EFFECT OF YOGA NIDRA BEFORE SLEEP TO IMPROVE

QUALITY OF SLEEP IN HEALTHY WORKING

PROFESSIONALS

Dissertation submitted by

POOJA THAWRANI

Reg. No. 40720096

Under the Guidance Of

DR. BALARAM PRADHAN AND MR. MANGESH PANDEY

Towards the partial fulfilment of

MASTER OF SCIENCE YOGA THERAPY

July 2020 - July 2022

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA ANUSANDHANA SAMSTHANA

No.19, Eknath Bhavan, Gavipuram Circle, Kempegowdanagar, Bangalore-560019

 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Pooja Thawrani is submitting this literature research “Effect of Yoga Nidra
before Sleep to Improve the Quality of Sleep in Working Professionals” in partial fulfillment of
the requirements of Master of Science in Yoga with effect from July 2020 to January 2023 by
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana(SVYASA) under the division of life science
and this is a record of work carried out by him in this university. Dr. Balaram Pradhan & Mr.
Mangesh Pandey

-----------------------

Professor

Research Guide

S-VYASA University

Bengaluru
 DECLARATION

I, Pooja Thawrani, declare that this dissertation report entitled “Effect of Yoga Nidra before
Sleep to Improve Quality of Sleep in Healthy Working Professionals”, submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the award of a Master’s Degree in Yoga, SVYASA
University, Bangalore 560019, is my original work. Wherever contributions of others are
involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and
acknowledgment of collaborative research and discussions and it has not previously formed a
basis for the award of any degree, diploma, associate ship or fellowship or any other similar title.
Pooja Thawrani MSc Yoga Registration Number - 40720096 / July 2020 Batch

DATE: 2022-10-31 Name: Pooja

Thawrani

Place: Bangalore Reg. No.: 40720096

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Almighty, my family, friends,
classmates, and all my teachers, and guides who helped me to complete this project. I am
genuinely grateful to Dr. Balaram Pradhan, and Mr. Mangesh Pandey for their enormous
guidance and worthy experience throughout the project, and to Dr. Promila Choudhary for her
immense encouragement and suggestions all these 2 years. My sincere thanks to the participants
of the project for being part of it, cooperating till the end of the workshop, for sharing their data
and valuable feedback. I am deeply indebted to my friends who helped me a lot to gather
participants, my family for their support, and especially to my husband for contributing his
experience and knowledge of the research project. Pooja Thawrani MSc Yoga Registration
Number - 40720096 / July 2020 Batch

Name: Pooja Thawrani

Reg. No.: 40720096

STANDARD INTERNATIONAL TRANSLITERATION CODE
USED TO TRANSLITERATE SAMSKRITA WORDS
 ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Body and Mind both interact with one another in all spheres of life. Sleep is one of the important
factors to maintain good health. In the state of deep sleep, the mind is at rest because the senses
of perception cease. Today, we are successful in increasing the means of comfort. However,
World Health Organization warns that this sedentary lifestyle comes with the drawback of
psychosomatic disorders. In a world where already the sluggish lifestyle was at its peak, we got
hit by the pandemic leading most of us to work from home. Whilst fortunately there was work
during the pandemic, working virtually became the new norm. One of the major effects of our
inactive lifestyle has been one of the most significant yet most abandoned necessities of human
existence - sleep. This change has led to disturbance in the sleep cycles broadly categorized as
Sleep Disorders. The way to experience and recognize divinity is to turn one's attention inward
in a process of contemplative meditation. Yoga Nidra or the Shava yatra Meditation also known
as 61 Point relaxation is a well-established technique of Hatha Yoga by Swami Rama. In this
practice, one drops the shthula sharira (the physical body) and moves into the sukshma sharira,
(the subtle body). This method includes physical, mental, and emotional relaxation.

AIM

To analyze the impact of Yoga Nidra to improve on the quality of sleep

METHODOLOGY

A sample of 39 working professionals (age 30 to 50) having difficulty in sleep due to working
from home post-COVID, had participated in a Randomized controlled trial pre-post experiment .
They were allocated to the Yoga group (n = 21), which had a 20 minutes session for one month,
and to the Control group (n = 18) with no such intervention. The measures included The
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) tool.

