Have You Tried Bedtime Yoga?

Have You Tried Bedtime Yoga?

Reading a real book before you go to bed helps you sleep, both because reading slows down your brain and because it keeps you away from devices that emit troublesome blue light. If you’re not a book person, though, don’t worry! Yoga can also help you sleep better. Here are some ideas to help you start.

Setting Up Your Space

• Before you start practicing bedtime yoga, set up your space in a way that is conducive to resting.

• Dim the lights, or turn them off completely and practice by candlelight.

• You can turn on some relaxing music or sound effects, too. Decide whether you want to practice on the floor or on your bed. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

• If you’d like to do your yoga in bed, make sure that your mattress isn’t too soft, like foam, or springy, like an innerspring mattress.

• A hybrid bed is probably best for yoga, because it’s right in the middle. When everything is in place, get started!

Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend (Prasarita Padottanasana)

• Stand with your legs wide, maybe four or five feet apart. Fold toward the ground at your hips.

• Spread your arms wide, resting your fingertips or palms on the floor.

• If it helps you relax, support your forehead with a prop. Hold the pose for several breaths, then rise slowly back to standing.

Seated Wide Angle Pose (Upavistha Konasana)

• From a seated position, spread your legs as wide as you can on the bed.

• Fold forward at the hip, walking your hands out in front of you.

• If you can, rest your forehead on the floor. Otherwise, use a prop or a pillow so you can fully relax into the pose.

• Hold for several breaths, then slowly sit back up.

Reclining Butterfly (Supta Baddha Konasana)

• Rest on your back.

• Place the bottoms of your feet together so that your legs make a diamond shape.

• Let your knees fall outward as is comfortable.

• If the pose is uncomfortable or painful, support each knee with a block or a blanket.

• Place one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach to feel your body move as you breathe.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

• Lie on your back with your legs and arms extended in a way that is comfortable.

• You can place your head on a pillow if you want to.

• Focus on your breathing but don’t try to regulate or modulate it.

• Just notice your own breath and feel your body pressing into whatever is below you.

• Stay here for at least ten breaths, though you may want to remain here for much longer than that. You may even fall asleep here!

Get rid of the stresses of the day and prepare your mind to sleep with some bedtime yoga.

Remember that yoga shouldn’t hurt!

If it does, back off or modify the pose until you feel a gentle stretch. When you’ve completed these poses, you should find that you are very close to sleep already.

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About the Author: Alicia Sanchez is a researcher for the sleep science hub Tuck.com with a specialty in health and wellness. A Nashville native, Alicia finds the sound of summer storms so soothing that she still sleeps with recorded rain on her white noise machine.