How To Sleep Better with Bedtime Yoga – My 7 Favorite Yoga Poses For The Best Rest

Let’s start with a few questions. How are you feeling? Are you feeling tired? Exhausted maybe. Nervous? Stressed? A bit foggy or lost? These are common sensations for most of us. Even when we wake up and get ourselves going, sometime during the day we often lose our mojo. So if the answer is Yes, let me ask you something else. Are you sleeping enough? For most of us, the honest answer is gonna be, No. And this is why today we are speaking about how to sleep better and Bedtime Yoga.

So Yoga. Whether your immediate reaction is ‘just what I need‘ or ‘oh no‘, I invite you to say, Bring it on!

Because darling friend you need these bedtime yoga poses, not only to sleep better, but to get an amazing night’s sleep. Practicing bedtime yoga, along with the other suggestions offered here, are going to set you up to truly rest your body, mind, and pretty little, sleepy soul.

IF YOU WANT TO SKIP STRAIGHT TO THE POSES, CLICK HERE. IF YOU WANT TO SKIP STRAIGHT TO THE SUGGESTED PRACTICE, CLICK HERE.

Here we go…

First Let Me Tell You Again Why You Need This

A well spent day brings happy sleep.

Leonardo Da Vinci

You may have heard me say it, but I am going to say it again. We are all sleep deprived. Even those of you who feel like you get enough sleep are not getting the quality sleep that your mind and body require to truly rest, restore, and recharge.

Our days are just too overstimulated and overrushed. And we are functioning in a chronic state of overwhelm.

You may believe that you are superman, but you were not created to go, go, go all the time. We also may believe that we are functioning. You haven’t collapsed yet, right?

But I’m gonna burst your bubble. If you are not making rest and sleep a priority, you are not functioning. Things are surely happening inside your brain and to your body. You are just too busy and sleep deprived to notice them.

Sometimes I stay up so late that I have my morning coffee before I go to bed.

UNKNOWN

Our lifestyles are too stressful for us humans. We have become dependent upon daily habits that promote too little sleep and bad sleep.

And my gosh, if you are staying up to the wee hours of the night in front of a monitor, you need this post the most.

Instead of making healthy changes, we often rely on lots of caffeine and other stiumulants to get us through the day, and natural and less natural sleep aids to barely make it through the night.

Lack of sleep affects everything: our bodies, mental activity, emotional state, relationships. Our basic daily functioning.

The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more.

Wilson Mizener

Sleep is essential for our physical, mental and emotional well-being. So be honest with yourself. What is your relationship to sleep? Are you getting enough?

Not so sure? Read on…

Habits and Lifestyle Related Factors That Promote Bad Sleep

• Lack of physical activity during the day
• Lack of exercises to increase flexibilty and strength which lead to bodily pains and aches
• Excess use of smartphones and other devices, especially before bedtime
• Watching tv at night
• Eating unhealthy foods and overeating at dinner
• Late night snacks
• Having stressful conversations at night
• Stress and anxiety
• Feeling unfulfilled with your life
• Artifical Light
• Going to sleep late
• Irregular sleep schedules

When we do not prepare ourselves for rest our brain and nervous system are in a constant state of sympathetic go and we will wake up feeling tired.

To change this and wake up energized for our day, we want to transition ourselves to a parasympathetic state before going to bed to promote complete and deep rest.

FROM THE BLOG POST, HOW TO Stop Waking Up Tired – 7 Ways to Energize Your Morning Routine

Smartphones And Sleep – A Reminder

One thing that the practice of yoga teaches us is to be fully present. Not only to our lives, but to the details. Our environment, habits, choices.

There is no doubt that despite our intentions to live with deepened awareness, we will continue to fall asleep. Our practice is here to wake us up again and again and again.

So take this as a reminder.

We are dependent on our smartphones and this dependency is a major cause of our stress, exhaustion, decrease in concentration, lack of enthusiasm and joy, and inability to get a good night’s sleep.

Our dependency is affecting every aspect of our life. We know this. We see it. Studies have proven it. And yet, we do nothing about it.

