“If I fall asleep now, I’ll get 6 hours of sleep… But if I fall asleep now I’ll get 5 ½ hours of sleep…”
Sounds familiar?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, about 45% percent of Americans say that poor or insufficient sleep affects their daily activities at least once per week [1]. Americans are reporting, however, that getting quality sleep is becoming more of an issue compared to not getting enough sleep in general.
Stress and anxiety play a major role in poor quality sleep. When you’re stressed, it can be difficult to relax your body and mind enough to fall asleep. Yoga for sleep relaxes the mind and eases your stress.
Yoga For Sleep
Yoga for sleep has been shown to relieve stress, increase muscle strength and flexibility, increase blood circulation and oxygen uptake, as well as improving your breathing patterns and hormone function [2].
The combination of breath and movement activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps counteract stress.
These 10 yoga poses can be done in bed and will take less than 10 minutes to complete depending on how long you choose to hold your postures.
It’s important to take long, deep breaths during your sequence. This is also known as diaphragmatic breathing. Diaphragmatic breathing is when you take a deep inhale in through your nose, and an extra long exhale out of your mouth.
TIP: Take a few practice breaths to insure you are activating your diaphragm. While laying on your back, place one hand under your ribs and the other on your chest. As you take your first inhale, the hand on your stomach should rise as your diaphragm activates to fill your lungs with air. If you do not feel your hand move with your stomach, chances are you are breathing through your chest. If this occurs, try replicating the breathing technique you use when inflating a balloon.
As you flow through each movement, focus on your breath and try to match each movement with your breathing. For example, as you begin to move from one posture to another, start your inhale, and focus on your exhale during the final move of the posture. Take a few seconds and hold each pose. I usually recommend completing about 3-4 cycles of diaphragmatic breathing during each posture.
Bedtime Yoga Poses
Yoga before bed can be extremely relaxing. Here are the best poses that promote deep sleep:
- Seated meditation
- Neck stretch
- Neck stretch v. 2
- Seated lateral stretch
- Torso rotation
- Seated forward fold
- Laying knee tuck
- Laying half bridge
- Cobra
- Pigeon
- Cat-Cow
- Childs post
- Corpse pose
How To Deepen Relaxation
Before you begin your bedtime yoga sequence, drink one cup of SkinnyFit Zzztox. SkinnyFit ZzzTox is our caffeine-free detox that helps your mind and body relax.
Zzztox fights stress-induced weight-gain, calms bloating, releases harmful toxins, helps you get better rest and deeper sleep, and helps you relax, unwind, and detoxify.
Bedtime Yoga Routine
Looking for an easy way to stretch out before you sleep? Try these easy but effective stretches that you can do right on your bed! Hold each pose for at least 30 seconds and make sure to breathe deeply. Go to bed feeling lighter and more relaxed each night.
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