Yoga practice dates back over 2000 years to ancient India. It’s still practised by billions of people worldwide to better their physical health and manage mental well-being concerns like anxiety and depression.
Over the years, anecdotal evidence has shown that people who practise yoga feel happier, fuller and freer. Recently, numerous studies have corroborated these claims.
But you may not know that you can reap many of yoga’s mental health benefits through its meditative counterpart: Yoga nidra.
In many ways, yoga nidra is closer to meditation than what most people would consider to be yoga. This is because yoga nidra focuses on relaxation and reaching a deeper state of consciousness rather than on stretches and poses.
However, unlike regular meditation, yoga nidra is practised while lying down (in savasana), and when done correctly, it will put you into yogic sleep.
But don’t mistake yogic sleep for your everyday snooze. It’s the state between sleeping and waking, where you’re no longer aware of your surroundings but are still conscious. It’s in yogic sleep that the benefits of yoga nidra for anxiety lie.
In the words of guru Swami Satyananda Saraswati:
“Yoga nidra is a pratyahara technique in which the distractions of the mind are contained, and the mind is relaxed.”
But is yoga nidra as effective as the gurus would have us believe?
Today we take a closer look at yoga nidra for anxiety through empirical evidence from studies to determine its efficacy. We’ll look at:
- The research techniques used to assess yoga nidra’s benefits for anxiety
- Studies that support the effectiveness of yoga nidra for anxiety
- An overview of the different ways anxiety can manifest
- Proven tools you can use to enhance your yoga nidra practice
1 - The Practice of Yoga Nidra Reduces Anxiety in Men and Women
In a study published in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge by Dr. Khamakhya Kumar, we learn that yoga nidra can reduce anxiety in both men and women.
In his research, Dr. Kumar finds that yoga nidra is one of the best-known techniques for inducing complete physical, mental and emotional relaxation.
Dr. Kumar states that yoga nidra is “a state of consciousness that is neither sleep nor awake—neither is it concentration nor hypnotism.”
Instead, he suggests it can be defined as an altered state of consciousness.
This is in line with the great yogi Swatmarama—the author of Hatha Yoga Pradipika, who classifies yoga nidra as the state of turiya:
“... the all expansive and encompassing ‘fourth dimension’ in which Shakti neither contracts nor expands, but is in union with Shiva, or supreme consciousness.”
In this study, 80 participants (40 male and 40 female) took part, with 30 (15 male and 15 female) acting as the control group.
All participants underwent a few psychological tests to establish their baseline stress and anxiety levels at the start of the study.
The participants in the test group then practised yoga nidra for thirty minutes every day, except on Sundays and holidays, in its simplest form—laying in the savasana position and following spoken instructions.
After six months, the participants underwent an assessment to determine the impact of yoga nidra through an appraisal of their psychological state, with stress and anxiety being the major parameters.
The study showed a significant decrease in stress and anxiety in both the male and female participants from the test group.
See Also: Our Guide to the Ultimate Savasana
2 - Yoga Nidra Helps Relieve Anxiety in People With Menstrual Disorders
In 2012, the International Journal of Yoga conducted a study to evaluate the effects of yoga nidra on anxiety and depressive symptoms in people with menstrual disorders, such as PMS.
The study randomly divided subjects into two groups: an intervention group who practised yoga nidra for anxiety over six months and a control group.
The study used the yoga nidra intervention technique developed by Swami Satyananda Saraswati from the School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, India.
The subjects in the intervention group attended yoga nidra classes for 35 minutes per day, five days a week over six months.
After the six-month evaluation, researchers found a significant reduction in anxiety for subjects with mild to moderate anxiety and depressive symptoms related to menstrual disorders.
Note that anxiety may be categorised into these five types:
- Panic: The onset of intense but momentary fear with or without an external trigger
- Phobia: An irrational fear that causes total avoidance of certain people, places, things and situations
- General anxiety disorder: Constant worry and restlessness, which can cause difficulty concentrating
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: An obsession with something rooted in fear or avoidance of an underlying unresolved stressful event
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: Anxiety from an unresolved traumatic event that causes hypervigilance and other symptoms
3 - Yoga Nidra Helps Boost Overall Wellness
Yoga nidra is a proven antidote for anxiety and a highly effective technique for achieving complete relaxation of the mind and body. It also relieves stress, both emotional and physical, improving your overall well-being.
In a 2018 study published in the International Journal of Yoga, 60 college professors were recruited and divided into three groups:
◦ A group that practised yoga nidra
◦ A group that practised meditation
◦ A control group that practised neither
Over three months, researchers monitored the participants’ stress and anxiety levels and found both yoga nidra and meditation effectively reduced stress. The results also showed that yoga nidra was more effective than meditation at reducing anxiety.
You see, children and adolescents with autism have elevated anxiety compared to their neurotypical counterparts. In the words of Dr. Yau;
“Up to 40 per cent of children on the spectrum have at least one anxiety disorder, which, if unmanaged, can develop into complex mental disorders in adolescence and adulthood.”
This heightened state of anxiety can significantly impact their quality of life. However, research has shown significant improvements in emotional regulation from yoga techniques and mindful meditation.
Dr. Yau, Dr. Danielle Mathersul, a lecturer in psychology and a yoga intervention expert, and Ph.D. student Tundi Loftus are working together to improve this methodology and analyse the outcomes of yoga mindfulness for children and teens with autism.
The first round of their co-designed intervention is through yoga nidra.
See Also: Choosing the Best Meditation Cushion For Your Practice
Enhance Your Yoga Nidra Practice With Calm Buddhi Meditation Futons
Calm Buddhi Yoga Nidra and Meditation Futons offer the ultimate support during yoga nidra and other restorative yoga practices. They significantly enhance your yoga nidra savasana through unmatched comfort and are a beautiful addition to your space.
The futons help you get into a comfortable, supported savasana perfect for achieving yogic sleep. This will allow you to reap the full benefits of yoga nidra for anxiety.
Below is a table showing three of our most popular meditation futons.
But that’s not all. We also have Yoga Nidra and Meditation Futon Bundles for the complete yogic sleep package. The bundles come with a meditation futon, a round yoga bolster, yoga pillow, eye pillow, a faux rug and 10% savings on each item.
Discover Calm Buddhi
Calm Buddhi is a sustainable, artisanal yoga accessories store. Our goal is to provide you with beautifully designed yoga accessories steeped in tradition to help you fall deeper in love with your yoga and meditation practice.
Our products are hand-printed and ethically sourced from artisan communities in India, then assembled and delivered from our headquarters in Melbourne, Australia.
At Calm Buddhi, we strive to enhance your practice and sacred space and give our partner artisans a platform to shine.
Visit Calm Buddhi today and discover our various collections of Yoga Nidra Meditation Futons to enhance your practice. You can also join the Calm Buddhi community to share and further develop your yoga practice.
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Angela Knight
Calm Buddhi Ma
Yoga, Meditation and Yoga Nidra Teacher