Guest post by myfitnessquery.com
Yoga Poses For Relaxation And Sleep: If you usually do not get sound sleep at night and having trouble sleeping and feeling sleepy all day. In that case, there are chances that you likely to experience associated health problems such as depression, diabetes, anxiety, and congestive heart failure and might be aging faster than you should.
When you go to sleep, your body starts healing on a cellular level and eliminates toxins from the body. Therefore, it becomes necessary that you take adequate sleep, and sleep duration should be 6 to 8 hours.
When you sleep better, you will start noticing that you will feel energetic and rejuvenate every time you wake up. But what if you don't get good sleep and relaxation. In that case, yoga can help you.
Does yoga help you fall asleep?
Yoga is not only helpful for enhancing flexibility, core strength, and stress ranges; it can additionally aid you in sleeping better. Practicing yoga every day before bed helps ease several ailments, including abnormal sleeping habits and insomnia.
Benefits of doing yoga before bed
- Deep, diaphragmatic breathing rids the body of toxins stored in the tissues
- Yoga helps to release muscle tension and makes your muscle relax.
- This poses help us to practice mindfulness instead of poor late-night habits
- Yoga poses lower blood pressure, and induces a deep state of relaxation, making it easier to fall asleep
- Increases blood flow
- Yoga helps to De-stresses the body
So the question arises which yoga is best for sleeping.
Here Are The Best 7 Yoga Poses for Relaxation and Sleep
The following yoga poses can help you with relaxation and enjoy a peaceful and great sleep:
- Standing forward bend (Hastapadasana)
- Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist)
- Cat stretch (Marjariasana)
- Janu Sirsasana (head-to-knee pose)
- Butterfly pose (Baddhakonasana)
- Legs-up-the-wall pose (Viparita Karani)
- Child pose (Shishuasana)
1. Standing forward bend (Hastapadasana)
This posture stretches the back muscles, makes the spine flexible, and stimulates the nervous system by expanding blood flow.
How to Perform
- Stand straight with an erect spine.
- Both legs should contact one another.
- Deep breathe in and bring both hands above your head and hand should be straight
- While exhaling, bend forward and try to touch your both feet
- Make sure your knees should be straight, and head should touch your knees
- stay at this position for 3 to 5 seconds and exhale
- Now while inhaling, come to your original position
- Repeat this yoga pose a few times
2. Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist)
This pose not just helps to hydrate the spinal disk but also relaxes, lengthens, and realign the spine. It lowers the heart rate and improves sleep.
How to Perform
- Lie down on your back.
- Bring both arms out and perpendicular to shoulder and palms facing down
- Bend the left knee while bending the left knee move your left leg over the right knee, and stretch your left leg until it crosses the right knee and touches the floor
- Make sure your right leg should be straight
- Keep your shoulder flat and parallel to the floor
- Take a deep breathe 5 to 7 times while remaining in this position
- Breathe in and move back your left leg to the original side.
- Exhale and lie down your left leg straight from where you started and relax
- Now, repeated this process for the right leg
- Do this yoga pose 3 to 5 times for each side
3. Cat stretch (Marjariasana)
A superb stretch for making the backbone flexible, the Cat stretch additionally massages the digestive organs and improves digestion, helping you sleep soundly. It further improves blood circulation and relaxes the mind.
How to Perform
- Come on all fours. Create a table like a pose such that your back should be straight like a tabletop, and your all fours are like the legs of a table.
- Keep Your hands straight and directly under your shoulder.
- Your palm down and all fingers face the forward direction.
- Look straight forward
- Now, While breaths in, Raise your chin up towards the ceiling and push your stomach towards the floor and form the concave shape.
- Hold this posture for a few seconds and take a deep breath.
- Now, start exhaling, and slowly your chin downs towards the floor and spine towards an upward direction. In sort, vice verse of the previous position.
- Hold this posture for a few seconds and take a deep breath before returning to the original tabletop like posture.
- Repeat this posture 3 to 5 times
4. Janu Sirsasana (head-to-knee pose)
How to Perform
- Sit on the floor, and your legs are out and stretched in forwarding direction.
- Make sure your back is straight
- Bend your left knee and place the sole of the left leg to the inner side of the right leg
- Now, inhale and turn your torso towards the right leg toes
- now exhale from this position walk your hands toward the toes of your right leg until you grab it without lifting your right hips
- Keep your back long, shoulders relaxed. And chest open.
- stay at this position for a few seconds
- Inhale, and come back to the starting pose.
- Do it the same for the right leg.
- Do this pose 3 to 5 times.
5. Butterfly pose (Baddhakonasana)
Eliminate your physical, emotional, and mental with holistic methods and Stimulates the heart and improves general circulation.
How to Perform
- Sit on the yoga mat or a flat surface in a seated position.
- Both legs are out and forward
- now bend both knees and touch both soles with each other and try to make both knees flat to the surface but don't force them
- It is your choice to place your hands behind you to lift the chest
- Now grab your ankles and back should be straight. Lean forward slowly
- Stay at this position for a few seconds,
- then gently come to your original position and stretch your legs out in forwarding position
6. Legs-up-the-wall pose (Viparita Karani)
This posture Regulates blood circulation, Restores tired feet or legs, and stretches the front torso, back of the neck, and legs.
How to Perform
7. Child pose (Shishuasana)
One of the best yoga poses for relaxation and sleep because this poses to calm the nervous system so that you can fall asleep.
How to Perform
- Sit on heals.
- Rest hips on your heals.
- Lean forward and lower your forehead to touch the floor
- Keep the arms close by your body with hands on the floor
- Palms facing up towards the ceiling
- In case you feel uncomfortable, place a fist on the top of another and rest your forehead on them.
- Gently press your chest on the thighs.
- Stay there with this position
- Slowly rise up and sit back on your heels to come back to the starting position.
Tips for Relaxation and Sleep
- Take a power nap in the afternoon after having lunch if possible for you, and at night sleep should be between six to eight hours is a good practice.
- Don't do Sudarshan Kriya and Bhastrika pranayama before sleep because they will energize your body and prevent you from falling asleep.
- Listen to soft instrumental music or some nature sounds like rain, birds, etc. There are many apps available on ios and android.
- Avoid taking stimulants like coffee, tea, and smoking at night, especially if you suffer from insomnia.
- Your dinner time should be at least 2 hours before your bedtime. finish your dinner before 8.30 pm
- Before going to sleep, doing meditation or deep breathing will help you release mental stress and relax your body and help you get to sleep.
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