How Yoga Can Improve Your Sleep

In today's fast-paced world, many of us struggle with getting a good night's sleep. Whether it's work stress, anxiety, or screen time, it can be hard to quiet the mind and body for restful slumber. Luckily, yoga offers a natural and effective way to improve your sleep quality! By integrating certain yoga poses, breathwork, and mindfulness into your routine, you can calm your nervous system, relax tense muscles, and prepare your body for deep, restorative sleep.
If you have been experiencing mental or physical restlessness, exhaustion, and/or frustration surrounding your sleep, it might be time to change your routine. In addition to the Sleep workshop we have on October 12th, here’s how yoga can help you sleep better and which poses are most effective for winding down before bed.

Why Yoga Helps Improve Sleep
Yoga isn't just about flexibility and physical fitness—it also taps into mindfulness and relaxation, which can work wonders for your sleep. Here’s why:

1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Yoga promotes the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the "rest and digest" response. This counters the effects of stress hormones like cortisol, helping your body shift from alertness to calm.
2. Calms the Mind: Incorporating mindfulness and breathwork can quiet a racing mind, a common reason many people struggle with insomnia.
3. Relaxes the Body: Gentle stretching in yoga releases tension and improves circulation, which relaxes your muscles and prepares your body for rest.
4. Improves Breathing: Deep, rhythmic breathing in yoga (pranayama) promotes oxygen flow, slowing your heart rate and enhancing the body’s relaxation response.

Best Yoga Poses to Improve Sleep
To get the most out of yoga for better sleep, focus on poses that promote relaxation, stretching, and gentle movements. And better yet, all of these can be done on your bed! Here are the best poses to include in your pre-sleep routine:
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1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Child's Pose is a comforting, grounding posture that calms the mind and relieves tension, especially in the lower back and hips. It gently stretches the spine and encourages deep breathing.
How to do it:

• Kneel on the floor (or your bed!) with your big toes touching and knees spread wide.
• Sit back on your heels and lower your chest to the floor/mattress.
• Extend your arms in front of you or rest them by your sides.
• Hold for 1-2 minutes, breathing deeply.

2. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
This simple pose is excellent for promoting circulation, reducing swelling in the legs, and calming the nervous system. It's perfect for alleviating stress and preparing the body for rest.
How to do it:

• Sit sideways against a wall (even so if your bed’s against the wall) and swing your legs up as you lie back.
• Let your arms relax by your sides, palms facing up.
• Close your eyes and hold this position for 5-10 minutes, breathing deeply.

*It’s recommended to place a thin pillow or blanket under your hips if you are on the floor, for better support.

3. Reclined Butterfly Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
This relaxing pose gently opens the hips and relieves lower body tension while promoting a deep sense of calm.
How to do it:

• Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to fall open in a diamond shape.
• Place a cushion or blanket under each knee for support if needed!
• Rest your hands on your belly or by your sides and hold for 2-3 minutes, breathing slowly.

4. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
A forward fold is great for releasing tension in the spine and hamstrings while encouraging blood flow to the head, which can help calm your mind and ease stress.
How to do it:

• Stand with feet hip-width apart (or sit on your bed, with your legs on the floor).
• Hinge at your hips, folding forward and letting your torso hang over your legs.
• Relax your head and neck, and allow your arms to dangle or grasp opposite elbows.
• Hold for 1-2 minutes, swaying gently if that feels good.

(Contraindications: avoid going upside down if you experience glaucoma, and exercise caution with high blood pressure or arthritis of the spine, being very gentle with your approach. Forward folding toward the couch to rest your arms or head on pillows or blankets can be more restorative and supportive.)

5. Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
​Twisting poses like this one are wonderful for relieving tension in the spine and back muscles. It also helps with digestion, which can be a common cause of sleep discomfort.
How to do it:

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor or mattress.
• Allow your knees to lower to the right as you extend your arms out to the sides.
• Turn your head gently to the left if you like.
• Hold for 1-2 minutes on each side, breathing deeply.

