Think of how you typically feel during those moments just before you fall asleep, not quite awake and yet not quite sleeping.

The state of Yoga Nidra feels similar, gently awake and quietly aware, as you listen to the guided meditation.

Typically, during the meditation you’ll hear verbal cues to become aware of different parts of your body, to feel whatever sensations may be there.

Think of this as a type of mental body scan to bring your awareness into the present moment.

Some other Yoga Nidra sequences include breathing awareness and sometimes visualization, and all of the techniques draw you deeper into a place of stillness.

In this resting-yet-aware setting, you’re invited to silently state your intention (or sankalpa, in Sanskrit) of how you would like your life to be — for example, a calm and peaceful mind, good health, confidence and success, patience, a change in your relationships.

Your statement summarizes a life-enriching, long-term intention that steers you towards fulfilling your highest purpose (dharma).

A PATH TO INSIGHT AND CHANGE

Insights gained during and after a Yoga Nidra meditation can be a gateway to positive personal transformation.

Remember CDs? I’m nostalgic about the artwork that was inside my CALM Yoga Nidra album. It shows some photos of the monarch butterfly a dear friend and I watched emerging from her chrysalis.

A three-minute slice of life, witnessing the magic of nature unfold in front of us. Incredible. 🦋

I chose those photos for the CD, as the caterpillar/butterfly is a powerful and mysterious example of transformation—just as, through regular repetition, Yoga Nidra meditation can truly become a gateway to positive personal change.

“You do not just wake up and become the butterfly. Growth is a process.” — Rupi Kaur

Click here for Julie’s Yoga Nidra meditations on SPOTIFY.