I personally am extremely aware of how I feel when I abuse the use of my phone. Simply put, my insides feel like lightening in a bottle. Agitated. Overstimulated. Electric.

I feel the opposite of relaxed. It never feels good. How can we possible sleep well if we are constantly using our smartphones, literally day and night?

READ THIS!

Did you know that even leaving a turned off smartphone next to you while you sleep prevents you from sleeping soundly?

We are so programmed (drugged) by the constant use of our smartphones that our mind continues to obsess over wanting to check our phone for emails, messages, likes, notifications, etc. as we sleep. This is what dependency looks and feels like.

Crazy scary, no?

So I am inviting us to be even more awakened to this detail. Observe your dependency. Notice how you feel. Be more disciplined with yourself.

TIPS FOR USING YOUR PHONE TO PROMOTE BETTER SLEEP

• Turn off notifications to reduce use of phone during the day.
• Stop using your phone at least an hour before bedtime.
• Avoid using phone in bed.
• Turn off phone (or at least wifi and data) during sleep hours.
• Place phone in another room during the night.
• Avoid using phone as soon as you wake up.

Signs Of Sleep Deprivation and Sleep Related Problems

• You take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep after you get into bed.
• You regularly wake up more than once per night.
• You lie awake for more than 20 minutes when you wake up in the middle of the night.
• You spend less than 7-9 hours sleeping.
• You feel tired and have difficulty concentrating.
• You fall asleep suddenly during the day.
• You feel more stressed, anxious, impatient, irritable and/or angry.
• You explode or get shaken for small things for no apparent reason.
• You are eating more junk food or more food in general when you are not hungry.
• You feel the need to consume more caffeine to stay alert during the day.
• You take prescription sleep medication or use natural medicine to fall asleep.

Revenge Bedtime Procrastination

There are two types of people in this world, good and bad.

The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more.

Woody Allen

You may not have put a name to it, but you probably do it. If not every day, very often.

Revenge bedtime procrastination refers to a phenomenon in which people put off going to bed to engage in activities that they don’t have time for during the day. It is a way of finding time for leisure and entertainment—at the expense of sleep.

Staying up late is viewed as a form of payback for working so much. Compensation for doing too much.

It is not healthy.

The solution is to slow down and rest. Start choosing yourself first.

So this is you when you are scrolling, binging on Youtube videos or tv, making midnight snacks, staying out late way too often, or doing any other activity other than going to bed at a time that promotes your health and well-being.

It has been said that the best revenge is living well.

In this case, the best revenge for a stressful, overpacked day is sleeping well and dreaming sweetly.

Bedtime Yoga – Why It Works (simply explained)

Praciticing the yoga poses or sequence offered here will reduce the activity of your brain’s wide awake centers and your sympathetic nervous system’s response to stress – the fight or flight response – and increase the activity of your deep sleep centers and parasympathetic system – the rest and digest mode.

In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.

Deepak Chopra

Yoga poses also reduce anxiety.

Holding just one gentle pose with deep breathing can help you find the stillness within. You worry less when you return to the present moment. This improves the quality of your sleep.

Bedtime Yoga & Promoting Sleep (& Wake) Quality

Just as important – if not more so – as sleep quantity is sleep quality. Yoga before bed promotes good sleep quality.

How Yoga Before Bed Can Improve Your Sleep Quality

It can help you to:

• fall asleep soon after getting into bed, within 30 minutes or less
• sleep straight through the night, waking up no more than once per night
• fall back asleep within 20 minutes if you do wake up
• sleep the necessary amount of hours for the healthy functioning of your body and mind
• feel rested, restored, and energized upon waking up in the morning
• feel happier, kinder, more compassionate and patient with yourself and others

Types of Yoga That Promote Rest And Sleep

It is not what you do, but how you do what you do.

Yin, Nidra, Restorative, Gentle or a combination. All great for your bedtime yoga practice. However, more than the type of yoga that you choose, it is really the manner in which you practice yoga that enables better sleep.

