Ep. 131 Yoga Nidra for When You Need to SleepEp. 131 Yoga Nidra for When You Need to Sleep
Yoga by Nature Podcast
Morven Hamilton guides a gentle 15-minute yoga nidra aimed at supporting sleep or deep rest through breath, body awareness and a full body scan. The practice focuses on releasing tension, calming the mind and offering a soft, pressure-free way to unwind at home.
14:45•2 Apr 2026
Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest When Sleep Won’t Come
Episode Overview
- Encourages finding a cosy, undisturbed place to lie down before starting the practice.
- Uses simple breath cues to help release tension and settle the nervous system.
- Guides a detailed body scan to shift awareness from thoughts into physical sensations.
- Invites a feeling of the body being both heavy and light to deepen relaxation.
- Allows space to either fall asleep or simply rest more deeply, without any pressure or goals.
“If you sleep, it's a win! That's what most of us need.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying calm enough to sleep? This gentle episode of the Yoga by Nature Podcast offers a guided yoga nidra designed for those moments when the mind just won’t switch off. Teacher Morven Hamilton leads a short yet deeply soothing practice recorded live in a group setting.
You’ll be guided to get “really cosy”, settle the body, and let go through simple breath cues like, “Take an inhale through the nose, and just let the breath go through the mouth. Just let the breath drop away.” From there, the focus shifts steadily away from busy thoughts and into pure body awareness. Morven walks through the body piece by piece: toes, feet, ankles, legs, pelvis, belly, spine, shoulders, arms, hands, face and scalp.
You’ll hear detailed prompts such as noticing “the skin underneath the fingernails” or imagining the legs “heavy but also light”. This careful attention gives restless minds something gentle to rest on, which may help with sleep, or at least deep rest. There’s no pressure to achieve anything. Morven even suggests that if you fall asleep, “it’s a win”, and if you don’t, the practice can still support energy levels and stress relief.
The tone stays warm, permissive and unhurried throughout, ideal for beginners or anyone too tired for an active yoga class. The episode closes by gradually bringing awareness back with deeper breaths, gentle movement and the option to stay resting for as long as needed. It’s a simple set-up: lie down somewhere you won’t be disturbed, press play, and let yourself be held by the practice.
If you’ve been craving a soft landing at the end of the day, could this be the 15 minutes you actually manage to give yourself?
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