Yoga for sleep: an effective habit against insomnia

Reasons to practice yoga for sleep

Yoga can be used for many reasons such as strengthening your body. Moreover, one of our articles talks about it Muscle strengthening yoga: relax while building muscle. But, it is also known to have restorative effects on your sleep. So, let’s look at what yoga for sleep has to offer you. 

Evacuate accumulated stress

After an intense day full of emotions, the evening remains the only time when you can rest and breathe. Stress is one of the main causes of disturbed sleep. To remedy this problem before going to bed, you can practice a yoga session lasting 15 to 30 minutes. It helps to reduce stress through its combination of physical movements mixed with meditation and deep breathing exercises.

These help to release of muscle tension and to calm negative thoughts. This is the right time for you refocus on yourself et forget your stress. You will be less tense, more inclined to have a restorative sleep and to have better social relations with those around you and your work environment.

Recharge yourself mentally

Yoga is mentally beneficial thanks to the concentration you bring to it. Indeed, you will free yourself from intrusive thoughts by focusing on the present moment. Not to mention that concentration allows you to stay longer in postures that require rigor and balance. Once cleared of bad energies, you will feel a sense of well-being and of inner peace. 

Improve your breathing

Breathing plays an essential role in the practice of yoga. He is essential For coordinate your movements to control your breathing. By practicing deep breathing exercises, you can expand your lung capacity et improve oxygenation in your body. These techniques improve the quality of your sleep et reduce the risk of sleep apnea and insomnia creating slower, deeper breathing. 

Another important factor, deep breathing allows you to control your heart rate. Small bonus point: by slowing down your breathing rate, you reduce your heart rate and blood pressure. What does that mean ? You will have a feeling of calm, in addition to a dose of yoga relaxation The evening before going to bed. You will fall asleep more easily!

Treat sleep problems

According to a study conducted by the IFOP in March 2022, 7 out of 10 French people suffer from sleep disorders. Sometimes they show up without you realizing it. For example, have you ever woken up suddenly because you felt like you were not breathing? This is sleep apnea. Many let themselves go and forget the importance of sleep.

In yoga, sleep is one of the 3 pillars of good mental and physical health. If you're wondering why, it's because while you sleep, the body and brain must regenerate so that you can have strength the next day. As well as mental abilities like discernment. 

Yoga is a natural way to address some sleep-related issues. We can cite : 

• Insomnia
• Sleep apnea

• Difficult to fall asleep

• Nocturnal awakenings

• A strong feeling of fatigue after a decent 8 hour night

Very often, these concerns come directly from your lifestyle, such as: 

• Excessive consumption of tobacco, alcohol, medications, energy drinks such as tea or coffee

• Have late eating and sleeping patterns

• Lack of sporting activity

• Stress

• High screen rate

• Listening to music or films with an overly animated soundtrack

Yoga treats these problems by reducing stress and anxiety, improving relaxation and eliminating physical tension.

Types of yoga for sleep

It is important to emphasize that you must choose the type of yoga that suits your needs. So that you can find soothing nights without waking up, we have concocted the best forms of yoga to get restful sleep. 

Yoga nidra

Yoga nidra or “sleep yoga” allows you to put yourself in a state of deep relaxation. He uses the sensations of your body and your breathing in order to reduce your mental and physical activity so that you enter a state of deep relaxation. In addition, it allows you to fall asleep more easily and quickly and wake up less tired than the day before. Yoga nidra transports you into a state of wakefulness and sleep. 

How does yoga nidra work? It is a session of guided meditation which helps the body to completely relax. Most often, the session takes place in Savasana position. It is a position lying on the ground, the body completely relaxed, the eyes closed and the mind at peace. In addition to this posture, yoga nidra offers meditation exercises and of relaxation to help you focus on different parts of your body. Then, later, on your breathing in order to touch the unconscious with your fingers in a conscious way, arriving in a semi-awake state.

To finish the session, once your body and mind are totally relaxed, you will exercise both the visualization and the breathing. These two elements are brought together to keep your negative emotions away. To do this, generally, mantras are repeated or you can go over a phrase in your mind that is close to your heart to keep these thoughts away. In addition, depending on the teacher, you may have classes with a sound ambiance with music or other. However, it remains a choice, there are completely silent courses. To learn more about this yoga, head to our article Calm your stress with stress yoga. 

Evening yoga

Evening yoga which may interest you if you are a victim ofinsomnia, of nocturnal awakenings or problems falling asleep. This type of yoga will allow you to fall asleep more easily and have quality sleep.

It's a yoga particularly soft which is practiced individually on each closed eyelid. We find the same goal as yoga nidra: the deep relaxation, then, little by little, towards a intense sleepiness over a period of 15 to 30 minutes. Depending on your desire, you can accompany this session with soft music.

Put into practice

During this session, you will be asked to perform various exercises of breaths, movements et stretching having a scope relaxing. You are free to choose postures like Sun Salutations or other positions from other yoga styles like Hatha yoga. If you are not familiar with this style and are piqued by your curiosity, do not hesitate to take a look at our article Yoga tires you out: perfect in case you feel sluggish. 

