When a Student Falls Asleep In Yin Yoga

posted in: Yin Yoga Podcast 0
This weeks topic is about an awkward aspect of teaching Yoga: managing students who occasionally drift off to sleep during Yin Yoga class.

The Honourable Snore: A Teacher’s Evolution

In my early years teaching Iyengar-influenced Yoga, I was instructed that the final stillness practice, known as Savasana, was not a time for sleeping. My initial approach was to wake students gently, but as time progressed, my understanding evolved.

I Experienced A Revelation

witnessing my students in their restful state was a moment of beauty and gratitude. I realized that if someone felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in my class, it was an honor and a testament to the safe space we created together. It’s a reminder that yoga is a personal journey where physical rest can sometimes be the most important gift.

Sleep in Yoga: When It Becomes a Snore-fest

Of course, not all classes are smooth sailing when there’s a ‘snore bear’ in the room. While I cherish the tranquility of restful students, sometimes their snores can disrupt the harmony for others.

Here Are Some Tips To manage These Situations:

  1. Gentle Redirection: Initially, I’ll direct my voice towards the sleeper, which often subtly nudges them awake.
  2. Close Proximity: If they’re still adrift, I gently walk closer and continue speaking softly.
  3. Tactile Awakening: As a last resort, a light tap on their foot usually suffices.

However, my goal is not to disturb unless absolutely necessary. It’s about balancing the class’s needs while respecting each student’s individual journey.

Addressing Chronic Sleepers with Care

One memorable student regularly nodded off during poses—not just in Shavasana. With compassion, I approached him post-class and suggested alternative positions, such as laying on his side, to help mitigate snoring without disrupting his needed rest. Despite the strategies and conversations, such instances remind me that fostering a conducive learning environment sometimes requires tough decisions for the benefit of the group.

A Call to Fellow Teachers

I’d love to hear from other Yoga teachers about how you handle sleepers in your classes. Each experience is unique, and by sharing, we can learn from each other. Whether you leave a comment below, message me on Instagram, or reach out through my website, let’s keep the dialogue going.

Wrapping it  Up

Ultimately, what’s most important is ensuring that our students feel safe, relaxed, and peaceful in their practice, whatever form that takes even if it includes a little snooze.

Before you leave, if you enjoy this podcast, please consider leaving a review or sharing it on social media to help other Yin Yoga lovers find us.

A heartfelt thank you to my listeners for being part of this journey, and remember to always embrace each Yoga practice.

Until next time, may you be well, content, at peace, and free.

When A Student Falls Asleep – Listen

When A Student Falls Asleep – Watch

When A Student Falls Asleep – Read

WEBVTT

1
00:00:01.110 –> 00:00:05.550
Nyk Danu Yoga: Hi, Yennies, welcome to a yin Yoga. Podcast

2
00:00:05.750 –> 00:00:08.159
Nyk Danu Yoga: if you are new around these parts, welcome.

3
00:00:08.330 –> 00:00:11.109
Nyk Danu Yoga: If you are a familiar welcome back.

4
00:00:11.830 –> 00:00:13.810
Nyk Danu Yoga: happy to have you with me again.

5
00:00:14.683 –> 00:00:20.689
Nyk Danu Yoga: Today’s topic that we’re going to talk about is, what do we do when our students fall asleep?

6
00:00:21.640 –> 00:00:22.970
Nyk Danu Yoga: This was a question.

7
00:00:23.200 –> 00:00:43.880
Nyk Danu Yoga: Somebody asked to be covered on the pod. So what do we do when our students fall asleep? So you’re teaching your yin Yoga class, and your student falls asleep. What the heck do we do? So I’m going to share more on my experience and also my journey on that, because it’s definitely changed from when I 1st started teaching Yoga until now, and may evolve further still. Who knows?

8
00:00:44.363 –> 00:00:48.329
Nyk Danu Yoga: We’ll get into that in just a moment. But before we do, my friends.

9
00:00:48.860 –> 00:01:09.800
Nyk Danu Yoga: please do me a solid if you are not new around here. So if you’ve been coming back week after week, and you’ve been getting a lot out of this podcast and you’ve been benefiting from the content I’m sharing. Would you please, please pretty, please, if you have not already do one or all of the following things, number one, make sure that you are subscribed or following the show.

10
00:01:10.060 –> 00:01:20.810
Nyk Danu Yoga: So how you do this. If you are on Youtube, you just go below this video and hit subscribe, click the little notification bell. So that Youtube tells you when the new episode goes, live.

11
00:01:21.190 –> 00:01:22.820
Nyk Danu Yoga: if you are

12
00:01:23.100 –> 00:01:36.909
Nyk Danu Yoga: on apple, you would type in a yin yoga podcast and then, once you’re on the latest episode, you go up to the top and there’s the little dot dot dots click that scroll down and there’s a follow show.

13
00:01:37.640 –> 00:01:49.789
Nyk Danu Yoga: If you are on spotify you, just search out the show again and then click on it. And when you see the sort of most recent episode right under the picture, there’s a button that says Follow.

14
00:01:50.100 –> 00:01:57.409
Nyk Danu Yoga: she could click that. So please make sure, my friends, if you have been loving this, podcast, that you don’t

15
00:01:57.510 –> 00:02:03.710
Nyk Danu Yoga: miss an episode, so click, subscribe, or follow on any of those things okay.

