Digestion / Spark / Sleep / Daily reset / Trauma

A long, deeply warming Yoga Nidra — around 45 minutes — to rekindle the quiet fire at your centre, warm the soul, and release the deepest held tension, the kind ordinary sleep never quite reaches.

Yoga Nidra is the science of conscious deep rest: the body sleeps, awareness stays lit, and you do nothing but lie still and listen. This practice moves through stillness, the breath at the warm centre of the belly, and the slow imagery of a safe home at night — a hearth banked low and glowing, a pot cooking gently by the coals, the good dark soil where nothing is ever wasted. It settles into the ojas glow, the quiet radiance that gathers only in a fire allowed to rest.

For anyone who has burned too hot for too long, carried too much, and rested too little:

🔥 rekindling warmth and energy after burnout or exhaustion

🌙 the deepest tension that ordinary sleep never quite reaches

🌀 nervous systems that need to feel safe before they can let go

🌱 the quiet knowing that nothing you have lived is wasted

BEFORE YOU BEGIN — please READ this.

Position. The practice is performed in shavasana (bliss pose), lying flat on your back. You will receive the most benefit from this position. If you tend to fall asleep during meditation, you may sit upright instead — but shavasana is preferred whenever possible. You may practise lying on a yoga mat with a blanket beneath you, on a rug on the floor, or in your bed. If your lower back is sensitive, prop with soft padding underneath. If your knees ache, place a cushion or bolster under the back of the knees — this releases the lower spine.

Hands rest beside the body, palms facing up, not touching the body — there should be a small space at each armpit so the chest can breathe freely.

Feet rest comfortably apart, allowed to flop open to the sides — do not hold them upright.

Cover yourself with a blanket. The body temperature drops during deep relaxation, and warmth is part of the safety the practice creates.

Safety. This is a sacred and vulnerable state. No one should intrude, disturb, or touch your body while you are in the practice. Choose a time and place where you will not be interrupted. Turn off notifications. Close the door. The depth of what arises depends on the depth of safety you provide for yourself.

For trauma practitioners: if at any point the practice becomes overwhelming, open your eyes, look around the room, feel the floor beneath you. You can always return to externalised awareness. The practice will be here when you are ready.

At the end of the practice, do not rise quickly. Externalise gradually and FULLY. Reconnect with each of your senses. Take a few deeper breaths. Move the body lightly — circle wrists and ankles, roll the shoulders — before you stand. This grounding is part of the practice.

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Matri

As an instructor of Rāja yoga and yogic psychology, working at the meeting point of ancient inner science and modern neuroscience.

🌿 Focused community for sustained learning: https://ecology.yoga · private training: https://matri.au

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Educational only — not medical or psychological advice. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a qualified professional or your local emergency services.

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