Yoga For Sleep | 'Healthy You' Yoga Series

If there’s one thing we can all do for our health today it’s get enough good quality sleep!

There is a huge culture nowadays where lack of sleep is almost celebrated; that if we’re not sleeping we’re somehow doing ourselves a service by constantly ‘doing’ or being on the go, achieving and getting sh*t done. While that might sound great (I mean who doesn’t want to have an epic achievement list, smash all their goals and then some?) we are actually doing our bodies a disservice by not prioritising sleep!

Sleep is when all the good stuff happens! It’s when the cells in our bodies rejuvenate, when our minds can process information, when we can grow and when our rest & digest system is allowed to flourish and set our bodies up for success the following day.

I’m sure you’ve felt it – that feeling when you’ve not quite had the best sleep? That feeling of sluggishness, of craving foods you know won’t serve you, of relying on caffeine to get you through the day. Or perhaps the physical symptoms present themselves to you in great force: Break outs, burn out, fatigue, gut problems, hormonal imbalances.

Well guess what beautiful? Being productive and achieving all that you want isn’t about ‘doing’ all the time. In fact, having sufficient GOOD QUALITY sleep can help you sky rocket your success and take your daily tasks and work to the NEXT LEVEL!

How much more awesome would all your efforts be if you had humming hormones, if your energy was sky high and if your mind was so switched on that thoughts and ideas were presenting themselves to you left, right and centre?

It’s time to prioritise sleep.
It’s time to look after your bodies number one reset system.
It’s time to harness the power of rest.

And guess what?
...You’ve got it!

Yoga can help you have that beautiful, delicious and restful sleep that you’re after (especially if you’re like me and you struggle to switch off at night). I also love to do these poses (asanas) if I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed or if I find that my mind and body could do with a bit of self-soothing.

Here are 5 Yoga asanas that are wonderful to do before going to sleep (perhaps even once you’ve headed to bed!):

* Hold each pose for 5-10 breaths to really allow your body to settle and find a sense of peace and calm.

Remember that it’s important to balance both sides of the body, so hold the pose for the same length of time on each side when working each side individually.

* I’ve also filmed a YouTube video showing you how to link these asanas together to create a sleep promoting Yoga flow which you can find at the end of this article or by clicking here.

RECLINED PIGEON POSE (SUPTA KAPOTASANA)

Begin by lying on your back. Bend your knees bringing the soles of your feet onto the mat, hip-width apart.
Place your right ankle on the top of your left thigh, flexing the foot.
Encourage the right knee away from the body.
Thread your right hand through the gap in your legs and loop your hands round your left thigh taking hold of your hamstring. (You may also choose to use a strap here)
Draw the legs closer towards the body whilst pressing the right knee away to increase the intensity.
Relax your shoulder blades down into the mat and neutralise your spine by drawing the tailbone down.

HAPPY BABY POSE (ANANDA BALASANA)

Begin by lying on your back.
Bring your knees into your chest and separate them about hip distance apart.
Keep the bend in your knees as you raise the soles of your feet up towards the ceiling, flexing the feet and with your ankles directly above your knees.
Reach towards your feet and hold onto the outside of your feet and draw the knees in towards your armpits. (You may prefer to hold onto the inside of your feet, wrap your peace fingers round your big toe or even hold behind your knees)
Draw down on the shoulder blades and tailbone towards the mat to keep your spine in neutral.

BRIDGE POSE (SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA)

Begin by lying on your back in Corpse Pose.
Bend your knees bringing the soles of your feet to the mat as close to the body as possible and about hip-width apart.
Rest the arms down by the sides of the body with the palms facing down.
As you press in towards the feet and arms, begin to lift the spine away from the mat one vertebrae at a time.
Lift the hips up and engage the glutes to help protect and strengthen the spine.
Make sure to keep the head still and avoid turning your head from side to side.
Keep your legs parallel with your toes pointing towards the top of the mat.
You can stay here or begin to tuck your shoulders underneath you, clasping your hands together to make a fist and pressing that fist downwards in towards the mat.

SEATED FORWARD FOLD (PASICHIMOTTASANA)

Begin by sitting tall on your sitting bones, grounding down through both sides of your seat and extending your legs out in front of you.
Elongate through your spine and lift up tall through the crown of your head, drawing the shoulders away from your ears.
Lift the arms up, hinge forwards from the hips and begin to reach towards your toes, ankles or shins.
Maintain the length of the spine and avoid rounding in the upper back, keeping the neck soft.
You may choose to loop a strap around your feet to help you in your forward fold.

CHILD’S POSE (BALASANA)

Begin in a 4-point kneeling position with your wrists directly under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
If possible, bring your big toes to touch as you start to lower your hips sitting back onto your heels.
Either bring your knees closer together or wider apart (whichever feels more comfortable for you).
Rest your arms down by the sides of your body with your fingers pointing behind you or extend them out in front of you, palms facing down.
Relax your chest and head down onto the mat or perhaps use a block to support your head.
Soften in your neck and lower back, feeling the ground support you and try to relax the whole body.

Tags: Health Tips, Sleep, Yoga & Pilates

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