Reset your Nervous System with Yoga Nidra

As a 10-year-old child, I often lay awake in bed, my nervous system in a constant state of alertness. Thoughts spun around, my heart rate remained elevated, and sleep simply wouldn't come. During those nights, I discovered relaxation meditations on YouTube - soft voices trying to calm my overstimulated system. Looking back now, these were probably my first attempts at regulating my nervous system, though of course I didn't understand that at the time.

This overactivity of my nervous system continued to haunt me throughout my teenage years. The inability to switch to rest, being trapped in fight-or-flight mode - it all contributed to a system that became increasingly unbalanced. This culminated in a deep burnout. My nervous system had completely seized up: exhausted yet hyperalert, desperately longing for rest but unable to relax.

Then I discovered the true power of Yoga Nidra - not merely as a relaxation technique, but as a systematic method to reset your nervous system.

What this practice has given me goes beyond what ordinary sleep can provide. Yoga Nidra taught my system how to rest again - not just surface-level relaxation, but truly deep recharging. It was as if my nervous system learned to breathe again for the first time in years. This experience was so transformative that I now share this healing practice with others at Studio Tree Of Life.

What Exactly is Yoga Nidra?

Yoga Nidra, literally translated as "yogic sleep," is an ancient practice that brings you into a unique state of consciousness - your body sleeps while your mind remains awake. It's not an ordinary relaxation exercise, but a systematic method that guides you through different layers of consciousness.

Picture this: you're lying comfortably, supported by cushions and blankets. A soft voice guides you on a journey through your body. You don't need to do anything except listen. While your body sinks into a state of rest - comparable to the deepest phase of sleep - part of your consciousness remains present as a silent observer.

This "conscious sleep" creates something special: your nervous system gets the chance to fully recover while your mind remains clear. It's as if you're combining the benefits of deep sleep with the clarity of meditation.

The Scientifically Proven Benefits

Modern science has now confirmed what yogis have known for centuries. Neurological research shows that Yoga Nidra systematically shifts your brainwaves from the frantic beta waves (stress and alertness) to the restorative delta waves (deep sleep), while you remain conscious.

For stress and burnout recovery: Studies show that regular practice of Yoga Nidra significantly lowers the stress hormone cortisol. A study with 771 participants found that just 11 minutes of daily practice for 30 days led to noticeable reductions in stress, anxiety, and negative emotions - effects that were still measurable weeks after stopping.

For sleep problems: A 2023 sleep laboratory study discovered something remarkable: 89% of participants with insomnia actually produced sleep during Yoga Nidra, with sustained lowering of respiratory rate after the session. Twenty minutes of Yoga Nidra can provide the recovery equivalent to four hours of regular sleep.

For emotional wellbeing: Brain scan research shows that Yoga Nidra reduces activity in the "default mode network" - the brain network responsible for worrying and rumination. At the same time, it increases dopamine release by up to 65%, which explains why people can feel reborn after a session.

For the nervous system: The practice increases heart rate variability, an important indicator of resilience and health of the autonomic nervous system. This means your body becomes better able to switch between action and rest, between effort and recovery.

Trauma-Conscious Yoga Nidra: The iRest Method

In my studio, I like to work with a combination of different Yoga Nidra styles. The iRest (Integrative Restoration) method, developed by Dr. Richard Miller, is an important form of Yoga Nidra worth mentioning. This trauma-conscious approach differs in important ways from traditional Yoga Nidra, making it more accessible for people with trauma experiences or those who need more gentleness and freedom of choice.

Traditional Yoga Nidra versus iRest:

Where traditional Yoga Nidra often requires lying still with closed eyes and following a fixed sequence of visualizations, iRest offers more flexibility. With iRest:

• You can keep your eyes open if that feels safer

• You can move when your body needs it

• You always have choice in what you do or don't follow

• You often work with an "Inner Resource" - an inner place you can always access, like an anchor point

This approach recognizes that for people with trauma experiences, closing the eyes or lying completely still can be difficult. Lying on the back can also be uncomfortable for many people, or perhaps it feels vulnerable to lie so openly. By giving choice and control back to the practitioner, the practice becomes an experience of empowerment rather than surrender. The iRest method has been extensively researched and is even used by the U.S. military for veterans with PTSD. It offers all the benefits of traditional Yoga Nidra, but with extra attention to safety and personal autonomy.

