Studies have shown the effects yoga has on the mental well-being and health of a person apart from physical benefits.
The evening routine of people has changed drastically in the last few years, with more and more people busy with emails and social media late at night. Although technology has made our lives easier, it has also increased stress levels and anxiety, which have negative effects on sleep.
Yoga can have a calming effect on our nervous system. Relaxing postures, long stretches and deep breathing in yoga help in inducing a good night's sleep that allows us to feel well rested and energetic for the next day.
Good Yoga Exercises before Bed
We have rounded up a list of six good and simple yoga poses you can do before bed to get a good sleep at night:
1) Child’s Pose (Balasana)
The Child pose is a beginner yoga poses that's particularly designed to relax the mind and body. It can be used as a resting pose while practicing more advanced yoga poses. It's one of the best yoga exercises before bed, as it entails several benefits for the mind and body.
This yoga pose stretches your muscles, such as hips, spine and thighs effectively along with having a calming effect on the mind by reducing fatigue and anxiety. It further improve blood circulation and activates the digestive process of the body. That allows you to have a good night's sleep by reducing the tension in your body as well as mind.
2) Waterfall
The waterfall pose is also one of the simple yoga poses that can calm your nerves and release tension. This yoga exercise helps your body return to its innate state for healing and relaxation.
The waterfall pose can boost blood circulation in the body along with improving lymphatic fluid movement. Regularly doing this pose can alleviate the tension in the lower back and gently stretch your muscles. These factors can make a positive contribution to a good night's sleep.
3) Twisted Roots
The twisted roots yoga pose is a simple yet effective yoga exercise that has several benefits.
It gently stretch the muscles of the posterior chain, such as hips, obliques and glutes along with alleviating the tension from the neck, lower back and spine. These factors can facilitate a deep and good night's sleep. Additionally, this yoga exercise helps enable a smoother digestive process in the body by massaging the digestive organs.
4) Butterfly Pose
Practicing the butterfly pose can help ease the stress and discomfort along with having a relaxing impact on the mind.
It can help loose the muscles of the posterior chain and leave you feeling much better. Additionally, doing a butterfly pose can help in boosting your mood and reducing symptoms of depression.
5) Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasan)
Practicing a supine twist can have deeply therapeutic effects on the mind and body. That'll promote quality sleep, and as it's not an overly active yoga exercise, it can be done before bed.
Additionally, this yoga exercise is also a great remedy for poor digestive health, as it can help move food, expel waste, boost the flow of fresh oxygen and nutrients, and more. If you have digestive problems, a supine twist can have long-lasting benefits on your body. Good digestion will facilitate better quality sleep.
6) The Corpse Pose (Savansa)
The corpse pose is also a simple yet resting yoga exercise that can boost sleep quality.
It provides a plethora of benefits, such as calming the central nervous system, reducing anxiety, promoting spiritual awakening, facilitating the digestive process, reducing fatigue, generating higher consciousness, and more. These factors leave your body feeling more rested, providing a better quality of sleep. That'll leave you feeling more energetic for the next day.
Bottom Line
Generally, most yoga poses help in better coordination of the mind and body along with alleviating stress. The aforementioned yoga exercises can help improve the quality of sleep and leave you feeling better rested. They'll prepare you to deal with the next day feeling more energetic and refreshed.
These are simple yoga poses that can be easily done before bed. Besides good quality sleep, these exercises provide several other benefits, including better digestive processes, reduced stress, loosening back muscles and alleviating tension from the posterior chain.