Do you toss and turn at night, unable to drift off to sleep? If so, bedtime yoga might be the missing piece in your bedtime routine. The right yoga poses, filled with stretches, mindfulness, and relaxation, can help prepare your body and mind for sleep.
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.
Why It’s Good to Do Yoga Before Bed
Yoga Can Help with Insomnia
Studies have shown that a gentle yoga practice can significantly improve sleep quality, reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, and minimize wakefulness during the night.
Yoga Can Encourage Relaxation
The stillness and mindful breathing that accompany yoga poses can help shift your focus away from the daily stressors of a busy life, allowing your mind to quieten enough to help you drift off to sleep.
Yoga Can Improve Life Quality
Beyond just aiding sleep, a consistent pre-bedtime yoga routine has been associated with an overall improvement in life quality. Study participants have reported higher happiness levels, better stress management, and an increased sense of well-being.
Yoga Can Increase Mind-Body Awareness
Yoga isn’t just a physical exercise; it’s a practice that involves both body and mind. Enjoying yoga before bed can heighten awareness of how your thoughts and physical sensations impact your ability to relax. This increased mindfulness can improve the quality of your sleep, help you manage stress more effectively, and promote well-being across other areas of your life too.
5 Best Yoga Poses for Sleep
Incorporating gentle yoga poses into your bedtime routine can help you wind down and make a world of difference to your sleep quality. Here are five of our favorite relaxing yoga poses for sleep. We recommend including one or all of these poses in your bedtime routine to help ease physical tension and a restless mind.
1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
This simple yet effective resting posture helps gently stretch your lower back and hips to release tension as it calms your mind. This pose allows you to focus inward, giving a mental wind-down before bed.
How to Practice:
- Kneel down, toes together, and knees hip-width apart.
- Exhale and lower your torso between your knees.
- Extend your arms in front of you, palms facing down. Or, if it’s more comfortable, let your arms relax alongside your legs with your palms facing upwards.
- Hold the pose for 1-3 minutes, breathing deeply.
2. Butterfly Pose (Baddha Konasana)
Butterfly pose aids in relaxation and is excellent for stretching out tight hips and inner thighs. This pose can help release stored tension in the lower body, helping you relax and drift off to sleep.
How to Practice:
- Sit with your legs extended in front of you.
- Bend your knees and draw your heels towards you, then let your knees drop towards the bed, floor, or mat.
- Hold the outer edges of your feet with your hands, keeping your spine straight.
- Hold the pose for 1-2 minutes while taking deep breaths.
3. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
A restful position for bringing blood back to the heart, promoting relaxation, and refreshing blood circulation. Elevating your legs aids blood circulation and can relieve minor back tension, helping you unwind.
How to Practice:
- Sit close to a wall and lie on your back, extending your legs up the wall.
- Place your arms at your sides or over your head, whichever is more comfortable.
- Stay in this pose for 3-5 minutes, breathing gently.
4. Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaiasana-Bitilasana)
A helpful pose sequence for spinal flexibility and abdominal activation. Flowing rhythmically between these positions can be meditative and relaxing before bed.
How to Practice:
- Start on all fours with your knees under your hips and wrists under your shoulders.
- Inhale into cow pose, lifting your head and tailbone towards the sky while lowering your belly.
- Exhale into cat pose, rounding your spine and tucking your chin to your chest.
- Repeat 5-10 times.
5. Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
This pose releases lower back tension and encourages playfulness—great for shaking off adult worries before bedtime. Happy baby pose helps open the hips and stretch the inner groin, making you feel carefree and relaxed, just like a happy baby!
How to Practice:
- Lie on your back and pull your knees towards your chest.
- Hold your feet or your ankles from the outside.
- Pull your knees toward the floor beside your torso.
- Hold for 1-2 minutes or rock gently from side to side.
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.
Decide what gives you the incentive to stick to your routine. This may include keeping track of your progress electronically or in a journal, rewarding yourself, or having an accountability partner.
If you live with others, let them know what to expect of your nighttime routine. Be easy on yourself if you slip from your routine. You can always commit to starting again the following day.
Suddhi Yogshala is a premier Yoga Teacher Training Institute dedicated to spreading the profound benefits of yoga. Our mission is to provide high-quality Yoga Teacher Training Courses that empower individuals to become skilled yoga teachers. At Suddhi Yogshala, we believe in the transformative power of Yoga Asanas and holistic wellness practices. Join us in our journey to promote health, mindfulness, and well-being through the ancient practice of yoga.
