You may think of yoga as a series of body-bending postures that cause you more stress, not less. But one form, called Yoga Nidra, is aimed at guiding you into peaceful, conscious relaxation as you're lying down.

A form of mindful meditation, Yoga Nidra has long been said to improve sleep and memory. But now researchers have used modern technology (polysomnography) and tests of cognition to verify the remarkable benefits of doing two weeks of daily 20-minute sessions.

Their study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, tracked significantly increased deep-sleep delta waves in the brain of study participants, and measured their improvements in speed and accuracy when doing tests of working memory and spatial learning.

If you want to try the practice, Dr. Mike's colleagues at Cleveland Clinic suggest lying in a dark, quiet space and following these five steps for 10 to 15 minutes:

1. Focus on a goal — perhaps about your health. Visualize intentionally reaching this goal.

2. Scan your body, noting areas of tension. Imagine them floating away.

3. Become aware of your breath. Notice your rising abdomen and how the air passes through your nostrils.

4. Become aware of what you're thinking about. Don't judge or block your thoughts; don't ignore difficult topics. Then imagine the opposite of any negative feelings. Let that provide balance.

5. Absorb those more positive feelings. Let them fill you up. When you finish, think about how you feel and what you were able to tap into during your session. 

For more details, check out health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-yoga-nidra.