舒眠瑜伽如何幫助你進入深度睡眠｜How Yoga Nidra Guides You Into Deep Sleep

第一隻Youtube的影片獻給了我最喜歡的舒眠瑜珈 (Yoga Nidra)，喜歡的原因，在於他是一種既簡單又有效的練習方式。雖然簡單，但卻可以於短暫的練習中，幫助練習者快速恢復體力，達到深度休息的效果。

舒眠瑜珈，又稱睡眠瑜珈，顧名思義就是在練習的當下什麼都不用做，只需要以最舒適的躺姿進入，全程的練習皆處於大休息 (Savasana)的狀態。

文章目錄｜Table of contents

你的睡眠是有效的嗎？
Yoga Nidra的實驗研究
「我進入自動駕駛的狀態了嗎？」
起心動念
Is your sleep effective?
The Experiment on Yoga Nidra
“Am I on Autopilot?”
Inspiration
Reference

你的睡眠是有效的嗎？

睡覺是件多麼重要的事情，但有多少人在睡覺時，無法獲得真正的休息？

我本來就是一個蠻會睡的人，在學了舒眠瑜珈的技巧後，更會睡了。

雖然很會睡，但生活在當今腳步急湊的社會，常常也是睡覺時，腦袋仍被一大堆的思緒佔據，各種波濤洶湧的腦內小劇場，此起彼落。當看到陽光照進屋內，發現一個晚上居然又這樣過去了，總是覺得很懊惱。接觸舒眠瑜珈後，我了解到，思緒其實是可以被引導的，而引導後的思緒，將不再漫無邊際的無限延伸，而是按部就班的，進入到類似冥想的放鬆狀態。

由於舒眠瑜珈包含一系列的身體意識和呼吸練習，可以激活副交感神經，並增加大腦中α波的含量 (e.g., Mandlik et al. 2002)，因此會帶領練習者進入深層的睡眠狀態，所以儘管只是短暫的練習，卻能讓練習者達到休息了數小時的效果。據Satyananda Saraswati在2009年的研究指出，標準30分鐘長度的舒眠瑜伽，甚至可以補足徹夜缺乏的睡眠。

之前RYT 200的Ashish老師有提過，舒眠瑜珈對於患病或是術後病人的恢復也特別有幫助。因為身體的恢復需要靠睡眠來修復，若是這個階段的睡眠品質不佳，便會影響到復原的速度跟成效。他曾有過幾位手術後的學生，也都透過舒眠瑜珈獲得了良好的復原成效。之前我在確診Covid的時候，身體難以放鬆入眠，也是透過舒眠瑜珈的自我引導，讓自己突破身體的不適，而使自己入眠。

在Satyananda Saraswati於2009年的研究，亦證實了這點：
「舒眠瑜伽的實證研究證實了它對各種生理和心理的正面影響，如失眠、成癮行為、慢性疾病、疼痛治療、懷孕、老年病學、氣喘以及心血管系統疾病」。

Yoga Nidra的實驗研究

在我閱讀的這篇論文中，Moszeik, E.N., Von Oertzen, T. and Renner, K.-H.等人於德國進行了研究。他們準備了11分鐘的Yoga Nidra音檔，並讓受試者連續一個月每天使用這段錄音檔。在實驗後分別測試了壓力 (Stress)、幸福感(Well-Being)、睡眠品質 (Quality of Sleep)、正念程度 (Mindfulness)等四項指標。

他們刊登了標題為「Mind full or Mindful？」的廣告以招募受試者，最後募集到了859位受試者參與本次的實驗。

受試者的組成為：

年齡範圍： 19 至 71 歲。
性別組成：79.9%為女性（79.9%），20.1%為男性。
職業組成：51.4%為受僱者，其中53.3%為全職，26.6%為兼職。此外，在26%的受試者中為高階主管。

研究的結果表明，縱使在大量及不同的的樣本中，簡短的音頻引導和線上Yoga Nidra冥想，便可對壓力、睡眠品質和幸福感產生微小的影響，特別是在工作壓力大的日子裡 (因實驗僅進行一個月，若是長期維持Yoga Nidra的練習習慣，將使成效進一步放大)。Moszeik, E.N., Von Oertzen, T. and Renner, K.-H.在論文的最後指出，減輕壓力並提升幸福感和睡眠質量，其實並不需要耗費大量的動員、費用和時間來進行計劃，透過簡短的Yoga Nidra和正念練習 (Mindfulness)，似乎亦能助於打破不專注生活細節而進入的自動駕駛 (autopilot)狀態。

「我進入自動駕駛的狀態了嗎？」

我很喜歡他們在這段論文中關於自動駕駛 (autopilot)的結論。時常因為忙碌的生活，我們進入一心多用的狀態，身體的動作只是自然反應，其實心裡根本沒有留意當下的自己在做什麼，進入自動導航的狀態，因而錯過了生活中許多微小而美好的細節。

時時保持對生活的覺察，就是正念 (mindfulness)的核心裡念。當你今天又忙得暈頭轉向時，請問問自己「我進入自動駕駛的狀態了嗎？」。把注意力帶回到自己身上，深呼吸，好好感受此時此刻的每分每秒，以及這個轉瞬即逝，永遠不會再重複的瞬間。

