Current research on the therapeutic impact of Yoga Nidra & Citations

 

 

Current research on the therapeutic impact of Yoga Nidra​

This research was funded by the FAPERJ Agency under the process number 7838.UNI321.21944.25062013.

 

The Impact of Yoga Nidra and Seated Meditation on the Mental Health of College Professors

 

Background:

World statistics for the prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders shows that a great number of individuals will experience some type of anxiety or mood disorder at some point in their lifetime. Mind–body interventions such as Hatha Yoga and seated meditation have been used as a form of self-help therapy and it is especially useful for challenging occupations such as teachers and professors.

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Aims:

In this investigation, we aimed at observing the impact of Yoga Nidra and seated meditation on the anxiety and depression levels of college professors.

Materials and Methods:

Sixty college professors, men and women, aged between 30 and 55 years were randomly allocated in one of the three experimental groups: Yoga Nidra, seated meditation, and control group. Professors were evaluated two times throughout the 3-month study period. Psychological variables included anxiety, stress, and depression.

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Results:

Data analysis showed that the relaxation group presented better intragroup results in the anxiety levels. Meditation group presented better intragroup results only in the anxiety variable (physical component). Intergroup analysis showed that, except for the depression levels, both intervention groups presented better results than the control group in all other variables.

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Conclusions:

Prepost results indicate that both interventions represent an effective therapeutic approach in reducing anxiety and stress levels. However, there was a tendency toward a greater effectiveness of the Yoga Nidra intervention regarding anxiety, which might represent an effective tool in reducing both cognitive and physiological symptoms of anxiety.

 

Yoga Nidra has been found to reduce stress and anxiety levels of college students,[24,25] and the authors state that it might also have positive results for other age groups and occupations, as in fact we have seen in this study. Previous studies have also shown that employing yoga techniques, such as Yoga Nidra, for other conditions (cancer survivors, self-reported emotional distress) result in beneficial effects for depression and mood, as well as anxiety and physical well-being.[26] Other studies support our findings.[27,28,29]

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Studies have found that the Yoga Nidra practice (or “state”) appears to reflect an integrated response by the hypothalamus, resulting in decreased sympathetic (excitation) nervous activity and increased parasympathetic (relaxation) function.[30] Results show that there was a significant improvement in positive well-being, general health, and vitality in the Yoga Nidra group. The association of Yoga Nidra with a shift toward parasympathetic dominance[30] is also related to high cardiac vagal control, which, in turn, is related to reduced anxiety and better subjective and objective sleep quality.[31] In a study on the effects of Yoga Nidra over sleep, the morning practice has been found to increase parasympathetic drive at night causing sleep to be more restorative, which may explain significant improvement in sleep-quality ratings.[32,33] The authors state that the probable mechanisms affecting sleep quality and subjectively feeling better and less anxious may be linked to cognitive structuring effects of this practice, which makes the mental processing of external inputs more relaxed. The underlying mechanisms involved with Yoga Nidra are not clear at present, but meditation in general is known to target deficits in executive attention that characterize mood and anxiety and psychological symptoms.

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Image studies have shown that Yoga Nidra activates several brain regions, including the primary sensory cortex.[34] The authors also found decreases in regions involved in executive control, emotion processing, and motor planning, consistent with the hypothesis that these functions are dampened during Yoga Nidra, increasing both physical and mental relaxation and reducing anxiety levels. In a follow-up study, these same researchers demonstrated that Yoga Nidra results in the release of dopamine in the striatum, consistent with decreased motor planning and increased physical relaxation.[35]

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Even though the results observed in this study regarding Yoga Nidra are promising, the analysis of baseline and demographic data showed no significant differences between the groups, except for education years, where the relaxation group (Yoga Nidra) showed a higher level of education. One possible hypothesis is that the Yoga Nidra instructions could have been better understood by this group due to a higher education level, therefore influencing the results.

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In the present study, seated meditation has also been found to reduce anxiety and stress when compared to the control group. These findings are corroborated by a great number of studies. Further, the possible mechanisms through which (seated) meditation works is possibly the same as Yoga Nidra's: decreased sympathetic activity, increased parasympathetic function, and increased vagal tone and alterations in neurotransmissions.[12] However, why has Yoga Nidra been shown to be more effective in reducing anxiety levels, both the physical and cognitive symptoms?

In Yoga Nidra, it is not necessary to concentrate. The technique is entirely guided and participants just need to follow the instructions and keep the mind moving from point to point, trying to be aware of every experience. In seated meditation, participants needed to count and observe breaths and thoughts or slightly concentrate on them, at least during certain stages. In addition, during Yoga Nidra, the Shavasana posture (corpse pose) is more relaxed, natural, and easy to perform by individuals of all ages and body types, as opposed to the seated posture, which might represent a challenge for many participants for obvious reasons. In addition, the first contact with a still, seated posture may be demanding for beginners, and as a result, meditation might not be as effective as relaxation in reducing anxiety levels. Some authors state that it might even increase stress levels in the short term. However, the increase in stress is transient and part of the process of becoming mindful.[36]

 

 

Kim SD. Psychological effects of yoga nidra in women with menstrual disorders: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2017 Aug;28:4-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.04.001. Epub 2017 Apr 4. PMID: 28779936.

 

Psychological effects of yoga nidra in women with menstrual disorders: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

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Objective: To assess the effects of yoga nidra on psychological problems in women with menstrual disorders.

Methods: A search was conducted using CINAHL, the Cochrane library, Embase, PsycINFO, and PubMed electronic databases, and using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in any language up to and including July 2016, which reported the psychological effects of yoga nidra in women with menstrual disorders.

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Results: Two potential trials were identified and both were included in the review. A significant difference was observed between experimental and control groups in that anxiety and depression were significantly decreased in the experimental group when compared with the control group.

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Conclusions: There is evidence from two RCTs that yoga nidra may have favorable effects in terms of reducing psychological problems in women with menstrual disorders.

 

Eastman-Mueller H, Wilson T, Jung AK, Kimura A, Tarrant J. iRest yoga-nidra on the college campus: changes in stress, depression, worry, and mindfulness. Int J Yoga Therap. 2013;(23):15-24. PMID: 24165520.

 

Objectives: There is evidence that yoga practice is associated with decreased stress, worry, and depression, and with improved mindfulness-based skills. These findings had not been previously replicated for a sample of college students. This study evaluated whether iRest yoga-nidra practice was associated with reduced perceived stress, worry, and depression, and increased mindfulness in a sample of college students.

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Methods: Sixty-six students age 18-56 completed an 8-week iRest yoga-nidra intervention that was offered for 8 semesters. Assessment occurred 1 week prior to intervention onset and during the class period following the intervention. Qualitative data were collected at Weeks 4 and 8.

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Results: Statistically significant pre- to posttest improvements in perceived stress, worry, and depression were found. Pre-existing depression accounted for most of the change in worry and perceived stress scores. Pre- to post test improvements in mindfulness-based skills were also detected.

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Conclusions: iRest yoga-nidra practice may reduce symptoms of perceived stress, worry, and depression and increase mindfulness-based skills.

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www.irest.org

Studies performed by Dr. Richard Miller from 2007-2019 for a variety of yoga nidra therapeutic applications, including: depression, worry, pain, sleep disorders, work-place stress, pain management, trauma, brain injuries, veteran relations, survivors of domestic violence, homelessness, addictions, PTSD, Cancer and MS treatment, and college based stress.

 

Ref: 

irest.ca

Work by Dr. Richard Miller Forceful Tranquility

 

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