16
00:02:04.820 –> 00:02:10.759
Nyk Danu Yoga: And then, if you are, I’ve already done that. If you’re like. I’ve already subscribed. I’m following.

17
00:02:11.000 –> 00:02:25.720
Nyk Danu Yoga: Then you could do me the service if you have not already of giving me a 5 star review. So on spotify. It’s just stars, bloop, bloop, bloop on apple. You could do stars and or a written review. Both would be amazing. I’d love to get

18
00:02:25.900 –> 00:02:34.460
Nyk Danu Yoga: the 5 stars. But then also, I’d love to hear about how the podcast has been helping you, especially for those of you that are teachers. I’d love to know

19
00:02:35.175 –> 00:02:51.109
Nyk Danu Yoga: on spotify. Now, you can leave a comment under an episode. So you can’t leave like a review written for the podcast in general overarching. But you can leave me some feedback on an episode. If you’re listening to it, you can add comments so that would be lovely.

20
00:02:51.220 –> 00:02:54.270
Nyk Danu Yoga: And then on Youtube, of course, you can leave a comment.

21
00:02:54.690 –> 00:03:02.100
Nyk Danu Yoga: So follow and then make sure that you have offered a review or a rating

22
00:03:02.410 –> 00:03:06.150
Nyk Danu Yoga: and left me some feedback. That would be amazing.

23
00:03:06.520 –> 00:03:29.290
Nyk Danu Yoga: And then, if you’re like, Yeah, Nick, I’ve already done all those things. Then would you do me the service of taking a screenshot of this episode, or your favorite, whichever, and sharing it in your Instagram stories or on your social media, and just make sure that you tag at Nick Danu Yoga, which is spelled NYKD. A. NU yoga.

24
00:03:29.600 –> 00:03:34.229
Nyk Danu Yoga: or at Yin Yoga, podcast so that I can share the love.

25
00:03:34.740 –> 00:03:47.549
Nyk Danu Yoga: the podcast as of when it hits September. So, depending on when you’re listening to this, you may we may not be there yet, or you may have already been there. Will be 2 years old. In September of 2025,

26
00:03:47.670 –> 00:03:53.060
Nyk Danu Yoga: and it still is kind of a baby. Podcast.

27
00:03:53.210 –> 00:03:54.200
Nyk Danu Yoga: I have

28
00:03:54.650 –> 00:04:10.139
Nyk Danu Yoga: managed to get over the hump of what a lot of podcasts do which you may not know if you’re not a podcaster, but more less than 2% of podcasts out there make it past like a few episodes or one season. So we’re doing good.

29
00:04:11.567 –> 00:04:18.230
Nyk Danu Yoga: but this still helps to get more, more people listening, more people to know about the podcast, I would be uber grateful for that.

30
00:04:19.149 –> 00:04:23.179
Nyk Danu Yoga: The last little favor I want to ask of you is, if you could please.

31
00:04:23.450 –> 00:04:26.489
Nyk Danu Yoga: in one of those places, or just on Instagram.

32
00:04:26.740 –> 00:04:38.520
Nyk Danu Yoga: please send me any thoughts, or questions, or quandaries, or conundrums, or conniptions, or confusions that you may have about Yin Yoga.

33
00:04:39.300 –> 00:04:45.190
Nyk Danu Yoga: one of my biggest fears with starting this podcast was that at some point, I would run out of

34
00:04:45.380 –> 00:04:51.179
Nyk Danu Yoga: podcast ideas. That’s still my biggest fear with the podcast is that at some point I’ll be like.

35
00:04:51.630 –> 00:04:56.269
Nyk Danu Yoga: I think I’ve said all I need to say about this practice.

36
00:04:56.500 –> 00:05:08.699
Nyk Danu Yoga: And it’s so much easier if you have a more generic Yoga podcast like that’s just Yoga, because there’s so many more avenues. But because I wanted to keep this niche just for us. Yin yoga geeks

37
00:05:09.100 –> 00:05:35.839
Nyk Danu Yoga: it does narrow down the topics. So if you have something that comes up in your class that you don’t know how to deal with, or a confusion, or a question, or a conundrum, or even a conniption, something that you’ve got a little bugaboo about. You know something that’s happening in the the yen world. Please let me know. You can send me an email if you’d like, on my website, or probably better, if you’re on Instagram is just send it via Instagram

38
00:05:36.212 –> 00:05:46.929
Nyk Danu Yoga: and let me know, or in the comments you could let me know in the comments below this episode. Or video, if you’re watching the video and let me know what you would like me to cover.

39
00:05:47.610 –> 00:06:08.510
Nyk Danu Yoga: Okay, that’s enough. Preamble right? Oh, one last thing to remind you of. If you are new around here, and you don’t know this, that I have the soul of a mermaid, but also the mouth of a sailor. And so you can expect that this podcast will cover adult subject matter, and I will use adult language. So if you have small ones around, grab some headphones. Now.

