Yoga Nidra Practice Enhances Emotional
Intelligence in University Students
Tikhe Sham Ganpat, PhD, NET, PGDHE
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Abstract
Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) may have a pos-
itive effect on academic performance in university students. EI
can be measured by an emotional quotient (EQ) test. Three
important psychological dimensions of an EQ test are emo-
tional sensitivity (ES), emotional maturity (EM), and emo-
tional competency (EC), which motivate students to recognize
truthfully, interpret honestly, and handle tactfully the dy-
namics of their behavioral patterns.
Objective: To assess EI of university students through
measuring their ES, EM, EC, and EQ.
Materials and Methods: Sixty students (25 women and 35
men) studying masters and doctoral degree courses in a state
government university in Madhya Pradesh, India, participated
in this research study. They were divided into two groups
randomly as 30 students (14 women and 16 men) in the yoga
group and 30 students (11 women and 19 men) in the control
group. The students from the yoga group with a mean age of
25.27 – 1.51 years practiced yoga nidra (YN) for three weeks
whereas students from the control group with a mean age of
25.27 – 1.39 years followed their regular routine for three
weeks. The ES, EM, EC, and EQ data were collected before
and after a three-week period in both groups using an EQ test
developed by Dr. Dalip Singh and Dr. N.K. Chadha. This EQ
test has a test–retest and split-half reliability of 0.94 and 0.89,
respectively, and validity of 0.89. Means, standard deviations,
independent samples t-test, and paired samples t-test were
assessed using the JASP program, a free and open-source
graphical program for statistical analysis supported by the
University of Amsterdam.
Results: The independent samples t-test showed a signifi-
cant increase before and after the YN in all the psychological
dimensions, that is, ES, EM, EC, and EQ (P < 0.001), whereas
there was no significant change observed in the control group.
The paired samples t-test showed a significant increase in all
the psychological dimensions in the yoga group (P < 0.001),
whereas the change observed in the control group was not
significant.
214 DOI: 10.1089/act.2020.29294.tsg  MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC.  VOL. 26 NO. 5
OCTOBER 2020
Conclusion: The results showed that YN is associated with
improvement in ES, EM, EC, and EQ among university stu-
dents. Thus, YN may be an effective practice to enhance EI
among university students, which may have a positive effect
on their academic performance.
Keywords: yoga nidra, emotional intelligence, university
students
Introduction
Today’s students may be more concerned with the technical
aspects of various professions and more emotionally immature
than previous generations of learners.1,2 Emotional intelli-
gence (EI) most commonly incorporates concepts of emotional
expression and regulation, self-awareness, and empathy.3
Similarly, there are three important psychological dimensions
of EI4: emotional sensitivity (ES), emotional maturity (EM),
and emotional competency (EC), which motivate students to
recognize truthfully, interpret honestly, and handle tactfully
the dynamics of their behavioral patterns. Many have exam-
ined and to some extent used EI as a measure of these concepts
and domains, which some speculate are better predictors of
educational and occupational performance.5,6 In the psycho-
logical sense, sensitivity means the characteristic of being
peculiarly sensitive and judges the threshold for various types
of stimulations, evoking sensations, feelings, and emotions.
The students may seek to evolve the ES characteristics in their
personality: understanding thresholds of emotional arousal,
empathy, and improving interpersonal relations and commu-
nicability of emotions.4
Yoga nidra (YN), a yogic sleep and a concept in ancient
Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, is an old yogic practice that
provides deep psychological and physical relaxation, while
maintaining mental functions that keep the person functional
and alert. Also called “psychic sleep,” it is described as a state
of conscious sleep, with deep awareness and inward lucidity. It
involves aimless and effortless relaxation.7 During YN, par-
ticipants remain lying down horizontally with the face and
torso facing up (supine position) in a position known as
“Shavasana or corpse pose,” while the instructor slowly guides
ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES

