NSDR is Yoga Nidra

NSDR is Yoga Nidra and we’ve been teaching it to children for 20 years.

What do your child and the CEO of Google have in common? Many things, to be sure. One of them is stress...and access to the best ways to manage it. The Wall Street Journal reported on the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, using a specific technique he referred to as NSDR to reduce stress.  

While it may sound like the latest K-Pop band, it’s a meditative guided relaxation technique based on a traditional practice called Yoga Nidra. NSDR stands for Non-Sleep Deep Relaxation, a term recently coined by Stanford Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. It’s a fresh name for an ancient practice. 

Yoga Nidra is a technique Mira has been using with children and families for 20 years. She is also a level 3 certified iRest Yoga Nidra teacher. iRest is a standardized form of Yoga Nidra that is backed by extensive research. It’s been shown to reduce chronic pain, anxious feelings and depression. It can help improve sleep, resolve trauma and help you realize your true nature – the original purpose of Yoga Nidra.  

This technique is woven into many tools we share with you in the book Anxious to Awesome: A Practical Guide for the Whole Family and the 21-day journey from Anxious to Awesome. Yoga Nidra can be practiced lying down so it can feel easier to do than seated meditation. Children are guided to become aware of sensation in the body, part by part, to notice the breath and to explore deep states of relaxation through guided stories like A Visit With The Worry Witch found on our Chill Children CD.  

With a trendy name and an endorsement by the CEO of Google, it’s sure to become more popular. That’s a good thing because it’s never been more needed.