Yog Nidra means sleeping in a fully conscious and aware state. Unlike routine sleep which activates motor regions of the brain and lulls the conscious, this practice actively connects your neural system with the somatic (physical) aspect of the body at a very deep level.
Yog Nidra is a guided meditation that you practice comfortably lying down on your back. As your consciousness travels across the length of the body, you experience the emotions tied up in each tissue and organ and feel the respective sensations as the energy in the form of tension is released. This leads to a profound relaxation and elimination of the harmful effects of stress in the body.
Yog Nidra harmonizes the two hemispheres of the brain as well as the sympathetic and parasympathetic functions of the Autonomous Nervous System. It leads to the release of chronic stress, restful sleep, and a general sense of well being accompanied by harmony in your daily life and relationships.
The technique of Yog Nidra especially targets the slight distresses wreaked upon the thousands of minor tissues that respond to emotional states with mechanical or chemical action. Regular practice returns these otherwise ignored tissues to health. Otherwise, the accumulation of stresses over time overwhelms the tissue, the organ or the system and leads to chronic (and unexplained) pain, loss of function and disease.