Why You Should Consider a Bedtime Yoga Routine
Starting a yoga practice can be intimidating, and often the idea of fitting yoga into our daily routine can seem daunting. If you’re looking for a way to become more flexible with your yoga practice, why not consider a bedtime routine? Practising yoga before bed can help you get a better night’s sleep, unwinding the day’s stress and quieting the mind. The gentle movements and intentional stretching can help your body and mind to relax deeply.
Plus there’s no need to have a full hour like some asanas require – you can have a gentler practice and fit a session into 20 minutes or less. There’s no perfection or pressure when it comes to bedtime yoga. This type of practice is all about helping you slow down and make you feel better.
Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, here are some tips for adding yoga to your bedtime ritual.
Preparing for a Bedtime Yoga Practice
What’s important with any yoga practice is the intention and the atmosphere. It’s essential that your environment is quiet and comfortable, without any distractions. Pick a place where the temperature and light are both suitable for your needs. Make sure you have some support nearby if you’re trying out some poses that require balance. Lastly, have your favourite yoga props and/or mat ready, if it will make your routine easier.
Stay mindful of your body and avoid doing any hard poses which put too much strain on your body. It’s better to feel both relaxed and energised afterwards.
Creating a Sequence for Your Bedtime Yoga Routine
The flexibility of a bedtime yoga session can be incredibly helpful. You can aim for a longer session if you have the time and energy for it, or you can keep it shorter if you’d prefer. Focus on gentle, restorative poses such as Child’s pose, Reclined Bound Angle pose, Legs up the Wall pose, Corpse pose, Happy Baby pose etc.
It might be useful to create a pre-bedtime yoga sequence. You can do this by customising a plan from an online yoga website, or creating your own version. You can base it on the poses that suit you best, adding a breathing practice, mantras, and other relaxation techniques that can help you feel both relaxed and peaceful.
As the night sky beckons, a consistent bedtime yoga routine will bring a sense of calm and rest after a long day.
Adapt Your Bedtime Yoga Routine to your Needs
We all have different needs when it comes to yoga, and this should definitely reflect in a bedtime practice. Your physical capabilities and daily schedule will both have an important role in how you practise. After trying out a few poses and sequences, you will know what works best for you – whether it’s the same poses each evening, or mixing up the routine with different progressions.
Benefits of a Bedtime Yoga Routine
- Improves sleep quality.
- Reduces stress.
- Calms the mind.
- Relieves muscle tension.
- Encourages deep relaxation.
- Promotes peaceful and positive thoughts.
- Gives the body a much needed rest.
A Bedtime Yoga Routine May be Just what You Need
Your bedtime yoga practice should be a mindful practice – allowing for deep relaxation and decompression. A consistent bedtime yoga routine will help you to unwind in front of bedtime and promote a feeling of wellbeing and peace.