Bedtime Yoga: 3 Yoga Poses for Better Sleep

1. Standing Forward Bend

This pose is calm and cooling and it teaches patience. It stimulates the liver and kidneys, improves digestion, helps relieve symptoms of menopause, reduces anxiety, and relieves headaches and insomnia. It’s also very therapeutic for asthma, high blood pressure, infertility, and osteoporosis.

• Stand tall at the top of your mat in Mountain Pose.

• Keep a tiny bend in the knees.

• Fold at the hips, and dive forward, for standing forward fold.

2. Legs-on-the-Wall

The crown jewel of Bedtime Yoga is a gentle inversion. This pose is great for anxiety, arthritis, digestive problems, headache, insomnia, and mild depression. It calms the mind and relieves mild backache, urinary disorders, premenstrual syndrome, and menopause. It also prevents varicose veins!

The real power of this pose comes from what it does for our lymphatic system. Lymph fluid can concentrate in our lower extremities. Putting your legs upside down supports the lymphatic system in removing waste and toxins.

• Begin seated and facing the wall.

• Place your butt about 6 inches from the wall and lay back.

• Put your legs up on the wall and place your arms by your sides with your palms facing up. You’ll feel a stretch in your hamstrings – if the stretch is too intense you can push your butt slightly away from the wall.

• Find a comfortable place and hold the position, breathing slowly, for 5-10 minutes

Avoid this pose if you are pregnant, menstruating, or if you have serious eye problems, such as glaucoma. If you have serious neck or back issues, you should learn this pose with a teacher present. 

3. Reclined Goddess Pose

We finish with a Reclined Goddess pose for sweet dreams. This pose is wonderful for stimulating the abdominal organs, stimulating the heart and improving circulation, stretching the inner thighs, groin, and knees.

It helps relieve symptoms of stress, mild depression, menstruation, and menopause. It also relaxes your mind and central nervous system.

• Lay back into Goddess pose with your feet pressed together and your knees open – like you’re making a diamond shape with your legs.

• Place your arms up beside you like goal posts. And breathe.

• Hold for 3 minutes.

Sweet Dreams!