Practicing yoga is an excellent remedy for deep and restorative sleep.
The reasons are many and reside among the various benefits of the discipline: it helps to relax and unwind the accumulated physical, mental and emotional tensions. Improves breathing and vital energy, prana. According to a 2012 survey by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, more than 55 percent of people who practiced yoga before bed reported sleeping better. Additionally, more than 85 percent of participants said practicing yoga helped reduce stress.
This is mostly because, unlike running, HIIT, or other high-intensity workouts, yoga calms the mind and body, making it easy for both to fully relax.
How to practice before going to bed
These positions, in particular, effectively contribute to freeing the mind from daily worries and anxieties and the body from accumulated fatigue and muscle contractions. It is good to maintain the position, even if it is tiring, for at least five minutes before changing it. Practice these positions directly on the bed, and comfortably in pajamas (it does not involve sweating, but relaxation).
Yoga positions before sleep
Sukahasana
Particularly simple position, to be held directly on the bed before sleeping.
- Keeping your spine straight and your body stable and relaxed, place your hands over your knees with palms facing up.
- Breathe naturally, staying still and relaxed.
- Free the thoughts from the mind.
Salabhasana
This is a simpler variation of the locust pose. Salabhasana is an energizing asana, it strengthens the back and works the diaphragm. It might seem tiring but it helps to relax the muscles and improve digestion.
- Lie on your stomach with a pillow underneath, from chest to groin.
- Clasp your hands behind your back, reaching toward your feet.
- Inhaling, press the pubis towards the pillow and stretch forward and upwards, from the chest and head, and backward with the legs, keeping the insteps pressed to the mattress.
- Breathe deeply and slowly throughout the position.
Supta Baddha Konasana
Helps achieve deep relaxation of body and mind. It is an asana that helps to relax and decontract the lumbar area and abdomen, opens up the chest and hips, lengthens the thighs, and improves circulation.
- Place one or two pillows from the base of your back and under your head.
- Bring the soles of your feet together without pressing them together and relax your knees outwards.
- Stretch the arms along the body with the palms facing up.
- Breathe deeply and slowly.
Balasana
Also known as Folded Leaf Pose, or a variation of Child Pose, it helps release the heaviness in your back, shoulders, and head. Ideal for relieving tension in the body and mind.
- Kneeling position, sitting on the heels, with the knees slightly apart.
- Place a pillow lengthwise between your legs.
- Lean forward by resting your chest, forehead or cheek on the pillow.
- Relax your arms at your sides with palms up.
Viparita Karani
This yoga position is one of the most suitable for promoting sleep and sleeping better. To help relieve lower back pain, gently stretch your hamstrings (the more you practice this pose and the closer you are able to bring your hips to the wall, the more these muscles will stretch); promotes pelvic floor relaxation; soothes tight feet and legs and helps release any tension that may have been caused by sitting and/or standing all day.
It also helps reduce stress, anxiety, and insomnia, thereby creating a therapeutic environment and giving you the opportunity to fall asleep easier on a better night's sleep.
- Sit with your left side against a wall. The lower back should rest on a pillow.
- Gently rotate your body to the left and bring your legs up the wall. Use your hands to maintain balance as you shift the weight.
- Lower your back to the floor and lie down. Rest your shoulders and head on the floor (or on the mattress if you do it in bed).
- Shift your weight from side to side and bring your sacrum close to the wall.
- Leave your arms outstretched at your sides, palms facing up.
- Allow the thigh bones to loosen and relax, toward the back of the pelvis.
- Close your eyes and try to stay in this position for 5 to 10 minutes, inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
Jathara Parivartanasana
This position is an excellent ally against insomnia because it stimulates the nervous system responsible for calm. Relaxes the shoulders and lower back from accumulated tension, improves digestion, massages the intervertebral discs, and opens the breath. Here is the variant with bent legs to obtain the same effect, but more relaxed.
- Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest, and cross your arms at shoulder height with palms facing up.
- Make a rotation with the knees to the right accompanying them with the right hand, while the other hand remains where it was. Keep your shoulders relaxed, open, and in contact with the mattress and, if you can, roll your head away from your knees.
- Breathe deeply and enjoy the feeling of openness and relaxation. Then gently return to the center and repeat on the other side.
Sleeping little can lead to various unpleasant consequences for the body.
To rest well it can also be useful to practice some stretching exercises before going to bed.
Yoga can add to the strategies listed for improving memory.
To improve back pain, practicing Yoga can be very helpful.
If you are looking for a stimulating initiative, you can instead try the 30-day challenge.
