Yoga Nidra: Reset Your Rest-wake Cycle

Written by: Rina Deshpande

This evening at the dinner table, my family and I joked about how it felt like we were just eating our usual rice and dahl dinner minutes ago, not that an entire day had gone by. And we all felt like it was only months ago that we were in the December holiday season, not that an entire calendar year had passed. And though it was years in the making, my children’s picture book, Yoga Nidra Lullaby, is finally published in what feels like a blink.

“2023 doesn’t even sound like a real year to me, more like a sci-fi title,” I laughed with my family. Which, incidentally, I laughingly said about 2022, and about 2021…and about 2020. 

Time can be elusive. And like many, time is something I want to hold onto. have more of. enjoy.

Major experiences like the pandemic can blur the bounds of time even more than usual. For me, being home-bound was unusual, and the stream of work and socialization all on screens from the same chair made it difficult to distinguish one week from the next. 

And in an era of screens (see: watching Netflix on ipad while working on laptop while scrolling through social media on our phone and seeing a text come in from a friend), hours are squandered without realizing it. Our minds may struggle to let go of energetic activity and keep buzzing when it’s time for bed. Sleep for many is now not feeling very restful, and wakefulness is now weighed down by drowsiness due to lack of quality sleep. The cycle is hard to break. And time seems even more fleeting.

Whether we understand time as perception or reality, one of the most beneficial aspects of yoga and mindfulness-based practices is that they help us become aware of and value the moment that we have while we have it. Yoga nidra (in research, called “progressive body relaxation”) helps us to wind down the mind and body, step by step, so we can absorb true rest while sleeping, which helps us appreciate energized presence while awake. Yoga nidra can help us re-set the cycle.

What is Yoga Nidra and how can I practice it?

For those that might not know me, my name is Rina Deshpande, and I research, write, illustrate, and teach yoga and mindfulness practices, as well as lead curriculum design and professional development in various organizations. 

Yoga is rooted in the Indus Valley (Bharath/India) and is thousands of years old. In recent decades, yoga and mindfulness have become more prominent in scientific research to understand their effects on psychological and physiological well-being. As an Indian American woman, I was raised with yoga not necessarily on a mat or lab, but as principles and practices for our daily living. 

One way to describe the ancient practice of Yoga is a way of finding presence. How would you characterize a state presence? To me, it’s breathing comfortably, a clear conscience, my mind and body relaxed, my thoughts steady and gently focused rather than running away from me. 

Various yoga practices can support presence. Yoga Nidra is one of many yoga practices, unique in that it helps us to wind down the mind and body to give us relief from thought and action. In Sanskrit, yoga is often translated as “unity,” and Nidra is translated as “sleep.” 

To begin practicing yoga Nidra, follow these simple steps or watch this short video with Rina:

• Let go of your devices (after reading this) and start by noticing the environment around you, whether you’re seated, standing, or lying down. Using whichever senses are active and available to you, you might even name out loud what you hear, see, taste, touch, or smell. (e.g. I hear cars driving outside. I see my cat next to me).

• Notice your breathing, and take three full, complete relaxing breaths.

• Direct your mind to your head and shoulders, and ask them to relax. Direct your mind to your torso, and ask it to relax. Direct your mind to your lower extremities such as your legs and feet, and ask them to relax. Breathe, and notice how you feel.

Yoga Nidra Lullaby is my first children’s picturebook which I both authored and illustrated to help children learn to unwind, step by step. In the book, I provide environmental scenes described in poetic couplets followed by a simple reflective question on each page to help them interact with the experience of yoga Nidra. May we all find healthy, nourishing rest.

Author’s bio:

Rina Deshpande is an educator, researcher, and author-illustrator of children’s picture book Yoga Nidra Lullaby. After teaching in NYC public schools, she helped found Relay Graduate School of Education in 2010. Raised with yoga as an Indian American, Deshpande completed her ERYT-500 yoga certification and earned a masters in neuroscience and education at Harvard, designing yoga and mindfulness research curriculum. She currently authors and illustrates a monthly Yoga Journal magazine column on the culture and science of Yoga and is a faculty member. She's been published in Self, The Huffington Post, Headspace, Talkspace, Sonima.com, and Learning & the Brain. Deshpande is a lead advisor for education organizations. She loves yoga and art as much as her cat, which is a lot. Follow her at @rinathepoet on IG and rinathepoet.com

Yoga Nidra Lullaby by Rina Deshpande was released on November 1, 2022 and is currently available through penguinrandomhouse.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, northatlanticbooks.com, and wherever books are sold.

“The perfect introduction to yoga nidra for kids, Yoga Nidra Lullaby teaches readers that sleep is a practice that can be learned, and is a foundational building block for deeper sleep, mindful awareness, and lifelong practice.”