40
00:06:08.650 –> 00:06:13.690
Nyk Danu Yoga: if you’re offended by swearing, well, this probably just isn’t the podcast for you

41
00:06:14.320 –> 00:06:19.070
Nyk Danu Yoga: okay, friends, let’s get into today’s topic. What do you do

42
00:06:19.930 –> 00:06:23.800
Nyk Danu Yoga: when students fall asleep in your Yin Yoga classes?

43
00:06:25.070 –> 00:06:26.160
Nyk Danu Yoga: Story time.

44
00:06:26.370 –> 00:06:34.999
Nyk Danu Yoga: So I want to rewind way back to 2,004, 2,005 when I was brand new teacher.

45
00:06:36.410 –> 00:06:40.870
Nyk Danu Yoga: and how I would have handled the sleeping thing then compared to now.

46
00:06:41.270 –> 00:06:59.250
Nyk Danu Yoga: First, st I want to mention in my very 1st teacher training, which was Ayangar, influenced, infused whatever you want to call it. All Ayungar teachers were teaching it, but it wasn’t an Iyangara certification program. So we weren’t getting a wide perspective of different styles of Yoga. It was very much Ayangar.

47
00:06:59.570 –> 00:07:09.889
Nyk Danu Yoga: and the one of the principal teachers. I remember her saying, I remember this very clearly, that Shavasan or our final stillness practice is not her sleeping.

48
00:07:10.140 –> 00:07:12.510
Nyk Danu Yoga: That is not a time for people to be sleeping.

49
00:07:12.680 –> 00:07:32.470
Nyk Danu Yoga: that Shavasan has its own, you know magical unicorn superpowers, and sleep has its own, and they should not be mixed. And so we were told that if our students fall asleep in Shavasan, that we should try to gently wake them, whether that’s with our voice, or maybe even by a little gentle touch.

50
00:07:33.320 –> 00:07:39.290
Nyk Danu Yoga: So I for the 1st few years, because I was not independent thinking.

51
00:07:39.510 –> 00:07:48.289
Nyk Danu Yoga: For the 1st few years I had very much bought the Iongar Kool-aid, and I was a new teacher, so of course, I was just doing what my teachers said.

52
00:07:48.845 –> 00:07:52.400
Nyk Danu Yoga: So for the 1st couple of years I did not

53
00:07:52.918 –> 00:07:55.499
Nyk Danu Yoga: let people fall asleep in my class.

54
00:07:55.650 –> 00:08:03.150
Nyk Danu Yoga: I would either direct my voice in their direction, or I would stand up, or I would just gently go and kind of nudge their hand with my hand.

55
00:08:06.740 –> 00:08:12.239
Nyk Danu Yoga: That is not what I do anymore. I’ll explain a bit more about how this journey has progressed with me.

56
00:08:12.730 –> 00:08:29.079
Nyk Danu Yoga: So I did that for a few years, and then I don’t know when it shifted like sometimes in your life you can. You can find like a day, a moment in time where you had an Aha! And everything changed. I cannot with this, but I do know. At some point

57
00:08:31.110 –> 00:08:34.309
Nyk Danu Yoga: I shifted from being mildly irritated

58
00:08:34.679 –> 00:08:39.400
Nyk Danu Yoga: that people didn’t understand what Shavasan was for, and why were they sleeping?

59
00:08:40.062 –> 00:08:47.700
Nyk Danu Yoga: You know that happening to feeling completely honored when someone fell asleep in my class.

60
00:08:49.040 –> 00:08:54.820
Nyk Danu Yoga: and I don’t remember exactly the key moment as I mentioned. But I do remember this

61
00:08:54.990 –> 00:08:59.900
Nyk Danu Yoga: sitting in front of my students one day.

62
00:09:00.170 –> 00:09:15.909
Nyk Danu Yoga: and it hadn’t really hit me before. But for this this day and every every time, every time, ever since, every time I sit there, and I briefly guide my students with my voice, and they’re in their final stillness. And then I move into silence. This still hits me every single time now.

63
00:09:16.490 –> 00:09:21.409
Nyk Danu Yoga: but it hadn’t initially. But one day, all of a sudden, I’m sitting there.

64
00:09:21.600 –> 00:09:25.269
Nyk Danu Yoga: Everybody’s in their final stillness practice, and I’m watching them

65
00:09:26.380 –> 00:09:36.570
Nyk Danu Yoga: just kind of glancing around the room. And you know, looking out the window at the tree, and then glancing at the room again. And all of a sudden this overwhelming

66
00:09:37.130 –> 00:09:43.750
Nyk Danu Yoga: feeling of gratitude. But that almost, isn’t it?

67
00:09:44.140 –> 00:09:49.090
Nyk Danu Yoga: I was completely overwhelmed with the

68
00:09:49.490 –> 00:09:53.750
Nyk Danu Yoga: beauty of that moment and the gratitude that I felt

69
00:09:54.320 –> 00:09:58.479
Nyk Danu Yoga: when I was looking at my students. And I just thought, Oh, my God!

