Power Boost your sleep quality with bedtime Yoga

BEDTIME YOGA is a great way to fall asleep fast and wake up beautifully rested. Bedtime yoga is a relaxing series of stretches and calming poses that you can do in the evening to help you unwind and fall asleep faster. I’m not sure about you but I lie awake sometimes thinking I’m just never going to fall asleep tonight. You know that feeling of dread you get when you’re still awake because your mind is racing? Thoughts of what I didn’t get done today and what I need to do tomorrow, the never ending to do list! Let’s face it, we don’t always get the sleep that we need. It is estimated that 25% of the population in America suffers from insomnia and even more of us often fall asleep on the couch in front of the TV as we try and grab that last sacred half hour of me time.

My Key Takeaways for you

• Before Sleep Yoga heightens my sleep quality
• Slow deep stretching and mindful breathing before bed improves my circulation
• Promotes my relaxation to help me fall asleep faster
• Encourages weight loss by boosting my metabolism
• Bedtime Yoga helps me reduce stress in my life by getting more sleep

The Benefits of this Yoga Practice

Adding a bedtime yoga practice to your routine can help you feel more relaxed and more eager to jump into bed. Relaxing bedtime yoga helps you fall asleep fast and can relieve worry and stress in the evenings. The yoga poses and motions are beneficial if you suffer from sleeplessness. Using a yoga block in your practice can really help but if you don’t have one, use a bolster or a folded firm cushion that provides some height and pressure.

Did you know that doing bedtime yoga might help you sleep better and improve your overall health?

Yes, it is correct! Sleep is essential for your health, productivity, and overall well-being. We all know that regular exercise helps with weight reduction and the maintenance of a healthy body type. Yoga postures that are strengthening help to speed up your metabolism and encourage calorie burning while you sleep, encouraging that weight loss we all seek. It’s also a good way to let go of stress and concern following a long, hectic day before bed, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated when you wake up.

What is bedtime Yoga?

In the end, I gave up trying to get that last TV time, I switched my routine up to try and seek that quality sleep mecca. I now do this 2 or 3 times a week instead and I can’t tell you the difference it has made. So, what is bedtime yoga? Well, it can be whatever poses you choose from a selection of relaxing Asanas which focus your attention on different parts of your body, so you can recognize where you’re holding any stress or tension, and release it to fall asleep faster.

Wind down, relax, and sleep better

Gentle stretches, deep breathing, meditation, and guided relaxation are all part of a focused and slow-paced night time practice that helps you wind down, relax, and sleep better. It’s also a terrific way to slow down your heart rate and prepare for sleep. Bedtime yoga is a basic exercise that anyone can do, even if you have no prior yoga experience.

Does Yoga before bed really help you sleep?

According to a study published by the Sleep Foundation, 55% of yoga practitioners reported improved sleep, while 85% reported reduced stress. The sleep foundation has an interesting article on this topic, it also offers other interesting bits of information to help find that blissful sleep zone. Why not head on over there when you’re done here and read up on all things napping?

6 types of Yoga pose for better sleep

Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)Your torso and head lie flat on the floor while your legs are inverted 90 degrees up the closest empty wall area in your bedroom. Close your eyes and just start to concentrate on your breath.” It heals mild anxiety, arthritis, digestive issues, headaches, hypertension, sleep deprivation, migraines, breathing problems, symptoms of depression, and symptoms of menopause.Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)Lying down, bend your knees and draw your heels in toward your pelvis. Press the soles of your feet together and let your knees drop open to both sides. Stretches the groin, inner thighs, and hips, and helps relieve the symptoms of stress, anxiety.Restorative Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)Lie on your back in the center of your bed with your knees bent, your legs and feet parallel and hip-distance apart. Move your feet closer to your buttocks. Press down firmly through both of your feet and inhale to raise your hips. The pose gently stretches your abdomen, chest, and the area around your shoulders while strengthening your back muscles, buttocks (glutes), thighs, and ankles.Wide-Knee Child’s Pose (Balasana)Come to your hands and knees on your bed. Spread your knees as wide as comfortable keeping the tops of your feet on the bed with big toes touching. Bring your belly to rest between your thighs and root your forehead to the bed. The balasana yoga or the asana helps release tension in the chest.Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)Lie on your back and gently hug the knees into your chest. Separate your knees wide to either side of your torso. Then, keeping the knees bent, reach down and grab a hold of the outer edge of each foot (or the big toes). Bring the soles of the feet up towards the ceiling as if you were going to stand on it. In yoga, this move is recommended for relief of stress and fatigue, to calm and center you.Supported Half Frog Pose (Ardha Bhekasana)Lie on your belly, with pillows under the belly optional. Extend one leg out to the side and bend it at a 90-degree angle with your knee level with your hip. Invite the opposite leg to straighten and extend behind you. Invite your head to turn and rest in the direction of your bent leg. Stretches the thigh muscles and hip flexors. This pose increases the flexibility in the back, opens the chest and shoulders, stimulates your energy.6 relaxing poses that I use that you may want to try but there are many more that may suit you better here.

