Originally posted on Chopra.com
Can’t fall asleep? Too much on your mind? Body won’t be still and let you rest? There are yoga poses that are known to calm the body to help you sleep better at night. Setting up the conditions for calm and making these poses part of your nightly ritual can help you get a good night’s sleep. When you are well rested, your brain functions better, your muscles regenerate more quickly after injury, and you are better able to express your emotions. One study found that sleep deprivation results in the loss of memory and insight formation, which are the essential building blocks of learning, creativity, and scientific discovery. Getting no sleep or poor quality sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and weight gain. Approximately 30 percent of adults experience difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, problems with waking up too early, and poor quality of sleep. Creating a before-bed routine that includes relaxing yoga poses can help you sleep better and allow you to wake feeling rejuvenated. A few minutes in Legs Up the Wall or Pigeon pose and dreamland awaits? Worth a shot! In general, relaxing or restorative yoga—rather than power yoga—has a calming effect on the body and mind. A regular yoga practice can also boost immunity, lower blood pressure, help focus attention, calm the nervous system, improve posture, release stress and tension, and encourage physical, mental, and emotional healing. Other healing tools such as pranayama, meditation, and yoga nidra can be helpful in getting good sleep. Pranayama techniques, or breathing exercises, such as nadi shodhana, sama vritti, and focusing on long, steady exhales assist in relaxing the nervous system, which prepares the body for sleep. Meditation techniques such as watching the breath, repeating mantras, or using a mala necklace are relaxing and good for winding down from your day. Yoga nidra, or yogic sleep, is also a sweet segue into slumber. If you’re searching for relaxing yoga poses to help you sleep better, consider the seven poses described below. Try them as a sequence or pick and choose the ones that feel the best to you. Begin your evening yoga practice by setting up the conditions for calm: make your space dark, make your space quiet or put on soothing music, keep yourself warm but not hot, and get prepared to settle in for awhile. Sweet dreams and namasté! 1. Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)Try this standing yoga pose when you want to stretch your legs, release tension in your neck, allow your spine to unwind from a long day, and to begin to energetically turn inward as you move toward slumber. Quality: Reflective How to do it:
Quality: Change of perspective How to do it:
Quality: Reflective How to do it:
Quality: Open-hearted How to do it:
Quality: Reflective How to do it:
Quality: Change of perspective How to do it:
Quality: Calming. How to do it:
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