If you struggle to sleep on a regular basis, you’ll do almost anything to fall asleep and get to sleep faster. Exercise helps you sleep It’s better at night, but the trick is to do it early enough in the day so that it gives you energy but doesn’t have the opposite effect and keep you up until the night. The key is to get the right kind of exercise in the evening.
If you can’t fall asleep after lying in bed for a few hours or have trouble relaxing at night, try incorporating some calming yoga poses into your nighttime routine to help you fall asleep faster.
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Why Yoga Helps You Sleep
According to Chloe Kernaghan, co-founder of yoga studio Sky Ting: yoga Yoga improves the quality of your sleep in two ways: it relaxes your racing mind and calms your nervous system. “The practice of yoga is focused on finding mental stillness, which is often the opposite of the state of mind we’re in when we have trouble sleeping (i.e., a racing mind),” says Kernaghan.
Yoga includes elements of mindfulness, but it’s also a physical practice known for helping to calm the body’s stress response, or nervous system, through breathing techniques and certain poses. “The physical practice helps calm the nervous system and switch it from sympathetic to parasympathetic mode, which is great for rest and deep sleep,” explains Kernaghan.
Which yoga class is best for sleep?
Not all yoga classes are equally gentle. Some, like power yoga, are fast-paced and can get your heart rate up. This can be a good thing, but if you’re feeling stressed and want to relax before bed, you should focus on movements that will have the opposite effect.
“I recommend a calming, slower practice like yin or restorative yoga,” Kernaghan says. “In these classes, postures are generally held longer, there are more props for support, and the teacher is less intense, allowing for more quiet space.”
If the thought of doing anything resembling exercise or requiring a yoga mat puts you off, you could try yoga nidra, which Kernaghan recommends doing before bed.”[Yoga nidra] It’s akin to meditation, but is usually done lying down. It requires very little physical effort. Instead, practicing Nidra helps you get out of the Beta state. [the waking state] Into theta state [occurs when you are dreaming, deeply relaxed or meditating],” she says.
3 great yoga poses for sleep
The next time you’re having trouble falling asleep or getting good quality sleep, try these poses at night to help you relax. You can do them all in sequence, or just pick a few that feel good in the moment.
“You can certainly do the poses on your own, with someone to guide you through the sequence, but if you’re comfortable with the poses, doing some right before you go to sleep could be the perfect solution,” Carnahan says.
Supported Child Pose
“Bending forward will help settle your body, and bending your knees and hips will also stretch your hips and back. Make sure your head is supported and add an extra pillow for comfort if needed,” says Carnahan.
Here’s how to do it, according to Carnahan.
- Start on your hands and knees on the floor or bed.
- Place your knees as wide as the yoga mat, bring your big toes together behind your back, and drop your hips behind your heels.
- Place a thick pillow or sofa cushion vertically between your legs and lean your torso forward, providing gentle support for your lower abdomen and head.
- Breathe while rotating your neck to one side, and if you are rotating your neck, hold it for 3-5 minutes, rotating your head halfway through.
Supported Goddess Pose
“This gentle hip-opening exercise is great for releasing tension and relaxing, while deep leg folds aid digestion and sinking your body heavily into the floor can help you release the day’s fatigue,” says Carnahan. (The video above is a related exercise, not the one described here.)
Here’s how to do it, according to Carnahan.
- Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you.
- Place the soles of your feet together, butterfly open your knees, and place two pillows (one under each thigh/knee) for support.
- Lie your torso on the floor, with a folded blanket underneath your head if you like.
- Place your hands on your stomach or arms at your sides, cover your eyes if necessary, and remain here for 3 to 5 minutes.
Put your feet up the wall
“This pose is great for a lot of things, but for sleep it’s fantastic because it’s a gentle inversion that gets the blood flowing in your legs for a few minutes, so your body isn’t as aroused as you fall asleep and your blood gets better. I like to do this pose in bed, just swinging my legs over the headboard,” says Carnahan.
Here’s how to do it, according to Carnahan.
- As the name suggests, this pose involves sitting next to a wall, placing your torso on the floor and swinging your legs up towards the wall.
- We recommend that you sit closer to the wall, but if you have stiff legs or hips, keep your knees slightly bent.
- I like to place a pillow under my hips so that my pelvis is slightly higher than my heart.
- Hold for 3 to 5 minutes. If you feel a tingling in your legs, you can alternatively place your feet together and bend your knees in Butterfly Pose.
Add these three yoga poses for sleep to your nighttime toolkit and you’ll be guaranteed sweet dreams.
