Reduce Anxiety with Yoga Nidra
/On my recent trip to France, I went into the anxiety spiral. Poor sleep prior to the trip, flying, a 6-hour time change, different locations every few days, exposure to lots of wind and cold and being out of my normal routine pushed me into it. Was the voyage worth it? You bet! It was super fun and wonderful family time. It’s just that now I need to get grounded again.
If you’ve ever become wrapped up in the anxiety spiral read on to find out how Ayurveda and Yoga Nidra can help you unwind and get grounded again.
According to Ayurveda, an ancient healing system, the time of year, time of day, our age and even the activities we choose, can all contribute to our sense of balance. I know this, but didn’t consider these factors when I booked a trip to France just as the fall season was approaching. The fall time of year is when I tend to struggle most with anxiety and poor sleep even without a trip to France.
This isn’t surprising. Fall is when the elements of air and space dominate in our environment. My constitution is also much like the elements of air and space; I like to move, my mind is a big open space, always creating new ideas, my energy is variable-sometimes I have it, sometimes I don’t-similar to the way the wind gusts and calms.
All of us have at least a bit of Vata dosha in our constitutions. When too much Vata dosha accumulates, it manifests as anxiety, digestive troubles and insomnia (among other things).
As luck would have it, I had signed up for a Yoga Nidra teacher training course that happened to fall just a few days after I returned from France. Yoga Nidra is one of the best things you can do to reduce excess Vata dosha because it brings deep stillness to the mind and body.
Yoga Nidra, often referred to as "yogic sleep," is a deeply relaxing guided meditation practice that can be particularly effective in managing the physical, mental and emotional consequences of excess Vata.
I’ve studied Yoga Nidra for a long time but was grateful to find out more about the neuroscience of Yoga Nidra and its efficacy for therapeutic use.
Here’s how Yoga Nidra helps with anxiety:
1. Deep Relaxation
Yoga Nidra induces a state of deep relaxation by guiding you into a place between wakefulness and sleep. This deeply restful state activates the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes relaxation, reduces heart rate, and lowers cortisol levels, calming the nervous system and reducing anxious feelings. This shift can be seen clearly when brainwave patterns are monitored using EEG technology while research participants are guided through Yoga Nidra.
2. Releasing Tension
Anxiety can cause both physical and mental tension. During Yoga Nidra, you are guided to progressively relax different parts of the body, which helps release this tension.
3. Mindfulness and Awareness
Yoga Nidra brings awareness to the present moment by focusing on breath, body sensations, and guided visualizations. This mindful awareness can help break the cycle of anxious thoughts by shifting the focus away from worry and future-oriented thinking.
4. Improving Sleep Quality
Anxiety often disrupts sleep, which in turn can worsen anxiety and disrupt sleep in a vicious cycle. Practicing Yoga Nidra helps with insomnia and improves sleep quality by relaxing the mind and body, making it easier to fall asleep and experience restful, rejuvenating sleep. Yoga Nidra can be used at bedtime as a buffer between your busy day and sleep. I often do a short 15-20 minute practice as preparation for sleep to help me recap and resolve my day so I don’t have to do it in my sleep. Although it can’t be proven with science, sleep researchers think that part of the purpose of dreams is to resolve challenges or to at least process our day. Our brains attempt to pitch events that don’t have meaning while filing away those events that have some cause and effect we need to remember. All of this work during sleep time can make for a fitful night and sometimes results in wakeful rumination and/or disturbing dreams.
If I have not slept well, I’ll do a longer 20-60 minute practice in the morning. Although you don’t (and ideally shouldn’t) fall back to sleep, you’ll get a bit more time in the deep restful stages of a sleep-like state where the body and mind can rest and regenerate. I was surprised to learn that studies show these early morning Yoga Nidra sessions result in better sleep at night.
5. Cultivating Emotional Resilience
When we go into the anxiety spiral, our thoughts become fearful and negative. During Yoga Nidra, you are guided to set a positive intention or "sankalpa." This practice helps to develop mental resilience and an overall sense of well-being, allowing you to re-set habitual negative thinking patterns.
6. Reducing Rumination with Non-Judgmental Awareness
By guiding the mind into a focused, relaxed state, Yoga Nidra can reduce the constant overthinking and rumination that often accompany anxiety. Yoga Nidra encourages a non-judgmental awareness of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations through the comparison of opposites. By simply observing without reacting, this allows you to develop a healthier relationship with anxiety, allowing for a sense of detachment or at least healthy distance from your anxious thoughts.
Regular practice of Yoga Nidra can become a powerful tool in managing anxiety, improving sleep and therefore promoting overall mental clarity, emotional balance, and a sense of inner calm.
If you want to give Yoga Nidra a try, I have created a 20 minute practice specifically to address excess Vata. The guidance uses imagery drawing on the elements of earth, fire and water to help you feel safe, warm, grounded and stabilized. Visit my store and check out Womb of the Earth.
Wishing you peace and serenity,
=)
Lori