Slow and steady breath. Full presence focused on the movement of your body, the sensations in your body, the quality of your breath moving in and out of your body.

This is where the power of bedtime yoga lies.

• Is your breath able to release your mind?
• Can you resist the urge to check out?
• Can you sustain the stretches in a gently way?
• Can you prevent the ego from wanting to do more or go further?

How the yoga feels in your mind and body is what facilitates better sleep. 

Types of Poses To Facilitate Better Sleep

Soothe Yourself with Foward Bends

Forward bends such as Seated Foward Bend and Child’s Pose are innately soothing. They invite us to return to our origin – the feeling of our postion while still in our mama’s belly.

These types of of poses promote both calm and steadiness. We feel loved and safe when we fold into ourselves.

Forward Bends, whether held for several breaths or several minutes, have a melting effect on our nervous system, naturally stimulating the parasympathetic branch and that wonderful, meditative, yin-ish feeling. It is no wonder how perfect these type of poses are for deep rest and sleep.

A forward bend can remind us that harmony and balance come from the world within – We are literally going deeper and deeper into ourselves with every fully present breath taken. This is the nature of yin.

The Power Backbends

While backbends are generally known for their energizing effect of stimulating the sympathetic branch of the nervous system, gentle, supported backbends can be very beneficial at the end of our day.

Backbends reverse how we live our modern lives – hunched over computers, phones, steering wheels. At the end of a long day, we need to counteract the damage of bad posture, as well as mental and emotional closure.

When we include gentle backbends in our bedtime yoga practice – such as Reclining Hero’s Pose or Supported Bridge Pose – we intentionally move our body in the opposite direction of how our body, mind, and heart experienced the day.

Backbends open our chest, shoulders and back, both physically and spiritually. They stretch and release tightness, tension, and burning accumulated in our body.

Emotionally, backbends are heart openers. They relax our feeling body and give us a sense of release, especially after a stressful day, facilitating complete rest and better sleep.

Inversions Get The Blood Flowing

Inversion is any pose in which your heart is held higher than your head.

Inversions have many advantages to our overall health, including relief to spinal pain and improved posture.

As for better sleep, inversions help decrease insomnia because they promote healthy blood flow.

When we add even simple inversions such as Supported Downward Facing Dog to our bedtime yoga practice, we give the body and mind the opportunity to relax and release tension.

When our head is upside down, it feels as if our heavy thoughts are just pouring right out of us. With a stretched out body and an emptied mind we feel rested and we sleep better.

When To Practice Bedtime Yoga

For the best results, practice bedtime yoga poses at least one hour before bedtime. This prepares your body for deep rest and sleep.

If you practice a little earlier in the evening, make sure that you do not practice on a full stomach.

Chronic Insomnia

If you suffer chronic insomnia, feel free to practice simple bedtime yoga poses directly in your bed. (Suitable poses are indicated in the section below with the bed emoji 🛏 next to name of pose )

This will allow you the possibility of transitioning directly from your yoga practice to falling asleep.

Trouble Falling Back To Sleep

If you wake up in the middle of the night and are unable to fall back to sleep. you can practice one or more poses in bed, holding each for up to 5 minutes.

Also try the 10 Minute, HELP ME SLEEP GUIDED MEDITATION.

Bedtime Yoga – Your How To Sleep Better Solution

It’s not only what you do that keeps you awake at night, but also what you don’t do.

Let’s fix this with some bedtime yoga for better sleep.

Suggested Props

• blocks,
• a yoga cushion and/or bolster (or a couple bed pillows stacked on top of one another),
• socks,
• a sweatshirt or sweater if necessary,
• a small blanket(s)
• a journal to write feelings, sensations, questions, answers

Reminders 

• Breathe in and out of your nose with long, full, deep breaths. You may want to breathe in your nose and out of your mouth one or more times for a complete release.
• Do not force poses. It should not hurt. The practice should feel gentle and relaxing.
• Modify poses to fit your fitness and flexibility. Make the yoga fit your body. Focus on how the yoga feels in your body, mind, and heart and not what it looks like.
• It is more important how you do the yoga than what you do. One pose done for a fully present minute is much more effective than 5 poses done in a rigid, distracted state of being.
• Use a journal to jot down how you feel before or after or to answer the self-inquiry prompts.
• You may not see immediate results. Be patient. Also, anything new can feel strange or uncomfortable at first. Keep practicing. With consistency, better sleep shall come.

