Yoga

Yoga for Sleep: 5 Poses for Better Rest at Night for Both Body and Mind

By Alivia Cora | Posted: March 06, 2019

The power and importance of sleep can’t be ignored by anyone. Sleep is valuable for the mind to rejuvenate and for the body cells to repair themselves. The right amount and quality of sleep greatly enhance the quality of time spent when we are awake.

Does yoga help you feel relieved and relaxed?

Yes! Some of those subtle, minute changes that certain yoga poses bring into our body are incredible. With just a gentle yoga sequence done at home, we can relish a wide array of soothing benefits.

All that you need to do is simply take some minutes at the end of the day to center yourself in your body and feel comfortable at bedtime. The right yoga poses at the end of a busy day can help you unwind and get better sleep.

Although the quality of your bed, pillow, and bedding matter the most for a good night’s sleep at night, yoga impacts it no less. The following yoga poses can enhance the quality of your sleep.

Read on:

1. Vajrasana

This is the foremost yoga pose to get good sleep at night.

Steps:

You start in the form of a conveniently seated pose while resting your glutes on the heels.
Make sure that the tops of your feet are on the floor. This kind of pose encourages a gentle stretching action to your ankles and knees.
Don’t forget to lengthen your spine upward and open the chest wide while following a calming breathing pattern.
This pose can help in digestion, decreasing the discomfort and heaviness after meals, and thus helps you have calm sleep at night.
If you are comfortable, gently with the support of your hands and elbows, lean your torso back and rest your head on the floor. You can use a bolster or a pillow to support your back. This is called Supta Vajrasana.

2. Cat and cow

Cat and Cow is yet another effective yoga pose, which can help you sleep well at night.

Steps:

Starting from the hero pose, roll forward so that you rest on your hands and knees in tabletop.
When it comes to the cat pose, just exhale as you tilt your head’s crown and the tailbone down the ground.
Now, arch your spine into a C-curve and pull the shoulder blades apart.
Next, it’s time to inhale into the cow pose while pulling the crown of your head and tailbone up towards the ceiling.
The cow pose will allow you to hollow out your lower back.
You just have to flow between these two subsequent poses for whatever time you want. Keep moving with your inhale and exhale patterns. It can make you feel like you’re putting a consistent space between every vertebra and loosening up your spine.
After you’re done, just revert back to a neutral spine in tabletop.

Experts suggest that cat and cow pose is certainly one of the best yoga poses for good sleep.

3. Child’s pose

This is yet another yoga pose which can prove to be excellent for enjoying a sound sleep at night.

Steps:

Start from any tabletop while sinking your hips back to your heels.
Rest your forehead on the ground or a blanket.
Walk your fingertips out in front of you and stretch through the arms.
Take care that you are settling your chest between the thighs.
Here, you need to make sure that your big toes are touching each other.
Your knees must be as far apart as they can be. It ensures you can comfortably breathe deeply.
Additionally, you might roll your forehead from side to side on the ground to get a mini face massage.

4. Rock-a-bye roll

This is one of the most comfortable yoga poses to give you a good sleep while not letting any tough movements strain your body.

Steps:

Lie on your back.
Hug your knees into the chest.
Cross your ankles and wrap both arms around your shins with clasped hands.
Slowly inhale and move your body up to sitting position. Exhale when you roll back.
Continue doing this for 1 minute.
Finally, roll back, extend your arms and legs, and just drift off to sleep.

5. Legs up the wall

This yoga pose is one of the most common ones practiced for getting proper sleep.

Steps:

Unfold your legs straight up the wall.
Now, just bring your tailbone closer to the base of the wall.
It might be even up to the point where you can allow your glutes to touch the wall.
This pose will loosen your lower back.

This pose is considered to be an excellent, gentle hamstring stretch. It can help in the proper drainage of lymph and lactic acid from your legs. Also, this pose can further prevent injury and decrease any pain and soreness in your feet. Finally, it can help you feel comfortable and sleep very well.

You could also enjoy this relaxing guided Yoga Nidra for a midday power nap, or play it while you are getting ready to sleep at night.