The 7 Simple Yoga Poses For Better Sleep

The 7 Simple Yoga Poses For Better Sleep

Struggling to get some shut-eye? Yoga can be a great addition to everyone's life. Here are 7 simple yoga poses specifically for relaxation and better sleep.

Many people ignore the importance of sleep. Sleep is essential for our physical health, as well as our mental health and performance. People often feel tired or suffer from a lack of motivation, low energy levels, and poor concentration during the day. Although you may not be aware of it, sleeping is a vital process for your body to adapt and repair itself. In this article, we will explain the benefits yoga for better sleep offers with 7 simple yoga poses for better sleep and tips on how to incorporate this into your lifestyle.

Yoga And Sleep

If you’ve ever gone to bed and had your mind race, your body ache, and a general case of not being able to get comfortable, you know how frustrating sleep can be. One of the best ways to calm the mind and body before bed is with yoga. Before we take a look at our favorite poses, it’s important to note that the poses listed below aren’t for everyone. Do not perform these stretches if you have pain or are injured in any way.

Let’s Dive Into The 7 Simple Yoga Poses For Better Sleep

1. Makarasana (Crocodile Pose)

• Lie on your belly with your legs extended.
• Turn your head to the right and rest your cheek on the ground.
• Rest your arms on the floor, hands palm-down, at a 45-degree angle from the body.
• Hold for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Repeat Steps 1 to 4, turning your head to the left instead of the right.
• Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, palms facing up.
• Bend both knees and rest your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• As you inhale, lift your head and stretch both legs out at a 45-degree angle.
• Exhale, bend the knees, and bring them back in toward your chest.
• Continue this breathing movement for 1 minute as you lower your head back down to the mat. Take care not to strain your neck as you perform this movement.
• Repeat Step 10 several times until you feel relaxed enough to drift off into sleep.

2. Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)

• Lie down on a yoga mat. Bring the soles of your feet together, and let your knees open wide.
• Breathe in, and slowly bring your feet closer to your hips. Let the knees drop further apart. If you have any discomfort in your inner thighs, pull your feet away from your hips a few inches.
• Make sure that your spine is straight as you are doing both stretching exercises.
• Breathe in again and lift the chest up towards the chin, so that you are in a modified version of the bridge pose.
• Breathe out and slowly lower the chest back to the floor, bring your feet away from the hips and place them with heels touching each other about 15 inches away from your hips. 

3. Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose)

• Find a wall and clear it of objects.
• Lie on your back, facing the wall.
• Bring your tail bone up against the wall and scoot closer until your hips are touching the wall.
• Swing your legs up onto the wall so that your legs are extended straight up on the wall.
• If you have tight hamstrings, bend your knees a little bit and let your feet drop apart.
• Rest your hands by your sides, palms facing up. Let any tension melt out of them.
• Let your head relax onto the floor. Your body should be completely supported by the wall and floor.
• Stay in this pose anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, letting go of all tension as you breathe deeply into the belly area.

4. Savasana (Corpse Pose)

• The Corpse Pose is one of the most powerful positions for cultivating calm, stillness, and mental clarity.
• It promotes full-body relaxation and releases tension from the head to the feet.
• Corpse Pose should also be practiced outside of bedtime as a way to relax and raise awareness of your body and mind.
• Lie down on your yoga mat with your eyes closed.
• Put a blanket under your knees if you have low back pain.
• Place your arms a few inches away from your torso with your palms facing upwards.
• Point your toes outward so they fall away from each other naturally.
• Allow yourself to take up as much space as you need to be comfortable.
• Savasana is a pose that helps us deeply relax, which can help us better sleep at night. 

5. Cat-Cow

• Start on your hands and knees in a “tabletop” position. Make sure your knees are set directly below your hips and your wrists, elbows, and shoulders are in line and perpendicular to the floor. Center your head in a neutral position, eyes looking at the floor.
• Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and gaze up toward the ceiling. Lift your tailbone toward the ceiling, which will slightly arch your back. This is an upward-facing dog pose.
• Exhale as you press your palms into the floor
• Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat
• Exhale as you press into the palms of the hands to round through the spine, bringing the tail bone toward the floor
• Repeat steps 1-5 to complete one set of cat-cow stretches 

6. Child’s Pose

• Rest on your knees with your big toes touching and your knees apart.
• As you exhale, lean forward, laying your chest on top of your thighs and resting your forehead on the floor.
• Stretch your arms in front of you and rest them parallel to each other on the floor.
• Go ahead and close your eyes here for a moment and relax.
• As you inhale, extend one arm overhead, stretching it as far as comfortably possible.
• Now stretch the other arm overhead the same way, interlacing your fingers.
• Extend your arms overhead so that they’re parallel to each other and perpendicular to the floor. 

7. Siddhasana (Adept’s Pose)

• Sit on the floor with your feet straight out in front of you. Bend your right knee and bring the sole of your foot up to rest against your inner left thigh.
• Shift your hips over to the right slightly and bend your left knee, bringing the sole of that foot up to rest on top of your right foot. The heel of your left foot should be pressed against the perineum or pelvic floor.
• Rest your hands on top of your thighs, palms facing upward.
• Take a few moments to press down into the sit bones and enlarge your chest. Feel yourself growing taller through the crown of your head.
• Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out through your nose, relaxing into the posture as you hold it for as long as it is comfortable for you. 

Sleep Tip:

For a good night’s sleep, avoid eating or drinking anything containing caffeine at least six hours before bedtime.

Take Away

While there is no shortage of sleep aids on the shelves of your local pharmacy, there are plenty of unconventional methods out there as well – methods that promise to relax you and de-stress your mind, allowing your body and mind to get the deep rest it needs. Yoga for better sleep is one of those methods.

The key is to understand how the physical and mental aspects of your daily routine affect your ability to fall asleep at night. Once you can make subtle adjustments here and there, feel free to apply the resulting ideas in the poses above. They will help you achieve a calm, restful state of mind that is ideal when it's time for sleep.

Did I Miss Anything?

Now I’d like to hear from you:

• Which yoga pose from today’s post are you going to try first?
• Or maybe I didn’t mention one of your favorite yoga poses for better sleep.
• Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.