3 Phases of Every Pose

1. Find your edge.
2. Focus on your breath.
3. Stay in the pose. Give yourself time.

I describe these 3 phases in more detail in the blog post, HOW TO REDUCE STRESS IN YOUR MIND & BODY – 6 Poses Even Non-Yogis Need To Know. CLICK HERE FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF THE 3 PHASES OF EVERY POSE.

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #1: HERO’S POSE (Virasana) 🛏

HOW TO:

1. To start: Kneel on the floor (I like to sit on a yoga block. You can grab a folded blanket or bolster or if you have the flexibility you can sit directly on your mat or soft surface between your thighs).
2. Your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and your inner knees touch. Slide your feet apart, slightly wider than your hips, with the tops of the feet flat on the floor. Angle your big toes slightly in toward each other with the top of each foot pressing evenly on the surface below.
3. To adjust yourself if necessary: wedge your thumbs into the backs of your knees and draw the skin and flesh of the calf muscles toward the heels. Then sit down between your feet.
4. Adjust your posture: Sit up tall, Relax your shoulders away from your ears. Lengthen your tailbone into the floor to anchor the back torso. Core softly pulling in and up.
5. Make sure both sitting bones are evenly supported. Turn your thighs inward and press the heads of the thigh bones into the floor with the bases of your palms. Then lay your hands on your thighs, palms down.
6. Relax your face. Soften your gaze or close your eyes.

Variations For Hero’s Pose:

Add a second block or more blankets until you are at a height that allows you to sit comfortably in the pose for the length of time indicated below. Almost anyone can make this pose suitable for them with attention and the right props.

HOW LONG:

Hold for at least 90 seconds. Gradually extend your hold for up to 5 minutes.

TO AVOID:

• if you have had injury or surgery regarding your hips, quadriceps, knees or ankles
• during later stages of pregnancy

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: Hero’s Pose is soothing for tired, stiff legs at the end of the day.

WHY I LOVE IT: I find it both peaceful and challenging. You are sitting with yourself to cultivate inner stillness. Sitting in this pose makes me feel both confident and incredibly serene. Like a hero.

AFFIRMATION FOR BEDTIME HERO’S POSE: I settle into my seat, relaxed in my inner light. I am grounded and serene.

SELF-INQUIRY: How did I shine my inner light today? Where did I fail? Where can I improve?

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #2: CHILD’S POSE – Supported Variation (BalansanA) 🛏

HOW TO DO:

1. Come to your hands and knees.
2. Spread your knees as wide as your mat, keeping the tops of your feet on the floor, and with the big toes touching, or as close as possible.
3. Rest your belly between your thighs and place your forehead on a bolster, cushion, or block.
4. Stretch your arms in front of you with the palms toward the floor. Your arms are your anchor of the pose. You will be pulling your hips away from this anchor so you feel a slight lengthening in both directions.
5. Soften your belly. With time you may be able to keep it soft while also gently activating the core muscles by pulling them up towards your spine. Relax your body and face.
6. Bring your attention to the breath moving in and out through your nose and into your belly, lower back and hips.

Variations For Child’s Pose

• Place your forehead directly on the floor if you are more flexible.
• Place your arms alonside of your body with your palms facing upward for less stretch in the upper body and deepened melting efffect.
• Turn your head to one side with your cheek on cusion or bolster (with your arms alongside your body, palms facing upward or hugging your prop if you prefer). If you choose this variation make sure to switch sides halfway through the hold.

HOW LONG: Hold for at least 90 seconds. Gradually extend your hold for up to 5 minutes.

