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A groundbreaking study has revealed that Yoga Nidra, a meditative practice often referred to as ‘yogic sleep’ or ‘non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)’, brings significant changes to the brain’s functional connectivity. Conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, AIIMS Delhi, and Mahajan Imaging Delhi, this research represents the first functional MRI (fMRI) study exploring the neural mechanisms underlying Yoga Nidra.
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the study highlights how Yoga Nidra induces deep relaxation and heightened awareness, demonstrating its profound impact on mental health. According to Yogic texts, Yoga Nidra helps bring the ‘samskaras’ buried in the deep subconscious mind to the surface and eventually helps release them, thereby promoting health. “The activation of brain areas involved in processing emotions is a very interesting finding in this context,” said Prof. Rahul Garg of IIT Delhi.
The study involved two groups: 30 meditators with an average of 3000 hours of experience in meditation and/or yogic practices, and 31 matched novice controls. The researchers discovered that the Default Mode Network (DMN), a group of interconnected brain regions active when an individual is not focused on the outside world, behaves differently in experienced meditators compared to novices. Specifically, DMN connectivity was found to be less in experienced meditators during Yoga Nidra.
This difference in brain communication patterns provides insights into how Yoga Nidra modulates brain functions, promoting a state of deep relaxation while maintaining awareness. The more hours participants spent practising meditation and yoga, the more noticeable the changes in their brain activity during Yoga Nidra. This strong correlation underscores the practice’s effectiveness in altering brain connectivity.
Additionally, the study noted that while listening to guided instructions during Yoga Nidra, both experienced meditators and novices showed activity in several brain regions involved in processing language and movements, as expected. More interestingly, there was notable activation in regions associated with processing emotions and in the thalamus, a brain area involved in controlling sleep.
Yoga Nidra practitioners use the technique to deepen their meditative states, and previous research has documented its significant mental health benefits. This new study provides further scientific validation of its impact, emphasizing the importance of integrating such practices into daily routines for mental well-being.
As the first fMRI study of its kind, these findings open new avenues for understanding the neural basis of meditative practices and their potential therapeutic applications, making Yoga Nidra a promising area for future research and practice.