RESULTS
The result showed a significant difference in the improvement in the quality of sleep when
compared between the yoga group (p-0.020) and the control group (0.695).

CONCLUSION

A significant difference was observed between the experimental and control groups in the quality
of sleep between the experimental group when compared with the control group after the
intervention of Yoga Nidra right before sleep. Further studies can be conducted on a larger group
of people and also on people who are not working.

KEYWORD

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sleep Quality, Covid, Working Professionals.
 Table of contents

Contents
CHAPTER 1...........................................................................................................................................
1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................
1.1 1.1 YOGA AND HEALTH......................................................................................................
1.2 SLEEP.......................................................................................................................................
1.3 YOGA NIDRA.........................................................................................................................
1.4 NEED OF THE STUDY..........................................................................................................
CHAPTER 2...........................................................................................................................................
2 ANCIENT LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................................
CHAPTER 3...........................................................................................................................................
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE........................................................................................
CHAPTER 4...........................................................................................................................................
4 AIM..................................................................................................................................................
4.1 OBJECTIVE............................................................................................................................
4.2 RESEARCH QUESTION-......................................................................................................
4.3 HYPOTHESIS.........................................................................................................................
4.4 NULL HYPOTHESIS..............................................................................................................
4.5 ETHICAL CLEARENCE.......................................................................................................
CHAPTER 5...........................................................................................................................................
5 METHODOLOGY...........................................................................................................................
5.1 SAMPLE...................................................................................................................................
5.1.1 SAMPLE SIZE......................................................................................................................
5.1.2 SOURCE OF SAMPLE........................................................................................................
5.1.3 INCLUSION CRITERIA.....................................................................................................
5.1.4 EXCLUSION CRITERIA....................................................................................................
5.1.5 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION...........................................................................................
5.2 DESIGN....................................................................................................................................
5.3 ASSESSMENT TOOLS..........................................................................................................
5.4 INTERVENTION....................................................................................................................
5.5 DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS..............................................................................
CHAPTER 6...........................................................................................................................................
 6 RESULTS.........................................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 7...........................................................................................................................................
7 DISCUSSION..............................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 8...........................................................................................................................................
8 CONCLUSION.................................................................................................................................
CHAPTER 9...........................................................................................................................................
9 APPRAISAL....................................................................................................................................
9.1 STRENGTH OF THE STUDY...............................................................................................
9.2 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY............................................................................................
9.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES...........................................................................
REFERENCES......................................................................................................................................
APPENDIX-1.........................................................................................................................................
QUESTIONNAIRES...........................................................................................................................
APPENDIX-2.........................................................................................................................................
PICTURES OF INTERVENTION......................................................................................................
APPENDIX-3.........................................................................................................................................
APPENDIX-4.........................................................................................................................................
APPENDIX-5.........................................................................................................................................
1
 CHAPTER 1
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 1.1 YOGA AND HEALTH

The word ‘Yoga’ comes from Sanskrit which means ‘to join’ or ‘to unite, the union between
atman (individual self) and paramatma (Supreme self). Yoga leads to perfect harmony
between mind and body, man and nature, individual consciousness, and universal
consciousness. It is an art and science of healthy living. Yoga helps to build up psycho-
physiological health, and emotional harmony; and manage daily stress and its consequences.
According to the Ministry of Ayush and several randomized controlled studies have shown
the efficacy of Yogic practices in the management of non-communicable diseases like
hypertension, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchial asthma, diabetes,
sleep disorder, depression, obesity, etc. Yoga has also been shown to be useful in vulnerable
populations such as the elderly, and children. Since late 2019 when the coronavirus disease
(Covid-19), caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 emerged, many people have
undergone a lot of stress and unnatural work patterns which has led to many psychological
and sleep issues amongst the working population.