Any spine sensitivity? Use lots of pillows or blankets underneath your legs to prop the body up and go lightly into your twist. Legs do not need to come all the way to the floor or your foundation for this to be an effective posture.

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
​In this pose, Savasana helps to fully release all muscular tension and stills the mind. It’s often practiced at the end of a yoga session to integrate the benefits of the poses leading to this meditation.
How to do it:

• Lie on your back with legs extended and arms resting by your sides, palms up.
• Let your feet naturally fall open and close your eyes.
• Breathe deeply and remain here for 5-10 minutes, focusing on complete relaxation.

                                                  Incorporating Breathwork (Pranayama) for Better Sleep
While yoga poses are crucial, breathwork (pranayama) plays an equally important role in calming the nervous system and preparing your body for sleep. One particularly effective breathing technique is 4-7-8 Breathing, designed to reduce anxiety and help you fall asleep faster. This can be done seated or lying down – whatever helps soothe your mind best!
How to practice 4-7-8 Breathing:

• Inhale quietly through your nose for 4 counts.
• Lightly hold your breath at the top for 7 counts.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 counts.
• Repeat this cycle for 4-8 rounds to enter a deeper state of relaxation.
• *REMINDER, if there’s a better set of numbers that work for your lungs and your practice, substitute those instead! This is just an example, but if it makes you struggle, it won’t help you sleep. 

Tips for Your Restful Pre-Sleep Yoga Routine

1. Practice in a Quiet Space: Find a peaceful, dimly lit space to practice your yoga before bed. Creating a soothing environment can enhance the effects.
2. Make it a Ritual: Practicing yoga before bed every night can signal to your body that it’s time to unwind and prepare for sleep.
3. Combine Yoga with Other Sleep-Supported Practices: In addition to yoga, ensure you’re following good sleep habits like limiting screen time before bed, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, and keeping your bedroom cool and dark.

                                                                                 In-Person SLEEP Workshop
For more on this topic, come to our Sleep workshop next week! Holistic Health is all about our relationship to these core areas of life, off of the mat. Santosha’s 4 Pillars of Health series with Alexander Puentes continues with the topic of SLEEP: focusing on our relationship to healthy habits of rest. This workshop still has spots open for Saturday October 12th from 11am-1pm!

At this in-person workshop you will learn:

• Wind Down Routines
• Foods that help us with our sleep
• The connection between our gut health and sleep quality 
• 3-2-1 Method
• Tools and Resources to better our sleep

This class is part of our monthly Fall Wellness Series. Other dates and classes include:

• November 16th NUTRITION
• December 14th SOUL

**WORKSHOP REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AT LEAST 24hrs IN ADVANCE**

So therefore…
​If you’re looking for a natural way to improve your sleep, yoga offers a powerful solution! The combination of gentle stretches, mindful movement, and breathwork can help reduce stress, ease tension, and prepare your body and mind for deep, restful sleep. Try incorporating the poses and practices mentioned above into your nighttime routine, and watch your sleep quality improve. Sweet dreams! (:

Santosha Yoga Collective
“Santosha” is a sanskrit word that means contentment. Our Loomis-based Yoga studio brings together decades-long practitioners and new students alike. We believe Yoga is beneficial for every body and will make sure you find the right classes to support your yoga journey. With 24 weekly yoga classes from Vinyasa and Balance, to Chair, Yin, Kundalini, Iyengar, and Restore, our aim is to provide a space of contentment for students and teachers of yoga as we honor movement, holistic wellness, and community as a way of life. We serve the beautiful community of Northern California. 

We offer these yoga styles and many more through workshops, our community room, and themed classes. Please reach out on our “Contact Us!” page if you have a yoga theme you’d like to experience in the beautiful Santosha studio. 

​    Post written by Stephanie Alston ERYT200 and Annie Schwab RYT200.