Unlocking the Power of Sankalpa in Yoga Nidra Practice: Cognitive Restructuring Processes and Suggestions for Athletes' Health.

This opinion article proposes that the Sankalpa stage of Yoga Nidra—formulating and repeating a personal intention—may aid athletes' recovery and mental health by counteracting dysfunctional thoughts, fostering intrinsic motivation, and strengthening mental resilience. Yoga Nidra is described as a meditation practice involving breathing, body awareness, visualization, and cognitive restructuring that can induce a hypnagogic state linked to improved sleep and recovery. The article suggests Sankalpa works like positive self-instructions to stop unhealthy thought patterns and enhance emotional intelligence, but emphasizes that more research is needed to clarify its mechanisms and integrate it into sport programs.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This opinion article aims to highlight the potential mechanisms behind a specific stage of Yoga Nidra (YN) practice, i.e., the formulation and repetition of Sankalpa, encouraging scholars to further study it and providing athletes with suggestions on how to use it for their sport and health. YN can be defined as a meditation practice encompassing a sequence of breathing, guided body awareness, visualization and cognitive restructuring process exercises. According to preliminary results, YN stimulates a hypnagogic state generally associated with improvements in sleep parameters, thus enhancing recovery and health in different populations including athletes. Cognitive restructuring processes can be stimulated by the formulation of Sankalpa, a YN element comparable to positive self-instructions used to counteract dysfunctional cognitions. From a practical standpoint, the formulation of Sankalpa involves expressing an intention that could positively influence body, mind and emotions. For example, Sankalpa might stop or reverse unhealthy thought patterns, resulting in greater mental health. It might also foster intrinsic motivation and enhance emotional intelligence by strengthening mental resilience. In particular, athletes could use Sankalpa as an affirmation to awaken any strength they may feel is necessary to provide them with stress-recovery balance and mental health. However, additional research on this topic is needed to better elucidate Sankalpa's mechanisms/effects and better integrate its formulation into sport programs.