1.2 SLEEP

Body and Mind both interact with one another in all spheres of life. Sleep is one of the
important factors to maintain good health. In the state of deep sleep, the mind is at rest
because the senses of perception cease. World Health Organization warns that this sedentary
lifestyle comes with the drawback of psychosomatic disorders. In a world where already the
sluggish lifestyle was at its peak, we got hit by the pandemic leading most of us to work from
home. One of the major effects of our inactive lifestyle has been one of the most significant
yet most abandoned necessities of human existence - sleep. This change has led to
disturbance in the sleep cycles broadly categorized as Sleep Disorders. Restricting people’s
movement to promote social distance and prolonged quarantine, are likely to have produced a
stressful atmosphere for the inhabitants and these disturbances may have a role in decreasing
the quality of sleep.

2
1.3 YOGA NIDRA

The term Dhyana is used in several ancient Hindu scriptures like RigVeda, Taittiriya
Aranyaka, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, etc. Ancient literature states that yogis or
sages could go through a special kind of sleep called yogic sleep or yoga nidra. The method
of learning yoga nidra was not documented and was taught by the teacher only to his disciple
until Swami Satyananda Saraswati, a renowned teacher from Bihar School of Yoga, Munger,
Bihar, India, laid down the concept of yoga nidra and the technique of doing it, following
simple instructions using his book “Yoga Nidra” Yoga nidra is done with an alert mind such
that one can follow the instructions in the audio tape for practice. Yoga Nidra or the Shava
yatra Meditation also known as 61 Point relaxation is a well-established technique of Hatha
Yoga by Swami Rama. In this practice, one drops the shthula sharira (the physical body) and
moves into the sukshma sharira, (the subtle body). This method includes physical, mental,
and emotional relaxation. According to the Ministry of Ayush also, Yoga Nidra helps in the
reduction of sympathetic arousal and reduced emotional distress and improves the quality of
sleep. Rejuvenate the body and helps to keep the mind calm The 61-point Relaxation is called
Shava-yatra Meditation by Swami Rama. It appears in some of the books published by the
Himalayan Institute like the Hatha Yoga Manual. Its root can be traced back to Sankhya
philosophy and Advaita Vedanta also.

1.4 NEED OF THE STUDY

Overwork has been glorified in the present times and due to a stationary lifestyle, deep rest to
our bodies and minds has been ignored. This especially has affected people who have a desk
job plus working from home. When asked by most working professionals about their sleep
quality, most of them would state that they have trouble having deep sleep on time. If not
addressed early leads to toxic effects and non-communicable diseases and drug dependency.
This study is an effort to evaluate the efficacy of Yoga Nidra to improve sleep quality at the
early stages itself.

3
 CHAPTER 2
2 ANCIENT LITERATURE REVIEW

[Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1. 6] प्रमाण-विपर्यय-विकल्प-निद्रा-स्मृ तयः ||पतञ्जलि योग सूतर् ाः

pramāṇa viparyaya vikalpa nidrā smṛtayaḥ They are correct knowledge, misconception,
imagination, sleep, and memory. This five-fold division of mental activities provides a useful
categorization system for analyzing and subsequently restricting one’s thoughts. [Patanjali
Yoga Sutra 1. 10] अभावप्रत्ययालम्बना वृ त्तिर्निद्रा ॥१. १०॥ abhāvapratyayālambanā
tamovrittirnidrā Sleep is a mental activity based on the absence of other mental content. The
Sutra is referring to deep sleep or dreamless sleep and what is experienced in it. Patanjali
Yoga Sutra 1. 38 स्वप्ननिद्राज्ञानालम्बनं वा॥१. ३८॥ svapna nidrā jñānālambanaṃ vā Or when
the mind is resting on the wisdom arising from dreams and sleep. The Word Yoga Nidra
firstly mentioned in Devi Mhatmya one of the great part of Markandeya Purana as: //
उत्पन्ने ति तदा लोके सनित्यप्यभिधीयते /. / योगनिद्रां यदा विष्णु र्जगतये कर्णविकृते // // Utpanneti
Tada Loke Sanityapybhidhiyate / / Yoganidram Yada Vishnurjagatyekarnavikrite //
According to the visualizations of Maharshi Markandeya “at the end of Kalpa when the entire
universe was in a deep relaxation, Lord Vishnu was lying on the bed of serpent in the state of
total awareness”. He further states in his Purana that: Lordess Yoga Nidra lives in the eyes of
Lord Vishnu. // द्रष्ट् वा तवसु रौ चोगरौ प्रसु प्तं च जनार्दनम् / / तु स्तव योगनिद्रां
तमे कग्रहृद्यस्थितिः // // Drastwa Tavsurau Chograu prasuptam Cha Janardanam / / Tustav
Yoganidram Tamekagrahridyasthitih // Meaning: When Lord Brahma observed Lord
Vishnu in the grip of Yoga Nidra, to make him awake, He (Lord Brahma) started praying to
the Lordess Yoga Nidra. This was the first time in this Universe when Yoga Nidra came into
the form and due to her effect, Lord Vishnu became able to get victory over two evils named
Madhu and Kaitabh. [The Ocean] becomes the bed of the lotus-navel Vishnu when at the
termination of every Yuga that deity of immeasurable power enjoys yoga-Nidra, the deep
sleep under the spell of spiritual meditation. — Mahabharata, Book 1, section XXI Secondly
this word Yoga nidra was again mentioned in a very small Yogic Text Yoga Tadavali
authored by Adya Sankaracharya. He quoted Yoga Nidra as: / विछिना सं कल्प विकल्प मूले,
निःशे ष निर्मुलित कर्म जाले / /नितान्तरत नितन्त भद्रास, जं भृते योगिनी योग निद्रा//. /Vichhina