them into deep relaxation using specific techniques in dif-
ferent stages. In YN, it is not necessary to concentrate. The
technique is entirely guided and participants just need to
follow the instructions and keep the mind moving from point
to point, trying to be aware of every experience. In addition,
during YN, the Shav asana posture (corpse pose) is more re-
laxed, natural, and easy to perform by individuals of all ages
and body types.
This study used the YN intervention developed by Swami
Satyananda Saraswati, School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, India.8
YN is very powerful, comprehensive, profound, and the dee-
pest possible relaxation one can achieve while being fully
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conscious and aware. It is mainly concerned with Pratyahara
(the fifth state of Ashtanga Yoga, which involves withdrawal
of the senses). It is to be understood that ordinary sleep is not
equivalent to relaxation and tensions cannot always be re-
solved completely in ordinary sleep. YN is a qualitatively
different form of relaxation technique. It is a “sleep” wherein
all the burdens are thrown off to attain a more blissful state of
awareness, a relaxation much more intense than ordinary sleep.
When one practices YN, it opens the deeper phases of the
mind.9 YN has a great potential to reduce stress, resulting in
physical, mental, and emotional relaxation.9,10 It also enhances
self-awareness and self-efficacy.8
The practice of YN decreases sympathetic (excitation)
nervous activity and increases parasympathetic (relaxation)
activity.11 This association of YN with a shift toward para-
sympathetic dominance is also related to high cardiac vagal
control, which, in turn, is related to reduced anxiety and better
subjective and objective sleep quality.12 The probable un-
derlying mechanisms involved with YN affecting sleep
quality and subjectively feeling better and less anxious may
be linked to cognitive structuring effects of this practice,
which makes the mental processing of external inputs more
relaxed.13
YN has been found to reduce stress and anxiety levels of
college students14,15 and result in beneficial effects for de-
pression and mood, as well as physical well-being.16 Although
the practice of YN has been used regularly and observa-
tions regarding its benefits are encouraging, to the best of our
knowledge there has been no previous attempt to investigate
and document systematically the efficacy of YN on psycho-
logical dimensions among university students. Hence this
study was planned to systematically document the effect of YN
on EI among university students.
Materials and Methods
Subjects
The subjects for this study were 60 students (25 women and
35 men), selected from a university located in Madhya Pra-
desh, India, where they were undergoing masters and doctoral
degree courses. They were selected on the basis of the fol-
lowing inclusion and exclusion criteria: students with an age
range of 25 to 30 years were included in the study. University
ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES  OCTOBER 2020
students with serious medical conditions; taking medication;
using any other wellness strategy or using psychiatric drugs,
alcohol, or tobacco in any form were excluded. This study was
a randomized control trial. Sixty students were divided into
two groups randomly as 30 students (14 women and 16 men)
in the yoga group and 30 students (11 women and 19 men) in
the control group. Informed consent was obtained from all
the participants and the study was approved by the IRB of
Sanchi University of Buddhist-Indic Studies.
Intervention
The YN intervention was originally developed by Swami Sa-
tyananda Saraswati, Bihar School of Yoga, Munger, Bihar, In-
dia.8 The YN classes for the students from the yoga group
consisted of 30 minutes per day sessions, six days a week for three
weeks. The practice of YN was taught by a trained yoga expert.
The 30-minute technique of YN includes the following sections8:
(1) Preliminary adjustment of the body
(2) Preliminary relaxation of the physical body
(3) Preliminary relaxation of the mind
(4) Sankalpa (resolve)
(5) Rotation of awareness throughout the different parts of
the body
(6) Visualization
(7) Reflection and awareness
(8) Return to external awareness,
Assessment
In this study, the emotional quotient (EQ) test developed by
Dr. Dalip Singh and Dr. N.K. Chadha was used.4 This test has
22 real-life situations experienced by individuals in their day-
to-day life based on a 5-point scale rating and then obtained
scores are converted into a percentile score. It is useful for
measuring psychological dimensions such as ES, EM, EC, and
EQ and has been standardized for professionals, graduate
students, and adolescent populations. It has a test–retest and
split-half reliability of 0.94 and 0.89, respectively, and validity
of 0.89. The data for ES, EM, EC, and EQ were collected
before (pre) and after (post) the three-week period in both
groups using EQ. The EQ test uses scoring such as 0, 5, 10, 15,
and 20. The total score was calculated with the help of inter-
pretation of the EQ score (Table 1).
Statistical analysis
Means, standard deviations, independent samples t-test, and
paired samples t-test were assessed using the JASP program, a
free and open-source graphical program for statistical analysis
supported by the University of Amsterdam.
Results
The independent samples t-test showed a significant increase
before and after the YN intervention in all the psychological
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 ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES  OCTOBER 2020

Table 1. Interpretation of Emotional Quotient

EQ dimensions P-90 (extremely P-20 (try the test
(range of score) high EQ) P-75 (high EQ) P-50 (moderate EQ) P-40 (low EQ) some other day)
Emotional sensitivity 91–100 81–90 56–80 31–55 <30
(25–100)
Emotional maturity 121–140 101–120 81–100 46–80 <45
(35–140)
Emotional competency 126–200 96–125 76–95 51–75 <50
(50–200)
<125
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Total EQ 311–440 271–310 201–270 126–200

(110–440)

EQ, emotional quotient; P, percentile.

