Yoga Nidra and Non-sleep Deep Rest
Overcoming Insomnia with Yoga Nidra: A Guide to Better Sleep and Relaxation
Struggling with sleepless nights? Yoga Nidra, an ancient practice now widely recognised in the scientific community for its profound relaxation benefits and where it’s known as 'non-sleep deep rest' (NSDR), serves as a powerful tool for those struggling with insomnia or simply not getting enough quality sleep. Whilst not a substitute for sleep, Yoga Nidra can help you access deep states of relaxation, helping to counteract the negative effects of a bad night's sleep.
I have felt these benefits for myself, which is what inspired me to write this article. I first tried it one morning after a late night when I also didn’t sleep well. After a 15-minute yoga nidra recording that morning, I felt totally rejuvenated. I’ve also been using it on the nights I wake up and struggle to go back to sleep. I’m amazed when I wake the next morning having slept soundly.
What is Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep, is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, similar to the "going-to-sleep" stage. More than just relaxation—it’s a meditative practice that guides you to a liminal state between wakefulness and sleep. Through, breath awareness, body scanning, visualisation and the setting of intentions, it not only helps reduce stress but also enhances the body’s natural ability to sleep well.
Benefits of Yoga Nidra for Sleep and Health
Recent studies also show the positive effects on our body’s nervous system. These suggest that Yoga Nidra can decrease the heart rate and reduce blood pressure, indicating a physical state of rest that mirrors some aspects of deep sleep. Regular practice can improve sleep quality and help counteract the effects of a poor night’s sleep on our mental, physical and emotional health. This is why yoga Nidra can help you feel more rejuvenated and better recover from a bad night’s sleep.
How Yoga Nidra improves sleep
Overcome sleep-related Anxiety with Yoga Nidra for Better Sleep Quality
One of the significant barriers to a good quality night’s sleep is the anxiety that often accompanies insomnia. This anxiety can stem from the stress of not being able to fall asleep, which only serves to keep the mind more alert and awake. Yoga Nidra helps to alleviate these feelings by facilitating a deep state of calm that doesn’t strive for sleep but rather cultivates relaxation. This approach directly tackles the common problem of sleep anxiety and prepares the body and mind for a more restful night. The result is improved sleep quality and quantity; you'll be able to fall asleep quicker and access a deeper state of rest.
Better sleep with Yoga Nidra
There really is nothing worse than tossing and turning in bed, as you desperately try to fall asleep. The more you try to sleep, the more it eludes you? This is the paradox known as the rule of reversed effort, where the harder you try, the more elusive something becomes. The trying involves effort, which is the very opposite of relaxation. By practising Yoga Nidra, you engage in a form of effortless relaxation, where the focus is not on trying to sleep but on relaxing your body and mind. This can help reduce the anxiety around sleep, allowing it to then come naturally as a byproduct of the deep relaxed state induced by yoga nidra. Once you take the pressure out of trying to get to sleep the easier it becomes to achieve.
Switching off before bed
Struggling to switch off before bed is a common issue that hampers sleep quality, with many struggling to "switch off" when their heads hit the pillow. The constant stream of thoughts makes sleep feel like an impossible dream. If you’ve ever tried to meditate or to calm down a racing mind, you’ll know how hard it is to switch off. The key here is to get the mind to focus on something else instead. Yoga Nidra, offers a solution to this common problem, directing your attention to the body instead. By guiding you through a series of relaxation steps—such as focusing on the breath, scanning the body, or visualising calming images, Yoga Nidra helps quiet the mind. With the gradual withdrawal from internal and external distractions, the mental chatter slows to a stop. This helps not only to detach from the day's problems but also to relax and restore the mind and the body. This makes it an invaluable practice for those who find it hard to shut down at night. It’s also great for those waking up in the middle of the night.
Yoga Nidra's Role in Managing Insomnia
Yoga Nidra plays a crucial role in managing insomnia by promoting deep relaxation and reducing the stress and anxiety that often hinder sleep. Regular practice not only improves sleep quality but can also help address some of the underlying causes of insomnia, such as chronic stress and mental restlessness. While Yoga Nidra is a powerful tool for relaxation and mental clarity, it should not, however, be viewed as a standalone cure for insomnia. Instead, it is best used in conjunction with other strategies, such as maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, good sleep hygiene, and addressing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours around sleep. In my practice, i combine CBT- I which is the gold standard for insomnia with hypnosis and other relaxation techniques such as Yoga Nidra to help you change your relationship to both relaxation and sleep so you get a good night’s sleep.
Yoga Nidra for improved sleep
Yoga Nidra stands out as a promising complementary therapy for those seeking to improve their sleep quality and reduce sleep-related anxiety. By incorporating this practice into your nightly routine, alongside other recommended sleep hygiene practices, you can take a significant step towards enhancing your overall well-being and achieving deeper, more restorative sleep. To get started there are some great online recordings available on YouTube. I’m also about to record my own one. My one tip when doing it would be to focus intently on whatever you’re attention is being guided to. Also don’t worry if you don’t initially feel any sensations in various parts of the body. It was the same for me in the beginning, but after a few sessions, I began to notice these subtle sensations, helping to take me to an even deeper level of rest and recuperation.