Yoga Nidra: A Powerful Tool For Self-Healing
What Is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra, or “yogic sleep,” is a form of yoga that embraces rest — dating back to 1000 B.C. but formally introduced to the public in the 1960s. Yoga Nidra is tied to the Sankhya philosophy, which says that happiness lies in being able to separate the observer from what is being observed (thoughts, emotions, sensations, other beings).
Lying on the floor, you are guided into a deep level of relaxation called a “hypnagogic state,” where the physical body goes into a level of deep sleep even though the mind is alert and awake. In this state an individual demonstrates all the symptoms of deep, non-REM sleep, including alpha, beta, and delta brain waves (delta waves are most consistent with deep non- REM sleep, alpha waves indicate deep physical relaxation, and beta waves suggest alert functioning of the waking state) (Desai, 2017). Nidra differs from meditation since it reaches this hypnagogic state, while meditation typically stays in a wakeful state and is more commonly (though not always) done sitting up rather than lying down.
It is in this hypnagogic state of deep relaxation that the body shifts toward “parasympathetic dominance,” bringing about a slower heart rate that reduces anxiety and promotes more restorative sleep following the practice, according to a study published in the International Journal of Yoga. The parasympathetic nervous system works in opposition to the sympathetic nervous system (the part that controls our flight-or-fight responses). Therefore, parasympathetic dominance gives the sympathetic nervous system (aka the stress or anxiety we might be feeling) permission to chill out.
Yoga Nidra also helps restore the hippocampus, a small, curved formation in the brain that assists with the formation of new memories, learning, and emotions. While a strong hippocampus dampens our stress response, a weak hippocampus makes us more susceptible to anxiety and depression as noted in a study exploring the use of Yoga Nidra for PTSD (Miller, 2015).
Just 11 minutes of a yoga nidra practice each day has the ability to reduce stress and improve sleep.
As yoga nidra removes stress hormones, it strengthens this part of our brain and makes us better equipped to handle anxiety and depression.
“When participating in yoga nidra, individuals practice control of their breathing, posture, and mental activity. This results in the activation of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex,” (Miller, 2015). “Together, this allows the person to have better concentration [and] more control over emotions, and makes them more aware of [their] senses” (Miller, 2015).
Additional research shows that yoga nidra triggers a 65 percent increase in the release of another neurotransmitter: dopamine — also known as the “feel good” hormone — which causes blood vessels to relax, helps with sleep, and boosts your mood” (Moszeik, Oertzen, & Renner, 2022).
How Can Yoga Nidra Help With Mental Health?
Jobs, relationships, raising a family, caregiving, pandemics, natural disasters ... the stress we encounter on a day-to-day basis can feel relentless. This means that caring for your mental well-being has become as crucial as caring for your physical well-being. And being proactive about mental health has never been more important — at any age. The Canadian Mental Health Association says that 19 percent of adults and 32 percent of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 19 struggle with an anxiety disorder. The World Health Organization estimated a 25 percent global increase in anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and JAMA Pediatrics reports that anxiety and depression rates doubled among youth during the pandemic.
But the good news is that research in recent years has validated Yoga Nidra and other forms of meditation as an effective technique to help sustain positive mental health, especially for those who struggle with anxiety, stress, and depression.
During Yoga Nidra, serotonin and GABA [two neurotransmitters that impact our moods] are released, producing anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects. When done with regularity, high levels of these neurotransmitters can be maintained, which will help your brain and body fight depression and anxiety. Yoga Nidra also improves our sleep habits, and lack of sleep and depression are often related (Miller, 2015).
While most Yoga Nidra practices are about 45 minutes long, research from the journal Current Psychology suggests that just 11 minutes of a Yoga Nidra practice each day has the ability to reduce stress and improve sleep. I like to recommend that my clients try practicing Yoga Nidra at least several times a week for its physical and mental benefits. Especially, for those who struggle with daily anxiety or are facing extreme pressure, daily practice can go a long way.
How Can Yoga Nidra Help With Trauma?
An eight-week study with combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder found that yoga nidra “reduced rage, anxiety, and emotional reactivity, and increased feelings of relaxation, peace, self-awareness, and self-efficacy, despite challenges with mental focus, intrusive memories, and other concerns,” as reported to the International Journal of Yoga Therapy.
Why is this the case?
The more you practice yoga nidra, the more the benefits of the practice will carry over into your daily life — taking you out of “flight-or-fight” mode more often and giving your body ample opportunities to rest and heal.
If we start to slow down, we become that much more aware of our pain rather than rush over it. When there’s trauma, the nervous system gets short-circuited and our health gets distorted. Yoga Nidra is something to break up that noise, to attune to and align with our innate wisdom so that we can heal.
An ancillary benefit of Yoga Nidra is that it also provides connection with the person guiding you and the ground beneath you.
Trauma can lead to isolation and a lack of support. But that is where Yoga Nidra is very powerful. It can help create a loving environment to help us slow down, process, and heal with the earth beneath us to support us.
What’s the Best Yoga Nidra Practice for You?
Though Yoga Nidra is shown to be helpful for those with pain, anxiety, or trauma, it is beneficial for anyone who needs a little stress management (or just wants an opportunity to rest!). And it’s absolutely okay to practice at home with an audio guide. The most important thing is to find a Yoga Nidra class or a guide who resonates with you, so it may take a few tries to find the right one.
If you are working through trauma, I can’t stress enough the importance of finding a yoga nidra practice or an instructor who is trauma-informed and who can help you handle any strong emotions that might arise during the practice.
It’s also important to acknowledge that any healing process takes time and patience, and the journey will be ongoing. And don’t be discouraged if your Yoga Nidra practice — especially in the beginning — ends with you falling asleep.(That’s why I recommend not doing Yoga Nidra immediately after a meal since this will make you more likely to fall asleep.) But even if sleep happens, that sleep may be the body’s way of getting the deep healing it needs.
Stay consistent with your practice and, above all, be kind and patient with yourself.
Resources to try:
The Yoga Nidra Project on Apple Podcasts
*** Come join me at Nelson School of Yoga in Nelson, BC (Where I teach Trauma-Informed Yoga and the occasional guided Yoga Nidra depending on the day).
References:
Desai, K. (2017). Yoga nidra: The art of transformational sleep. Lotus Press.
Ferreira-Vorkapic, C., Borba-Pinheiro, C. J., Marchioro, M., & Santana, D. (2018). The impact of yoga Nidra and seated meditation on the mental health of college professors. International journal of yoga, 11(3), 215.
Miller, R. C. (2015). The iRest program for healing PTSD: A proven-effective approach to using yoga nidra meditation and deep relaxation techniques to overcome trauma. New Harbinger Publications.
Moszeik, E. N., von Oertzen, T., & Renner, K. H. (2022). Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being in a large and diverse sample. Current Psychology, 41(8), 5272-5286.
