Yoga for sleep

By Trainer Maddie

Hi wellness lovers! Trainer Maddie, here. I am going to be sharing various benefits of yoga practice. Today’s benefit, the MOST important function of our bodies- SLEEP! That’s right, yoga is a great way to promote restful and deep sleep. Many of my clients rave about the benefits they receive after opting for a restorative yoga session.

Here’s why yoga rocks for sleep, yoga promotes the activation of our parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for rest and digest functions. I am not talking about power yoga, or vigorous vinyasa. While these are great practices for other reasons, they DO NOT get us out of our sympathetic, fight or flight system and many of us are living in a state of sympathetic stress. Our “go, go, go” culture promotes this sort of lifestyle between working crazy hours, commuting, and caring for a busy family.

When you take time to SLOW DOWN, deepen the breath, and connect within, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing your nervous system to trust that its safe enough to fall asleep and sleep deeply.

Don’t have time for a “yoga class”? Try this before bed this week:

Lie in bed with your legs long or bent. Place one had on the belly and one hand on the heart. Start to deepen your breathing by filling the belly up like a balloon, and exhaling all the way out. Count your inhale and aim to exhale for the same amount of seconds. Try and increase the number of seconds, week by week, strengthening your lung capacity and oxygenating every cell.

If you are training hard during the week, restorative yoga is the perfect compliment to maintain a balance, promote healthy immune and endocrine functioning , amongst other things ! The benefits are endless!

Let’s get relaxing!

Namaste!