Yoga helps you sleep better
Practicing yoga is a great remedy for deep, restful sleep. The reasons are many and lie among the various benefits of the discipline: it helps to relax and relax the accumulated physical, mental and emotional tensions. It improves breathing and life energy, prana. According to a 2012 survey by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, over 55% of people who practiced yoga before bed reported having slept better. 85% of participants said practicing yoga helped reduce stress.
This is mainly due to the fact that, unlike running, HIIT or other high intensity workouts, yoga calms the mind and body, making it easier for both of you to fully relax.
How to practice before going to bed
These positions, in particular, effectively contribute to freeing the mind from everyday worries and anxieties and the body from fatigue and accumulated muscle contractions. It is good to maintain the position, even if tiring, for at least five minutes, before changing it. Practice these positions directly on the bed, and comfortably in pajamas (it does not involve sweating, but relaxation).
Yoga postures before sleep
Sukahasana
Particularly simple position, to be held directly on the bed before sleeping.
- Keep the spine straight and the body stable e relaxed, bring your hands above your knees with your palms facing up.
- Breathe naturally, staying still and relaxed.
- Free thoughts from the mind.
Salabhasana
This is a simpler variant of the locust stance. Salabhasana is an energizing asana, it strengthens the back and makes the diaphragm work. It might seem tiring but it helps relax muscles and improve digestion.
- Lie on your stomach with a pillow underneath, from chest to pubis.
- Clasp your hands behind your back, stretching them towards your feet.
- Inhale, press the pubis towards the pillow and stretch forward and upward, from the chest and head, and backward with the legs, keeping the instep pressed to the mattress.
- Breathe deeply and slowly during the pose.
Supta Baddha Konasana
Helps to achieve deep relaxation of body and mind. It is an asana that helps relax and relax the lower back and abdomen, opens the chest and hips, stretches the thighs and improves circulation.
- Place one or two pillows from the base of the back and under the head.
- Join the soles of the feet without pressing them together and relax the knees outwards.
- Extend your arms along your body with your palms facing up.
- Breathe deeply and slowly.
Balasana
Also known as the folded leaf position, or as a variant of the baby position, it helps to dissolve the heaviness in the back, shoulders and head. Ideal for dissolving tensions in body and mind.
- Kneeling position, sitting on the heels, with the knees slightly apart.
- Place a pillow lengthwise between the legs.
- Lean forward with your chest, forehead, or cheek resting on the pillow.
- Relax your arms at your sides with your palms facing up.
Viparita Karani
This yoga position is one of the most suitable for promoting sleep and sleeping better. Helps relieve lower back pain, gently stretch the hamstrings (the more you practice this position the more you are able to bring your hips closer to the wall, the more your muscles will stretch); promotes relaxation of the pelvic floor; it soothes contracted feet and legs and helps release any tension that may have been caused by sitting and / or standing all day.
It also helps reduce stress, anxiety and insomnia, thus creating a therapeutic environment and giving you the opportunity to fall asleep more easily into a better night's sleep.
- Sit with your left side against a wall. The lower back should rest on a pillow.
- Gently rotate your body to the left and bring your legs to the wall. Use your hands to maintain balance as you shift the weight.
- Lower your back to the ground and lie down. Rest your shoulders and head on the floor (or on the mattress if you are doing it in bed).
- Shift the weight from side to side and bring the sacrum to the wall.
- Leave your arms open at your sides, with your palms facing up.
- Let the thigh bones free and relax, towards the back of the pelvis.
- Close your eyes and try to stay in this position for 5 to 10 minutes, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Jathara Parivartanasana
This position is an "excellent ally against insomnia", because it stimulates the nervous system responsible for calm. It relaxes the shoulders and lower back from accumulated tensions, improves digestion, massages the intervertebral discs and opens the breath. Here is the variant with bent legs to achieve the same effect, but more relaxed.
- Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest, open your arms cross at shoulder height with your palms facing up.
- Make a rotation with the knees to the right accompanying them with the right hand, while the "other hand remains where" it was. Keep your shoulders relaxed, open and in contact with the mattress and, if you can, turn your head away from your knees.
- Breathe deeply and enjoy the feeling of openness and relaxation. Then gently return to the center and repeat on the other side.
Not enough sleep can lead to various unpleasant consequences for the body.
To rest well, it can also be useful to practice some stretching exercises before going to bed.
Yoga can be added to the strategies indicated to improve memory.
To improve back pain, practicing Yoga can be very helpful.
If you are looking for a stimulating "initiative, you can try the 30 day challenge instead.
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