The Thin Line Between Waking and Sleeping in Athletes: A Call for Yoga Nidra in the Sporting Context

The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Strategies on Perceived Stress and Psychobiosocial States in Athletes and Recreationally Active People

“…Although dynamic strategies in general can be easier to implement, especially with athletes, in this investigation, static strategies seem to be equally effective in reducing PS and improving functional PBS. This paves the way for further research on the topic (for example, see di Fronso and Bertollo’s paper about Yoga Nidra) [ 57 ].…”

Dreaming while awake: The beneficial effects of yoga Nidra on mental and physical recovery in two elite karate athletes

“…Drawing on the aforementioned importance of continued exploration of recovery strategies in sport context, a recent opinion paper claims the importance of yoga Nidra (YN) for athletes [ 14 ]; moreover, a systematic review of yoga interventions effects on psychological health of competitive athletes suggests that mind-body techniques, including YN, should be better studied [ 15 ]. YN, literally yoga sleep, is generally described as a simple meditation practice that can be used by everyone [ 16 ].…”

“…1 , YN includes a sequence of breathing, guided body awareness, and visualization exercises that make it a complete and systematic method to induce physical and mental relaxation [ 17 , 18 ]. Executed in supine position, YN naturally stimulates a hypnagogic state wherein an individual is physiologically asleep yet maintains a certain level of internal/external awareness [ 14 ]. Indeed, while participants practice detachment from most of the stimuli, the auditory channel remains receptive (bell sounds are indeed used throughout the practice) so that they can follow guide's instructions.…”

Special Issue: Sport Psychology Interventions for Athletes’ Performance and Well-Being

“…Scientific evidence highlights that sport psychology interventions adopted by professionals are crucial for making a difference in athlete performance [ 1 ]. Specifically, imagery, goal-setting, self-talk, and relaxation/arousal regulation are the most common interventions adopted by practitioners and athletes to enhance performance [ 2 ]. It is also true that athletes face unique physiological and psychological stressors daily.…”

“…These may contribute to injuries, overtraining, burnout, and/or other physical and mental health issues. Thus, athletes need to continuously explore interventions to counteract the detrimental effect of physical and mental tension and performing at high levels [ 2 ]. Moreover, interventions that do consider athletes’ emotional and psychological well-being are important components of high performance in sport [ 3 ].…”