Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep in modern usage is a state of
consciousness between waking and sleeping, typically induced by a guided
meditation. Yoga nidra involves slowing down and chilling out. So does
meditation. While some people tend to lump them together, they really
are two different practices. “Yoga nidra is like meditation, but yet
it’s not,” says yoga therapist and yoga program manager, Judi Bar.
“There are overlaps, but there also are key differences. With yoga
nidra, you are lying down and the goal is to move into a deep state of
conscious awareness sleep, which is a deeper state of relaxation with
awareness. This state involves
moving from consciousness while awake to dreaming and then to
not-dreaming while remaining awake
— going past the unconscious to the conscious.”