4
Sankalpa Vikalpa Moole, Nihshesh Nirmulit Karma Jale/ /Nitantarat Nitant Bhadrasa,
Jambhrite Yogini Yoga Nidra//. Meaning: “When the mind has transcended Maya (delusion),
when the ego has become static when senses are no more functioning, and when all
communication between the mind and the senses has been cut when I and you no longer exist
for a period of time, Yoga Nidra starts. Adya Sankaracharya further explains that For a long
time practice, when being disappointed in every resolve and imagination and every
obstacle of karma becomes destroyed, the Yogi gets the state of Yoga Nidra”. In the Shaiva
text Ciñcinīmatasārasamuccaya (7. 164), yoga Nidra is called "peace beyond words" The
15th century Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā goes further, stating (4. 49) that "One should practice
Khecarī Mudrā until one is asleep in yoga. For one who has achieved Yoganidrā, death never
occurs. " Yoga Nidra is a meditation as well as a relaxation practice, first discovered by Sw.
Satyananda Saraswati when he was living with his Guru (spiritual master) Swami Shivananda
in Rishikesh. From an experience, an idea came to his mind that sleep is not a state of total
unconsciousness. He began studying the Tantric scriptures and after practicing them he
constructed a new system of relaxation that was Yoga Nidra. Swami Rama (1998) is a state
between sleep and Samadhi. It is a half-sleep and half-waking state: it is not a waking state,
and it is not really a sleep state. Yoga Nidra is a state of conscious sleep in which one can
record what is going on. There is a fine demarcation between Yoga Nidra and Samadhi. In
yoga nidra one can record those which he cannot receive in the conscious state. When one
cannot register something properly in the waking state, one can go into yoga nidra to register
it. Sri Ram Sharma Acharya (1995) Yoga nidra can be understood as scientific sleep. It is a
total practice of yoga itself. The practice of Yoga nidra on the contrary allows one to attain a
state of ‘awakened’ sleep. In this state, the body and the external mind (and hence the thought
process) are made to sleep as per the order of the inner will. The determination, the willpower
of the individual self remain active in this state and endeavor to auto-suggestive experience of
the power of the unconscious mind and its linkage with the soul. Sw. Satyananda Saraswati
(1975) explains Yoga nidra as a state of mind between wakefulness and dream. When
someone practices Yoga nidra he opens the deeper phases of the mind. During the practice of
Yoga nidra the consciousness is at different levels. Sometimes it is very close to the senses
and at others, it is at a very remote distance. When the consciousness is at a remote distance.
It is only possible to understand through the auditory channels. During Yoga nidra the

5
consciousness is suspended for a few moments periodically, which means that it alternates
between the subconscious and unconscious states. For the practice of Yoga nidra one should
lie flat on his back and follow the spoken instruction of yoga instructor. It is convenient to
use Yoga nidra tape. During the practice, there should be no movement by the practitioner, as
well as he should try to remain awake and aware of every given instruction.

