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NSDR and yoga nidra apps for iPhone (2026): an honest guide

Where to do NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) or yoga nidra on an iPhone, and which apps give you sessions of different lengths, from Huberman's free 10, 20 and 30-minute recordings and Insight Timer's library to apps built only for it, plus the free 10-minute session in Everdust's Calm section. What each offers and costs, from its own App Store listing, by the maker of one of them.

Everdust's NSDR screen on iPad, a simulator capture: Saturn and its rings over a panel offering NSDR 10 min (free), 20 min and 30 min with a short line about each, a row of ambience choices with Night breeze selected, and a Begin button

For NSDR or yoga nidra on iPhone with sessions of different lengths, start with Insight Timer. It's free, and its library has NSDR and yoga nidra recordings from about ten minutes to well over half an hour, from many teachers. For a single app built only for this, Yoga Nidra - Deep Relaxation offers exactly 10, 20 and 30-minute sessions for a one-time $3.99, though it hasn't been updated since 2020. Yoga Nidra: Sleep Meditations, with sessions from about 3 to 42 minutes, and Drift (8 to 30) are newer, subscription-based choices. With no app at all, Andrew Huberman's own 10, 20 and 30-minute NSDR recordings are free on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify. Everdust, which I make, has a free 10-minute session and 20 and 30-minute ones with Everdust Plus.

I make Everdust, so read this with that in mind. Everdust is mostly a space app, NSDR is one part of its Calm section, and the apps built only for deep rest go much further. I've described every other app by what its own App Store listing says, checked on the US store on November 6, 2026. Listings and prices change, so check before you pay.

NSDR is for rest and relaxation. It isn't a treatment for any condition. If you're dealing with insomnia, anxiety or anything medical, talk to a doctor.

The short answer

  • Free, no app: Huberman's 10, 20 and 30-minute NSDR recordings.
  • Many teachers and lengths, free to start: Insight Timer.
  • Exactly 10, 20 and 30 minutes, pay once: Yoga Nidra - Deep Relaxation ($3.99), with a free Lite version that has the 10-minute session.
  • A current app built only for NSDR or yoga nidra: Yoga Nidra: Sleep Meditations, Drift, I AM Being or Humaya, all subscription-based.
  • NSDR inside an app you'd use for other things: Everdust's Calm section, 10 minutes free, 20 and 30 with Plus.

What NSDR is

NSDR stands for non-sleep deep rest, a term popularized by Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford, for practices that guide you into deep relaxation while you stay awake. The best known is yoga nidra, an old guided practice in which you lie still and move your attention through the body, usually with slow breathing. Most NSDR recordings follow that pattern: lie down, breathe slowly and follow a voice through a body scan for ten to thirty minutes.

So when you look for an NSDR app, a yoga nidra app does the same job. NSDR sessions tend to be plain and secular. Yoga nidra sessions often keep the traditional language, such as setting an intention.

Free, without an app: Huberman's recordings

Huberman Lab's NSDR page says Andrew Huberman has recorded 10, 20 and 30-minute NSDR protocols, free on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify, all narrated by him. The same page points to Kelly Boys, a mindfulness teacher who offers free NSDR sessions on her YouTube channel.

Pick it if you want to try NSDR before installing anything, at whatever length suits the day.

Insight Timer

Insight Timer by Insight Network Inc is a very large library of guided practices from many teachers. Its listing says thousands of guided meditations are free and that more free practices are added every day. Searching it for NSDR or yoga nidra turns up recordings at many lengths, such as ten-minute and thirty-minute NSDR sessions. Premium, optional, is listed at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year.

Pick it if you want the most voices and session lengths, for free.

Apps built for yoga nidra or NSDR

  • Yoga Nidra - Deep Relaxation by Elizabeth Papadakis: guided yoga nidra in "3 different lengths", 10, 20 and 30 minutes, with forest, ocean or rain sounds. $3.99, no in-app purchases. Its free sibling, Yoga Nidra - Relaxation Lite, has a single 10-minute session. Both were last updated in January 2020, so test the free one on your iPhone before you buy.
  • Yoga Nidra: Sleep Meditations by Rocketship HQ: a library of yoga nidra and NSDR practices "from about three to 42 minutes", for bedtime, night waking and daytime breaks. Free to download, with subscriptions.
  • Drift: NSDR & Deep Rest: guided NSDR sessions of 8 to 30 minutes, plus breathwork and sleep content. Its free tier includes some NSDR sessions. Subscription or lifetime for the rest. It needs iOS 26 or later.
  • I AM Being - Yoga Nidra 4 Rest by Kamini Desai: I AM Yoga Nidra sessions, from quick breaks to 20 to 45-minute practices. Free to download, with a Premium subscription ($1.99 a month or $24.99 a year). Her older IAM Yoga Nidra is $3.99 with four sessions of 22 to 36 minutes.
  • Humaya: Yoga Nidra | Deep Rest: yoga nidra sessions from 10 minutes to an hour. Free to download, with subscriptions.
  • Yoga Nidra: Sacred Sleep by Kanya Kanchana: three traditional tracks of about 11, 25 and 31 minutes. The first is free, and one purchase ($6.99) unlocks the other two. Last updated in 2020.