TO AVOID:

• If you have a knee injury.
• If you are pregnant, spread your legs wider and avoid pressing your belly onto your thighs.
• If you have a shoulder injury, keep your arms by your side for the most support.

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: Child’s Pose is a super soothing forward bend for the shoulders, back, hips, thighs, neck, and ankles after a long day of incorrect posture, stress and tension.

WHY I LOVE IT: It feels like you are melting into the ground when you give yourself permission to let go. You feel cared for and safe.

AFFIRMATION FOR BEDTIME CHILD’S POSE: I cultivate inner peace with every breath so that I can rest, deeply and completely rest. I let go.

SELF-INQUIRY: What or who brought me a sense of inner peace today?

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #3: DOWNWARD FACING DOG – Supported Variation (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

HOW TO:

1. Come to your hands and knees with your wrists underneath the shoulders and your knees underneath the hips.
2. Place a block or bolster between your arms underneath your chest. You may have to adjust this.
3. Curl your toes under and push back through your hands to lift your hips and straighten your legs.
4. Spread your fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips.
5. Outwardly rotate your upper arms to broaden the collarbones.
6. Let your head hang and place your forehead getly on your prop for support. Adjust the position of the prop if necessary.
7. Move your shoulder blades away from your ears towards your hips.
8. Engage your quadriceps strongly to balance your body weight, taking the weight off your arms. This action, along with the aid of your prop, helps make this a resting pose.
9. Rotate your thighs inward, keep your tail high, and sink your heels towards the floor.
10. Breathe in and out at a steady, relaxed pace
11. To exit, exhale and bend your knees to release and come back to your hands and knees.

Variations For Downward Dog Pose

If you are less flexible:

• Bend your knees as much as necessary.
• Raise the floor even more by adding another block or bolster under your head.
• Do an easier variation of this pose, by resting the upper part of your body on your bed with arms stretched overhead, palms facing down, adjusting your body, arms and head to feel supported and relaxed.

HOW LONG: Hold for at least 90 seconds. Gradually work up to 3 minutes.

TO AVOID: If you have glaucoma, don’t do downward dog or any inversion.

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: Downward Facing Dog is a gentle inversion. It improves blood circulation at the end of the day, increases clarity and reduces tension throughout the entire body. Doing it with props makes it a beautiful restorative pose.

WHY I LOVE IT: With my head supported, I feel like I can finally rest, my thoughts pouring down and out of me with every breath out.

AFFIRMATION FOR THIS POSE: I release all negativity from the past and all the worries regarding the future. I am here.

SELF-INQUIRY: What do I still need to release? To what or to whom do I need to offer forgiveness? What do I want to devote more energy to in the present moment?

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #4: SEATED FORWARD BEND – Supported Variation (Paschimottanasana) 🛏

HOW TO:

1. Sit tall with your legs extended in front of you.
2. Exhale and stretch your spine long as you fold forward.
3. Place one or more blocks, bolsters, or cushions on your legs so that you can comfortably support your forehead. Open your legs slightly and stack your props as high as necessary. If you are very flexible, you may want to skip this.
4. Keeping your spine lengthened, grab onto your feet or shins, with your elbows bent and arms relaxed or simply lay your arms alongside your leg, palms facing down.

Variations For Seated Forward Bend

• Raise your sitbones by sitting on the edge of a folded blanket.
• Widen the distance between your legs.

HOW LONG: Remain for at least 90 seconds, working up to a 3 minute hold.

TO AVOID:

• Avoid or do a modified version of this pose if you have low back or neck injury, high blood pressure, glaucoma or hernia.
• If you have a shoulder injury, keep your arms by your side for the most support.
• If you are pregnant, spread your legs wider and avoid pressing your belly onto your thighs.

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: This calming forward bend reduces stress and fatigue. With the use of props it gently stretches the upper and lower part of the body.

WHY I LOVE IT: I love the feeling of folding over myself. I also love that I can make this pose as intense or gentle as I want by choosing whether or not to use props.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR THIS POSE: I have everything that I need. I am blessed.

SELF-INQUIRY: What am I most grateful for right now?