起心動念

之前和家人及朋友聊到舒眠瑜珈帶來的好處，可惜網路上很少相關的引導影片，儘管知道很有益處，也不知從何開始練習，最後決定何不自己來拍一個呢？尤其目前我人不在台灣，我也希望能夠透過這樣的方式，繼續陪伴在台灣家人，尤其是生病的家人，身處異鄉的我幫不上什麼忙，至少可以有個聲音的陪伴，盼他們夜夜好眠。

影片使用方式 👉🏻

點開影片，放下手機，閉上眼睛，躺平進入大休息狀態。
若是覺得影片速度不夠慢，也可以以0.75倍的速度播放。
祝福你今晚一夜好眠！

My first YouTube video is dedicated to my favourite practice, Yoga Nidra, also known as yogic sleep. I love Yoga Nidra because it is a simple yet highly effective practice. Despite its simplicity, it can help practitioners quickly restore energy and achieve deep relaxation in a short amount of time.

Yoga Nidra, as the name suggests, involves doing nothing but lying down comfortably in Savasana, the corpse pose, for the entire practice.

Is your sleep effective?

Sleep is such an important aspect of our lives, yet many people do not achieve true rest when they sleep.

I’ve always been a good sleeper, but after learning Yoga Nidra techniques, I’ve become even better at it.

Despite being a good sleeper, living in today’s fast-paced society often means that my mind is occupied with numerous thoughts even when I go to bed. These turbulent mental “mini-dramas” can dominate my thoughts, and before I know it, another night has passed when the sunlight streams into my room. This used to frustrate me greatly. However, after discovering Yoga Nidra, I realised that thoughts can actually be guided. Once guided, these thoughts no longer extend indefinitely but instead transition smoothly into a meditative and relaxed state.

Yoga Nidra involves a series of body awareness and breathing exercises that activate the parasympathetic nervous system and increase alpha waves in the brain (e.g., Mandlik et al. 2002). This leads practitioners into a deep state of sleep, allowing a short practice to provide the rest equivalent to several hours of sleep. According to Satyananda Saraswati’s 2009 study, a standard 30-minute Yoga Nidra session can even compensate for a night of inadequate sleep.

Ashish, my RYT 200 instructor, mentioned that Yoga Nidra is particularly beneficial for the recovery of patients, including those post-surgery. Since the body relies on sleep to heal, poor sleep quality during this stage can hinder the speed and effectiveness of recovery. He had several post-operative students who achieved good recovery results through Yoga Nidra. When I was diagnosed with COVID-19 and found it hard to relax and fall asleep, I used self-guided Yoga Nidra to overcome my physical discomfort and fall asleep.

Satyananda Saraswati’s 2009 study also confirmed this:
“Empirical studies on Yoga Nidra have shown positive effects on various physiological and psychological conditions, such as insomnia, addiction, chronic diseases, pain management, pregnancy, geriatrics, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases.”

The Experiment on Yoga Nidra

In a study I read, Moszeik, E.N., Von Oertzen, T., and Renner, K.-H. conducted research in Germany. They prepared an 11-minute Yoga Nidra audio file and had participants use this recording daily for a month. They measured four indicators: stress, well-being, quality of sleep, and mindfulness.

The researchers recruited 859 participants through an advertisement titled “Mind Full or Mindful?”.

The participants’ demographics were as follows:

Age range: 19 to 71 years old.
Gender: 79.9% female, 20.1% male.
Employment status: 51.4% employed (53.3% full-time, 26.6% part-time). Additionally, 26% were executive positions.

The study results indicated that even with large and diverse samples, brief audio-guided and online Yoga Nidra meditation could have small but significant effects on stress, sleep quality, and well-being, especially during high-stress periods at work (Since the experiment only lasted for a month, maintaining a long-term Yoga Nidra practice habit would further amplify the effects). The researchers concluded that reducing stress and enhancing well-being and sleep quality do not necessarily require extensive programmes, costs, or time. Short Yoga Nidra and mindfulness practices can help break the autopilot state we often fall into due to busy lives.

“Am I on Autopilot?”

I really like their conclusion about the autopilot state in the study. Often, due to our busy lives, we enter a state where we multitask, and our body movements are just automatic reactions without mindful awareness. This autopilot state causes us to miss many small yet beautiful details of life.

Maintaining awareness of life at all times is the core of mindfulness. When you find yourself overwhelmed today, ask yourself, “Am I on autopilot?” Bring your attention back to yourself, take a deep breath, and truly feel every moment of the present, this fleeting, never-to-be-repeated moment.

Inspiration

After discussing the benefits of Yoga Nidra with my family and friends, I realised that there are few guided videos available online. Despite knowing its benefits, many people don’t know where to start. So, I decided to create my own video. Being away from Taiwan, I hope to continue accompanying my family, especially those who are ill, through this method. Though I can’t be of much help while living abroad, at least I can provide a comforting voice, wishing them peaceful nights.

How to Use the Video 👉🏻

Click on the video, put down your phone, close your eyes, and lie down in Savasana.
If the video’s pace feels too fast, you can play it at 0.75x speed.
I wish you a restful night!

Reference

Moszeik, E.N., Von Oertzen, T. and Renner, K.-H. (2020) ‘Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being in a large and diverse sample,’ Current Psychology, 41(8), pp. 5272–5286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-01042-2.