Relax

Yoga Nidra & the stillness within

Wildsong Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is a form of enriched rest, an evolving practice that mixes ancient tantric and non-dualist yogic practices with relaxation techniques to change our brain states to those experienced during sleep and meditation. There is nothing to do but rest.

Participants are guided into these healing states by a teacher or facilitator and safely back out to rejoin the hustle and bustle of life energised and refreshed.

Because of this, it is a lithe and informed practice that uses something simple, familiar and enjoyable, relaxation and sleep, to boost our wellbeing and health.

It can be done lying down or seated as long as you are supported. Because it is a trance practice, it is not to be done when driving, operating machinery etc.

For some it can be a means to achieve a greater connection with life force, qi or prana, part of an ongoing commitment to self realisation, through regular practice and intentions. For others it can be a welcome refuge to combat stress and top up lost sleep, to rebalance body and mind and enhance function, so we feel rested and resourced.

Whether we stay awake or fall asleep, there is at the heart of the practice a building of trust that the deeper mind and body will do what is needed. This can be incredibly powerful in itself. Letting ourselves just be, connected to the stillness within.

Try for yourself: Wildsong Nidra: blossom time

Make sure you will not be disturbed. Get yourself, comfy and cosy, you can close your eyes, have them open, dim the lights, do whatever helps you feel more relaxed. Most people like to do nidra lying down, but you can also do it seated. Other than that there is nothing to do but let me guide you to a deeply relaxed and safe space.

About me: Wildsong Nidra

I encountered yoga nidra in my first pregnancy in 2011 and immediately fell in love with the end of class where we were guided into sweet rest! At the same time, I began my yoga teacher training and integrated this incredible practice into my learning and teaching.

On those days where my energy was low or from disturbed sleep, yoga nidra brought me home to myself and shored me up. Initially I thought yoga nidra was simply reading the scripts in the blue book by Satyananda, but my training with Uma Dinsmore Tuli and Nirlipta Tuli showed me much more.

In pre-online days, I deepened my training and knowledge around my pregnancies and family life, 2014 - 2020, with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Nirlipta Tuli, of the Total Yoga Nidra Network. I was fortunate to be invited to work with Nirlipta as a TYN Associate Facilitator, co-leading the first TYN immersion here in Glasgow with Nirlipta in February 2020 just before lockdown, and continue my training, practice & research with TYN and others whenever I can.

I lead yoga nidra workshops, one day immersions, an online version of the immersion and now a 50 hour Wildsong Nidra Facilitator Training launched January 2025. For dates of upcoming nidra events, see the Calendar & Study section. I also end my weekly classes with yoga nidra and it is a big part of my retreats and weekend events.

The name Wildsong came to me last year. In sharing yoga nidra, I connect with something much bigger than me. I simply hold space and open to the flow. Inviting us all to connect with nature and our heart in playful expression & acknowledgment is at the core of all my teaching. The free harmony of a wild song seemed both affirmative and an aspiration; may we all follow our calling to sing and live our Wildsong!

Meantime, I offer my sharing of nidra with sincere gratitude to my teachers, my clients and fellow yogis and my path in life.

Warm wishes of the season
Om namah shivaya,

Lucie x

ONE DAY IMMERSION

STUDY

I end my weekly seasonal flow classes with yoga nidra lasting 10-20 minutes.

The most potent are 121 sessions where we co-create live nidras, tailored for your wellbeing to truly suit your needs. In this way, I can hold the space and nourish you, providing a safe place in which you thoroughly relax and draw from the well of life. Good times are most definitely ahead.

The initial session lasts 45 – 60 minutes, with the nidra lasting 25-30 minutes. Subsequent sessions 35 - 45 minutes. The nidras can be recorded as mp3 to have to use as and when and are strictly confidential. Prices range from £60/40 low waged or you can book a block of 3 sessions for £165/£100 low waged. Contact me to find out more.

Join me on Insight Timer - I regularly share fresh nidras created live in class for free. All you need to do is download the app.

Why Nidra? Connecting with our true nature

We are human beings, not doings and yoga nidra invites us all to come back to our true nature. There is literally nothing to do. When the busy schedule and stress fall away, there is a deep connection with calm and presence. In daily life, we can often forget about it or not experience it at all. Yet this connection is there all the time. Just as the ocean is always still at its depths, so too are we essentially calm and spacious, kind and perfect, just as we are. When we connect with this healing space or aspect, we feel a whole lot better!

Nidra feeds our brains

During nightly sleep we experience a range of healing brainwave states that are essential for physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. We all know what it’s like the day after a disturbed sleep! Nidra enables us to experience these states in a short time so we feel restored and revitalised. I have practised yoga nidra regularly since 2011. A 20 minute session feels like I’ve slept deeply for a good hour! Nidra is not a replacement for sleep as we need to be in deeper states of consciousness for longer for the proper healing and processing to happen. Yet it can top us up especially when we feel depleted or exhausted.

Nidra is adaptogenic. It helps where we need it. So if we are tired and need deep rest, we most likely will fall asleep. When we need to realise something or find the solution to a problem, the answer can magically pop up, during or afterwards at an everyday moment.

Nidra soothes us and promotes longevity

In yoga philosophy, there is this idea of having a number of aspects or layers to ourselves. Physical, energetic through the breath, intellect through our minds, higher connection with that deeply calm space and more. Yoga nidra soothes these aspects very easily and simply, undoing all the tension of stress, and instead, nourishing us, nurturing us in a safe space.

In recent neurological and medical studies, when we are soothed and calm, this is deeply healing. Our brains are connected to our immune systems, so physiological responses can be learned from our emotional state. When we are stressed, we are more likely to experience ill health, catch colds and flu and suffer long term damage to major organs (an excellent book outlining the importance of emotional resilience is Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman). With nidra, the opposite is more likely to be the case.

Field Studies in Yoga Nidra

One Day Immersion

Learn More

Wildsong Nidra Rest Sessions

At Merchant City Yoga. Yoga nidra inspired by the seasons and its different schools and lineages.

This special day is a sanctuary for all things deep rest, where we experience 5 different schools of yoga nidra, find out more about the practice and nourish ourselves on every level. Not to be missed! This is a requirement for anyone wishing to do Wildsong Nidra Facilitator training x

Upcoming:
Saturday 6 Sept 10am - 5.30pm Wildsong Yoga Nidra Immersion

£95

Booking 6 Sept opens soon

Wildsong Nidra 50 hour Facilitator training

Online Immersion