Have you trouble falling asleep at night? You wake up at night and cannot get back to sleep. You can perform many yoga poses to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. Even a few minutes spent in deep, mindful stretching and taking slow, deep breaths will make a massive difference to your sleep quality. Not all asanas have the same relaxing effects, so knowing which bedtime poses are most effective is essential.
What is Yoga for Bedtime
Bedtime yoga involves a series of relaxing and calming postures aimed at stretching and relaxing your major muscle groups from your shoulders down to your toes just before you fall asleep. Yoga for bedtime will help you relax your nervous system and relieve tension, allowing you to fall asleep quicker and wake up refreshed.
Why do you practice yoga before going to bed
Bedtime Yoga improves overall health and quality of life. It also helps to prepare your body and mind for deep, restful sleep. Yoga poses can be beneficial in calming the mind and body and decreasing anxiety and worry, even holding one gentle stretch. At the same time, deep breathing will improve the quality of your sleep and make you feel refreshed and energized when you wake up. Yoga can help you sleep better by reducing stress, calming your nervous system, and controlling your breathing.
Good sleep is essential to our health. It is suitable for our physical and mental well-being, as it helps with metabolism and recovery. We risk developing a severe or fatal condition if we don’t get enough sleep. When we aren’t getting enough sleep, staying focused and getting rid of stress is harder.
It may take up to a week for the effects of yoga to be felt in your sleep. Regular nightly sessions will have the strongest and fastest impact on improving sleep and reducing anxiety. You should be patient, but you might need to adjust your daily routine if it doesn’t work out right away.
Yoga for Sleep: When to Practice It
Practice poses and breathing exercises an hour before bedtime to prepare your body. It is best to practice simple yoga poses before bedtime if you have chronic insomnia. This will allow you to transition from your practice directly to sleep. You can practice Evening Yoga earlier if you do not have sleep problems. Just make sure that you are not eating before you practice. Consider doing a few yoga poses in bed if you cannot sleep.
What kind of yoga should you do before bed
A general a href=”https://www.yogabasics.com/learn/hatha-yoga/”>hatha yoga/a> class can work well, but try yin or gentle yoga for the most calming effects. Try a gentle or restorative class for the best calming effect. If you enjoy more intense styles of yoga, such as Hot Yoga or Bikram, be sure to balance your practice by including gentle stretches at the end.
We recommend that you read our guide for beginners on How to start a yoga routine before bed if you’re new to yoga.
What poses are the best for sleeping
Yoga can calm your body and mind and aid in a night of more restful and deeper sleep. There are so many poses to choose from that it is difficult to decide which ones will help you fall into a deep and restful sleep. Restorative poses are essential, as well as gentle stretches and relaxing postures. These include hip openings, forward bends, twists, and side bends. Choose simple and easy beginner asanas which make you feel good and allow you to breathe deeply. You will find healing and benefit from practicing these sleep poses.
Dog/ Cow — Alternate between these positions to relieve tension in the spine and balance the nervous system. Repeat this sequence a few more times until you feel your body is relaxed and prepared for more intense poses.
The Downward Dog This classic asana is excellent for strengthening the upper body and stretching the legs and back muscles. It’s perfect for people who spend their days at work sitting. Downward dog is a great way to release tension and balance emotions after a long workday.
The child’s pose This is an easy yet soothing stretch of the lower back and the backs of the legs. Hold this pose for several breaths in order to integrate, rest and absorb the benefits of your yoga practice.
The Sphinx Pose This gentle backbend opens the chest and encourages emotional release. This pose has a mildly stimulating effect. Place it at the start of your evening sequence.
Pigeon Pose – This hip stretching exercise is excellent for reducing stress and anxiety after a long day at work. This grounding pose will help you to connect with your emotions. Come out early if it is causing you concern.
Dolphin Pose This pose is excellent for releasing anger and frustration from the shoulders and upper part of the body.
Seated Forward Bend This relaxing asana is excellent for stretching and releasing tension in the lower back and hamstrings. It stimulates digestion and calms your mind.
Seated head-to-knee pose – This hip opener and hamstring stretching suit students of all levels. It balances the energy of the hips and spine.
Seated yoga seal — The posture will provide a deep stretch to the chest muscles and rib cage, helping to harmonize emotions and increase lung capacities. This posture also stimulates digestion, stretches the back, and promotes detoxification. This posture stimulates the brain when it is fully expressed. Add this early in your sequence if you find it too stimulating.