Sources
Yoga Nidra and NSDR, named plainly.
Yoga Nidra is the traditional protocol: rotation, sankalpa, visualization, return. NSDR — non-sleep deep rest — is the umbrella term, coined by Andrew Huberman, for deep rest without sleep. Yoga Nidra is one NSDR protocol. These links are context, not Nidara, and not medical advice.
Papers
What has been measured.
- Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness
Kjaer et al. · Cognitive Brain Research · 2002
PET study during Yoga Nidra. Reports increased endogenous dopamine release in ventral striatum, correlating with EEG theta.
- A 15O-H2O PET study of meditation and the resting state of normal consciousness
Lou et al. · Human Brain Mapping · 1999
Early neuroimaging of Yoga Nidra. Maps regional cerebral blood flow in a conscious rest state.
- Defining yoga-nidra: traditional accounts, physiological research, and future directions
Parker, Bharati & Fernandez · Int. J. Yoga Therap. · 2013
Defines the state as conscious non-REM-like rest. The reference paper for mechanism, not marketing.
- The origin and clinical relevance of Yoga Nidra
Pandi-Perumal et al. · Sleep Vigilance · 2022
Open-access narrative review. Lineage from Satyananda’s systematization to clinical findings.
- Functional connectivity changes in meditators and novices during yoga nidra practice
Fialoke et al. · Scientific Reports · 2024
fMRI during practice. Distinct connectivity shifts in experienced practitioners versus novices.
- Yoga nidra practice shows improvement in sleep in patients with chronic insomnia
Datta et al. · Natl Med J India · RCT
Randomized trial on chronic insomnia. Sleep outcomes, not a vitality claim.
- Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being
Moszeik, von Oertzen & Renner · Curr. Psychol. · 2022
Short-form Yoga Nidra. Stress, sleep, and well-being in a general sample.
YouTube
Guided rest, zero cost.
- 10-minute NSDR protocol
YouTube · Huberman Lab Clips
Guided non-sleep deep rest. Zero-cost. Useful comparison for Nidara’s 9-minute cut.
- 20-minute NSDR protocol
YouTube · Huberman Lab Clips
Same protocol family, longer hold. Compare with Nidara’s 18-minute session.
- 30-minute NSDR protocol
YouTube · Huberman Lab Clips
Nearest public analog to Nidara’s 27-minute deepening.
- NSDR playlist
YouTube · Huberman Lab
Official collection of the 10 / 20 / 30 minute recordings.
- The practice of Yoga Nidra to improve sleep and stress
YouTube · Tim Ferriss · Huberman
Short explanation of Yoga Nidra as an NSDR protocol, including why the acronym exists.
Podcasts
Where the terms were set.
- Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR)
Huberman Lab · index
Canonical definition: NSDR is the umbrella; Yoga Nidra is the more specific, intention-led form. Papers and episode timestamps collected here.
- Master Your Sleep & Be More Alert When Awake
Huberman Lab · Jan 2021
The episode that introduced NSDR as a working term for Yoga Nidra, hypnosis, and related rest protocols.
- Focus Toolkit: Tools to Improve Your Focus & Concentration
Huberman Lab · Sep 2022
NSDR as a defocus tool when sleep is short. Timestamp around 1:07 for Yoga Nidra / NSDR.
- Dr. David Spiegel: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health and Performance
Huberman Lab · Feb 2022
Stanford clinical hypnosis. Adjacent mechanism: directed attention in a rest state. Nidara names Spiegel as lineage, not as a product claim.
Further
Explainers and adjacent work.
- What is non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)?
Sleep Foundation
Plain-language explainer. Distinguishes NSDR as Huberman’s umbrella from Yoga Nidra as the older protocol.
- NSDR, meditation and breathwork
Huberman Lab · topic
Episode index across NSDR, Yoga Nidra, hypnosis, and breathwork.
- Yoga nidra
Wikipedia
Orientation: Satyananda’s 20th-century systematization, rotation of consciousness, sankalpa.
- iRest research
iRest Institute
Richard Miller’s clinical adaptation of Yoga Nidra. Research library — not Nidara’s protocol.
Read if useful. Then remain still.
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