Perimenopause - wow! What a full-life upheaval that was. I’m now through the other side and into menopause and when I look back at those years, one thing stands out above everything else as my constant companion: Yoga Nidra.
It became the practice that helped me navigate the biggest transition of my life.
When I first entered perimenopause, I felt like I was scrambling around in the dark. I was exhausted, my energy felt like it had disappeared and many of the things I usually relied on to feel well just weren’t quite cutting it.
I found some incredible support along the way, including a wonderful homeopath who helped me return to a recognisable version of myself.
But I was still so bloody tired.
Then the world went into lockdown.
Once I was forced to stop, I completely crashed. I would sleep and wake up feeling more tired than when I went to bed. My body seemed to be asking for something that ordinary sleep wasn't quite giving me.
And then Yoga Nidra found me.
I happened upon a Yoga Nidra recording by facilitator Karen Brody and thought it would be a nice way to relax for a while.
But when I came out of the practice, I noticed something hopeful.
I felt rested.
Not just relaxed. Rested in a way I hadn’t felt for a long time.
In true Scorpio form, I got a tad obsessed.
I started practising Yoga Nidra as part of my morning ritual and there were days when I practised three times. I kid you not. That's how depleted I was.
I had Yoga Nidra on repeat until I had resourced myself enough to do life again.
And slowly, something began to change.
I had found a practice that was increasing my capacity for life.
At first, I was mainly interested in the rest it gave me. And what a gift that was. But as I continued practising, I started to discover that Yoga Nidra was so much more than the best nap I’d ever had.
There are deeper layers to this ancient practice — psychological, emotional and spiritual — and over time I began to experience it not simply as a rest tool, but as a practice that helped me reconnect with myself.
It met me exactly where I was.
When I was utterly depleted, it offered rest.
When my mind was busy, it offered somewhere else to place my attention.
When I felt disconnected from myself, it gave me a way back in.
And perhaps that is what I love most about Yoga Nidra. It doesn’t ask you to be anything other than where you are.
You don't need to be flexible. You don't need to empty your mind. You don't need to know anything about yoga.
You simply lie down, get comfortable and allow yourself to be guided.
Eventually, I became so besotted with this beautiful practice that I embarked on a nine-month training journey so that I could share it with others.
And here I am, years later, still completely in love with it.
I never tire of dreaming up Nidras and guiding people into those beautiful, liminal dreamscapes of conscious sleep.
Looking back now, I can see that Yoga Nidra didn't just help me get more rest. It gave me the energy and space to move through a huge life transition with a little more capacity, compassion and connection to myself.
It was the practice that helped me find my way back to myself.
And it’s a practice I’m deeply grateful to now share with others.
If you'd like to experience Yoga Nidra for yourself, and perhaps give yourself a whole weekend of deep rest, I'd love to welcome you to my Creative Rest sound healing and Yoga Nidra retreat in the Cotswolds this January. https://www.soundawakening.co.uk/cotswolds-creative-rest-retreat-january-2027
