Yoga for better sleep

Yoga is a gentle and restorative way to wind down your day. A national survey found that over 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep. Over 85% said yoga helped reduce stress. You can use supportive props like bolsters, blankets, and blocks to make poses comfortable so that you can stay in the pose for longer and continue to breathe.

Your breath is key to be able to relax in these poses. Breath in yoga is equally important—if not more important—as the physical pose. Use a gentle and calming yoga breath technique called Ujjayi Breath, also known as Ocean Breath or Victorious Breath. Inhale deeply through the nose. With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose while constricting the back of your throat as if you are saying "ha" but keep your mouth closed. This exhalation should sound like the waves of the ocean (or like Darth Vader from Star Wars). Use this slow and steady breath to soothe yourself in each of these poses.

Practice these yoga poses right before bedtime and stay in them about 3 to 5 minutes each. Use your Ocean Breath in each pose, with the exception of Corpse Pose, where your breath returns to normal.

These seven restorative yoga poses relieve tension and stress at the end of the day. The more that you practice these poses regularly, the more you likely you can get a good night’s rest.

Best yoga poses for assisting sleeping patterns:

1. Wide-Knee Child’s Pose (Balasana)

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

3. Standing Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana) at the wall

4. Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)

5. Legs Up The Wall Pose (Viparita Karani )

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

7. Legs on a Chair Pose

Other ways yoga can assist you to sleep better?

• Yoga improves mindfulness, increases melatonin levels, and helps reduce sleep disturbance.

• The deep breathing technique is extremely relaxing and it induces sleep.

• The key to possessing proper sleep is regular exercise with a combination of yoga.

• Yoga and meditation help us de-stress.

• It relaxes our nervous system.

• It revives our body, makes us feel good, and provides us with a relaxing effect.

Yoga is good in many aspects of life as it helps improve our overall health and helps us attain a better and calming mind. If we indulge ourselves with the practice of yoga, then physical and mental stress are reduced and we stay in a happy, positive state of mind helping us to be mindful, and responsive.

Yoga whatever the weather

Over the past months, I have noticed a direct correlation between the weather & the number of yoga classes attended. When the rain is coming down by the bucket load the footfall drops dramatically.

How can we take better care of ourselves?

Experience has taught me that these practices do not just magically happen. This is where planning & resolve come into play.

At the very minimum, my daily self-care ritual includes two of the following practices. These are the things that help to keep me on an even keel.

• Meditation

• Yoga movement practice

• Walking

A daily walk is the newest addition.  Not having a car meant that I walked to teach, to the supermarket & for pleasure. On returning to Manchester earlier this year, the switch to driving more & walking less happened immediately. It was only when I stopped that I realised how much I enjoy walking. The fresh air. The exercise. The time to think. The time not to think.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” – Alfred Wainwright, A Coast to Coast Walk –

As I type, my jeans are damp & my hair is wet. I have just returned from a walk. It was raining when I left & raining when I got back. I can (& have) used weather as an excuse not to go out but I know I will feel better for it. The benefits will be felt long after I have dried out.

Resistance comes in all shapes & forms

Too tired. Too wet. Too hungry. Too busy. Too cold. Needed by a partner/children/friend/dog/cat. Valid reasons perhaps but most likely they are driven by the pressure to be busy & purposeful. Taking time for ourselves is not a priority.

“We hold those who are on the tightest of schedules in reverence; the busier you are, the higher your status as a human being.” – Ruby Wax, Sane New World: Taming the Mind –

Contrary to common belief, busyness is not a virtue. Overwork and the accompanying stress and exhaustion can make us less productive, disorganised, and emotionally depleted. Self-care habits can reduce the toxic effects of stress by improving our mood and boosting our energy and confidence levels. This is what we need to remind ourselves of when the excuse gremlin tries to sabotage our wellbeing plans!

Life has a habit of getting in the way of yoga

I never tire of students telling me how good they feel after a class. This happens most frequently when they return to yoga after a hiatus of a few weeks or months. There is a renewed impetus to attend regular classes, to go on a retreat, or to begin a self-led practice. The buzz is tangible, yet the momentum can be lost when the bar is raised too high.

My advice is to start small and a quick Google search revealed that all the experts say this too! If you want to have a regular yoga practice, begin with one session per week. Sow the seed of intention and find a class at a time & location that works for you. Set the intention in black & white by adding it to your schedule. If possible, book or pay for a class in advance and strengthen your intention. Prepare for the class the evening before so you have everything ready, renew your resolve to go whatever the weather.