Your Heart’s House
In this script, participants equip themselves to meet lifeís challenges by receiving insightful and helpful gifts from an ancient chest located in their heart’s house. (18 minutes)
Healing
The mind and body are one, and what you believe and feel are reflected in your body. Sometimes your thoughts may lead to illness, aches, and pains; and other times, they can lead to exhilarating feelings of joy, pleasure, and peacefulness. Likewise, the condition of your body and the way it is feeling affect your thoughts. This is why it is impossible to worry when you feel relaxed.
Much of the benefits derived from the following healing imageries come from the necessary first step of calming and centering the body and mind. Therefore, it is important to perform a relaxation exercise whenever a script calls for one. Read the works of Bernie Siegel, Jeanne Achterberg, Joan Borysenko, Patrick Fanning, and Deepak Chopra for an in-depth look at how and why healing imageries work.
- Healing Firemen
This visualization was developed for aiding in the healing process for any illness. It is particularly well-suited for cancer patients who are receiving radiation treatment or taking drugs. (12 minutes) - At Peace with Pain
This visualization is designed to help meet the challenge of severe and persistent pain. It relies on the paradox of acceptance and surrender as a way of gaining power, not of giving up. (20 minutes) - Pond of Love
In this script, participants sit beside an imaginary pond that radiates love. Endless variations can be created by substituting different characteristics and virtues radiating from the pond. For instance, the pond may be full of peace, understanding, or forgiveness. You may also want to let participants choose the characteristics on their own. (8 minutes) - Inner Smile
This gentle relaxation exercise has its roots in Zen meditation and will leave participants feeling inner harmony and happiness. (10 minutes) - Thoughts Library
This script can help participants control wandering, stressful, distracting thoughts by having them exchange these thoughts for relaxing ones. Participants visualize putting away unwanted thoughts in a book with vinyl see-through pages and then opening up another imaginary book to experience a relaxing and beautiful ocean scene. (15 minutes)
Personal Growth
Many people find it hard to make decisions, and many others find it difficult to make positive lifestyle changes. If this is true for you or your clients, try out these guided visualizations. Give your body and mind the chance to work for you instead of against you.
Read Creative Visualization and Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain for a description of the principles used in these scripts.
As always, be certain to use a relaxation script whenever advised to do so, and feel free to modify these scripts to fit your situation.
- Visualizing Change
In this script, participants spend time exploring and visualizing a desired behavioral change to enhance the change process. (10 minutes) - Stop Smoking Relaxation Exercise
This script is intended to be used in conjunction with a smoking cessation program or a strategies for quitting program. It begins with a passive progressive muscle relaxation exercise to put participants at ease then offers positive suggestions on becoming smoke-free. (18 minutes) - Imagery to Increase Basal Metabolic Rate (Learning Script)
This and the following imagery script focus on weight control by having participants imagine increasing their basal metabolic rates (BMR), which stands for the number of calories burned at rest. (12 minutes) - Imagery to Increase Basal Metabolic Rate (Shorter Script)
This script should be used after participants have gone through the preceding script several times. (8 minutes) - Peace for People Experiencing Grief
This gentle and loving script helps people deal with their grief by guiding them to a special place full of beauty and healing energy. In this place, the grief and pain surrounding loss begins to be soothed and relieved. (25 minutes) - On Being a Wellness Professional
This guided visualization helps participants discover a career path to follow that is in keeping with their inner talents and interests. Although it is written with a focus on professionals in the field of wellness, it can be adapted for almost any profession. (15 minutes)
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