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Reduced Stress Through Yoga Nidra

Renee Harrington, M.S., E-RYT 500

NC State University

1 hour of Yoga Nidra = 4 hours of deep sleep

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Stress

• Situational, physical, mental, or emotional

• Real or perceived

• Positive or negative

• Slowly or out of the blue

Stress and Multitasking

Connectivity Creep Distraction Disadvantage

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Stress Statistics

• Approximately 30% of Americans reported “extreme” stress levels.

• Over 60% of Americans consider work a main source of stress.

• APA 2013 national survey of top causes of stress:• job pressure

• money

• health

• relationships

• poor nutrition

• media overload

• sleep deprivation

Evolution of Autonomic Nervous System Polyvagal Theory

• There are three general states that we exist in: • social engagement (myelinated)

• fight or flight (sympathetic)

• frozen (unmyelinated)

• Physiological responses are hierarchically organized

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Autonomic Nervous System

• Sympathetic• Fight/Flight

• Most fibers located in the psoas

• Parasympathetic• Rest/Digest

• Largely the vagus nerve

• Stimulated by deep breathing

Impacts of Stress on the Brain

• Amygdala (survival reaction)

• Hypothalamus (hormonal reaction)

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Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis

• Activation of the HPA Axis during stress• neuroendocrine feedback loop

• Release of hormones• cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine

• Chronic stress can create a highly sensitized HPA axis, highly reactive ANS, and low PNS tone

Effects of Stress

• Overexposure to stress increases risk and severity of numerous health problems

• Everyone can benefit from practicing relaxation response

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How Do You Relax and Reduce Stress?

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Yoga Nidra

• Ancient Eastern teachings of Yoga (Swami Sivanada)

• State in early morning when just waking from a dream• Equilibrium between waking and sleep• “Yogic sleep”• Complete awareness and receptive relaxation• Innate intelligence and intrinsic clarity

• Releases tension (physical, mental, and emotional) through breathing, relaxation training, visualization, and meditation

Benefits of Yoga Nidra

• Resets the hypothalamus

• Heightened cortical arousability

• Reduced limbic arousability

• Heightened awareness

• Reduced emotional reaction

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Benefits of Yoga Nidra

• Deep relaxation of body and mind

• Reduced stress

• Overcome insomnia/improved sleep

• Solve personal and interpersonal problems

• Resolve trauma

• Reduced anxiety, fear, anger, and depression

• Boosts the immune system

• Decreases inflammation/reduces pain

• Symptom relief related to cancer, asthma, diabetes, addictions, heart disease, and migraine headaches when used in conjunction with conventional medical care

• Helps with pre- and post-surgical conditions

• Can be used to control physical body functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism, body temperature and brain waves

Effects on Stress and Anxiety

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Effects on Nervous System Functioning

“The Yoga Nidra state reflects an integrated response by the hypothalamus resulting in decreased sympathetic nervous activity (excitatory) and increased parasympathetic (relaxatory) function.”

Effects on Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate

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Effects on Heart Rate Variability

Effects on the Brain

• Increased dopamine production up to 65%

• Increased stimulation of the brain

At rest: Active frontal lobes, brain stem, and cerebellum (“ready for action”)

During meditation: Active visual center, somatosensory center, and limbic system (emotions)

End of Yoga Nidra: Most activity in speech and language centers

Body part relaxation: Most activity in visual and tactile centers

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8 Stages of Yoga Nidra Practice

• Internalization / Relaxation – Preliminary preparation of the body

• Affirmation (Sankalpa) – A positive affirmation is declared silently

• Rotation of Consciousness – Body part relaxation

• Respiration awareness – Awareness of the breath

• Manifestations of Opposites – Pairs of feelings and emotions are experienced

• Creative Visualization – Guided imagery

• Affirmation – Positive affirmation is repeated and programmed into the subconscious mind

• Return to Full Awareness – A careful and gradual return to a normal state

Four Levels of Practice

• Level 1: Deep relaxation. Useful for self-healing. • The brain first produces Alpha waves, which may verge on

Theta waves during deeper practice.

