Yoga for Sleep

(June 16, 2011)

I do not get proper sleep. Kindly advice some yoga exercises?

Yoga Pose For Sleep

The human body is active throughout the day. Like all machines it requires some amount of rest so that it can rejuvenate itself. Sleep is an important factor in the quality of an individual’s life. An individual who sleeps well is likely to be rested, relaxed and much more capable of handling the daily tasks assigned to him or her. Sleep also allows the body to repair itself and this is also important.

Insomnia and poor quality sleep is a problem that affects many people across the world. Some individuals may have difficulty in dealing with stress while others may be bothered with the thoughts flowing through the mind. Poor digestion can also play havoc with one’s ability to sleep properly. One may therefore use yoga for sleep. Yoga is a form of exercise that improves the quality of an individual’s life from a complete perspective. This form of exercise improves concentration and can be used both for exciting and relaxing the body. In the mornings, yoga students use the sun salutation positions to wake their bodies up and prepare for the day ahead. However, when one wishes to use yoga for sleep, one needs to focus on different kinds of exercises.

It should be noted that any strenuous physical activity will increase the consciousness of an individual. This causes problems with sleep. Many people choose to exercise after dinner at night. While this may be a time that they get to themselves, it may not serve the purpose of improving one’s sleep.

The most important yoga pose for sleep is the corpse pose. This pose known as shavasana is a pose used to relax the body and slow down the body systems in preparation for sleep. Shavasana is commonly used in between rigorous phases of yoga to relax the body. Often, the concentration required to control breathing properly means that an individual will stop thinking about other thoughts that are cluttering the mind. This action itself can relax the body and prepare it for sleep.

In the corpse yoga pose for sleep, the individual has to lie flat with the entire back touching the bed or floor. The arms should be at rest on either side of the body. In this pose, the individual should try and relax every part of the body with slow, deliberate and long breaths. An individual will notice a relaxation with every long exhalation. This process should be followed until the individual drifts into sleep.

Submitted by A V on June 16, 2011 at 12:55

Insomnia and parasomnia are two of the most experienced sleep problems in the country today. Due to the rising levels of stress and the ever changing lifestyles, sleep issues have become all the more popular. Sleep deprivation can cause a lot of health as well as emotional problems. A lot of people are not able to experience regular sleep due to their increased levels of stress. Unfortunately for them, the lack of sleep usually increases the levels of stress.

Yoga for sleep is one of the best ways to bring about sound sleep. There is a specific branch of yoga, called yoga nidra, which is dedicated completely to the use of yoga poses for the improvement of the quantity and quality of sleep. There are some yoga poses for sleep that can be performed at your home without the guidance of a trainer. However, it is important to relax yourself completely before you attempt sleep, and these yoga poses can help you achieve that. Sleeping pills and other medications like sedatives and tranquilizers are usually not able to help a person get a sound sleep, especially when the person is under a lot of physical or mental stress. Meditation could be one of the many ways that one could relax themselves. However, meditation is not as easy as some people may believe. It takes a person a lot of time to master meditation and get the results that they want from it.

Insomnia is often also associated with specific diseases. If you are wondering how to get proper sleep, you should ideally get yourself checked thoroughly. If you are suffering from medical conditions that could affect your sleep, relieving the disease or illness could help you deal with the lack of sleep as well. Yoga asanas for sleep can help your body and mind relax so that you can get a peaceful sleep. Yoga nidra constitutes of several yoga postures for sleep. With regular yoga nidra training and meditation, you will be able to experience stress release. Your body and mind will feel more comfortable, reposed and calm so that you can have better sleep. These yoga poses for sleeplessness are made up of yoga poses as well as relaxing techniques such as meditation and breathing exercises. Apart from a yoga pose for sleep, you can also help yourself to sleep through the Abhyanga Ayurvedic massages. With the help of these techniques and yoga asanas, sleep becomes much more achievable.

