Yoga for Sleep Disorders

by Larry Kovner

Did you know that practicing yoga helps relieve insomnia and promotes deep relaxation?

How? Your sleeping quality can improve as a result of the stimulatory effect yoga has on your central nervous system and brain. It also calms your adrenal glands. This is because many yoga postures increase the blood circulation to the sleep center in the brain, which in effect enhances your sleep cycle. The breathing that you do in yoga allows for more oxygen in the body providing clarity in the mind.

You might even need less sleep as a result of practicing yoga on a regular basis! This is due to the fact that yoga helps to eliminate toxins from your body and rejuvenates and reorganizes you at the cellular level. Yoga can help you fall asleep sooner and improve the quality of your sleep. You will have a more restful sleep because of the relaxing aspect of yoga and the subsequent relieving of stress, tension, and fatigue.

In addition to vigorous poses and movements, yoga also includes relaxation poses. A common relaxation pose is called “Savasana” also known as dead body pose. This poses is about being in a state of total stillness and blocking out thoughts that interfere with your peace of mind, making it ideal as a cure for sleeping difficulties.

Savasana can be performed on the floor as a meditation. You can also practice in it your own bed at night to help you fall asleep.

To correctly perform the Savasana pose:

Rotate your legs and then let them fall gently out to the sides.

Let your arms fall to your sides, slightly separated from the body, palms facing upwards.

Rotate your spine by turning your head from side to side

Stretch yourself as though someone is pulling your head away from your feet, your shoulders down and away from your neck, your legs down and away from your pelvis.

Breathe deeply and slowly from your abdomen.

Hold the pose for several minutes. Still your mind still and concentrate on your breathing.

When done, bend your knees and push yourself onto one side, then push yourself in a sitting position.

While Savasana is an effective technique for curing a sleep disorder, it doesn’t work immediately. You have to practice it like any other yoga poses. So if it doesn’t help you fall asleep on the first try, keep practicing it for a few weeks. Your body and mind are deeply connected and will work together to help you get the rest you need.