• Level 2: Creativity, invention, achieving decisions/solutions to problems, creating lectures and research papers, poetry, etc. • The brain produces Theta waves that verge on Delta waves

during deeper practice.

• Level 3: The participant experiences deep non-REM sleep, but remains aware of his or her surroundings. • The brain may initially produce Theta waves, followed by Delta

waves.

• Level 4: During this state the practitioner may alternate between Theta and Delta waves.

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ReferencesPeer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Dwivedi MK and Singh SK, 2016. Yoga Nidra as a Stress Management Intervention Strategy. Purushartha: A Journal of Management Ethics and Spirituality, 9(1):18-25.

Krugers HJ, Hoogenraad CC, and Groc L. 2010. Stress Hormones and AMPA Receptor Trafficking in Synaptic Plasticity and Memory. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 11(Oct):675-681.

Kumar K, 2008. A study on the impact on stress and anxiety through Yoga nidra. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 7(3):401-404.

Kumar K and Pandya P, 2012. A study on the impact on ESR level through Yogic Relaxation Technique Yoga Nidra. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 11(2):358-361.

Loh KK and Kanai R 2014. Higher Media Multi-Tasking Activity is Associated with Smaller Gray-Matter Density in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. PLoS One, Setp 24. 9(9): e106698

Manik R and Gartia R. 2016. A Comparative Study on Yoga Nidra and Nadisodhana Pranayam on Essential Hypertension. Advanced Science Letters, 22(2):437-441.

Markil N, Whitehurst M, Jacobs PL, and Zoeller RF, 2012. Yoga Nidra Relaxation Increases Heart Rate Variability and is Unaffected by a Prior Bout of Hatha Yoga. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 18(10):953-958.

Parker S, Bharati SV, and Fernandez M, 2013. Defining Yoga-Nidra: Traditional Accounts, Physiological Research, and Future Directions. International Journal of Yoga Therapy 23(1):11-16.

Singh AK and Tiwari SP, 2014. A Study on the Effects of Certain Yogic Practices (Surya Namaskar & Yoga Nidra) on Emotional Intelligence. Journal of Progressive Science, 5(1):52-58.

Tripathi RC and Bano S, 2014. Yogic Practices: A Healing Therapy to Relieve Stress of Middle Age People. Journal of Psychosocial Research, 9(2):319-328.

Tyagi A and Cohen M, 2016. Yoga and heart rate variability: A comprehensive review of the literature. International Journal of Yoga. 9(2):97-113.

ReferencesBook

Kamahkya K, 2013. A handbook of Yoga-Nidra. An Annotated Bibliography of Indian Medicine. DK Printworld; New Delhi. 146p.

Kumar K. 2013a. A Handbook of Yoga Nidra. New Delhi, India: D.K. Printworld.

Lusk J, 2015. Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief. New Harbinger Publications. 200 p.

Miller R, 2010. Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing. Sounds True, Incorporated; Pap/Com edition. 104p.

Miller RC, 2015. The iRest Program for Healing PTSD: A Proven-Effective Approach to Using Yoga Nidra Meditation and Deep Relaxation Techniques to Overcome Trauma. New Harbinger Publications; 226 p.

Swami Saraswati S, 2009. Yoga Nidra/2009 Re-print 6th Edition. Yoga Publications Trust; Munger, India. 261 p.

Organizations/Websites

Kuchinskas S. 2008. Why Multitaskting Is a Myth. WebMD the Magazine. Accessed: September 30, 2016. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-multitasking-isnt-efficient

American Psychological Association [APA]. “Understanding Chronic Stress.” Accessed: October 1, 2016. Available at: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx.

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Questions?Email: rnharrin@ncsu.edu