6
 CHAPTER 3
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
S. No Referen Sample Design Variabl Assess Interve Results Limitati
ce es ment ntion ons
tools
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Nidra mized minutes interven
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shows design showed
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ement (n=21) improv
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Nanda quality.
Mallick
; May
June
2021
2 A 22 2 90 Yoga
Closer Groups minutes Nidra
Look at practice
Yoga produce
Nidra: sa
Sleep relaxed

7
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8
 School the
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9
 ity; July
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10
al
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11
 CHAPTER 4
4 AIM

To analyze the impact of Yoga Nidra on the quality of sleep

4.1 OBJECTIVE

To measure the effect of Yoga Nidra before sleep on the quality of sleep of working
professionals. (30 yrs to 55 yrs)

4.2 RESEARCH QUESTION-

Does the practice of Yoga Nidra have any impact on the quality of sleep?

4.3 HYPOTHESIS

Yoga Nidra will have influence on working professionals to improve their quality of sleep.

4.4 NULL HYPOTHESIS

Yoga Nidra will not have any influence on working professionals to improve their quality of
sleep.

4.5 ETHICAL CLEARENCE

The study is conducted with the consent of all the participants stating “ I understand that it is
my responsibility, to be honest about all the information I share. I hereby acknowledge that I
have given my consent to use this data for the purpose of MSc in Yoga research study to
improve sleep quality under SVYASA Yoga University, Bangalore. ”

12
 CHAPTER 5
5 METHODOLOGY
5.1 SAMPLE

Participants are working professionals from different fields. Age Range - 30-50 yrs Profile -
IT Professionals, Working in MNCs, School Teachers, Government officials Working Pattern
- Most of them are working from home after the resurgence of Covid. Experience in Yoga -
Some of them have practised yoga asanas and occasionally practised pranayama or
meditation. Health Issues - Self-reported no particular health issue. Location - Different cities
in India

5.1.1 SAMPLE SIZE

A total of 46 participants (N=46) were enrolled for the workshop all are working
professionals, in which 21 participants in the experimental group (yoga group n = 21), 18
participants in the control group (control group n=18)

5.1.2 SOURCE OF SAMPLE

People who were looking for yoga classes to improve and live a healthy lifestyle by the
means of Yoga and improve their quality of sleep.

5.1.3 INCLUSION CRITERIA

Inclusion criteria comprise of: ❖ Willingness to participate in the study ❖ Working

Professionals ❖ Age group between 30 to 50 yrs

5.1.4 EXCLUSION CRITERIA

People with any clinical health condition ❖ Kids and people below 30 years ❖ Patients with
any drug dependency

5.1.5 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

The study is conducted with the consent of all the participants stating “ I understand that it is
my responsibility, to be honest about all the information I share. I hereby acknowledge that I

13
have given my consent to use this data for the purpose of MSc in Yoga research study to
improve sleep quality under SVYASA Yoga University, Bangalore. ”

5.2 DESIGN

Total of 39 participants [Experiment Group 21; Control Group - 18] This study is a
Randomized control trial with a Pre-Post Experimental design, having two groups
Intervention Group and a Control Group. It assesses the effect of Yoga Nidra before sleep to
improve the quality of sleep. Variables are measured through questionnaires Pittsburgh Sleep
Quality Index (PSQI) which were filled up by the participants before and after the
intervention and the final assessment is done within the same group with pre-post values and
in between two groups(intervention and control) as well. Total = 39 Experimental
Group(Yoga intervention group) n=21 Control group (Not giving any intervention) n=18
Excluded=6 Dropped Out = 4

5.3 ASSESSMENT TOOLS

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a self-
rated questionnaire that assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval.
Nineteen individual items generate seven "component" scores: subjective sleep quality, sleep
latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping
medication, and daytime dysfunction. The sum of scores for these seven components yields
one global score. Clinical and clinimetric properties of the PSQI were assessed over an 18-
month period with "good" sleepers (healthy subjects, n = 52) and "poor" sleepers (depressed
patients, n = 54; sleep-disorder patients, n = 62). Acceptable measures of internal
homogeneity, consistency (test-retest reliability), and validity were obtained. A global PSQI
score greater than 5 yielded a diagnostic sensitivity of 89. 6% and specificity of 86. 5%
(kappa = 0. 75, p less than 0. 001) in distinguishing between good and poor sleepers. The
clinimetric and clinical properties of the PSQI suggest its utility both in psychiatric clinical
practice and research activities.

