What is it about?
Meditation can help people reduce stress and improve well-being — but not everyone benefits in the same way. This study explored how personality traits influence the effects of Yoga Nidra, a guided meditation practiced while lying down. Results showed that especially people high in conscientiousness (organized and self-disciplined) benefited from Yoga Nidra, on both subjective and cortisol levels.
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Why is it important?
This is the first study linking Yoga Nidra meditation with personality traits and biological stress markers. It shows that meditation effectiveness depends on individual differences—an important step toward more personalized mental health interventions.
Perspectives
As a researcher and meditation teacher, I wanted to understand why some people benefit more from Yoga Nidra than others. These findings show that personality shapes our meditation experience—bringing science and practice closer together. “Practice, practice, all is coming” becomes “How you practice, what is coming.”
Esther Moszeik
Universitat der Bundeswehr Munchen
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The conscientious meditator—Practice, practice, all is coming? The moderating role of personality in an experimental intervention study with yoga nidra meditation., Psychology of Consciousness Theory Research and Practice, October 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/cns0000444.
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