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #5: BRIDGE POSE – Supported Variation (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

HOW TO:

1. Start by lying on your back.
2. Bend your knees and place your feet hip-width apart directly beneath your knees. Inhale and lift your pelvis.
3. Place a block under your sacrum (the flat, triangle-shape bone in your lower back) and release your weight onto the block. Choose the height that feels most comfortable for you. You can have your block on any side; only turn on the tallest edge if your back feels extremely relaxed and comfortable. The block should feel comfortable and supportive.
4. Open your arms onto the floor alongside your body or slightly underneath, palms facing down.
5. Then relax your shoulders down and away from your ears and open your heart.
6. To come out – Inhale and lift your hips enough so that you can easily slide the block off to the side. Slowly lower yourself and allow your low back to sink to the mat.

HOW LONG: Remain here for at least 90 seconds, working up to a 3 minute hold.

Variations For Supported Bridge Pose

Place arms alongside body, in goal post position or extended overhead, slightly bent at elbows, palms facing upward.

TO AVOID:

• if you have neck or shoulder injuries or sprains.
• if you have undergone spinal, shoulder or hip surgery.

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: Supported Bridge Pose is a gentle backbend with the use of props. It improves posture and relieves back tension and pain.

WHY I LOVE IT: I only recently discovered this restorative variation of the pose. It just feels so good and supportive. Using the prop allows you to hold this pose for a longer amount of time even when you are tired.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR THIS POSE: I am supported and safe.

SELF-INQUIRY: What do I need to feel supported and safe in this moment? How can I support myself more?

Your Betime Yoga Pose #6: RECLINING HERO’S POSE (Heart Opener) – Supported Variation (Supta Virasasana)

HOW TO:

1. Sit on your heels and place a bolster or a couple of cushions stacked atop one another against the base of your sacrum.
2. Bring your ankles a little wider than your hips and sit between them. If you feel any discomfort, bring your knees as wide as your hips. If that doesn’t bring relief, try a variation.
3. Otherwise, slowly recline onto your forearms and then all the way onto your back, resting your back against the bolster or other prop, with your arms extended overhead.
4. To come out – Bring your hands alongside your bolster and slowly press yourself back up to seated. Shift your weight onto your right hip and bring your left leg in front of you. 

HOW LONG: Work up to remaining here for 3 to 5 minutes.

Variations For Reclining Hero’s Pose

• If you have low back tightness or pain or if you have any tenderness in your knees, skip this pose. Substitue with Reclining Bound Angle Pose. 🛏
• More Gentle Restorative Heart Opener Position – Lay down on your back. Place a cushion or bolster so that it supports your back from the bottom of your shoulder blades up when you lie down over it. Your legs can be outstretched or knees bent. You may want another prop to support your head. As in the original pose, allow your upper body to dissolve downward and your lower body to relax completely.

TO AVOID: If you have any knee or back injury or pain or are recovering from surgery do the More Gentle Restorative Heart Opener Position.

BEDTIME BENEFITS IN BRIEF: This gentle backbend opens you entire body allowing you to completely release after a day of physical, mental and emotional closure and tension.

WHY I LOVE IT: We are so stiff and rigid during the day and we hold so much stress in our hips and shoulders. This pose counteracts this and I can feel myself melting away on all levels.

AFFIRMATION FOR THIS POSE: I love myself. I am in love with this moment. I dissolve.

SELF-INQUIRY: What do I love about myself today? What does love feel like in my body in this moment? What does it feel like in my mind?