Yoga nidra, which is the conscious deep sleep that can be brought on about by performing various yogic stances and relaxing techniques, can be performed safely at any stage in a person’s life. These yoga poses for better sleep not only help you achieve a higher quantity of sleep but also help you get better quality sleep. Since these poses can be safely performed at any given point in a person’s life, yoga nidra and pregnancy are completely safe as well. Since yoga nidra can safely help you relax, it can help you deal with anxiety. Apart from yoga nidra’s anxiety benefits, there are also other benefits of this yoga type. With improved sleep, you get improved concentration, improved learning, and increased cognitive functioning. Yoga nidra learning and superlearning practices can help you deal with all stress related issues. Ideally, yoga nidra is performed in the conscious state for a deeper introspection and to increase your emotional awareness. Yoga nidra and self-realization have often been subjects of discussion and debate. A yoga nidra asana can be performed at home, but you would need to create a relaxing and calm environment around yourself for this to be helpful.

Yoga nidra benefits can be experienced in the daily life as increased cognition, enhanced motor skills, improved metabolism, and better concentration. When you experience better sleep at night, you are able to function much better in your daily life. Yoga nidra is the deepest of all kinds of meditations, and therefore, when you are experiencing the most stressful times, you can practice the yoga nidra body scan to improve your overall functioning. While yoga nidra is best practiced in the supervision of a qualified practitioner, you could also get yourself the yoga nidra Baba Ramdev videos. These videos teach you everything you need to know about yoga nidra, right from the yoga nidra breathing techniques to the chakra meditation. You could also look for a yoga nidra class in your neighborhood where you can learn yoga nidra.

Yoga nidra is a complicated technique, and it takes a lot of effort to master it. Once you have learnt the yoga nidra techniques, you can practice them anytime. You can also get yoga nidra certification and can become a certified instructor of this highly sought after but difficult technique to master. There are specialized yoga nidra classes for those who are looking for yoga nidra certification training.

Apart from the regular practice of yoga to induce sleep and relax yourself, it is also important to create a relaxing environment in your home, especially in the place where you sleep. Use ambient lights and eliminate noise from your bedroom. Avoid putting in harsh lights and electrical appliances like radios and televisions that can make a lot of noise. All the other activities that get you worked up should be performed in other rooms of your home and the bedroom should only be reserved for relaxation. Before you sleep, practice meditation for a few minutes or create any other calming routine that works for you. This could include reading a book, listening to some music, or anything else that helps you relax. Make a specific sleep schedule and stick to it. You should ideally have a specific time of the day when you go to sleep. Ending the day with a calming routine can help you deal with everyday stress so that you are more relaxed when you go to bed.

You may also have some relaxing and calming exercise that helps you deal with the stress of the day, so that sleep is induced and that you can sleep better.

Submitted by A on June 15, 2011 at 05:25

Yoga can help to cure insomnia. Several reasons can cause stress to people and disturb their emotional balance and steal away the comfort of life. Yoga can bring serenity and provides calmness to the mind and the body.

Various asanas of yoga like paschimotasana (back stretching pose), and uttasana helps to provide comfort to the body by providing mental peace and tranquility. Adho mukha shavasana helps in lying flat and bending forward by restoring mental peace. It enhances the self esteem of the body and increases the vigor and vitality. Once the mind and body are relieved of tensions one can have a good night sleep.

Supta Baddha konasana and setu bandha saryangasana helps in freshening the mind and the body. It increases the spirit of the individual as well as self esteem. The bridge position of setu bandha sarvangasana also helps in providing comfort to the body. Various asanas should be undertaken as the combined effect is more fruitful as compared to seeing the individual effects of it on various organs of the body.

These asanas can be practiced any time of the day but practicing them early morning and especially before going to bed shows great results in short span of time especially for the treatment of insomnia.

The Yoga pose Salamba sarvangasana also provides a comfortable night sleep and also provides a peaceful sleep without any negative thoughts. If one has the habit of resting during the day time and doesn't get a good nap then these asanas should be practiced in the noon time too before going to bed.

Shirshasana (head stand pose) is highly recommended for insomnia as it helps in pumping more blood to the brain and the surrounding nerves. It helps in providing freshness to the mind and the body. It treats the body internally so that one can get relief from the tension and remain carefree. It also increases an individual's immunity and self esteem. Sarvangasana and surya namaskar (sun salutation pose) as well as viparita karani which involves stretching of legs and holding them up. These Yoga poses aid in better circulation of the blood in the upper organs of the body thereby relieving oneself from the unnecessary tensions.

Submitted by R J on August 8, 2008 at 01:33