70
00:09:59.110 –> 00:10:01.740
Nyk Danu Yoga: There’s a room full of people right now

71
00:10:02.130 –> 00:10:04.920
Nyk Danu Yoga: that feel comfortable enough with me

72
00:10:05.290 –> 00:10:08.320
Nyk Danu Yoga: to lay down on a hard floor

73
00:10:08.550 –> 00:10:10.510
Nyk Danu Yoga: and close their eyes and relax

74
00:10:11.240 –> 00:10:14.230
Nyk Danu Yoga: like what a gift that is

75
00:10:14.920 –> 00:10:20.409
Nyk Danu Yoga: to be able to guide people and then have them feel so comfortable with you

76
00:10:20.610 –> 00:10:28.439
Nyk Danu Yoga: that they can lay down on the floor, close their eyes and relax. So I remember that shift, and I just remember feeling literally moved to tears.

77
00:10:28.610 –> 00:10:43.390
Nyk Danu Yoga: And then, of course, right afterwards, thinking I have the best fucking job I have the best job and so that kind of was the beginning of the turn of how I started to feel about my rigidness around Shavasan.

78
00:10:43.650 –> 00:10:55.019
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now I will talk about other instances where people fall asleep in class other than Shavasan. But the reason I’m talking about the final stillness. Sleepiness 1st is because that’s where it happens most often.

79
00:10:55.180 –> 00:10:57.130
Nyk Danu Yoga: but we’ll get to some other ones as well.

80
00:10:58.300 –> 00:10:59.170
Nyk Danu Yoga: So

81
00:11:00.910 –> 00:11:13.849
Nyk Danu Yoga: utter gratitude, and being moved to tears at the fact that these people not only felt comfortable enough with me to lay on the hard floor, close their eyes, and relax, but that they did so repeatedly.

82
00:11:13.960 –> 00:11:19.959
Nyk Danu Yoga: You know I teach mostly registered semesters, and that these people came back and did this every week with me.

83
00:11:20.290 –> 00:11:22.000
Nyk Danu Yoga: I just remember being

84
00:11:22.400 –> 00:11:30.579
Nyk Danu Yoga: overwhelmed by the honor and the gratitude of that situation, and some of you that are teachers have probably experienced that moment where you

85
00:11:30.700 –> 00:11:37.119
Nyk Danu Yoga: you’ve led a really great class, and you sit at the front of the room and you just look around at everybody, and you get that overwhelming feeling of

86
00:11:37.480 –> 00:11:40.410
Nyk Danu Yoga: wow like this is magic.

87
00:11:41.080 –> 00:11:49.270
Nyk Danu Yoga: So that shifted 1.st 1st I started viewing Shavasan as magic time, and then

88
00:11:50.190 –> 00:11:52.370
Nyk Danu Yoga: I don’t know when it changed.

89
00:11:52.630 –> 00:11:56.930
Nyk Danu Yoga: and I don’t know what sparked it, but there was a day where I taught my class.

90
00:11:57.550 –> 00:12:03.209
Nyk Danu Yoga: and I became aware that somebody had fallen asleep in final stillness practice.

91
00:12:03.750 –> 00:12:09.920
Nyk Danu Yoga: But where? I didn’t think this isn’t a pose for sleeping like we’re not supposed to be sleeping here.

92
00:12:10.380 –> 00:12:14.270
Nyk Danu Yoga: That didn’t come into my mind. Instead, I just thought

93
00:12:14.640 –> 00:12:22.989
Nyk Danu Yoga: God. If you can come into a room and feel safe enough with me to lay on a hard floor and fall asleep like you must really need that sleep

94
00:12:23.500 –> 00:12:28.550
Nyk Danu Yoga: that in that moment what that student needed was sleep.

95
00:12:28.880 –> 00:12:31.560
Nyk Danu Yoga: And so I just started letting people sleep.

96
00:12:32.270 –> 00:12:41.499
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now there’s other instances where sleep happens. I’ll talk a bit about those in a moment, and then there’s also, of course, sometimes we do have to step in

97
00:12:41.740 –> 00:12:44.920
Nyk Danu Yoga: when someone’s sleeping. How do we do that skillfully.

98
00:12:45.190 –> 00:12:59.690
Nyk Danu Yoga: and I fully admit and acknowledge that you know, 3 years from now I might listen back to this episode and be like that is not at all how I’d handle it now, because there’s been a transition from the beginning of my teaching until now. And so this may continue to evolve.

99
00:12:59.850 –> 00:13:03.419
Nyk Danu Yoga: But what happens now is what I’ll talk about

100
00:13:04.690 –> 00:13:10.940
Nyk Danu Yoga: most of the time. Currently, when my students fall asleep, they either fall asleep in

101
00:13:11.140 –> 00:13:24.300
Nyk Danu Yoga: Shavasan. Our final stillness practice, or I do have a class where I offer Yoga Nidra at the end, and sleep can often happen in Yoga Nidra. And again in Yoga Nidra. We’re not trying to

102
00:13:24.490 –> 00:13:28.950
Nyk Danu Yoga: fall asleep. That’s not the point, but sleep often happens.

103
00:13:29.440 –> 00:13:36.840
Nyk Danu Yoga: So here’s how I preface that when it comes to Nidra time, because that’s where it happens the most often.

104
00:13:37.230 –> 00:13:46.689
Nyk Danu Yoga: 1st of all, I mentioned that at the beginning of class I say that you know the point of this practice isn’t to fall asleep, but that sometimes sleep happens.

