Having difficulty falling asleep is a common problem. Nearly a third of adults experience chronic insomnia or have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Rolling around in bed usually doesn’t help, it only serves to create more frustration and anxiety. Furthermore, once the anxiety response is activated, we will not be able to sleep. Yoga Nidra can become the answer to breaking that loop and activating a relaxation response that allows us to fall asleep naturally.
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra, also known as “yogic sleep,” is an ancient technique linked to meditation in Shaivism and Buddhist tantras. It is also the origin of NSDR (non- sleep deep rest), a term coined by neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, who introduced it as a tool to self-induce a state of calm.
Basically, it is a state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep in which, although the body is relaxed, our mind remains attentive. In fact, one of its main advantages is that just 45 minutes of this practice exert the same restorative effect as 3 hours of sleep.
Like meditation, its goal is to reduce mental activity to give our brain a break. However, unlike meditation, Yoga Nidra encourages a deep state of conscious sleep. That is, it generates the deepest state of relaxation that can be achieved by staying conscious.
In fact, it enhances a delta state, which is associated with deep healing, which is why a Yoga Nidra session is usually particularly relaxing and regenerating. However, it can also be used to prepare the mind for sleep.
A small-scale study at Florida Atlantic University, for example, found that this practice actually improves heart rate variability, a measure of autonomic nervous system balance, meaning it helps us “put on the handbrake.” Therefore, it promotes relaxation.
How to use Yoga Nidra to sleep deeply and rest?
Researchers at the University of Natural Medicine in Portland found that Yoga Nidra is an effective technique for generating sleep in 89% of people. Therefore, it is no coincidence that in India it has long been used to treat insomnia and promote well-being.
Basically, this technique helps us relax, freeing ourselves from the tensions of the day and ruminative thoughts, preparing our body and mind for a deeper and more restful sleep.
It generally consists of two stages:
- It generates a state of self-induced relaxation
- It generates a period of intense and directed concentration
If you want to practice Yoga Nidra to sleep deeply, the ideal is to lie down in bed, in a comfortable position, and then:
- Think of a short positive phrase, such as “I am at peace,” or choose a personal mantra that has special meaning for you or inspires peace in you
- Focus on different parts of the body and the sensations you experience
- Focus your attention on each breath and imagine how the air enters and leaves your body
- Bring to your mind personal experiences, feelings and sensations that can fill you with calm and serenity. Try to experience them as if they were happening
- Repeat the positive phrase or mantra you chose and refocus on your body
When you repeat this process several times, you will reach a deep state of relaxation. And best of all, the more you practice it, the more the calming response will become automated and the less time you will need to fall asleep.
This practice can offset the effects of a bad night’s sleep in a short time or help you sleep better. What is its secret? It simply allows your body to rest and release tension while keeping your mind focused on a relaxing goal, preventing worries, anxiety, or intrusive thoughts from affecting your sleep. Try it!
References:
Markil, N. et. Al. (2012) Yoga Nidra Relaxation Increases Heart Rate Variability and is Unaffected by a Prior Bout of Hatha Yoga. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine; 18(10): 953–958.
Sharpe, E. et. Al. (2023) A closer look at yoga nidra- early randomized sleep lab investigations. Journal of Psychosomatic Research; 166: 111169.
