Yoga Nidra: Meditation Made Easy
Yoga Nidra* is a sleep-based, guided meditation practiced lying down in total relaxation.
"If you can lie down comfortably and follow the sound of my voice, you can achieve all the benefits of Yoga Nidra."
- Dr. Bando
What is Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is practiced lying on your back in total comfort. Guided breath, body and awareness techniques intentionally drop you into slower brainwave states that you typically only experience during sleep. In fact, a 30-minute Yoga Nidra practice equals 2 hours of biological sleep in terms of brain and body restoration. The benefits of Yoga Nidra surpass that of other types of meditation and all that is required is to lie down, get comfortable, listen and follow along. Yoga Nidra sessions may last anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes.
Why Yoga Nidra?
Yoga Nidra is a powerful way to shift how you think, act and feel. Through Yoga Nidra unhelpful beliefs, traumas, and old, unhelpful patterns are healed and changed at the cellular level. This manifests in being able to much more easily let go of ingrained habits and attitudes that no longer serve you.
In addition to Yoga Nidra being an ancient practice known for its almost unbelievable, astonishing results, modern-day research supports Yoga Nidra’s robust benefits.
Benefits of Yoga Nidra
- Deep, profound rest, relaxation and healing (including disease prevention, recovery and restoration)
- Increases energy, vitality and focus
- Mood regulation and elevation
- Decreases stress hormones
- Reduce or eliminate insomnia (trains the brain to effortlessly access natural sleep cycles)
- Make up for sleep deprivation (a great tool for travel)
- Increases capacity for learning and memory
- Pain management
- Balances mood regulating hormones (serotonin, dopamine, DHEA, melatonin, human growth hormone)
- Emotional processing and release of past traumas (without going into the narrative)
- Overall hormone regulation
- Increases ability for perspective-taking, empathy and compassion
- Spiritual connectivity
- Induces structural brain changes to support overall health and wellbeing (increases size of hippocampus, decreases size and activation of amygdala, increases overall grey matter in the brain, thickens the prefrontal cortex, densifies the temporal lobe, evenly activates all areas of the brain)
(Scroll to the bottom of this page for scientific research results.)
45 Minutes of Yoga Nidra = 3 hours biological sleep
“Studies show that 30 minutes of Yoga Nidra resets the dopamine in an area of the brain called the basal ganglia, which prepares the brain and body for action…allow the nervous system to reset so that it can get back into action. For the go-getters, if you want to have a long career, you want to high-perform your whole career…everyone should have some deep relaxation process that’s deliberate, that doesn’t involve ingesting anything.”
– Neuroscientist, Andrew Huberman, Stanford University
How is Yoga Nidra used in Dr. Bando's treatment?
INTENTION
PERSONALIZED
PERSONALIZED
One of the most powerful components of Yoga Nidra is Intention. I use my expertise to design a unique Intention that encapsulates the changes you want to make in your life. When this personalized Intention is implanted at the deepest level of Yoga Nidra, we are working with the most relaxed and receptive brain wave states at the core root patterns where all of your past experiences and beliefs are held, and making changes there. This practice allows you to more easily apply the change strategies you will learn in therapy to make the healing shifts in life you desire.
*Dr. Bando is trained and certified in the Integrative Amrit Method of Yoga Nidra (I AM Yoga Nidra).
PERSONALIZED
PERSONALIZED
PERSONALIZED
I choose techniques that directly address your situation and personality so that your Yoga Nidra session and recording is tailor-made for you. For example, there are specific Yoga Nidra modalities that address ADHD, anxiety, trauma, headache relief, dyslexia, physical healing, brain injury, cold and flu prevention, chronic pain, depression and many more, in addition to the general benefits that are listed above. Once we’ve collaboratively developed an Intention to guide you toward your Treatment Goals, I design a personalized Yoga Nidra. This practice is recorded and you are able to listen repeatedly to reinforce your progress. Many of my patients prefer to have several personalized recordings in their library that they can rotate.
The feedback I repeatedly receive is that “Yoga Nidra seems too good to be true.” Changes people have been struggling to make for years come about much more easily and effortlessly.
- Dr. Bando
Yoga Nidra for Groups
In addition to integrating the power of Yoga Nidra into my individual sessions, I offer group classes on-line or on-site. Any group wanting an accessible and practical approach to meditation can benefit. If you’d like to learn more about scheduling a Yoga Nidra class for your group or organization, send me a message.
What scientific research says about Yoga Nidra
- PET Scans during Yoga Nidra practice show up to a 65% increase in endogenous dopamine release. (Journal of Cognitive Brain Research)
- Yoga Nidra significantly lowered levels of serum cholesterol in cardiac patients. (University of Tel Aviv)
- Yoga Nidra practice resulted in a reduction in high blood pressure, not only during Yoga Nidra practice but also extended throughout the day. (Stanford University School of Medicine)
- Patients suffering from hypertension experienced a significant reduction in blood pressure and anxiety even 12-months after Yoga Nidra training. (Langley Porter Neuropsychiatry Institute)
- Decreased PTSD symptoms in military personnel after Yoga Nidra training. (Walter Reed Army Medical Center)
- Decreased stress levels (85%), improved mental and emotional balance (83%), improved general health and wellbeing (82%), enhanced sleep quality (57%), greater connection to personal spiritual beliefs (52%) and more positive outlook on life (27%) were measured after Yoga Nidra training. (Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center)
- Significant improvements in hormonal levels (thyroid, FSH, lutein and prolactin) in women with menstrual irregularities after six month of Yoga Nidra practice. (The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine)
- Yoga Nidra practice resulted in a reduction in anxiety and depression as compared to a control group in women with menstrual disorders. (International Journal of Yoga)
- Boys age 10-15 with disruptive behavior displayed calmer behaviors, reduction in hostility and anxiety, and more stable breathing patterns after 13 weeks of Yoga Nidra practice. (Journal of Child and Family Studies)
- Two weeks of daily Yoga Nidra practice resulted in 43% increase in ability to manage stress, 43% positive trend in sleep quality, 57% improvement in mental and emotional balance, 29% reduction of unhealthy habits cravings and impulsive behaviors. (Preliminary study, Victoria, Australia)
- Reduction in blood glucose levels as compared to control in diabetic patients after consistent Yoga Nidra practice. (Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology)
- A study with college students demonstrated measurable decreased stress levels with a Yoga Nidra practice as compared to other meditation techniques. (Department of Human Cons. & Yogic Science)
- Significant drops in resting heart rate and lowered blood pressure for those who were high in both areas after a Yoga Nidra practice. (Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center)
- Compelling preliminary research suggests Yoga Nidra has preventative, promotive and curative value by reducing the incidence of stress-related disorders contributing to illnesses such as anxiety, insomnia, asthma, coronary heart disease, cancer, and hypertension. (Journal of Indian Psychology)
- Reduced experience of guilt as compared to a control group. (School of Yoga and Health)
This is not an exhaustive list, but rather highlights current research results.
Contact Dr. Bando
Are you ready for transformative healing to reach your peak potential? Get in touch today to get started!
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