105
00:13:47.150 –> 00:13:54.159
Nyk Danu Yoga: and then if they’re just quietly sleeping away, or they’re just doing little kitten snores, I’m just going to let them sleep until the end. I’m not going to wake them up.

106
00:13:55.000 –> 00:14:02.400
Nyk Danu Yoga: If, however, those kitten snores turn into them fully sawing logs like loud snores, like the kind I do.

107
00:14:02.760 –> 00:14:16.539
Nyk Danu Yoga: which is why I don’t do public Yoga Nidra practices. If that snoring becomes really loud to the point where it’s now disrupting the rest of the group. Then I will bring them back. And so I tell them this at the beginning.

108
00:14:16.770 –> 00:14:20.099
Nyk Danu Yoga: If you’re just sleeping quietly, or those little kitten snores.

109
00:14:20.220 –> 00:14:44.370
Nyk Danu Yoga: nothing will happen. If, however, you start sawing logs, the 1st thing I do is I turn my voice in their direction. So wherever that student is in the room. I just turn my head so that I’m speaking more directly to them as I guide. I’m not changing my words. I’m just changing my orientation of my face, so that my words are coming more towards them sometimes. That’s enough to bring people back.

110
00:14:45.400 –> 00:15:07.939
Nyk Danu Yoga: If that doesn’t work, then you may hear me walking around the room. Now I do teach in a trauma, informed way, which is why I would never just walk around the room without telling people that I’m going to walk around the room. So then I say, the second clue I give them is if that doesn’t work me directing my voice to you that doesn’t work. Then I’m going to walk around the room.

111
00:15:08.170 –> 00:15:15.520
Nyk Danu Yoga: So if you are not asleep ever in Yoga Nidra, and you hear my voice traveling around the room. It’s because someone near you has fallen asleep

112
00:15:16.700 –> 00:15:30.910
Nyk Danu Yoga: sometimes just moving closer to the person with your voice and continuing, I’m not again. I’m not stopping my Yoga Nidra script I’m continuing. I’m just moving to nearer to where they are. Sometimes that will bring them back.

113
00:15:32.340 –> 00:15:59.540
Nyk Danu Yoga: sometimes even that doesn’t work. And so then I tell, and all of this is addressed at the beginning. So they all know that this could happen if it still doesn’t work. They’re sawing logs. I’ve tried to direct my voice towards them. I’ve gotten up and moved around the space and come closer to them, and they’re still just like snoring away. Then I will touch their foot with my foot as a way to bring them back, so just give their foot a little tap, tap with my foot, and most of the time that’ll bring them back.

114
00:15:59.750 –> 00:16:02.460
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now there are people that are just

115
00:16:02.660 –> 00:16:09.190
Nyk Danu Yoga: chronically exhausted and chronic snores, and so they were all there. I used to teach one

116
00:16:09.720 –> 00:16:13.830
Nyk Danu Yoga: one person who would almost always fall asleep in Yoga Nidra

117
00:16:14.548 –> 00:16:20.599
Nyk Danu Yoga: and so I just suggested to them that maybe they chose to lay on their side.

118
00:16:20.930 –> 00:16:33.509
Nyk Danu Yoga: but that might address the snoring part doesn’t address the sleep part, because I’m not in their house. I can’t make them go to bed early. I have no idea why they’re not sleeping. They could have a young child, they could have anxiety, they could have insomnia. I have no idea.

119
00:16:33.790 –> 00:16:41.109
Nyk Danu Yoga: So I just get them to perhaps choose lying on their side instead of their back, and that usually fixes it for most people.

120
00:16:44.060 –> 00:16:50.979
Nyk Danu Yoga: I do have a story about a gentleman that used to come to a studio that I taught at.

121
00:16:51.270 –> 00:16:52.410
Nyk Danu Yoga: and

122
00:16:52.710 –> 00:17:06.000
Nyk Danu Yoga: he snored, really loud and really quick like it wasn’t even Yoga Nidra. Sometimes we’d even just be doing a couple shapes on our back, and he would fall asleep, and he would snore like so loud

123
00:17:06.170 –> 00:17:08.758
Nyk Danu Yoga: that he was disrupting the group.

124
00:17:09.819 –> 00:17:37.390
Nyk Danu Yoga: And I really struggled with that particular individual because I would do everything I just mentioned, so I’d kind of get up, and I would, you know, bring my voice closer. That’ll that never worked with him. The only thing that worked is, if I kind of tapped my foot on his foot, or kind of just brought my hand to his shoulder and give him a little little shake to bring him back. But the problem was in the amount of time it took me to get back to my mat and sit my butt back down again. He’d be out again and snoring like crazy

125
00:17:37.875 –> 00:17:44.600
Nyk Danu Yoga: and so I would have to do it again and again, and it was visibly disruptive to the rest of the group.

126
00:17:46.470 –> 00:17:47.981
Nyk Danu Yoga: You know they would.

127
00:17:48.800 –> 00:17:53.920
Nyk Danu Yoga: that would. People would be like looking at him and sitting up and like it because it was very loud.

128
00:17:54.290 –> 00:18:02.959
Nyk Danu Yoga: So then I thought, okay, how else can I coach this gentleman so that maybe his rest isn’t disturbing everybody else?