Your Bedtime Yoga Pose #7: CORPSE POSE (Savasana) 🛏

HOW TO DO:

1. Lie down on your back. Spread your legs to the width of the mat, allowing the feet to splay out. Tuck your chin in towards your chest to make the back of your neck long. Bring your arms to your sides, palms up.
2. If you need to cover yourself with a blanket to be comfortable or adjust your clothes or hair, do so.
3. Starting with the toes and working your way up the body, relax all of the muscles in your body and allow yourself to dissolve into the surface below you. Maybe think of how many times you support others. You too deserve to be supported. Let the ground support you. Focus on releasing tension held in all the muscles of the face as well.
4. Settle in by taking one to three deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
5. Bring your focus on the breath moving in and out of your nose and in and out of your body.
6. Release thoughts of the past and the future. Just surrender and be. Release the idea that you are wasting time. This pose is extremely beneficial.
7. After staying for the preferred time, begin to wiggle your fingers and toes. Stretch your arms long overhead and stretch through the feet. Slowly roll over to one side and rest for a moment.
8. To come out – Press yourself up with your hands and return to a comfortable seated position. Take one final deep breath in through the nose and one final deep breath out through the mouth.

Variations For Corpse Pose

Legs can be:

• Extended with a rolled blanket or bolster placed under your knees.
• Bent with your feet on floor and your knees (bent) and touching one another like a teepee.
• With your legs open and your knees positioned outward, soles of the feet touching.

Arms can be:

• By your side palms up or down,
• With one or both hands placed on your belly, or
• With one hand placed on your heart and the other hand placed on your belly.

ANOTHER VARIATION: On Belly Corpse Pose: Come onto hands and knees positions and slowly lower to the ground (belly down). Make a pillow with your hands and rest your forehead on your hands. Otherwise, turn your head to the right and rest your left cheek on your hands. If you do this variation, make sure to turn your head half way through so you stretch both sides of your neck.

BENEFITS OF THE POSE: Corpse pose specifically centers deep relaxation and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest and digest” mode.

TO AVOID: If you are pregnant, do an inclined version by propping your upper body up on cusions or bolsters.

WHY I LOVE IT: This is the ultimate pre-bedtime pose. You can just fall into a deep sleep when you do this one directly in bed.

AFFIRMATIONS FOR THIS POSE: I am. I am. I am.

SELF-INQUIRY: Was I fully present to the details today? Can I devote myself more to what matters most to me? How can I love my life more?

Suggestions For Your Beditme Yoga Practice

ADD AN ENTRANCE And AN EXIT to Your Practice

Whether you practice one pose or a sequence, and no matter how long you hold each one, it is a nice addition to add one or more breaths to enter the practice and one or more breaths to exit.

During the hold you will breathe in and out of the nose. However, these initial and final breaths will be extra releasing. Breathe in through the nose and let all the air out through the mouth.

Feel free to personalize your practice. Add more affirmations (CLICK HERE FOR SUGGESTIONS) before, during or after the holding of the pose.

To close the practice, add a final hands on your heart or belly if lying down or bring your hands in prayer position if you are seated.

Finish your practice with the HELP ME SLEEP 10 Minute Guided Meditation or see the RESOURCES SECTION BELOW.

A Pose A Day – 7 Days of Bedtime Yoga Poses to Sleep Better

Follow schedule. Hold pose for 2-10 minutes. Suggestion; Add an entrance and exit.

• Monday: Seated Foward Bend (Repeat the word: Blessed or Safe)
• Tuesday: Reclined Hero or Bound Angle Pose (Repeat the word: Dissolve)
• Wednesday: Downward Facing dog (Repeat the word: Release)
• Thurday: Supported Bridge Pose (Repeat the word: Held or Supported)
• Friday: Hero Pose (Repeat the word: Settle)
• Saturday: Child’s Pose (Repeat the words: Let go)
• Sunday: Corpse Pose (experiment with different variations)(Repeat the words: I am)

About Transitions

THE TRANSITIONS ARE IMPORTANT. They are just as part of the sequence as the poses. REMAIN FOCUSED ON YOUR BREATH IN YOUR BODY. Move slowly. (See transitions below)

Quick, Every Day Bedtime Yoga Sequence – A Complete Practice For Better Sleep

Instructions:

Do all the poses in the following order every day or as often as you like. Remember to add ENTER & EXIT SUGGESTIONS and to hold each pose from 90 seconds to 5 minutes.

