The napp origin story
On why I created the napp yoga nidra app
I’m a human with a nervous system that’s been rewarded for pushing past its limits, rather than encouraged to rest. And despite rest being an intrinsic part to how any nervous system functions, I’m a human that’s forgotten how and why to rest.
I suffered compassion-burnout after working as a professional activist with Oxfam Canada. My nervous system was fried and this impacted all facets of my life. I left the industry, tail between legs and heartbroken, and found respite in my local yoga studio. Even then, I was still more of a mover than a rester. I quickly learned that rest was a practice I needed to re-establish. Rest was a state I wanted to get to know better and I sought a modality within which to explore this new relationship.
Yoga nidra plus baby growing made for a perfect pairing
Fast forward a few years and I found myself teaching yoga full time and growing a baby. I had an established seated meditation practice but I sought something different to help prepare for parenthood. A colleague shared: ‘you know, you can meditate lying down too. It’s called yoga nidra.’ I found my first recording and was hooked. Yoga nidra showed up at a time when resting for too long was tricky for my very pregnant body. Yoga nidra showed up at a time when I could use the mental focus to plant meaningful intentions for the next stage of my life. Yoga nidra showed up at a time when I was seeking to connect my yoga philosophy studies with my public teaching. And yoga nidra provided it all, and then some.
I set myself up to rest when I was able to (especially when baby was sleeping.) I wrote scripts after scripts that meaningfully fused the philosophy of yoga into a tangible practice. I unlocked my latent creativity and my career exploded.
Yoga nidra is the gift that keeps on giving.
why me and why napp?
As I share this with you today, I am over ten years into a career of teaching the movement, rest and philosophy of yoga globally. I am a teacher of teachers.
I pair my commitment to the study of yoga with my life experience as a human. The result: I offer practices that blend everyday practicality with esoteric pursuits.
Each practice on NAPP is a reflection of my devotion to the craft of being human.
I seek to create a daydream through poetry.
I seek to tenderly prompt a nervous system and mind state that spills over into our lives outside of resting.
Because when I am rested, I feel resourced, playful and capacity-rich. I share the merits of my rest practice with the world outside of me. I rest, in order to create the world I want to live in.
It is time to share Napp with a global community
For the past decade, I have built and tended to a yoga nidra recording library. It quickly became the most visited page on my website. The time came to make this resource even more accessible. No need to open your browser. When you feel called to rest, NAPP is a tap away. The app is designed with simplicity in mind. Soothing animations already set the nervous system tone we are seeking – open, curious and willing to explore.
Are you willing to explore alongside me?