Yoga Nidra for burnout

What burnout is

The World Health Organization describes burnout as the result of chronic workplace stress that hasn't been successfully managed. It has three parts: exhaustion, growing distance or cynicism toward your work, and a sense that you're no longer effective at it.^[1] It's not classified as a medical condition. It's a signal that the load has been too heavy for too long.

That matters, because it means burnout isn't a personal failing. It also means rest alone won't fix a situation that keeps depleting you. Workload, boundaries and support matter too.

Where Yoga Nidra helps

What rest can do is give your nervous system a way back down. People with burnout often describe being "tired but wired": exhausted, yet unable to stop scanning for the next demand.

It takes the controls offlineBrain imaging shows reduced activity during Yoga Nidra in the regions that handle planning, decisions and control, which are the parts burnout overworks.^[2]
It slows the body downYoga Nidra measurably slows breathing,^[3] one of the most direct routes from stress toward rest.
It asks nothing of youThere's no performance, no progress to track and nothing to get right. For people who've been performing all day, that's the point.
It fits in a workdayTen to twenty minutes in the afternoon is enough for a reset. Andrew Huberman’s NSDR protocols, a secular version of the same practice, come in 10- and 20-minute lengths for exactly this reason.^[4]

For schools, teams and organisations

Before I taught rest, I spent years in strategic communications, including three years advising leaders across 25 school districts. I watched good people burn out from the inside. Rest works best when an organisation makes room for it instead of leaving it to each person to squeeze in.

I offer short Yoga Nidra sessions for teams, online or on-site, of 30 to 40 minutes, designed as a series rather than a one-off. No yoga experience or equipment is needed, and people can take part at their desks.

Ask about team sessions

Burnout can overlap with depression and anxiety. If the exhaustion comes with hopelessness, or has lasted for months, please talk with a doctor or therapist as well.

Sources

World Health Organization. Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases. 28 May 2019. who.int
Kjaer TW, Bertelsen C, Piccini P, Brooks D, Alving J, Lou HC. Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness. Cognitive Brain Research. 2002;13(2):255–259. PubMed
Sharpe E, Butler MP, Clark-Stone J, et al. A closer look at Yoga Nidra: early randomized sleep lab investigations. Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2023;166:111169. Full text
Huberman Lab. Dr. Andrew Huberman’s guide to NSDR. hubermanlab.com/nsdr

Practice with me

Rest together, once a week

A live Yoga Nidra session on Google Meet, every Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern. It's free while it's getting started. Book a spot and the link comes to your inbox.

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