Special Benefits for Women

As a woman, I understand the challenges of our complex hormonal system. Research shows that women need more sleep on average than men due to our monthly hormonal fluctuations and life-phase transitions. At the same time, we're 58% more likely to experience insomnia - this is due to hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum period, and menopause, as well as neurobiological differences.

Why women experience more rumination and anxiety: Women are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression as men. This is partly due to brain structure differences: women have stronger connections between the left and right hemispheres, which can lead to more intuitive thinking but also more rumination. Studies show that the medial prefrontal cortex - the brain region involved in self-directed thoughts - is more active in women during rumination. Additionally, serotonin (the 'happiness hormone') processes differently in women's brains, making us more sensitive to mood swings.

Hormonal fluctuations also play a crucial role: during periods of hormonal flux (puberty, premenstrual, postpartum, perimenopause), the risk of anxiety and depression significantly increases. Testosterone, which men have in much higher concentrations, appears to have protective effects against anxiety and depression - in men's brains, it's converted to estrogen without the fluctuations that women experience.

Yoga Nidra offers specific support for:

• Menstrual health: A study with 150 women showed remarkable improvements in menstrual complaints after six months of regular Yoga Nidra practice. Participants experienced significantly less painful cramps, heavy bleeding, and irregular cycles. Hormonal analyses showed improved balance in TSH, FSH, LH, and prolactin levels.

  
  

• Premenstrual phase: During the days before menstruation, when progesterone levels drop and many women experience sleep problems, mood swings, and anxiety, Yoga Nidra offers natural support. The practice stimulates the pituitary gland to release endorphins and enkephalins - your body's own painkillers.

• Transition and menopause: For women in perimenopause and menopause, when fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels cause hot flashes and night sweats, Yoga Nidra offers non-pharmaceutical support. It helps regulate disrupted circadian rhythms and provides the deep rest so needed during this life phase.

Dr. Kamini Desai, author of "Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep," emphasizes how the practice works through the five koshas (energetic layers) to address the biochemical states that contribute to stress, anxiety, and hormonal imbalance.

Yoga Nidra for Depression: A Nuanced Story

It's important to be honest about the limitations of Yoga Nidra. Research shows that Yoga Nidra can be effective for mild to moderate depression, but not for severe depression. A study with 126 women found that only those with mild to moderate symptoms experienced improvement - there was no significant effect for severe depression.

There's another important consideration: if you already feel "frozen" - which often occurs with depression - lying still in a dark room can actually be difficult. From Dr. Stephen Porges' polyvagal theory, we know that some people with depression can be stuck in a "freeze response." For them, Yoga Nidra can initially be too confronting with that silence and inactivity.

When Yoga Nidra CAN help with depressive symptoms:

• If you mainly struggle with rumination

• When your depression is accompanied by anxiety and tension

• If you have trouble sleeping due to your depression

When caution is advised:

• With severe depression (always seek professional help first)

• If you have dissociative tendencies

• When lying still causes panic or intense restlessness

• If you're in a freeze state that needs more activation

For some people with depression, it may be better to start with more active forms of yoga, such as gentle Hatha movements, to activate the system before transitioning to the deep rest that Yoga Nidra can offer.

Recovery from Burnout: Rest That Goes Deeper Than Sleep

From personal experience, I know how valuable Yoga Nidra is for burnout recovery. It offers something that ordinary rest cannot: recovery that doesn't depend on your ability to fall asleep. With burnout, your nervous system is often so overstimulated that regular rest no longer works. You lie in bed but your mind keeps racing. Your body is exhausted but can't relax. Yoga Nidra breaks this vicious cycle by consciously guiding you through different layers of consciousness.

Dr. Andrew Huberman's research on "Non-Sleep Deep Rest" (NSDR) confirms what I've experienced myself: Yoga Nidra sessions of 30-60 minutes can compensate for poor sleep quality. This makes the practice invaluable for those who cannot find restful sleep due to anxiety or an overactive mind.

