Sleep
Like many people, I often went through periods of sleeplessness, at times caused by life stresses and turbulent events, and at other times for no apparent reason at all. I would rarely have trouble falling asleep, but would often wake up at some ungodly hour (usually around 3 AM), desperately trying to get back to sleep, while calculating the remaining time until I had to get up, observing (with dread) the diminishing window of opportunity for getting a bare minimum amount of hours required to be a functioning human the following day.
Beyond melatonin and audiobooks, I didn’t really seek a solution for my sleep issue. The struggle would last for weeks, and then it would stop, and I would get back to getting my regular 7-8 hours, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.
A couple of years ago, during a bout of sleeplessness, I randomly discovered Jennifer Piercy’s 20 minute yoga nidra meditation. The combination of Jennifer’s fantastically soothing voice and her the gentle, intuitive guidance inwards worked like a charm. I was so drawn to yoga nidra that I began listening to the recordings even when sleep was no longer an issue; it just became a part of my regular sleep routine.
The practice works as follows: you are invited to lay down and get very comfortable, preferably lying on your back, eyes closed. After a short body scan, you are asked to set an intention for the practice (“sankalpa”), and then begin a guided “rotation of consciousness”, which really means that you focus all of your attention into one specific body part (usually starting with the thumb of the right hand), and then move on to the next body part, until you have essentially scanned every inch of your body. Somewhere along the way, you usually fall asleep, though you are asked at the beginning to stay awake. If the purpose of the practice is to fall asleep, you are free to ignore the “stay awake” instruction, but if you do try and remain aware of the present moment, you experience a sort of dream-like state that I would imagine as being similar to hypnosis. It is a state that I personally enjoy, and feel relaxed, refreshed, and inspired by.
Later, as part of my growing commitment to yoga practice, I found the legendary Sri Dharma Mittra’s studio in NYC and took part in some of his asana classes, only to find out that he offered separate, highly praised hour-or-so-long yoga nidra. And even though the session was really lovely and relaxing, nidra to me is a deeply private practice which I prefer to do at home, and not in a yoga studio, surrounded by others. So I went back to the recordings.
My exploration of yoga nidra went hand in hand with my exploration of yoga in general, and the apps I used for my home asana practice also had some (though limited) nidra “classes” (including Sri Dharma Mittra on Alo), such as those by Caley Alyssa, and Talia Sutra. For longer, and more ethereal, consciousness-exploring practices, my favorite go-to became Tanis Fishman, whose many nidras on Insight Timer are available for free.
As I started to practice more often, sometimes during the day, in lieu of a “power nap”, I began to see some subtle, but noticeable changes. I was calmer, less reactive, and more relaxed (as expected). But even beyond that, I noticed that I had a much more connected relationship with my body, manifesting as both increased awareness, and increased proprioception. All that time spent focusing on my left pinky toe seemed to be not for nothing.
Obviously, one individual’s experience should not be taken as proof that this stuff has any benefit whatsoever. Meditation in general has only recently began to be researched by reputable cognitive- and neuroscientist, and yoga nidra research is, for now, practically non-existent. I managed to find a few interesting studies: there is an ongoing research study by St. Mary’s University professor Dr. Stephen Parker’s into yoga nidra and its neuroscience implications, a small-scale investigation into the impact of yoga nidra on mental health of college faculty that showed positive therapeutic effects compared with controls, as well as six-month trial of yoga nidra as complementary therapy for reducing somatoform symptoms in menstrual disorder patients, showing promising results. It’s not a lot, but it’s a start. Considering the cost-effectiveness of yoga nidra as treatment, it is possible we will see it elevated to the status of evidence-based practice in the future.
So, should you try yoga nidra? I would say give it a go, especially if you have problems sleeping. And even if you don’t, I think it’s still worth practicing, as a technique for increasing concentration, calming your nervous system, and building a deeper connection with your physical body. A word of caution: in some of the more “advanced” nidras, the guided imagery could potentially be triggering, so please chose carefully.
And enjoy your journey!
