Yoga, a practice that dates back to ancient India thousands of years ago, is not just a physical activity. It’s a way of life that has proven beneficial in countless ways.

One of the many benefits of yoga is that it helps with sleep recovery—our natural ability to recover and restore our capacity for healthy sleep and to repair our broken sleep.

As you know, sleep is essential for our overall well-being. Lack of sleep can lead to mood swings, decreased productivity, and significant health problems.

Fortunately, yoga can help improve the quantity and quality of our sleep so we can feel happier and healthier.

Here are some ways that yoga can aid in sleep recovery:

1. Mindfulness: Practicing yoga helps you become more mindful of your body and breath. This mindfulness lets you stay present and let go of worries or stress that might keep you awake at night.

2. Relaxation: You can learn to relax your body and mind during yoga practice. This relaxation helps to decrease tension in the muscles and reduces stress levels in the body. The relaxation response can carry over into your sleep, allowing you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

3. Specific Poses: Certain yoga poses are particularly effective in promoting healthy, restful sleep. These include cat/cow pose, child’s pose, legs-up-the-wall pose, simple spinal twist, and bridge pose.

4. Breathing Techniques: Yoga breathing techniques—such as the basic yoga breath, alternate nostril breathing, and the four-part breath (square breathing)—can help calm the mind and relax the body when preparing to sleep. These techniques, and others, can also help to down-regulate an over-active nervous system throughout the day and at night if you’re feeling anxious, agitated, or worried.

As a long-time yoga student, practitioner and teacher, I believe in the power of yoga as an aid to sleep recovery—so much so that, a few times a year, I teach a mind and body course called Five Steps for Better Sleep. Here’s some of what the course covers:

• Determine your sleep type and understand sleep myths.

• Troubleshoot your lifestyle and daily routines to support better sleep.

• Practice a straightforward and adaptable evening yoga routine.

• Repair your natural ability to rest.

• Recover and restore your ability to sleep better.

• Replace chaos and anxiety with peace and resiliency in your personal and professional life.

Stay tuned if you’re wondering when I’ll offer the next course. More information will be available soon in an upcoming blog/newsletter.

In the meantime, on Thursday, March 16th, I’m giving an INTRODUCTORY Five Steps for Better Sleep WORKSHOP:

REPAIR YOUR BROKEN SLEEP

For only $37, you can learn about common sleep saboteurs, explore a few tips to sleep better, and learn more about Five Steps for Better Sleep. You’ll also practice a gentle 20-minute “sleep” yoga sequence to reduce physical tension, lower your heart rate, and decrease stress hormones.

Click the button below for more details.

Practicing yoga can aid in sleep recovery by incorporating mindfulness, relaxation, specific poses, and breathing techniques to help improve sleep quality and overall well-being.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, learn more about incorporating the many beneficial aspects of yoga into your daily and nightly routines to help you sleep better and feel better.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I’m more than happy to help.

And if you liked this post from Studio 71 Yoga, please share it. I’d be very grateful.

With joy and gratitude,

Jeannine