129
00:18:03.667 –> 00:18:09.140
Nyk Danu Yoga: And I did ask if to the whole group that, you know. If you

130
00:18:09.420 –> 00:18:23.080
Nyk Danu Yoga: tend to snore. And, Shavasan, please lie on your side, which worked for Shavasan. But he was falling asleep in like, okay, we’re winding class down. We’re going to do a long held lying twist, and he’d fall asleep. So it only worked

131
00:18:23.390 –> 00:18:26.639
Nyk Danu Yoga: in the final stillness practice. It didn’t work otherwise.

132
00:18:27.030 –> 00:18:37.130
Nyk Danu Yoga: So we were back to the drawing board, and then I at 1 point took him aside after class

133
00:18:37.280 –> 00:18:45.460
Nyk Danu Yoga: and asked him if he would be willing to explore, keeping his eyes open during practice.

134
00:18:45.910 –> 00:18:51.900
Nyk Danu Yoga: and then, when he was in Shavasan, lying on his side. Now I don’t think that this gentleman knew

135
00:18:52.000 –> 00:19:06.180
Nyk Danu Yoga: how quickly he fell asleep and snored, and also how loud it was like I I do think, and and I know this for myself. I’m a snorer all out myself, and you know, if you were to listen to my partner. Apparently earthquakes are happening when I’m snoring.

136
00:19:06.471 –> 00:19:27.438
Nyk Danu Yoga: But I don’t hear it when I’m snoring, so I fully know what it’s like to like fall asleep, start snoring, and not even know you’re snoring. So I get that he probably wouldn’t have, even even if I was mentioning all these cues. Generally speaking, to the whole group, he probably wasn’t getting that. I was talking to him. So eventually I did take him aside, and I said, You know,

137
00:19:28.070 –> 00:19:43.429
Nyk Danu Yoga: you know that you’re falling asleep, and you know that’s fine. You probably really need the rest. But that the snoring is is kind of a lot. And so I suggested to him that he lie on his side for his final stillness practice, which he did, and that did improve it.

138
00:19:43.750 –> 00:20:00.059
Nyk Danu Yoga: And then I also suggested, when you’re in poses where you’re lying on your back, keep your eyes open instead of closing your eyes. Now, I wouldn’t normally coach that I would actually normally invite people to close their eyes so that they can have more of an awareness of what’s happening inside of them.

139
00:20:01.077 –> 00:20:07.750
Nyk Danu Yoga: You know, introception being able to see, see and feel their inner landscape. But with him

140
00:20:07.890 –> 00:20:20.150
Nyk Danu Yoga: the snoring was really a lot, and so I asked if he would mind keeping his eyes open, and maybe finding a spot on the floor or the ceiling to kind of fix his gaze onto softly in a soft way, not a really rigid way.

141
00:20:20.940 –> 00:20:23.649
Nyk Danu Yoga: and I never saw him again.

142
00:20:24.550 –> 00:20:27.820
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now. Maybe it was the conversation I had with him.

143
00:20:28.120 –> 00:20:35.589
Nyk Danu Yoga: or maybe not. I mean, I know that every teacher dealt with this gentleman and his snoring. It was. It was kind of a big, big thing.

144
00:20:35.700 –> 00:20:43.819
Nyk Danu Yoga: Many of us struggled with like, what do we do about this? So I never saw him again, and I don’t know again. If that had anything to do with me

145
00:20:43.940 –> 00:20:52.068
Nyk Danu Yoga: and the conversation. About, you know the snoring potentially, just keeping his eyes open.

146
00:20:52.670 –> 00:20:58.459
Nyk Danu Yoga: I never saw him again. I never saw him come and try to keep his eyes open. I just didn’t see him again.

147
00:20:59.380 –> 00:21:03.480
Nyk Danu Yoga: which kind of sucks, but also at the same time.

148
00:21:03.700 –> 00:21:31.639
Nyk Danu Yoga: when you’re leading a group. You have to think about what is the best for the many, not for the the one so I wish I would have had a solution other than that I also had tried to get you can do Shavasan at a wall, and I had suggested that, in addition to laying on the side, but once he started laying on his side. He wasn’t snoring in Shavasan, so it wasn’t Shavasan. That was the problem. It was anytime. He lied down for a few moments in a pose. So if we’re doing like

149
00:21:31.880 –> 00:21:46.090
Nyk Danu Yoga: what’s sometimes called figure 4, it’s I learned it as keyhole, you know, sort of like a lying down version of Swan pose. He would fall asleep. If we were doing a twist he would fall asleep. It’s like anytime. He was on his back, he fell asleep and started snoring. So

150
00:21:46.740 –> 00:21:48.590
Nyk Danu Yoga: it was. It was. It was tricky.

