The Practice That Changed Everything: How Yoga Nidra Became My Sanctuary

In my personal healing journey — through trauma, betrayal, motherhood, and ultimately, profound transformation — I’ve discovered that not all rest is created equal. There is rest that simply pauses the chaos, and then there is rest that repairs you on a cellular, emotional, and energetic level.

For me, that deeper form of rest revealed itself in Yoga Nidra — a practice that now lives at the heart of my personal rituals and my coaching work inside The Mindful Edit.

✦ What is Yoga Nidra?

Often called yogic sleep, Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation technique designed to bring the body into a state of deep physical relaxation while the mind remains gently aware. It’s not sleep, yet it invites the nervous system into the same healing brainwave states associated with deep, restorative rest.

During a session, you lie comfortably (often on your back, supported by cozy blankets and bolsters), while a facilitator guides you through breath awareness, body scans, visualizations, and intention-setting. The practice allows the conscious mind to gently recede while your subconscious opens — creating fertile ground for both deep rest and profound healing.

✦ Why Yoga Nidra is a Sanctuary for Trauma Survivors

As someone who has survived unimaginable trauma — from the years of abuse and gaslighting in my relationships to the well-publicized criminal case that thrust my private life into a media storm (Buzzfeed News) — I’ve lived with the lingering imprint that trauma leaves on the nervous system. The hypervigilance. The sleepless nights. The racing mind. The inability to fully exhale.

Trauma is not just a psychological experience — it lives in the body. The nervous system becomes stuck in states of chronic fight, flight, or freeze, long after the danger has passed. And this is where Yoga Nidra offers something uniquely powerful.

Research has begun to validate what many trauma survivors experience firsthand: Yoga Nidra offers measurable relief from the symptoms of PTSD and complex trauma.

• A 2011 study published in Military Medicine found that veterans with PTSD who practiced Yoga Nidra (iRest protocol) reported significant reductions in anxiety, depression, insomnia, and emotional reactivity.

• A 2018 review in Current Psychology noted that Yoga Nidra helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduces hyperarousal, and supports the integration of traumatic memories in a non-threatening, safe way.

• Neuroimaging studies have shown that Yoga Nidra may enhance activity in brain regions responsible for emotional regulation, while calming the amygdala — the part of the brain that perceives threat.

✦ How I Integrated Yoga Nidra Into My Rituals

When I first discovered Yoga Nidra, I was postpartum, exhausted, and still carrying layers of unprocessed trauma. Traditional meditation felt inaccessible — my mind too restless, my body too tense. But Yoga Nidra invited me to simply lie down and listen. No pressure. No perfection.

At first, I practiced guided recordings for just 20 minutes before bed. I noticed my sleep began to deepen. My anxiety softened. My breathing slowed.

Over time, Yoga Nidra became not just a relaxation tool, but a cornerstone of my nervous system regulation:

• In the morning, short 15-minute sessions grounded me before beginning my day.

• In the evening, longer 30-40 minute sessions signaled my body into deep parasympathetic restoration.

• During high-stress periods, Yoga Nidra offered a way to reset my internal state without numbing or dissociating — something trauma survivors deeply need.

✦ The Sweetest Gift: Reclaiming Safety in My Own Body

For survivors, the body can often feel like the scene of the crime — a place where pain was held, suppressed, or ignored. But Yoga Nidra gently helps to reclaim the body as a sanctuary once more. Without forcing anything, it invites the nervous system to release stored tension, retrain safety pathways, and restore trust in one’s own being.

Today, I not only practice Yoga Nidra personally — I also guide many of my coaching clients through this profound practice as part of their custom healing plans. The combination of mindfulness coaching, somatic practices, and Yoga Nidra has become one of the most effective, elegant, and nurturing ways I help other women reclaim themselves.

Because ultimately, healing isn’t about erasing the past. It’s about learning to live with grace, softness, and resilience in the aftermath.

And that, truly, is one of the sweetest things.

To learn more about how I integrate Yoga Nidra and mindfulness into my coaching programs, explore my private coaching offerings here.