Pick one if NSDR is what you want an app for. These go deeper than a single session can.

What about Calm, Headspace and Waking Up?

Calm's and Headspace's App Store listings don't mention NSDR or yoga nidra. They have body scans and sleep sessions that feel similar, but if you want those words, look elsewhere. Waking Up names yoga nidra among its practices, and Huberman Lab's NSDR page says it has guided NSDR and yoga nidra sessions from Kelly Boys and others (Waking Up is a Huberman Lab sponsor). It's a subscription app.

Everdust's Calm section

Everdust is the one I make. It's a space app first: games, narrated science stories and a universe simulator. Its Calm section has a sleep timer, a focus timer, guided breathing and NSDR, each over a slow, dark particle scene.

River, Everdust's narrator, guides a yoga-nidra-style rest of 10, 20 or 30 minutes. The 10-minute one is a short reset: settle, a quick body scan, then breath and rest. The 20 is a full rotation through the body, and the 30 goes round twice. You choose the ambience (sea, night breeze, waterfall, cave drips and others, or none), and subtitles are there if you want them.

The 10-minute session is free, as is one full session of every other Calm tool. The 20 and 30-minute sessions come with Everdust Plus, an optional purchase. There are no ads and no account. One App Store purchase covers your iPhone, iPad, Apple Vision Pro and Apple TV, and Calm is on all of them. On Apple TV it's NSDR on the living room screen, and on Vision Pro 1.1 you can also rest while drifting down a glowing river. It's on Android, Meta Quest and the free Mac download too.

Pick it if you already use Everdust, or you'd like something calm to watch, or close your eyes to, while you rest. If deep rest is the main thing you want, the dedicated apps above offer far more sessions.

How to choose

  • Try one of Huberman's free recordings first. If you like the format, you know what to look for.
  • For variety at no cost, use Insight Timer.
  • For one simple app with exactly 10, 20 and 30 minutes, try Yoga Nidra - Relaxation Lite first, then the paid version.
  • For a current, growing library of one style, pick a subscription app such as Yoga Nidra: Sleep Meditations or Drift.
  • For a short rest inside an app you also use for space and music, use Everdust's Calm section.

Questions people ask

Which yoga nidra app has sessions of different lengths? Insight Timer has the widest range, free, from many teachers. Yoga Nidra - Deep Relaxation has exactly 10, 20 and 30 minutes for $3.99. Yoga Nidra: Sleep Meditations runs from about 3 to 42 minutes, Drift from 8 to 30, and I AM Being from short breaks to 45 minutes. Everdust's NSDR comes in 10, 20 and 30 minutes, with the 10 free.

Is there a free NSDR app for iPhone? Insight Timer is free and has NSDR and yoga nidra sessions. Yoga Nidra - Relaxation Lite is free with one 10-minute session, and Everdust's 10-minute NSDR session is free. Huberman's 10, 20 and 30-minute recordings are free on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify, with no app at all.

Does Calm or Headspace have NSDR? Their App Store listings don't mention NSDR or yoga nidra. Both have body scans and sleep content that are similar in spirit.

What is the difference between NSDR and yoga nidra? NSDR is a newer umbrella term for guided deep rest while awake. Yoga nidra is the traditional practice it most often draws on. In practice, both guide you through slow breathing and a body scan while you lie still.

How long should an NSDR session be? Most are 10 to 30 minutes. Ten minutes is a common place to start, and you can build up to 20 or 30.

Is NSDR the same as sleeping? No. The point is to rest deeply while staying awake. If you fall asleep, that's fine, but it isn't the aim.

Is NSDR a medical treatment? No. It's a relaxation practice. For sleep problems, anxiety or other health concerns, talk to a doctor.

Sources

  • Each app's own US App Store listing, linked in its section, checked November 6, 2026: price, in-app purchases and subscriptions, seller, last update and the session lengths its description gives.
  • Huberman Lab, Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR): the 10, 20 and 30-minute recordings, Kelly Boys and the Waking Up sessions.
  • Everdust: Space Science Games on the App Store (checked on version 1.0.1 on iPhone and iPad, November 6, 2026; 1.1 is out since November 7), and Everdust on iPhone and iPad.