1. Hero’s Pose (transition to next pose. Remove prop and fold forward) AFFIRMATION: I settle into my seat, relaxed in my inner light. I am grounded and serene.
2. Child’s Pose (transition to next pose: Adjust position of prop and push up onto hands and knees position) AFFIRMATION: I cultivate inner peace with every breath so that I can rest, deeply and completely rest.
3. Downward Facing Dog (transition to next pose: Come back down to hands and knees, move prop to side, and then slowly reposition yourself into a seated postion, legs extended) AFFIRMATION: I release all negativity from the past and all the worries regarding the future.
4. Seated Forward Bend (transition to next pose: Roll back up, move prop to side, and then slowly lay down on back. Roll over on belly) AFFIRMATION: I have everything that I need.
5. Corpse Pose (On Belly Variation) (transition to next pose: Push up to hands and knees, then stand on knees and sit back into hero’s pose or postion yourself for one of the variations) AFFIRMATION: I give myself permission to relax.
6. Reclining Hero’s Pose (transition to next pose: Using your hands and the strength of your arms slowly come back up to seated. Move your prop to the side. Slowly bring your legs, one at a time (they may feel tender) to extend in front of you. Roll down on your back.) AFFIRMATION: I am in love with this moment. I dissolve.
7. Supported Bridge Pose (transition to next pose: Lift hips and remove prop. Place it on the side. Extend legs) AFFIRMATION: I am supported and safe.
8. Corpse Pose (Wiggle your toes, stretch your body, end with a final deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth. Roll into a ball on one side. Stay for a moment before using your hands to push you into a seated position.) AFFIRMATION: I AM

Bonus

END WITH A GUIDED MEDITATION.

Resources I Love

Suggested Guided Meditations

HELP ME SLEEP Meditation, 10 Minutes

SLOWING DOWN & Just Be Meditation, 16 Minutes

BODY SCAN for Loving Attention, 20 Minutes

NATURAL STRESS RELIEF, 10 Minutes

RETURN TO HARMONY & EASE, 12 Minutes

Further Reading @inspired with danni

• HOW TO REDUCE STRESS IN YOUR MIND & BODY – 6 Yoga Poses Even Non Yogis Need To Know
• STOP WAKING UP TIRED – 7 WAYS TO ENERGIZE YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
• 35 PERSONAL MANTRAS To Love Yourself & Your Life Right Now
• 7 DAY SELF-CARE CHALLENGE
• LIVING WITH INTENTION – Why Setting Intentions Is The Most Important Thing I Do Every Morning

BOOKS

• Yoga for Better Sleep: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science by Mark Stephens

A Final Note

I don’t always have time to practice yoga in the evening. Or rather, I don’t believe to have the time. Because this is the way our mind speaks.

I have to do this. I have to do that. I’d rather wind down in front of Netflix or on my computer or phone. It is more relaxing. I deserve to do nothing.

Studies show that most of us have 3 to 4 hours of free time a day and we spend most of it on social media or with some other screen. As we spoke about earlier, this is not nothing.

Time spent like this only feeds to our stress, anxiety, exhaustion, and decreased physical, mental and emotional well-being.

It is bad for our posture, our eyes, our mind, and our soul.

Come on darling friends, we know all of this. Don’t we?

Whenever I get on my mat or even do one yoga pose in bed, I am always happy that I did. I never, ever regret it. I feel so grateful for truly carving out time for myself.

It feels like self-love and self-care in a way that no tv series or movie can.

So today I am inviting you to intentionally cultivate your time and change your mindset. Remember what is actually good for you. And do it.

The bad evening habits will automatically be wiped out. Because there will be no time left for anything except a really amazing night’s sleep. 😉😴

PLEASE SHARE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW. ALSO DROP A NOTE AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WANT ME TO WRITE ABOUT. This is our journey. You are a fundamental part of it.

BIG love and sweet dreams,

Disclosure

ABOUT THIS POST: I AM SHARING MY PERSONAL LIVING PRACTICE WITH YOU. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS POST IS STRICTLY FOR INSPIRATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT INTENDED TO SUBSTITUTE MEDICAL ADVICE FROM YOUR DOCTOR OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL.