A consistent yoga practice, like any exercise, can help a person get a good night's sleep, but did you know that yoga itself is a remedy for insomnia?
The occasional, or maybe chronic, sleepless night happens to us all now and again. And I have found a few simply yoga tricks that help.
Counting While Breathing
Inhaling to the count of four or five and matching the exhalation to the same count is a good way to focus the mind. How it is our inability to turn off our thoughts that prevent sleep and this simply breathing exercise forces the mind to tune to the breathing exclusively.
Another even more simple trick is to focus on your belly button as you breath. Again, the idea is to clear the mind of thought and allow it to relax and accept sleep.
Stretching
Forward bends are restful. Getting out of bed and just folding - allowing arms and head to hang without effort can calm the mind and body.
However, sometimes getting out of bed isn't practical or desirable. In these instances, I lie with my legs crossed at the ankles. There's something about a hip opener that is relaxing. If you suffer from restless legs, as I do sometimes, this pose helps relieve that too.
Yoga Before Bed
I wouldn't recommend a vigorous practice by a sequence of forward bends mixed with restorative poses before crawling in can set a nice tone for those with problems falling asleep. For a good sequence, check out Kristin Rentz's Yoga Nap.
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