Yoga Before Bed: Mild Inversions aid sleep, relieve stress
August 4, 2008One of the best things to do at night before going to sleep is to get your legs up. Nope, it doesn’t have to be a headstand or handstand (it works better, actually, if it’s not). Inverting has many benefits to our minds and bodies. It improves our circulation, calms our nervous system, supports the back and a whole lot more. Sometimes most practical for us, is that getting our legs up and inverting helps get rid of that mental chatter that rears its head at night when we really need sleep. If you find yourself replaying the events of your day or planning/strategizing about tomorrow, these poses may be for you. Check out this website for more information on the benefits, history and cited medical studies for inversion:
If you’re not thinking an inversion table is in your future shopping plans, here are a few ways to get some of the benefits of inverting without the table. I do own the table and love it, but these stretches give you some other options…
Who shouldn’t invert: if you’re pregnant, suffering from glaucoma, have low or high blood pressure, you should avoid inversion and check with your doctor about other sleep-aiding techniques/tools.
Basic Inversion: The idea is to get your legs up in a way that’s comfortable for you to stay there for 3-5 minutes, possibly working up to 10 minutes. You’ll want to get ready for bed first – change your clothes, brush your teeth, etc., so that you can sleepily crawl into bed after this pose. Here are some options:
a. Legs in a Chair – Lying on the floor, with your hips very close to the front edge of the chair. Let your legs rest in the seat of the chair (or on an ottoman). Draw your shoulders down from your ears and let your arms fall open at your sides. Start by noticing your breath, and allowing your exhale to linger. Making sure to breathe in and out through the nose with your lips sealed. Stay here for 5-10 minutes. When you’re ready gently roll to one side and rest for 3 more breaths. Gently press back up and crawl into bed without a lot of movement or fuss.
b. Legs up the Headboard – This one’s inspired by one of my clients who mentioned that some nights when she can’t fall asleep or get back to sleep, she stays in bed, turns around and rests her legs on her headboard. If your low back needs extra support, consider placing your pillow under your hips. Continue with the same breathing as (a.). As you begin to feel more sleepy, you’re already in bed – ease over to one side and back to sleep.
c. Legs up the Wall – Lying on the floor near a wall and letting your legs rest up the wall. You may want a pillow underneath your hips/low back for support. You want to be close enough to the wall that your legs are resting there, and you’re not feeling strain in the low back…usually about 6-8 inches from the wall is good. Follow same instructions as (a) for breathing and coming out of the pose.
ZZzzzzz….
For more on yoga before bed, take a look at our latest DVD: Demystified Yoga, Vol. 2 with a class devoted to yoga before bed.
Yoga today is very important in people’s life. Yoga is gaining more and more importance as there is a lot of stress at workplaces. Yoga is the best and easy way to reduce the stress. And I have some good yoga tips at http://www.jiyohealthy.com/category/stress/