You’ve tried everything to fall asleep: warm milk, herbal tea, reading a few pages of a not-too-thrilling book… Your brain won’t wind down and your eyes stay stubbornly open. You can obviously survive with a short night now and then, but insomnia becomes a problem if it’s recurring. A bit of yoga can, however, help you regain calm and recover better.
Yoga Poses to Boost Sleep: Rescue Your Nights
The idea has been scientifically verified. Researchers at Harvard University found that regular yoga practice can help you fall asleep faster. Sleep would also be longer and more restorative.
Research has already shown that yoga can improve sleep for menopausal women and people with osteoporosis or cancer. Yoga is also particularly effective for sleep apnea, and, good news, these findings appear to apply broadly.
Learning to Breathe Better
Yoga acts on relaxing the body and mind. It helps clear negative thoughts and set aside the day’s worries. Practicing yoga also impacts body alignment and flexibility, two things that can cause pain.
At the heart of this practice: breathing. Breathing techniques have a positive effect, specifically belly breathing. Standing or lying down, keep your body straight. Then place one hand on your belly, inhale and exhale as you pull the belly in. Repeat about ten times.
No need to be a yoga expert, but the more regular the exercises and the better their execution, the more effective they are. Remember to breathe deeply.
Yoga Pose to Boost Sleep: The Supported Inversion
It’s a very simple pose to perform since it involves lying perpendicular to an empty wall, placing your legs up on the wall while bringing your hips toward the wall.
Keep the legs as straight as possible, without forcing. The palms face toward you, and your arms rest by your sides. Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
Pigeon Pose (Right and Left) for Better Sleep
Get on all fours, or into downward-facing dog. Place the right knee behind the right wrist, the foot turning toward the left. Slowly slide the left leg back. Extend forward, breathe deeply, and rise back up.
Alternate sides. You can use cushions to support the body.
Reclined Butterfly Pose for Better Sleep
Lie on your back with a cushion to support the spine.
Bring the feet toward each other until they touch and let the knees drop. You can also place a support under the knees for more ease.
Supine Twist (Right and Left)
Lie on your back, knees bent and feet on the floor. Lift the legs while keeping them slightly bent and extend the arms out to the sides, palms facing away from your body.
Keeping the upper body straight, bring the bent knees to the right, and turn the head to the left. Breathe.
Alternate sides.
The Plow Pose
Lie on your back, knees bent and feet on the floor, arms by your sides.
Lift your legs, bending at the knees, and raise your hips into a shoulder-stand-like position. Relax in this pose for a moment.
Then bring the feet behind the head and return the arms to the starting position.
Sleep: The Cobra Pose
Lie on your stomach, nose toward the floor, arms bent, hands supporting the body while keeping the hands in position, and slowly lift the upper body.
