Your 5-Day Yoga Nidra Rest 'Cleanse' Is Here

This five-day rest cleanse is an abbreviated version of (and hopefully an introduction to) a resting practice. It's designed to help you begin to create an oasis to break the cycle of fatigue and gain the courage to lead a life full of purpose from a well-rested place. The protocol is divided into three phases, reflecting the key pillars I've found to be important in this practice. Think of them as the three layers of exhaustion we hold: physical exhaustion, emotional exhaustion, and spiritual exhaustion. Through yoga nidra meditation, and a few other optional practices offered here, this five-day rest cleanse helps you effectively "clean up" and revive each layer of exhaustion.

Each day you’ll lie down and practice a minimum of 15 minutes of yoga nidra meditation. After yoga nidra, you’ll identify what I call a "soul whisper." To do this, breathe in through your heart, imagine your breath guiding you to an area of your body, and then see if there is a word, image, or phrase that appears. Write down whatever you received. If you get nothing, that’s OK; write down the word nothing. You can download the first yoga nidra meditation below—this will prompt you to listen for a soul whisper at the end of the meditation.

This is when you need to prepare your rest cave, a quiet space for yoga nidra meditation. The only props you absolutely need are:

These props enhance the experience but are nice-to-haves and not essentials. That said, people often ask me what props and tools I like, so here's a brief list:

The first layer of exhaustion to explore is in the body and our energetic field, because exhaustion often feels physical first. The emphasis during this phase is to deeply relax and start sleeping better. During yoga nidra, you will be prompted to repeat an intention. If this is the first time practicing yoga nidra, I invite you to try, "I am well-rested."

The secondlayer of exhaustion is emotional. Have you been holding on to feelings or thoughts that no longer serve you? You’re not alone. Yoga nidra helps you release exhausting and often cyclical emotions and thoughts.

Don’t even know what it is? Yep, that’s exhausting. Post-cleanse is an excellent time to dream big about your life and start outlining your vision to rise up to your best self.

Make yourself a cup of tea or something nice to drink. Review all your journal entries. Circle words and phrases that stand out to you. These are bonus soul whispers. Do this as quickly as you can, so you don’t enter your thinking mind. Add whatever you circled to the five soul whispers you received during the cleanse. Then place all these words on separate pieces of paper in a jar. Close your eyes, breathe in and out threading the breath through your heart, and then with your left hand pick a piece of paper from your jar. Consider how this fits into your big dream in life. If the soul whisper feels negative, then use the opposite. (for example, if it was "scared" then use "brave"). Write down three ways you will commit to your big dream. Let go of obstacles for a moment and journal about your big dream or draw a picture of it. Place it somewhere you can see or read it every day.

Audio meditation courtesy of Sounds True. For more information and to access the additional yoga nidra meditations available, check out Karen Brody's new book, Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power With Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation.