Yoga Nidra or mindful sleeping has been known around the world for decades for its ability to improve psychological well-being and health. However, for the first time, Indian researchers have attempted to simulate this ancient practice using an MRI to prove exactly how it works.
According to the study published in the international journal Scientific Reports, researchers from IIT Delhi, AIIMS Delhi and Mahajan Imaging reported that experienced meditators have a unique neural mechanism during yoga nidra, which results in them being relaxed but aware. Our brain has a default mode network (DMN), which is a collection of interconnected brain regions that is active when we are not focused on the outside world.
Researchers from IIT Delhi did the research
According to researchers at IIT Delhi, it is like the background mode of the brain that works when we are daydreaming, thinking about ourselves, or simply letting our minds wander. The Scientific Reports study found that the DMN behaves differently (less connected) in experienced meditators than in non-meditators, promoting a state of deep relaxation while remaining aware.
benefits of yoga nidra
The study also found that yoga nidra in the modern sense is a state in which the body is completely relaxed, and the practitioner becomes systematically and increasingly aware of the inner world by following a set of verbal instructions. This state of consciousness is different from meditation, which requires concentration on a single focus. In general, relaxation is required after any yoga sequence followed by yoga nidra. The yoga asanas warm up the body and calm the body.
MRI was used
Dr Harsh Mahajan, Chairman, Mahajan Imaging and Labs, said that this study has, for the first time, used functional MRI to prove the beneficial effects of yoga nidra, an ancient yoga practice. It suggests a unique neural mechanism in experienced meditators during yoga nidra that results in them remaining aware even while relaxing.
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