5.4 INTERVENTION

20 minutes of Yoga Nidra / 61 point Relaxation everyday before sleep for a period of one
month. The method of doing yoga nidra involves seven steps, namely, preparation, samkalpa

14
(sankalpa = idea or notion formed in the heart or mind), body part awareness or rotation of
consciousness, breath awareness, feeling and sensation, visualisation, and ending of practice.
Here is the script of Yoga Nidra that was practised - Let go of all your efforts. Allow
yourself to relax completely. If you want to adjust anything, adjust now. Consciously or
unconsciously there should be no movement at all. Be prepared to be completely still. Go for
a few rounds of deep and long breaths and get ready for Shava Yatra - the Pilgrimage of the
Corpse. A journey of relaxation through 61 significant points within our body. Concentrate
on the following points and visualize a blue point or a blue star (The color of blue sky) at
these points and envision the spaciousness of the heavens and a healing quality of radiant
blue light at these points as they open to receive this nurturing energy (Long Pause) Bring
your awareness to the center between the eyebrows (Ajna Chakra) Pit of the throat.
(Vishuddhi Chakra) Right shoulder joint. Right elbow. Right wrist joint. Tip of the right
thumb. Tip of the right index finger. Tip of the right middle finger. Tip of the right ring
finger. Tip of the right small finger. Right wrist. Right elbow. Right shoulder joint. Pit of the
throat (Vishuddhi Chakra) Blue Star in the left shoulder joint. Blue Star in the left elbow.
Blue Star in the left wrist. Blue Star on the tip of the left thumb. Blue Star on the tip of the
left index finger. Blue Star on the tip of the left middle finger. Blue Star on the tip of the left
ring finger. Blue Star on the tip of the left small finger. Blue Star in the left wrist. Blue Star in
the left elbow. Blue Star in the left shoulder joint. Blue Star in the pit of the throat.
(Vishuddhi Chakra) Blue Star in the heart center. (Anahatta Chakra) Blue Star in the center
of the right Chest. Blue Star in the heart center. (Anahatta Chakra) Blue Star in center of the
Left Chest Blue Star in the heart center. (Anahatta Chakra) Blue Star in the navel. (Manipura
Chakra) Blue Star in the perineum (Svadisthana Chakra) Blue Star on the right Hip Joint Blue
Star in the right knee joint Blue Star in the right ankle joint Blue Star on the tip of the small
toe of the right foot Blue Star on the tip of the Right fourth toe Blue Star on the tip of the
Right Third toe Blue Star on the tip of the Right Second toe Blue Star on the tip of the Right
Big toe Blue Star in the right ankle joint. Blue Star in the right knee joint. Blue Star in the
right hip joint Blue Star in the perineum (Svadisthana Chakra) Blue Star on the left Hip Joint
Blue Star in the Left knee joint Blue Star in the Left ankle joint Blue Star on the tip of the
small toe of the Left foot Blue Star on the tip of the Left fourth toe Blue Star on the tip of the
Left Third toe Blue Star on the tip of the Left Second toe Blue Star on the tip of the Left Big