But, I don’t want to work up a Yoga sweat before bed Esther?

Gentle yoga methods aid in getting the body out of stress mode, releasing tension, calming the nervous system, gaining clarity of thought, and even restoring an overall feeling of balance to the body, mind, and spirit. We all need balancing out at sometime or other, so being able to practice this all the time can only lead you down the zen road. Especially if you are counting sheep on a regular basis!

Hatha Yoga, known as the gentle one

This style of yoga involves moving your body slowly and carefully into various positions. In the day time they can challenge your strength and flexibility. But, they also concentrate on rest and mindfulness making them an ideal night time partner in Yogi crime. This book by Martin Kirk, Brooke Boon and Daniel Dituro show individual poses from start to finish. They give a step by step guide on how to achieve proper technique and breathing.

So, incorporating a softer version a little before bed may be your path to dreamland.

The ultimate bedtime practice Yoga Nidra or Yogic sleep

This is an old practice that is said to be very effective in relieving tension and inducing sleep. To practice Yoga Nidra methodically, enter Shavasan (corpse posture), take deep breaths, and gently do a guided body relaxation. Sounds awesome huh? Well it is, apparently one hour of ‘Yogic Sleep’ equals 4 hours of regular sleep. WHAT? Yoga Nidra, often known as “yogic sleep,” is a meditative practice that induces a state of deep emotional and physical healing as well as brain rewiring and self-exploration. WHY haven’t I heard abut this? I hear you say. Well, I agree so I’m going to save that for my next blog, because we definitely need to know all about this and have it in our lives.

How long before bed should you do Yoga?

Try to begin utilizing it as a calming sequence for 15 minutes approximately an hour before going to bed to help your body relax, reset, and drift off. In this current age of technology, we have so much that contributes to our distractions creating over stimulation. Pair this with what we already have to cope with every day and the need for strategies to improve sleep quality is stronger than ever.

Can Yoga stop snoring?

The reduction of snoring and sleep apnea is an extra benefit of doing yoga before going to bed. These issues are caused by improper breathing. It might be excessive or rapid breathing. The major reasons of snoring include stress, sinus difficulties, obesity, or circulation problems, whereas sleep apnea is a typical indication of those who are regularly tense, worried, or suffering from a lung condition. Yoga breathing methods may help to alleviate both of these issues, resulting in a better night’s sleep. Continue reading to see how beginners can combine two methods at bedtime to relax, decompress, and prepare the mind and body for sleep at the end of the day.

Adding in the effects of breathing technique

The breath is a crucial component of our health and well-being since it is one of the most basic ways, we manage our bodies and emotions. Our bodies have a self-regulating mechanism for it: the respiratory system regulates the pace and depth of our respiration in response to environmental stimuli including tiredness, tension, exercise, and even a person’s mental health state.

A good bedtime Yoga breathing practice to help you sleep

Andrew Weil created the 4–7–8 breathing practice, which combines diaphragmatic breathing and breath retention with a counting ratio. Many people feel that this 4–7–8 breathing practice is a natural tranquilizer and the most effective approach to relax and fall asleep quickly. To practice, inhale for four counts, keep the breath in for seven counts, then exhale for eight counts using the belly breath or three-part breathing technique. Rep for four cycles, then gradually increase the length of your practice.

There are many other techniques that you could explore to find the right one for you.

Breathing and Yoga — A powerful combination at bedtime

In essence, combining these two titans of self-care practice could really boost your quality of life and energy levels. Check in with your Yoga Instructor and ask them about it the next time you hit your Yoga class. It’s a style of Yoga that with practice can lead to a powerful boost for your mood and mental strength leaving you ready and prepared for what the next day may throw at you. Now, who can say no to that? Check out my article on Harnessing the Power of Tarot Cards for Self-Growth.

Love and light, Esther x