8 Best Yoga Poses to Help You Sleep Better And Relax At Bedtime

Adding yoga poses to your bedtime routine can help you sleep more deeply. Incorporating a relaxing yoga practice into your nighttime routine may improve the quality and duration of your sleep. This is especially beneficial for people who sleep lightly, have insomnia, or have limited time to sleep.

It is a terrific way to release everything you’re holding onto mentally or physically before sinking into a peaceful night of deep sleep.

Our lifestyles have a major impact on our quality of sleep, which can in turn play havoc with our sense of well-being. Something most of us has experienced.

Stretching before bed not only relaxes you, but it also keeps your muscles flexible so you’re less likely to experience discomfort during everyday activities.

Follow this simple bedtime yoga sequence to slow down the body, the mind, and help you get a better night’s sleep. Stay consistent in your practice knowing that it may take up to a few weeks before you see results.

Tips For Better Sleep:

• Avoiding technological stressors is a start – avoid any digital stimulation 30 min before bed. You can use this time to do some gentle yoga instead, to wind your body down ready for sleep.
• If you feel that even gentle poses will stimulate your mind or body enough to keep you awake, then it’s best to avoid them. Instead, focus on meditation, breathing techniques, or tai chi.
• Practice in a room with dim lighting and use an eye mask for longer holds. For background music, opt for music that helps you to sleep. You can use earplugs to block out noises.
• Clear the room of electronics
• Choose slower types of yoga such as hatha, yin, or restorative. Stay away from active, energizing postures, such as backbends. At the end of your session, do breathing exercises that promote quality sleep.

What Type of Yoga Is the Best Before Bed?

There’s no single style or sequence of yoga that’s ideal for everyone at night. It’s more the way you approach each posture that makes a difference. Gentle stretches and slow and steady breathing. Moving slowly in between poses rather than being rushed. It’s a simple equation of easy movement and measured breathing which instigate your parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn brings relaxation—both physical and psychological.

Restorative is a type of yoga that’s the best suited for the evenings. It uses floor-based poses that you might have done in a daytime ‘vinyasa’ class, but lets you stay in them for longer, encouraging you to let your body relax, aided by the support of bolsters or pillows.

Breathing Techniques for Sleep:

Something as simple as breathing can also have a hugely relaxing effect on your central nervous system. We often breathe rapidly and into our chest, particularly when we’re stressed, and we need more oxygen. But by trying to slow our breathing down and thinking about breathing all the way into the belly, we can once again turn on that parasympathetic nervous system, instantly calming the body and preparing it physiologically for sleep.

Your breath is key to be able to relax in these poses. Breath in yoga is equally important—if not more important—as the physical pose. Use a gentle and calming yoga breath technique called Ujjayi Breath. Inhale deeply through the nose. With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose while constricting the back of your throat as if you are saying “ha” but keep your mouth closed. Use this slow and steady breath to soothe yourself in each of these poses.

Benefits Of Bed-Time Yoga:

• Practicing yoga regularly can help you to manage symptoms of insomnia. You may be able to fall asleep quicker, sleep for longer, and go back to sleep after waking up at night.
• Yoga is a natural alternative to pharmaceutical sleep aids that are often given to older adults.
• This may cause you to have lower blood pressure and lower amounts of the stress hormone cortisol. A routine may help to alleviate stress-related concerns such as weight gain, anxiety, and insomnia.
• It allows you to release some of the tension you’ve built up during the day so you can prepare both your body and mind for a good night’s sleep.

How to change your routine:

Make small, simple changes to your nighttime habits. Design your yoga practice around a few attainable goals based on the amount of time you have available and the main improvements you aim to make.

Be easy on yourself if you slip from your routine. You can always commit to starting again the following day.

The bottom line:

Bedtime yoga is beneficial for people who have numerous sleeping concerns. Whether you’re looking for deeper sleep or more of it, practicing yoga before bed may be exactly what you need.

Props that will help: Blocks (or stacks of books), blanket, and bolster (or a couple firm bed pillows stacked on top of one another)

Yoga is best performed on a firm surface, usually the floor, using a yoga matt to soften the feeling. We do not recommend performing yoga on a bed or sofa bed.

Waterfall – Vipareet Karani

This is one of the more active poses, so it’s a great place to start. It’s a gentle inversion, relieving your lower body and providing a calming effect on your central nervous system.

For those who spend a lot of time on their feet, this pose will probably start to feel incredible after a matter of seconds.