151
00:21:49.124 –> 00:22:09.319
Nyk Danu Yoga: Had he come back and been willing to explore the eyes open thing. If that still didn’t make a difference, I probably would have started giving him wall versions of the lying down versions that we were doing so, instead of laying, you know, flat on the floor and keyhole, maybe bringing your back to the wall

152
00:22:09.610 –> 00:22:19.639
Nyk Danu Yoga: and crossing one leg over, seated upright, and walk your foot in, so that he’s more upright and alert. That’s where I would have gone next. So had he come back

153
00:22:19.820 –> 00:22:22.589
Nyk Danu Yoga: and explored, keeping his eyes open

154
00:22:22.967 –> 00:22:27.510
Nyk Danu Yoga: if that still didn’t work, if he just kept falling asleep, then I would start turning his

155
00:22:27.830 –> 00:22:35.799
Nyk Danu Yoga: floor into the wall or his wall instead of the floor, and I’ve done that with another student that I had.

156
00:22:36.640 –> 00:22:41.970
Nyk Danu Yoga: who had a a pulmonary condition, and so she couldn’t lay down without coughing. Stuff up.

157
00:22:42.394 –> 00:23:05.160
Nyk Danu Yoga: I think I’ve probably talked about her in another episode, but if I haven’t she can’t lay down without coughing stuff up, and this is before Covid. But you know she would get lots of dirty looks and people assuming that she’s sick and that she’s bringing her cooties to class. But she’s not sick. It’s a chronic lung condition. It’s not a contagious thing. And so that was a really tricky spot, too, to be like, how do I balance out

158
00:23:05.270 –> 00:23:07.440
Nyk Danu Yoga: welcoming her and

159
00:23:07.630 –> 00:23:19.980
Nyk Danu Yoga: guiding this practice for her, but also be aware of the rest of the group. And so I started getting her to use the wall as her floor, so anything I would do flat on the floor. I would get her to lean against the wall.

160
00:23:20.120 –> 00:23:31.700
Nyk Danu Yoga: and that worked brilliantly. So that’s probably where I would have gone next with this gentleman is, let’s use the wall and stay upright in these shapes as much as possible.

161
00:23:32.209 –> 00:23:37.900
Nyk Danu Yoga: Just to keep him from falling asleep and snoring. And again, it wasn’t the sleeping. That was the problem.

162
00:23:38.640 –> 00:23:46.359
Nyk Danu Yoga: It was all the snoring, and it was real loud, and it was real disruptive, and you know he was getting lots of dirty looks that he didn’t know about.

163
00:23:46.770 –> 00:23:53.200
Nyk Danu Yoga: And so that’s kind of my story. About the time that I did not manage to successfully deal with somebody who falls asleep.

164
00:23:53.850 –> 00:23:58.250
Nyk Danu Yoga: I would love to know from others what they’ve done, you know.

165
00:23:58.670 –> 00:24:03.870
Nyk Danu Yoga: for those real loud snores and those instantaneous sleepers. That’s tricky.

166
00:24:06.710 –> 00:24:14.609
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now I myself know that I’m a snore, and that if I go to a public Yoga Nidra class, if I like the teacher’s voice at all. I’ll be out.

167
00:24:14.790 –> 00:24:25.830
Nyk Danu Yoga: and there is a state where you can start snoring where you’re not even completely asleep yet, and so I just fix that by not going to public Yoga Nidra classes, because I don’t want to disrupt the rest of the group

168
00:24:26.220 –> 00:24:27.680
Nyk Danu Yoga: with me selling logs.

169
00:24:28.060 –> 00:24:41.469
Nyk Danu Yoga: but not everybody is so self-aware, or even aware that they do snore. If I was single and didn’t have a partner that told me I snore like crazy. I might not know. I might go to a class and start to fall asleep and snore, and have no idea.

170
00:24:43.100 –> 00:24:44.030
Nyk Danu Yoga: So

171
00:24:44.550 –> 00:24:57.230
Nyk Danu Yoga: the other instance and this happens very rarely again is that somebody falls asleep while they’re in a yin yoga pose. They’re not necessarily snoring. But you just you know you’ve brought everybody else out, and they’re still there.

172
00:24:57.370 –> 00:25:06.939
Nyk Danu Yoga: and they’re still there, and they’re still there, and they’re still there. What do we do with that? Provided it doesn’t look like they’re injuring themselves again. I just let them be.

173
00:25:07.590 –> 00:25:14.749
Nyk Danu Yoga: if someone’s, you know, in a lying twist, and they’re so tired that they fall asleep in that lying twist.

174
00:25:14.930 –> 00:25:16.520
Nyk Danu Yoga: They’ll come out eventually.

175
00:25:17.575 –> 00:25:33.289
Nyk Danu Yoga: Now, obviously, if we were getting ready for our final stillness practice like, if they missed the whole rest of the class, I might go over, and just kind of gently tap their foot with my foot to bring them back. But if you know, if they’re part way through class, and they fall asleep in a pose. I just let them sleep.

176
00:25:33.750 –> 00:25:39.450
Nyk Danu Yoga: If they get that uncomfortable. If there’s something going wrong in their body they’ll wake up, they’ll feel it, and they’ll wake up.

177
00:25:41.030 –> 00:25:43.610
Nyk Danu Yoga: But yeah, I just let them sleep. I just figure

178
00:25:44.140 –> 00:25:49.740
Nyk Danu Yoga: sometimes we what we need more in a Yoga class, especially a Yin class.

179
00:25:50.260 –> 00:25:55.390
Nyk Danu Yoga: is permission to rest. Sometimes we need that more than the hamstring stretch.

