You might need something to support lower back while doing this. Keep your feet relaxed (not flexed) and your arms comfortably resting at your sides, palms up. Your hamstrings and calves should be flat against the wall. At the same time, swing your legs straight up the wall. Gently lower your upper body to lie on the floor on your back facing the wall. Legs Up the Wall: Sit sideways against a wall with your legs straight out in front of you. Rowland-Seymour recommends performing this sequence as part of your nightly routine right before getting into bed. Hold all of these poses as you breathe deeply for one or two minutes. Don’t judge yourself if your mind wanders or your muscles feel tight. “Whatever your body is able to do is OK,” she says. Above all, practice self-compassion, says Rowland-Seymour. When you see a nice car, you wouldn’t think of trying to jump into it, she says. Having trouble staying focused? Rowland-Seymour offers this exercise: Imagine yourself standing on the side of a highway watching the cars pass by. Your goal during each session is to focus your attention on your breath, let all of your thoughts drift away and be present in the moment. Focus on your breathing.īreathing is one of the most important therapeutic aspects of yoga. You may also want to change into loose-fitting pajamas or clothes that won’t restrict movement. Lay on carpeting, a yoga mat or something else padded, and keep some pillows handy to help you get comfortable in the poses. Dim the lights and turn on soothing music, if you like. Find a location where you can stretch out and also put your legs up against the wall. Since it’s a good idea to reserve the bedroom for sleep and sex, Rowland-Seymour recommends doing your yoga poses for sleep in another room, if possible. Better styles for pre-sleep are hatha yoga (which focuses on body position) and nidra (which focuses on breathing and more restorative poses, such as lying and sitting postures). “You wouldn’t do these right before bed any more than you would run on the treadmill,” she says. Hot yoga and vinyasa (flow) styles tend to get your heart pumping. Not all yoga is created equal, when it comes to relaxation, says Rowland-Seymour. Choose the right style of yoga for sleep. Want to give yoga a try to improve your sleep? Here’s where to start. Many studies have linked yoga’s benefits to improved sleep, including recent findings by Johns Hopkins that showed better sleep among legally blind patients who participated in an eight-week yoga program. “But the benefits are more due to its meditative properties. “There is some suggestion that certain postures may be helpful,” says Johns Hopkins sleep expert Anastasia Rowland-Seymour, M.D. You don’t even need to be particularly athletic or flexible. You don’t have to learn the whole sun salutation sequence or engage in complicated contortions to practice yoga for sleep.
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