Lie down in a quiet, comfortable place and play an audio session in the app. If you’re familiar with meditation or related practices, forget what you’ve heard or tried — Som is different. No unfamiliar belief system to learn, no rituals or poses or postures, no vague instructions like “quiet your mind”. Just listen and follow along with clear, straightforward instructions.

Som is based on a group of techniques often referred to as yoga nidra or NSDR (non-sleep deep rest). Yoga nidra is an ancient practice with deep roots, refined over centuries as a systematic method for profound rest. NSDR is a modern framing of closely related techniques, increasingly studied for their effects on recovery, stress regulation, learning, and performance.

There is nothing mysterious or mystical about these techniques. They are practical, repeatable methods for guiding the nervous system into a state of deep relaxation that resembles the moments just before sleep. In this state, the body can downshift out of stress, while the mind remains gently aware rather than unconscious.

Many people notice benefits within days or weeks, and Som is deliberately designed that way. Unlike meditation approaches that prioritize deep insight or long-term contemplative development, Som focuses first on delivering practical benefits—better sleep, lower stress, and faster recovery. Research on NSDR and closely related practices suggests measurable improvements within a couple of weeks, though individual experience varies.

In an early Som trial, 98% of users who responded to an in-app survey reported improvements in stress levels, sleep quality, or both after completing around 20 sessions.

Not at all. You especially don’t need any background in yoga, meditation, or breathwork to use Som. In fact, it often works best if you come in without assumptions about how those practices are “supposed” to feel or work.

Som is designed to teach you everything step by step, in plain language, through guided sessions that build skill over time. You’re not expected to figure anything out on your own or bring prior knowledge—just press play and follow along. Everything you need to learn and apply the practice is built directly into the app.

Som was created out of personal necessity by Antoine Sindhu, a Stanford-educated software engineer. After struggling for years with severe, chronic insomnia and finding no solution that worked reliably, he began exploring structured, guided relaxation practices as a practical way to regain control over his own nervous system and mental state.

What started as a tool for sleep quickly revealed much broader value. With sustained practice, the same methods proved useful for stress recovery, focus, emotional regulation, and cognitive performance during the day—not just at night. Som was built to translate those insights into a simple, modern system that anyone can use, without requiring a background in meditation or spirituality.

Som is free to download and free to use through the first six levels. That free portion alone gives you a complete introduction to the core skills behind the practice, delivered with more structure and care than most standalone programs—paid or free.

After that, Som offers a simple monthly subscription of $3.99, which unlocks the full program: 18 levels of progressive instruction and unlimited access to the interactive practice experience. By the time you reach this point, you’ll have a clear sense of whether Som is working for you and whether it’s something you want to continue.