You already know that a lack of sleep negatively impacts health and that our screen obsession is not helping matters. But did you know that a practice called yoga nidra can help?
Yoga Nidra is an immensely powerful meditation technique, and one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain for people of all ages and abilities. You only need to lie down for the practice, and you can even fall asleep.
Toronto, Canada’s Hoame meditation studio co-founders Stephanie Kersta, MSc, RP, and Carolyn Plater, MSW, RSW, are both sleep specialists trained in CBT-I for adolescents and adults.
They explained how the practice of Yoga Nidra can help accomplish REM sleep.
“Yoga nidra, also known as yogic sleep, is a lying-down meditation that utilizes specific breathing and attention techniques to deepen your level of relaxation and coaxes your body into the varying levels of consciousness. It has been reported that one hour of yoga nidra is the equivalent of eight hours of REM sleep.
It also has been shown to be helpful in supporting sleep onset for those who struggle with sleeping. Yoga nidra stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our rest and relaxation response. Tapping into this regularly will allow us to tap into it quicker prior to sleeping.
Additionally, while practicing yoga nidra, you are bringing attention to your third eye (space between your eyebrows) – this area is also where our pineal gland is located and this gland is the one responsible for creating melatonin, the sleep hormone!”
In celebration of World Sleep Day on March 15th, Hoame will host sleep-themed meditation classes with free slippers, a Saje dose bar and more. Book your visit at hoame.ca.