Yoga Nidra

With competitions back on the calendar, many of you are having to quickly shift mental and physical gears and prepare for a solid showing in a matter of weeks. There is now a pressing need to maximize the quality of training sessions without risking overtraining. Recovery strategies are equally critical to the ongoing progression and allow the athlete to handle the higher loads. While athletes may require more sleep compared to non-athletes to recover from training and competition demands, they may not have the luxury of time. Yoga Nidra, is a style of yoga that stimulates a hypnagogic state wherein an individual is physiologically asleep yet maintains an internal/external awareness (Sharpe et al., 2021). Encompassing a sequence of guided body awareness, visualization, and breathing exercises, Yoga Nidra is also described as a complete and systematic method of inducing physical and mental relaxation achieved by introspection (Saraswati, 2009; Parker et al., 2013). 1 hour of practice is judged as restorative and rejuvenating as 4 hours of regular sleep (Saraswati, 2009). Even brief 15-minute sessions interspersed throughout the day, such as between training sessions, may substantially help with recovery without interfering with normal sleep patterns during the evening. Indeed, Yoga Nidra interventions have been associated with significant improvements in several sleep parameters  (Datta et al., 2017; Moszeik et al., 2020).

Make the most of your time at work and at rest. It’s now game on and every second matters!