180
00:25:55.670 –> 00:26:01.150
Nyk Danu Yoga: and maybe somebody’s got a life where they don’t have opportunities to rest

181
00:26:01.620 –> 00:26:22.239
Nyk Danu Yoga: deeply, or they don’t give themselves permission, maybe to rest, you know, like I know, for example, I have a student who’s got a toddler, and the reason that she she is adamant about coming live to class in person and not on zoom is because she cannot do Yoga at home with the toddler and actually experience rest.

182
00:26:22.420 –> 00:26:42.909
Nyk Danu Yoga: So Toddler stays home with Daddy. She drives to the Yoga class. She gets her yoga relaxation in, and then she gets to go home. And so sometimes, you know, people just have a lot going on, whether it’s small children, or maybe they’re caregiving for a loved one like a parent or both, or they just are in a stage in their life where they’re working more than they’re resting

183
00:26:43.000 –> 00:26:52.750
Nyk Danu Yoga: sometimes. That Yoga class, that yin class of mine might be the one opportunity in their week where they actually just lay on the floor

184
00:26:53.100 –> 00:26:56.640
Nyk Danu Yoga: and give themselves permission to rest.

185
00:26:57.360 –> 00:27:04.689
Nyk Danu Yoga: And if that’s the case. I certainly don’t want to take that away from them, and that sometimes sleep

186
00:27:04.950 –> 00:27:11.530
Nyk Danu Yoga: trumps the yoga, so I don’t know if anybody found this helpful or not.

187
00:27:12.190 –> 00:27:23.909
Nyk Danu Yoga: Again, if people fall asleep in my class unless they’re snoring like crazy, I just let them sleep. Whether they’re in a pose, whether it’s in the final stillness practice. Whether it’s in the class that I finished with Nidra.

188
00:27:24.060 –> 00:27:25.849
Nyk Danu Yoga: I just let them sleep. I just.

189
00:27:26.100 –> 00:27:27.650
Nyk Danu Yoga: I know they need the rest.

190
00:27:27.900 –> 00:27:28.810
Nyk Danu Yoga: And.

191
00:27:29.460 –> 00:27:40.570
Nyk Danu Yoga: more importantly than my vision of the class, or what I think should happen in the class, or you know ideally what should happen in the class more important than all of that is.

192
00:27:40.760 –> 00:27:44.040
Nyk Danu Yoga: do my students feel comfortable enough to come

193
00:27:44.420 –> 00:27:47.819
Nyk Danu Yoga: and lay on the floor? And do they feel safe enough

194
00:27:47.950 –> 00:27:50.479
Nyk Danu Yoga: to rest deeply in my presence.

195
00:27:50.860 –> 00:27:54.449
Nyk Danu Yoga: And if they do, and that deep rest turns into sleep.

196
00:27:55.100 –> 00:27:56.870
Nyk Danu Yoga: Yeah, it’s fine by me.

197
00:27:57.890 –> 00:28:06.839
Nyk Danu Yoga: All right, my friends, I think that’s enough. Talk about sleeping. And what do we do if students are sleeping, and how to address it? I would love to hear back from you

198
00:28:07.250 –> 00:28:11.949
Nyk Danu Yoga: those of you who are teachers. Have you had a snore bear in your class?

199
00:28:12.100 –> 00:28:26.289
Nyk Danu Yoga: How do you deal with it? I would love to hear your tips and tricks. Let’s keep this conversation going, because I’m sure you all have got some great nuggets that I never thought of. So if you’ve had somebody in your class who falls asleep and is snoring.

200
00:28:26.720 –> 00:28:27.850
Nyk Danu Yoga: What have you done

201
00:28:28.040 –> 00:28:36.570
Nyk Danu Yoga: to help with that? To balance the whole? I want you to get your rest, and yet other people are being disrupted by this, I would love to know.

202
00:28:36.630 –> 00:29:04.290
Nyk Danu Yoga: So let me know in the comments. If you’re watching this on Youtube, you can just leave it in the comments. If you’re on spotify, you can leave it in the comments. If you’re on Apple, you can send me a message on Instagram, just let me know. Or if you’re on my website, and you’re actually engaging with the content there, there’s comments there. So if you’re on the actual episode page on my blog below there are is an opportunity for comments. So let me know, dear teachers, what do you do

203
00:29:04.360 –> 00:29:05.890
Nyk Danu Yoga: when someone falls asleep?

204
00:29:06.150 –> 00:29:10.450
Nyk Danu Yoga: And what do you do when someone falls asleep and they’re totally snoring.

205
00:29:10.830 –> 00:29:13.489
Nyk Danu Yoga: Let’s all learn from each other, shall we?

206
00:29:13.850 –> 00:29:18.980
Nyk Danu Yoga: Okay, that’s it. For this week. I hope that you’re well, and until I see you next time.

207
00:29:19.180 –> 00:29:20.129
Nyk Danu Yoga: Bye, for now.

 

 

 

Want to support my work? Leave Me a Tip

 

To Join my Yin Yoga Classes on Zoom

To subscribe to my On-Demand Video Library:

Anatomy for Yoga with Paul Grilley

Hang Drum Music by Fred Westra 

See all episodes at a glance 



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *