Heart of Yoga Nidra: Teaching Yoga Nidra Through Sequencing, Language, and Guided Meditation for Deep Relaxation and Sacred Rest by Sagel Urlacher

Lead transformative Yoga Nidra sessions with confidence, authenticity, and embodied skill.

"A comprehensive—even definitive—guide…both wonderfully practical and deeply profound. It’s joining Urlacher’s Yin Yoga & Meditation as a textbook in my yoga teacher training!"
—Sage Rountree, PhD, author of Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses

This complete resource offers everything you need to confidently and skillfully guide transformative Yoga Nidra sessions—whether you are teaching others or deepening your own practice. Rooted in timeless yogic wisdom and grounded in the heart, it provides a comprehensive framework and practical tools to cultivate a steady, authentic, and embodied presence that you and your students can feel.

More than a manual, The Heart of Yoga Nidra offers an integrated understanding of the structure, purpose, and possibilities of this luminous practice of deep rest and renewal. Bridging traditional yoga philosophy with modern neuroscience, it reveals the why and how behind the practice—offering sequencing principles, intentional prompts, and guidance to lead sessions that are responsive, meaningful, and attuned to your students’ needs.

You’ll find step-by-step instruction for guiding each stage, personalizing scripts, and creating resonant offerings that express your authentic voice. Reflective practices help you embody the teachings, allowing your sessions to emerge from lived experience. Trauma-informed and inclusive, this resource equips you to safely adapt the practice, meet your students where they are—and bring your scripts to life through intentional choices and responsive guidance.

An invaluable companion for all yoga teachers, dedicated practitioners, and wellness providers—inside you’ll find:

• Practice Architecture: A blueprint for developing, adapting, and guiding meaningful Yoga Nidra sessions.
• Stage-by-Stage Framework: In-depth guidance for leading each stage, including sample language, adaptive cues, and prompts to customize or create your own scripts.
• The Science of Deep Rest: Neuroscience principles to regulate the nervous system, build somatic resilience, and support healing.
• Trauma-Informed Guidance: Accessible practices to honor the full spectrum of experience—from restlessness and emotional release to integration.
• Yoga Philosophy: An exploration of the koshas as a map for wholeness, self-discovery, and the joy of being.
• Theme Weaving: Insights to integrate thematic threads, sankalpa, and imagery with a library of symbols and inspiration mapped across the stages.
• Adaptive Methods: Practical tools to tailor the practice for any duration, level, or setting—studios, privates, retreats, and healing spaces.
• Reflective Inquiries: Experiential pauses to embody the teachings, explore your inner landscape, and bridge philosophy with practice.
• Personal Practice Path: A pathway to nurture your growth and root your teaching in lived experience.
• Complete Teaching Toolkit: 6 Yoga Nidra scripts (including abbreviated versions), body scans, breathwork, chakra elements, and class planners.

Holistic and accessible for all levels, The Heart of Yoga Nidra is a trusted yoga teacher training resource and a lifelong companion as your relationship with the practice evolves. It invites you into the heart of the teachings, empowering you to guide transformative experiences with presence, wisdom, and confidence.