Yoga can help you sleep better by relieving your body of the tightness and tensions of the day and relaxing your mind to embrace deeper breathing. Try some of these simple, but effective yoga positions that allow you to focus on your breathing and release the daily tensions before going to bed.
Grab a few cushions or pillows from your bed and find a spot on the floor with enough room to lie down with legs outstretched and arms wide. Use a towel or a yoga mat.
1.Corpse pose
Prepare your body and mind for sleep mode with a simple corpse pose. Focus on breathing, releasing the stress of the day. Breathe in for 8 seconds and hold your breath, then exhale for 8 seconds. Do this up to 5 times until you start to clear your mind.
2. Easy forward bend
Even if you’re a novice, this is an easy stretch to try before bedtime. With your legs crossed in a seated position, lean forward as far as you can and stretch. If your hips are tight, you can sit on a pillow to make it easier. This stretch eases tensions and creates ease throughout your body.3
.3. Standing forward bend
Stand with your feet five or so inches apart, fold your torso forward, reaching toward the ground. This pose helps relieve headaches and insomnia, and lowers your stress levels. If you need to bend your knees some, do so to ease the strain which will begin to fade.
4. Child’s pose
A popular and easy stretch, the child’s pose helps to calm your mind and relieve tension. Fold your torso over your bended legs and extend your arms by your sides, resting your forehead on the ground. Taking long deep breaths, move your forehead side to side to ease tension.
5.Plow pose
Start by lying on your back, then lifting your legs over your head and to the ground behind you. Put your hands either on your back for support or on the floor. Reversing the blood flow is a vitality booster and eases stress. Recommended time to hold this position is one to three minutes.
6. Legs up wall pose
Lying on your back, elevate your legs straight up against the wall. Stay for as long as five minutes for maximum evening relation and stress relief. By raising the legs up, the blood flow rushes back down to the heart.
7. Horizontal spinal twist
Lie down on your back and bring your right knee to your chest and across your left side. Extend your right arm out, taking two or three deep breaths, then repeating the move on the other side. These gentle twists relieve tension and even help digestion, and they’re easy to do in bed just before going to sleep.
8.Seated spinal twist
The stretches for this pose are the same as the horizontal spinal twist, except you are seated rather than lying down.
9. Reclining butterfly
As you are lying on your back, bring your feet together, spreading you’re your knees in a diamond shape. If your hips are tight put a cushion under each knee for comfort.
10. Corpse pose again:
Yoga can be a great way to condition your body and mind for better sleep. Releasing the tensions of the day is the first step to sleeping more soundly and waking up feeling refreshed.
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