15
toe Blue Star in the left ankle joint. Blue Star in the left knee joint. Blue Star in the left hip
joint Blue Star in the perineum (Svadisthana Chakra) Blue Star in the navel. (Manipura
Chakra) Blue Star in the heart center. (Anahatta Chakra) Blue Star in the pit of the throat.
(Vishuddhi Chakra) center between the eyebrows (Ajna Chakra) Breathe as though your
breath is flowing through your whole body through all the points of the Blue Star from top to
toes and toes to top, the Blue Star in all the sixty-one points. No break in your breathing. A
complete wave of the breath, unbroken, as though your entire body is breathing through all
the points of the Blue Star. Now come to the flow and the feel of your breath in your nostrils,
as though your breath is twin beams of white light, white moonlight, as though your face is
an unblemished moon, shining with a moonlight, a moon that has arisen from your throat
center. Your face is a full, unbroken orb of the moon, and your breath is twin beams of light
flowing out and into the seat of your mind and going out from the seat of your mind without a
break. And your fingertips are emanating the beams of light, cool moonlight flowing out of
your fingertips, your hands illuminated by the cool moonlight, as though your breath flows
like the moonlight into your fingers, into your hands and fingers. Observe the light flowing
from your fingertips as though your breath is flowing all the way down to your toes. Your
feet are emanating and are surrounded by the same light, and rays of pure moonlight flowing
out from your toes. All your (tapas and papas) burning, sorrow, anger envy and jealousy have
all been washed by this cool moonlight. Observe the moon having risen from your throat
center. Your face an orb of the unblemished moon, your breath twin beams of light from the
nostrils, your hands and fingers, feet and toes radiating the moonlight. Observe all these
radiances. Bring your awareness back to your body back to your breaths Gently move your
toes, fingers, ankles, wrist, head Bring your legs together, take both your hands above your
head and stretch yourself fully Take your left hand to abdomen Bend your knees and turn to
your right side Wehnever you are comfortbale slowly come to sitting position with your eyes
closed, back straight Feel the light in your hands and fingers as you join the palm in
namaskara mudra. Gently bring your hands to your face and merge the two lights. And
slowly let your moonlight-filled eyes open to your lit-up hands. Let the fingers of moonlight
massage your face, temples, back of your neck, back, legs. Then merge the light of your
hands and fingers with the light of your feet and toes. Gently place your hands on your feet so
that the two beams of light merge, so the light from the fingertips and the light from the toes

16
become one beam. And slowly massage your ankles, feet, and toes Sit with your eyes closed
for sometime in meditation keeping the awareness of the moonlight thoughtout your body.
Massage your palms against each other and create warmth. Form a cup of your palms and
place it at your eyes. Massage your face with fingertips and with few gentle blinks open your
eyes and look staright into your palm with a smile on your face.

5.5 DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS

Data was collected through the two self-reporting questionnaires before and after the
intervention period of one month to assess the quality of sleep. Subjects were encouraged to
fill in the sleep diary till 4 weeks after intervention. The measure consists of 19 individual
items, creating 7 components that produce one global score, and takes 5–10 minutes to
complete. It differentiates “poor” from “good” sleep quality by measuring seven areas
(components): subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep
efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medications, and daytime dysfunction over the
last month. Scoring A total score of “5” or greater is indicative of poor sleep quality. If you
scored “5” or more it is suggested that you discuss your sleep habits with a healthcare
provider Component 1 #9 Score C1 ___________ Component 2 #2 Score (<15min (0), 16-
30min (1), 31-60 min (2), >60min (3)) + #5a Score (if sum is equal 0=0; 1-2=1; 3-4=2; 5-
6=3) C2 ___________ Component 3 #4 Score (>7(0), 6-7 (1), 5-6 (2), <5 (3) C3
___________ Component 4 (total # of hours asleep) / (total # of hours in bed) x 100
>85%=0, 75%-84%=!, 65%-74%=2, <65%=3 C4 ___________ Component 5 # sum of
scores 5b to 5j (0=0; 1-9=1; 10-18=2; 19-27=3) C5 ___________ Component 6 #6 Score C6
___________ Component 7 #7 Score + #8 score (0=0; 1-2=1; 3-4=2; 5-6=3) C7
___________ Add the seven component scores together __________________ Global PSQI
____________

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 CHAPTER 6
6 RESULTS

Table 1a : Summary-Demographic Details of Samples

6.1 TABLE 1A :SUMMARY-DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS OF SAMPLES

Yoga Group (N=51) Control Group (N=52)

Before After P-Value Before After P-Value
9.8571428 8.1904761 0.0206296 9.3333333 9.2222222 0.695153
5±2.56878 9±4.27193 33±3.1797 22±3.2241
1707 5522 97338 37362