The horizontal position requires no physical effort, making it accessible even when you're too exhausted for other practices. You just need to lie down and listen. When we clear the way for our system to do what it does best - recover - there's nothing left for us to do.

An Invitation to Reset Your Nervous System

Some people, like me, have a more sensitive nervous system. We pick up more stimuli, process information more deeply, need more time for our system to recover. But if I'm honest, I think that in our current society, almost everyone has an overstimulated nervous system. We're constantly asked to be alert, be available, to perform. Through our phones, our nervous system gets stimuli to process 24/7 - news, social media, work emails - it never stops.

Our nervous system, which evolved for a world with far fewer stimuli, simply can't keep up with this pace without regular resets. Yoga Nidra offers exactly that: a systematic way to reset your nervous system, from sympathetic overdrive to parasympathetic rest.

In the coming months, I'll be gradually integrating Yoga Nidra into my yoga classes at Studio Tree Of Life. It's my mission to make this powerful reset technique accessible to everyone struggling with an overstimulated nervous system.

Whether your nervous system is stuck due to burnout, chronic stress, trauma, or 'just' the constant stimuli of modern life - Yoga Nidra offers a scientifically backed method to reset your system. This ancient practice, supported by modern neuroscience, gives your nervous system the chance to switch from a state of survival to a state of rest-and-recovery.

With warm regards, Manoek

Sources

For those who want to review the scientific backing, here are all the studies and sources I've used in this blog (note: the sources are in Dutch):

Wetenschappelijke studies:

• fMRI hersenonderzoek (2024): "Functional connectivity changes in meditators and novices during yoga nidra practice" - Scientific Reports, Nature

• Slaaplaboratorium studie (2023): "A closer look at yoga nidra- early randomized sleep lab investigations" - Journal of Psychosomatic Research

• Stress-studie met 771 deelnemers (2020): "Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being" - Current Psychology, Springer

• Hartritmevariabiliteit onderzoek (2012): "Yoga Nidra relaxation increases heart rate variability" - PubMed

• Vrouwen en menstruele gezondheid (2013): "Impact of Yoga Nidra on menstrual abnormalities in females of reproductive age" - PubMed

• Vrouwen en menstruele gezondheid (2016): "Psycho-Biological Changes with Add on Yoga Nidra in Patients with Menstrual Disorders" - PMC

• Depressie en angst bij menstruele klachten (2012): "Yoga Nidra as a complementary treatment of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with menstrual disorder" - PMC (studie met 126 vrouwen)

• College professoren studie (2018): "The Impact of Yoga Nidra and Seated Meditation on the Mental Health of College Professors" - PMC

• COVID-19 zorgmedewerkers (2023): "Efficacy of Yoga Nidra on Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia in Frontline COVID-19 Healthcare Workers" - PubMed

• Overzichtsartikel (2022): "The Origin and Clinical Relevance of Yoga Nidra" - PMC

• Narratief overzicht (2023): "Yoga-Nidra as a mental health booster: A narrative review" - Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine

• Chronische slapeloosheid case study (2017): "Yoga Nidra: An innovative approach for management of chronic insomnia" - Sleep Science and Practice

• Integratief overzicht (2023): "Exploring the uses of yoga nidra: An integrative review" - PubMed

• Waarom vrouwen meer slaap nodig hebben: Cleveland Clinic & Sleep Foundation

• Sex hormonen en vrouwelijke kwetsbaarheid voor depressie (2022): "Sex hormone fluctuation and increased female risk for depression and anxiety disorders" - PMC

• Hersenverschillen en rumineren (2023): "A dorsomedial prefrontal cortex-based dynamic functional connectivity model of rumination" - Nature Communications

• Testosteron en angst/depressie (2014): "Sex Differences in Anxiety and Depression: Role of Testosterone" - PMC

  
  

Boeken en experts:

• Dr. Kamini Desai - "Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep" (2017)

• Dr. Richard Miller - Ontwikkelaar iRest methode, iRest Institute

• Dr. Andrew Huberman - Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR) onderzoek, Huberman Lab

• Swami Satyananda Saraswati - Ontwikkelaar moderne Yoga Nidra methode

• Stephen Porges - De polyvagaaltheorie en de transformerende ervaring van veiligheid