Yoga Nidra as Participatory Praxis: Arts-Based Tools for Antiracist Healing and Social Transformation

This article examines Yoga Nidra as an arts-based, meditative, and visual technique for engaged antiracist Participatory Action Research (PAR). Rooted in embodied and lyrical traditions originating in 3rd-century CE India, Yoga Nidra guides participants through intention-setting (Sankalpa), visualization, and deep self-inquiry. These practices cultivate conditions for both individual and collective critical reflection. Drawing on over 100 hours of participatory ethnography and nine interviews with practitioners, this study illustrates how Yoga Nidra can be integrated into PAR to surface and transform internalized racial biases and patterns associated with white supremacy culture. Findings indicate that white and white-adjacent participants often resisted conversations about race due to discomfort or fear of making mistakes. Within the supportive, nonjudgmental container of Yoga Nidra, however, many developed the vulnerability essential for authentic racial dialogue—what George Yancy (2016) describes as the willingness to remain “unsutured.” The deep rest and reflective states facilitated by the practice enabled participants to confront internalized biases with compassion rather than avoidance, reframing vulnerability as both a prerequisite and an outcome of racial dialogue. The article offers practical facilitation strategies, including sample Sankalpa statements, post-Nidra discussion prompts, and ethical guidelines for community dialogues on race. By integrating visualization, narrative recall, and engagement with antiracist literature, Yoga Nidra functions as a performative and participatory method that nurtures healing and liberatory commitments. Ultimately, this work contributes to democratizing research methods by advancing body-based, accessible, and transformative practices in antiracist pedagogy and engaged community research.