Figure 6.1: Change in

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 CHAPTER 7
7 DISCUSSION

The purpose of this research was to explore the efficacy of 4 weeks of yoga intervention to
improve the quality of sleep by introducing Yoga Nidra before sleep. Probably, this was the
first trial to be conducted as it was working from home professional post-COVID-19. The
findings of the research exhibit that regular yoga practice is beneficial to improve the quality
of sleep. The benefit was statistically significant when compared with before data and also
when compared with the control group. In yoga Nidra, a supine posture is adopted and a
system of pratyahara is used in which withdrawal of senses is done, which is similar to the
physiological initiation of sleep where one assumes a supine posture and sensory withdrawal,
or sensory attenuation occurs. The output of the study supports the previous studies by
Karuna Dutta and Manjari Tripathi whose narrative research studies are related to
understanding the impact of Yoga Nidra practice shows improvement in sleep in patients
with chronic insomnia. They observed that Both interventions showed an improvement in
subjective total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, reduction in total
wake duration, and enhancement in subjective sleep quality. The study A Closer Look at
Yoga Nidra: Sleep Lab Protocol by Erica Sharpe concluded that Yoga Nidra practice
produces a relaxed state and in this state parasympathetic activity overrides sympathetic
activity.

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 CHAPTER 8
8 CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated improvement in the quality of sleep in work-from-home

professionals after completing a one-month intervention of Yoga Nidra varying ages from 30
to 50. The result suggests that a significant difference was observed between the experimental
and control groups in the quality of sleep between the experimental group when compared
with the control group after the intervention of Yoga Nidra right before sleep.

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 CHAPTER 9
9 APPRAISAL
9.1 STRENGTH OF THE STUDY

The key strength of the present work is that as per my knowledge and review of scientific
literature this is the first initiative to evaluate the effectiveness of Yoga Nidra on Sleep to
improve the quality of sleep in work-from-home professionals, especially after the hit of
COVID-19. The result was significant so the study gives an idea about the improvement of
sleep quality in work-from-home professionals, especially after the wave of the pandemic.

9.2 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The significant improvement in the quality of sleep in the participants indicates that yoga
nidra before sleep helps lead to better sleep. But the study has its limitations as well. The
study happened online, so only online questionnaires could be used for data collection. The
analysis was done based on the self-reporting measurements so the outcomes can be biased.
There was no personal interaction with the teacher and the intervention group, so less control
over them which cannot be ruled out. A small sample size which leads to uneven distribution
in intervention and control groups is another limitation as a large sample can provide more
reliable and accurate data.

9.3 SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE STUDIES

The present study showed a subjective improvement in the quality of sleep in working
professionals. Future studies can verify more measures like a clinical diagnosis of stress
levels and improvement in effectiveness in work. Future studies can also encourage
participants to wear a smartwatch which also shows that deep sleep analysis and disturbed
sleep can be analyzed with an experiment and a control group of participants. A comparative
study can also be done on professionals who are not working from home and can seek to
improve sleep quality in them as well. Such intervention may be beneficial in the larger
population and from a different region to establish the findings as generic.

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Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandh; Bihar School of Yoga; 1969

Effect of bhramari Praṇayama practice on pulmonary function in healthy adolescents: A

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Electrophysiological Evidence of Local Sleep During Yoga Nidra Practice. -

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Https://www.researchgate.net/publication/
281783577_Origin_and_application_of_Yoga_Nidra

Https://yogainternational.com/article/view/a-practice-of-61-points-to-sharpen-concentration

I Felt Like I Was the Whole Room: Yoga Nidra’s Impact on Student Mindset at Boys High
School; Wilber, Jacqueline R. , Doane University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,
 2020

Khalsa SB. Treatment of chronic insomnia with yoga: A preliminary study with sleep-wake
diaries. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2004
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Kim SD. Psychological effects of yoga nidra in women with menstrual disorders: A
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Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

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 APPENDIX-1

QUESTIONNAIRES

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 APPENDIX-2

PICTURES OF INTERVENTION

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APPENDIX-3

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APPENDIX-4

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APPENDIX-5

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