Research into yoga nidra and how it can help improve sleep inevitably leads to other practices including guided meditation and visualization. In fact, the names for all these various practices are often used interchangeably. People can be confused as a result. For instance, people wonder if yoga nidra is really yoga in the traditional sense.

The question arises from the fact that yoga nidra – also known as ‘yogic sleep’, by the way – combines some elements of traditional yoga with the more modern approach of guided meditation. A 2023 USA Today article I recently read explains yoga nidra as “a fitting connection point between the worlds of meditation and yoga.”

So what’s the deal? Is yoga nidra really yoga in the traditional sense? And if it’s not, what makes it different from more traditional yoga practices?

Yoga, But Not Classical Yoga

Traditional yoga is also referred to as classical yoga in some circles. Yoga nidra takes note of some of the ancient philosophies of the classical practice, but not all of them. Here is a brief synopsis of yoga nidra’s basic principles:

• Yogic Sleep – The term ‘yogic sleep’ appears in some ancient texts. It describes a state of consciousness that includes the classical pranja (deep sleep) and turiya (fourth state).

• Meditative State – Yoga nidra is referenced in some medieval-era hatha yoga texts as meaning a deep and meditative state.

• Contemporary Practice – The modern practice of yoga nidra is a guided relaxation technique credited to Swami Satyananda Saraswati and his yoga school founded in the 1960s.

In essence, what you have in yoga nidra is a combination of guided meditation and certain elements of classic yoga. Consider it a more modern version of yoga if you will. According to the previously mentioned USA Today piece, it is practiced around the world.

Total Relaxation Is the Goal

Where classical yoga has a religious element that cannot be separated from its exercises, modern yoga nidra focuses less on the spiritual and more on the physical. There certainly are spiritual aspects practitioners can embrace should they choose to. But the spiritual aspects are not necessary to reap the many benefits yoga nidra offers.

Yoga nidra expert and international yoga educator Scott Moore explains that the ultimate goal in a typical session is total relaxation. He explains that practitioners are guided through a series of steps that include a body scan and awareness of one’s breathing. By the time practitioners reach the end of the process, they should be in that state between wakefulness and sleep.

It is interesting to note that Moore is also a sleep meditation teacher. Many of his clients embrace yoga nidra as a way to improve their sleep. By reducing stress and setting aside thoughts that keep them awake at night, practitioners more easily fall asleep and stay asleep throughout the night.

It Is, But It Isn’t

The more one learns about yoga nidra, the more it becomes evident that the practice is both traditional and non-traditional yoga. It includes elements of the classic practice, elements that include certain poses and the principle of mindfulness. But yoga nidra also embraces the modern concepts of guided meditation and body scans.

Is it yoga in the traditional sense? I have a more important question: does it really matter? People around the world are now practicing yoga nidra to improve sleep, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. If it works for them, they probably don’t care whether or not it is really a traditional or classical form of yoga. It only matters that what they do works for them.