For most of you, sleep must have become a luxury while handling work pressures, taking care of the family, or hanging out with friends. In fact, more than 51% of people worldwide are sleep deprived.
According to researchers, adults need an average of seven or more hours of sleep per night to enjoy a good quality of life; lack of this affects your focus, efficiency, and emotions.
Whether you are suffering from insomnia or shortage of a deep sound sleep, these eight yoga poses will help you doze off in minutes and improve your historical shortage of sleep hours.
Beginner in Yoga? If this is your first time into yoga, here are some easy to do yoga pose you can start with.
Here are the 8 Best Yoga Pose for Better Sleep
1. Hastapadasana or The Hand-to-Foot Pose
“Hasta” means your hand and “pad” means your feet. This asana provides better blood flow towards your head. It placates your sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight responses of the body.
To go into Hastapadasna, stand with a comfortable distance between your feet—parallel to each other—and toes pointing forward. Take your hands straight up, palms facing forward, keeping a little bit more distance between your hands as compared to your feet.
Then slowly start going forward and bend down with the help of your buttocks and not through your spine or back. Try to reach down with fuller capability and touch the ground. Do not worry if you are not able to reach down completely.
Now, hold this position for 10-15 seconds, keeping rendering your legs to be straight, and your head to bow down and help you breathe normally.
2. Vajrasana or The Thunderbolt Pose
This pose helps your mind relax and relieve stress. To perform Vajrasana, sit with your spine, possibly erect, and in a crossed-legged posture (Sukhasana). Then stretch out your legs.
Now, slowly fold your legs one by one and sit on your knees until you are seated between both your feet with your knees together (copying Japanese people sitting style). Adjust your feet so that big toes of your feet are only touching each other. They should not be one over another.
Then, bring both hands in front and place your palms on the ground. Now, cross the arms so that the forearms are placed in a way that you can place your forehead comfortably on both the forearms.
Slowly, rest your forehead on your forearms, and then adjust your spine further or back as comfortable. Now, hold in this posture with closed eyes. After a few minutes, you can return from this pose through the support of your palms; but do not lift yourself with a jerk.
3. Marjaryasana-Bitilasana or The Cat & Cow Pose
From Vajrasana, place your palms ahead of you on the floor and rise to position on your knees and hands (like a table). Keeping your hands aligned with your shoulders to go into the cat pose, set your knees directly below your hips.
Now, exhale and arch your spine towards the ceiling without forcing your chin against the chest. Hold this position for ten seconds and breathe normally.
Then, try the cow pose, inhale, and make sure your spine is curving towards the floor. It forces the abdomen towards the floor while looking up without straining your neck. Breathe normally in this pose for another five seconds.
Repeating at least five cycles of cat and cow pose will improve your spine and back muscles and will regulate your breathing. Performing this pose before going to bed will remove any pain at the centre of the body and will give you a good night’s sleep.
4. Janushirasana or The Head-to-knee Pose
In Sanskrit, “Janu” means your knee and “shir” is your head. This asana relaxes your heart and brain to give a good stretch throughout your legs and back. To perform Janushirasana from Sukhasana, stretch out your legs.
Now, keep your spine straight before folding your right knee and placing the feet by the side of the other leg while the latter is straight with its toe bent backward—facing you.
Now dip your spine low to reach your left foot with both hands and grasp it from the inside arch of the feet. Bend down and try to bring your head closer to the knee. You might feel a squeeze over your belly, restricting you to bend further, but that’s alright.
After that, you can go down as far as possible and hold the posture for at least 10 seconds and repeat with the other leg.
5. Anand Balasana or Happy baby pose
Lying on your back, exhale and gently bring your knees towards your chest. Inhale and grab the outsides of your feet with your hands. After that, you need to open your knees slightly wider than your torso to create a stretch.
Make sure your head rests on the floor, and shins are perpendicular to the floor. Breathe normally in this pose for 30-40 seconds. This pose releases tension in the sacrum area and stretches the back.
6. Shirshasana or Headstand
Shirshasana is known as the king of all asanas for the benefits it provides. It improves your digestion process and refines the lymph circulation in your entire body.
To do Shirshasana with supporting wall, sit on your toes and heels, about half a foot away from the wall. Interlock your fingers and rest them on the ground, palms facing up towards the sky, touching the wall.
Make a “V” shape distance between your elbows and support the crown of your head from the palms of the interlocked fingers. Then, straighten the legs by taking your knees up and making a “V” shape with your body.
Gradually, shift the weight towards your head. Slowly, move on the tip of your toes and walk towards the head. When you feel lightness in your legs, slowly lift your legs and place them straight up with the wall’s support.
You can use a pillow or a folded towel for this pose, but make sure not to hurt your neck.
7. Viparita Karani Or Legs Up The Wall Pose
If you are stressed, fatigued, or jet-lagged, this yoga pose will work like magic for you to have proper rest. To perform this pose, ensure that either side of your body touches the wall and run your legs against the wall.
Your shoulders and head will go down to the floor simultaneously. Adjust your back to come closer to the wall, removing every inch of space between your buttocks and the wall.
Keeping your legs straight up towards the sky, close your eyes, and enjoy your breathing. Doing this pose for two to three minutes will help you deal with migraine, cramps, and urinary disorders.
8. Corpse Pose
It’s called Deep Relaxation Pose or simply “Savasana” in Sanskirt, where “Sava” denotes corpse, and “asana,” of course, is the pose.
It’s one of the easiest poses for rendering your body into complete restoration and relaxation mode. But it is certainly difficult to master with a close connection to meditation and control over breathing.
For this purpose, you need to lay down on a yoga mat or the naked floor if that’s suitable. Your body should be stretched out in a star shape. While in this position, you are expected to focus on your body and mind’s functioning.
For that matter, your breathing should be the first step to control and sought out. Start by concentrating on taking easy and deep breaths. Take a notice that you don’t have to sleep in this pose. It’s just for relieving you from the mental stress and knots of emotional baggage in mind.
Overall, this pose can be practiced at least three to four times a day with a ten to fifteen minutes window per session. This pose will eventually increase your self-awareness, release your anxiety, and pushes your focus on present more than in the past.
Final Words
In the end, these poses have worked wonderfully in relieving patients who are suffering from insomnia, PTSD, anxiety, personality disorders, and so much more. I have personally been practicing these yoga poses daily. And I have seen a significant result in my sleep cycle.
If you have these experiences in your list, do not forget to mention in the comment section below because I want to know what’s your go-to mantra for a better at sleep.
Image Sources: Freepik.com
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