• Lie on your back, lifting and extending your hips a little to make sure that your back is nice and long.
• You can do this pose against a wall, for a more restorative version.
• Bring your knees up to your chest, then extend the legs, so that they’re at a 90-degree angle to your body.
• You can use a cushion or bolster under your hips.
• Your knees can be bent or not, depending on how your body is feeling. Bring your arms out to the side, breathe deeply for 10-15 breaths.

Happy Baby – Ananda Balasana

This pose is super easy to come into from Waterfall and is a lovely way to relieve tension in both the lower back and the mind.

• From Waterfall, bring your knees back into your chest and grab the outside of the sides of your feet.
• Extend your legs a little and bring your knees wide, letting your elbows fall inside your thighs. Push into your hands, feeling a nice stretch.
• You can gently roll from side to side or forward and backward to give your lower back a massage.
• Hold for 10-15 breaths.

Twisted Roots – Supta Parivrtta Garudasana

This is another great pose for your spine, twisting out any aches and pains that may have come from sitting at a desk or walking around.

It also provides a gentle massage for your internal digestive organs, which can help your dinner to go down before bed.

• From Happy Baby, bring your legs down so that your heels are on the floor and your knees are pointing towards the ceiling.
• Push through your heels, lift your hips and place them back on the floor, over to one side.
• Bring your knees up towards the chest, stopping wherever feels comfortable, and then let them fall to the opposite side. You might want to support them with a pillow if this is uncomfortable.
• Spread your arms or bring them to a cactus shape, then look in the opposite direction to your knees to also stretch out the neck a little.
• Hold for 10-15 breaths, then repeat on the other side.

The Butterfly Pose – Badhakonasana

This pose will help you to open through your hips, which can become closed and tight when sitting, as well as stretching through that lower back.

• From seated, bring the soles of the feet together and then slide them away from your body.
• Your feet can be as near or as far away from your pelvis as feels good, and you may need to sit on a pillow to elevate your hips or support your knees either side with pillows.
• Inhale and stretch your spine upwards, then gently start to fold forwards, curving spine and neck to bring your forehead towards your feet.
• Stop wherever feels as though you have found a good stretch, and stay for 10-15 breaths, breathing into your back.

The Child’s Pose – Balasana

This is one of the ultimate yoga postures for quieting, calming, and restoring — obviously excellent qualities when it comes to preparing the mind and body for sleep.

This relaxing pose enhances flexibility while lengthening and stretching the spine. For extra support, place a cushion under your forehead, chest, or thighs.

• From tabletop position, sink your hips back toward your heels.
• Your bum might lift from your feet, which is fine.
• Place your knees close together or out wide.
• Relax your chest and allow it to sink into your thighs.
• Bring your forehead to the mat and walk your arms as far forward as you can to really lengthen your spine and stretch your upper back
• Relax any tension along your spine.
• Stay for at least 10 deep breaths, or longer if you feel inclined

Standing Forward Bend – Uttanasana

This is one of the most common poses used in any yoga practice. It helps to relieve stress, promote a healthy sleep pattern, and ease headaches.

• Stand with your feet hips width apart. Inhale deeply.
• Exhale and extend your torso forward and over your legs to elongate your spine.
• Hold onto your elbows or let your hands rest on your shins or the floor.
• Do not strain to reach the floor—the purpose is not to achieve a perfect shape but is to elongate the spine and relax your neck and shoulders.
• This forward bend allows you to relax your neck tension and gently stretches your hamstrings, calves, and hips. Be careful if you have a back injury.
• If it is difficult for your hands to reach the floor or your back is uncomfortable, place blocks under each hand to provide more support.
• Breathe in and out through your nose slowly and smoothly.
• If you have tight hamstrings, keep your knees bent slightly so that your chest can relax on your thighs.

Bridge Pose – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

• Start by lying on your back.
• Bend your knees and place your feet hip-width apart directly beneath your knees.
• Inhale and lift your pelvis. Place a block under your sacrum (the flat, triangle-shape bone in your lower back) and release your weight onto the block. The block should feel comfortable and supportive; if it does not, lift your hips off the block and readjust it
•  Open your arms onto the floor in a cactus shape. Remain for 10–15 breaths.
• Inhale and lift your hips slightly, then use a hand to slide the block out to the side.
• Slowly lower your hips to the mat and allow your low back to sink to the mat.

The Corpse Pose – Savansa

Do this restorative pose at the end of your practice. During this time, you can simply relax. Lie on your mat or in your bed.

• Simply lie flat on your back with your arms by your side.
• Position your feet a little wider than hip-distance apart.
• Align your head, neck, and spine.
• Focus on your breath as you completely let go of tension in your body.
• You can let your breath return to normal in this pose.
• Focus on relaxing each muscle at a time as you make your way up from toes to head.
• Stay in this position for up to 15 minutes.