Our days can be tough to wind down from, often leaving us staring at the ceiling, trying to go to sleep at some ungodly hour, counting the time we have left to actually sleep before the alarm goes off. Yoga is a great way to calm the mind and signal to the body that it's time for rest. This nightly routine takes just about ten minutes and can be done by anyone, regardless of your experience AND it can be done in your bedroom, on your bed if you'd like, in your pajamas. Try to shut off the "am I doing this right?" demons that live in your heads, and to settle into each posture for about 2 minutes each (or whatever feels like 2 minutes). Main goal: don't stress too hard. Make it a little routine. Make it an event, making it special if you can, by lighting a candle. Make it your nightly ritual for a week or two* and see if it helps you fall asleep quicker than usual.
Start in a comfortable crossed-legged seated position, possibly resting your back against the wall or headboard. Place the palms face down on the knees, close the eyes, and breathe. Focus on the breath, how it comes in and how it flows back out. Shift your focus from the thoughts of what is coming tomorrow, or what happened today, into a laser-focus on the breath. Hear it. Feel it. And just breathe here for a minute or two.
After you've calmed your breath and (hopefully) your mind, move into child's pose. Grab a pillow to make this as restful, restorative and relaxing as possible. Coming onto your knees, bring the big toes together to touch if possible, and spread your knees as wide as comfortable. Place the pillow beneath you length-wise and lay your belly, chest, and forehead to rest on it. Stretch the arms out softly in front of you, so they are easily resting on the bed (not tense, not a full-extension). Soft Elbows, soft arms. Palms down. Eyes closed. Breathe for 2-3 minutes. Bringing the focus back to the breath if it has shifted to what is coming tomorrow, or what happened today, or any other thought that doesn't belong here right now.
Next, as easily as possible, lay on your back, bringing a pillow beneath your hips if you'd like, and allow your legs to run up the headboard or wall. Stretch your arms out softly to the side, palms face up or face down - your choice. Close your eyes. Breathe for 2-3 minutes.
Finally, shift yourself to lay normally, head on your pillow just as you'd sleep - preparing the body to stay here after this pose, to rest for the night. If you'd like, get under the covers and do this pose so that when it's done, you can stretch the legs out and sleep with little movement to disturb the peaceful state you have created. Outstretch the arms again, soft bend in the elbows, head resting on the pillow. Connect the soles of your feet and allow your knees to fall open like a book. This pose resembles the butterfly-position we all had to do in grade school gym class, except this time, you are laying down. Close your eyes. Breathe for a final 2-3 minutes.
After you are done, stretch out, roll over and sleep.
If you are not familiar with traditional yoga poses, it will feel foreign at first, which could translate to the mind not reaching that peaceful state for sleep because you are trying to read the descriptions and then do the pose. To prevent that - run through these earlier in the day if it's your first time. Soon you won't have to think about them at all. When you make something a routine, when you do it every night before bed, you create a mind-body connection that immediately signals to the body "it's time to rest". So do this for more than a day. *Make this a routine for a week or two, to create the connection, and soon the connection is made, helping the mind shut down when you begin this sequence of postures. See this as a gift to yourself instead of a "have-to" or another thing on the to-do list before sleep. View this as a "want-to".
Questions? Comment below if you need help!
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