Firstly, a moment of guided meditation is imposed on you to enable you torelease the stress and the tensions concentrated during the day. Thanks to this meditation you will be anchored in present time. The breathing exercises and the rotation of consciousness will make you someone totally relaxed, both physically and morally. 

Then, you will continue with stretching exercises which should follow your breathing. Among the stretches, you can do the sleepy child position, the floating island or even the hero's child.  

Restorative yoga

Restorative yoga is a powerful form of yoga to promote a full night without waking up. It teaches you to relax your whole body slowly and gently. It is practiced using brackets such as blankets, blusters or even eye cushions. This is typically the kind of yoga we would want to do when we are exhausted and worn out from the day! For what ? Because he asks for nothing other than to take time for yourself and achieve a kind of absolute tranquility. 

A session is broken down into 3 stages. The first by long, deep breaths. Then comes the stage of carrying out the static positions in synchronization with breathing. As postures we find the puppy pose, Savasana or even the pigeon pose. They are used for relieve stress and the tensions and for spread good energy in the body. They must be held for a long period of 10 to 15 minutes per posture. The specificity of restorative yoga is that you do not have no intensive physical effort to provide. Finally, the course ends with a moment of relaxation and deep meditation of body and mind for a duration of 25 minutes. For these moments, generally, the proposed position is Savasana. 

Postures to help you fall asleep

Yoga is a natural method that offers softening and restorative virtues both physically and mentally. Like a miracle cure, these postures can help you sleep better. Here are some positions to do before going to bed to have a more restful night than ever. 

The twisted stomach

Implementing this asana after an intensive day is a good solution for you get rid of mental fatigue and bad energy. It will allow you to find a balance and you loosen perfectly to be ready to go to sleep. 

To perform this posture, lie on your back then bend your knees and bring them at a right angle towards your chest. Open your arms to both sides, palms facing the sky, keep your shoulders on the ground. Rotate your legs to the right side and place your head to the left side. Hold this posture for 10 to 25 breaths then repeat the exercise on the other side. 

The goddess of sleep

This position allows you torelease the stress retained in the stomach and pelvis. It also has the ability to soothe the nervous system. Which has the effect ofcalm your mind and to let yourself abandon yourself to the world. Ideal for getting closer to sleep paradise.

To begin, lie on your back, let your arms drop, and bend your legs so that your feet meet. You can maintain this posture for as long as you want as long as you achieve a state of inner peace.  

Candlelight pose

A classic and yet so effective! In fact, it allows facilitate falling asleep thanks to the reversal of emotions and energies. By oxygenating the head and reducing the heart rate, bad feelings are transformed into positive ones. After this position, we observe an increase in the feeling of well-being and of relaxation. 

For those who have forgotten how to make the candle, here is a little reminder. Lie on your back, raise only your legs and hips vertically, your upper body should remain on the ground. Push your legs as high as possible while maintaining alignment and balance. If you have difficulty, use your hands to support your lower back. Hold the position for a few minutes. 

To conclude

Yoga for sleep is the natural remedy to fall asleep peacefully in the arms of Morpheus. And to prove it to you, let's review the article in a few points. 

This discipline acts on different aspects of our mind. First, it helps to reduce stress through fusion mediation, gentle movements and relaxation. You will be free from all stress and therefore in a favorable state for having a complete and restorative sleep. In addition, you will have a much better mental state with the recurring appearance of feeling of well-being and of inner peace.

Then this practice helps you to breathe better through an expansion of your lung capacity as well as oxygenation, which allows you to sleep better.

Finally, thee yoga resolves sleep-related problems by acting on stress, anxiety, physical and mental tension through relaxation and meditation methods. 

Yoga styles to fall asleep

Of course, there isn't just one form of yoga for solving sleep problems. We cited 3 of them: 

• Yoga nidra : Starting from a guided meditation which is constituted by the position savana mixed with meditation and relaxation, you will arrive at a half-awake state. Then you will practice visualization and some relaxation For push away negative emotions. This principle guarantees night without disturbance and one wake up feeling rested.
• Evening yoga: It's a yoga soft aiming to deep relaxation and one powerful state of drowsiness. You will be required to work movement, stretching and breathing exercises in order for you relax to the maximum and'eliminate negative waves like stress and tension. At the end of the session, you live in the present moment and you will be ready to go to bed without fear.
• Restorative yoga : It's a style of yoga slow, with the help of supports, it helps you to a let go on your body without having to make demanding physical efforts. You will only have to carry out immobile positions et enjoy moments of relaxation and of meditation deep. It's a time for yourself to come to terms with your sleep. 

To finish in style, here is 3 poses that will help you clear the mind and to get back to light sleep : 

• The twisted stomach
• The candle
• The goddess of sleep

Return to your bed after a session at POSES Studio

Still not exhausted? Let yourself be impressed by the yoga flow by POSES Studio. 

Go wild until you're thirsty with our 50 minute workout sessions which trace the movements et postures of yoga. Conjugate reinforcement et exercises by weights of bodies on a background of dim light. 

Let yourself be carried away by our motivated coaches for you sweat and above all so that you only want to sleep!

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