Cultivating Flourishing through Yoga Nidra Practice in Students: A Longitudinal Randomised Waitlist-Controlled Study
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background: University students globally face an escalating mental health crisis (Paiva etal., 2025), yet interventions often overlook the active cultivation of complete well-being(flourishing). Objective: This randomized, waitlist-controlled study evaluated the impact of a14-week Yoga Nidra Practice (YNP) module on mental distress and complete well-being at apremier technical institute in India. Methods: One hundred and forty students (N=140) wererandomized 1:1 to either a structured YNP intervention or a waitlist control (WC) group.Primary outcomes included depression, anxiety, perceived stress, sleep quality, flourishing, lifesatisfaction, mood and peace of mind. Secondary outcomes assessed cognitive flexibility,visual scanning, processing speed and academic performance. Results: The YNP groupdemonstrated significantly greater improvements than the WC group across six primaryoutcomes: depression (p < .001, r = -0.35), anxiety (p < .001, r = -0.34), life satisfaction (p <.001, r = 0.34), perceived stress (p = .003, r = -0.29), flourishing (p = .004, r = 0.28), and peaceof mind (p = .001, r = 0.32). Furthermore, while sleep quality significantly deteriorated in theWC group compared to baseline (p = .003), it remained same in the YNP group (p = .817)resulting in a significant between-group difference (p = .010, r = -0.25). YNP group alsoachieved significantly greater gains in cognitive flexibility compared to the WC group (TMTB: p = .001, r = -0.32). Reflexive thematic analysis revealed that effective coping practicesfacilitated a foundational shift from reactivity to response, cultivating an inner calm that droveholistic restoration. This central mechanism resulted in significant physical restoration,cognitive enhancement, and the integration of mindful living into students' daily academicroutines. Conclusion: This YNP module is a potent, scalable intervention that reducespsychological distress, and educators may consider including it in their curriculum to supportstudents' holistic well-being, particularly those in high-stress environments.Keywords: Yoga Nidra, Psychological Distress, Sleep Quality, Cognitive Flexibility, MentalWell-being, Students.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7214214286