27/05/2020 – 3 MIN READ

Yoga Nidra for Sleep

Exhausted people are becoming desperate. The sleeplessness epidemic is spreading through the UK and primarily affecting many in London.

As lockdown continues, stress and anxiety levels have increased drastically throughout the nation. These challenges have taken a toll on many peoples sleep. To combat this, many of us are turning to Yoga Nidra to help us switch off and drop off.

Have any of your friends mentioned Yoga Nidra to you before? Let us know in the comment section below.

You can even do it under your duvet!

IT'S THE FASTEST GROWING FORM OF YOGA IN THE WORLD…

Yoga Nidra translated means' Yoga sleep' or 'sleep of the yogis' but it's all about helping you get better sleep.

When you carry out Yoga Nidra for 20 minutes, you undergo a process settling your brain electrical activity and cycling through different types of brain wave—moving you from stressful Beta waves through to the dreamy Theta waves until you even reach Delta waves, which are the waves of deepest sleep.

How do Delta waves affect us?

During the delta waves, we are in our most in-depth phase of sleep, and we undergo a vital repair and restoration process.

So Yoga Nidra can help us transition into a sleep ready state and guess what, the more you practice it, the more you cultivate the ability to fall asleep anytime you like.

Funnily enough, many yoga teachers that teach yoga Nidra will tell you not to fall asleep and that you shouldn't fall asleep however it is perfectly fine and natural to drift off to sleep at the end of a practice.

What Do I Need To Do?

Three steps.

Step 1 – find a location to practice.

Don't just choose a random open space but instead pick somewhere you won't be disturbed, somewhere comfortable and somewhere you can spread your limbs out. Its might also be worth using a matt or rug to cover yourself with because your body temperature drops rapidly during the practice.

As most of us will use the practice for sleep, it might make sense to use your bed for your location as then you can drift off to sleep once the practice ends.

Step 2 - choose a recording that suits your needs

It's worth trying a few different ones to start, as previously mentioned, some yoga Nidra instructors or apps work to prevent you from falling asleep, so you will need to find one that does not try to wake you up at the end.

Nirlipta Tuli, co-founder of the Yoga Nidra Network and CEO of the Sleep Well Project, understand this. His soothing voice has meant that his 'yoga Nidra for a good nights sleep' is the most popular download on the network site, so this may be an excellent place to start.

Step 3 – Lie down, listen and rest

Simple.

What does Yoga Nidra do for our minds and bodies?

1. It can improve Dopamine levels – one study in 2002 showed participants had increased dopamine levels. Dopamine is the feel-good hormone associated with feelings of bliss, motivation and concentration but also influences our sleep.
2. It helps with the treatment of chronic insomnia– One case study showed a lot of promise for the use of yoga Nidra to treat chronic insomnia.