30 Yoga Nidra Sessions
I learned about Yoga Nidra from Shane Parrish's interview with Dr Andrew Huberman. Yoga Nidra is one method to get non-sleep deep rest (NSDR). It is similar to guided meditation because you work on turning off your thoughts and progressively relaxing your body. Unlike meditation, you get to practice while lying down.
I'd never been concerned about my sleep quality so I was won't sure that I needed it but I decided to try it a few times in case it helped. I saw an immediate improvement in the quality of my sleep. I fall asleep faster, sometimes during the session, sometimes immediately after. I don't wake up in the middle of the night. Most days I wake before my alarm. And I immediately feel fresh and fully awake. Without Yoga Nidra, I rarely wake up before my alarm and I have to wait five to fifteen minutes until after I wake up, or until I jump into the shower to feel that freshness. The extra energy and wakefulness carries on well into the afternoon.
On days that I'm not sleeping enough or haven't done a session at night, I try to do one immediately after waking up. That doesn't feel as effective as the night session but it helps as well.
As I've gotten used to the format of the session, my mind seems to be wandering a little more than before early in the sessions, but that has not had any perceptible impact on sleep quality.
So far, I've only done sessions led by Ally Boothroyd. No particular reason beyond the fact that she had multiple sessions in the first set of results that YouTube showed me. Here's a short session to help you get started. If you don't want to use YouTube on your phone, you can find her and other teachers on the Insight Timer app. I recommend using the app to avoid the inevitability of a YouTube ad playing after the video and disturbing your sleep.