dimensions, i.e., ES, EM, EC, and EQ (P < 0.001), whereas there
was no significant change observed in the control group. The
paired samples t-test showed a significant increase in all the psy-
chological dimensions in the yoga group (P < 0.001), whereas the
change observed in the control group was not significant (Table 2
and Figs. 1 and 2). Thus, the results from this study suggest that
YN is associated with improvement in ES, EM, EC, and EQ
among university students.
Discussion
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effi-
cacy of a three-week YN intervention for university students’
emotional levels. As it is well known that there is a high
prevalence of stress among university-aged students, this study
was implemented to assist university students in developing
positive coping mechanisms or skills to navigate their aca-
demic and life stressors. Long term, students may be able to use
YN to reduce their anxiety and stress, which may improve
academic success.9,10,13
Significant increases in EM, EC, and EQ in the present study
suggest that YN practice may strike a balance between emotion
and reason. Participants are aware of their own feelings, show
empathy and compassion for others, and have high self-esteem,
which may be instrumental in many situations in the educa-
tional environment and can help achieve academic excel-
lence.4 It is reported that for effective EI, one needs to bring
his/her awareness first to the body and then to the mind.17
Similarly, YN trains individuals to pay attention specifically to
the feelings in the body during the deeper state of relaxation of
the body.18 In addition, YN prepares individuals for building
balanced body and mind intelligence and thereby enhances
EI.18 YN improves one’s self-awareness, which leads to more
self-control. This, in turn, leads to growing self-confidence,
which then brings self-reflection.17,18
Earlier investigations have shown the usefulness of YN in
reducing stress, providing deeper rest than sound sleep alone,
improving sleep structure, and improving cognitive responses
as well as brain functioning.7,14–19 Recent studies have shown
a positive relationship between EI and academic excel-
lence.20,21 Researchers believe that EI improves reasoning
ability, decision making, and the ability to work under pres-
sure.22 It is reported that EI positively contributes to key
learning dimensions of interpersonal communication, personal
leadership, self-management, and intrapersonal development.
It helps in developing required skills in education, career, and
life to experience more health and effectiveness.23
Similarly, students with higher EI have less stress during
examination and better self-reported mental and physical
health. This is well documented by earlier research.24 Salovey
and Grewal25 suggested four dimensions for EI: perceiving,

Table 2. Results of Emotional Quotient Analysis

Mean – standard deviation Mean – standard deviation
Psychological dimension Before yoga After yoga P Before control After control P
Emotional quotient 200.67 – 27.88 402.33 – 45.97 <0.01* 248.67 – 42.75 235.83 – 32.62 0.119
Emotional sensitivity 42.67 – 10.32 95.17 – 7.93 <0.01* 53.67 – 11.37 54.33 – 10.23 0.789
Emotional maturity 61.83 – 10.79 130.17 – 13.93 <0.01* 79.33 – 15.13 73.50 – 12.74 0.087
Emotional competency 96.17 – 16.01 177.00 – 28.85 <0.01* 115.67 – 24.73 108.00 – 23.80 0.178

*Significant at 0.01 level (paired samples t-test).

216 MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC.  VOL. 26 NO. 5


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Figure 1. Average of psychological dimensions in yoga group.
using, understanding, and managing emotions. These four
dimensions help an individual to understand his/her own
emotions, aid in managing emotions, and help in arriving at
appropriate problem-solving decisions. This helps students to
develop empathy, better interpersonal relationships, and su-
perior satisfaction.26 Higher levels of EI among dental students
were reported to help them in reflection on stressful situations
and social and interpersonal coping methods.27 Thus, these
students with high EI could regulate emotions more effectively
than their colleagues and achieve academic excellence.
Therefore, results from the present study suggest that the
practice of YN enhances EI, which is a marker of enhancement
Figure 2. Average of psychological dimensions in control group.
ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES  OCTOBER 2020
of academic excellence. A study on yoga reported significant
improvement in EQ and other health variables, indicating the
positive impact of yoga on ES. It also suggests that one way to
understand yoga’s strong positive effect on EQ is that it first
increases alertness (exemplified by increases in sustained at-
tention), next it removes negative influences on personality
(exemplified by decreases in Tamas or dull personality traits),
and finally this leads to increased sensitivity to others’ feelings
and emotions (exemplified by increases in Sattva or balanced
personality traits).17 The present study is consistent with these
findings and suggests that YN can result in enhancement of ES,
EM, EC, and EQ among university students.
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC.  VOL. 26 NO. 5 217
 ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES  OCTOBER 2020
As compared with previously reported studies in the area of
YN, the present study has much strength, including a high-
quality intervention and well-qualified and experienced prac-
titioners performing the YN sessions. Limitations include a
small sample size and short duration of the intervention. Future
studies may be designed as a two-arm evaluation with a ran-
domized control group. Strategies that could be used to ensure
students sustain their YN practice long term include, but are
not limited to, at least weekly YN sessions if not daily within
the college or university, lectures on yoga within required cour-
ses, and involvement in the program by student and/or faculty
members. It is always recommended that YN be practiced under
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an expert and well-experienced yoga teacher or yoga therapist for
acquiring maximum benefit. Receiving personal attention does
have an impact on participants’ emotional state. The positive
effect of YN may have its role in this personal attention.
Conclusion
The results showed that YN is associated with improvement
in ES, EM, EC, and EQ among university students. Thus, YN
may be an effective practice to enhance EI among university
students, which may have a positive effect on academic per-
formance. However, further studies with larger sample sizes and
a longer term intervention are needed to validate these findings.
Disclaimer
This study was part of a project submitted to Indira Gandhi
National Open University for the Post Graduate Diploma in
Higher Education.
Author Disclosure Statement
No competing financial interests exist.
Funding Information
No funding was received for this article.
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Tikhe Sham Ganpat, PhD, NET, PGDHE, is an assistant professor at Sanchi
University of Buddhist-Indic Studies in Barla, Madhya Pradesh, India.
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