Nothing feels as awful as sleeping with stress and anxiety. Not only will it affect the quality of your sleep, but it will also become a burden to your overall health. It is vital to ensure that we let our stress and anxiety go before we hit the bed every night.
And though problems will not solve themselves overnight, we can still control ourselves not to think about it as we go to bed. Let tomorrow take care of itself, while you go to peaceful slumber and replenish your energy.
Doing these simple yoga poses before hitting the bed every night will help reduce your stress and anxiety:
Legs Up the Wall
Elevating the legs after a tiring day is always recommended to promote proper blood circulation. But did you know that this simple pose can also help you relieve stress and anxiety before bed?
Place a mat perpendicular to an empty wall where you can comfortably do your pose. Sit down on the mat and position yourself so that your body is close to the wall. Lie down on the mat and raise your legs gently up the wall while relaxing your arms on either side. Practice breathing naturally.
Corpse Pose
The corpse pose improves circulation and also promotes better sleep and relaxation. It is a good pose to provide relief from stress since it can help enhance the mood and may also reduce pain issues.
Lie down straight on your back. Separate your legs, and position your arms on either side of the body with a slight distance. Increase the support while folding your shoulders and relax all your limbs. Breathe as naturally as possible up to the count of 8.
Child’s Pose
A child’s pose is one of the basics of yoga positioning. It gives you a lot of stretching time, thus, keeping you feel more relaxed. It is also a good refresher at night so that you can sleep without having much difficulty.
Kneel while keeping your back straight. Separate your knees a little, and lower your chest and head towards the mat. Your belly should rest between your thighs and your forehead on the floor. Stretch your arms out front with palms facing downward. Hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds while doing mindful breathing. For every breath that you take, allow yourself to let go of the stress and find your inner peace. Rise from the position comfortably, and repeat.
Standing Forward Bend Pose
The standing forward bend pose is a powerful extension of your back body. So, make sure that you do this carefully and correctly to prevent unnecessary strains.
Start while standing tall at the front of your mat, hands at hip level with hips feet width apart. Take a deep breath and reach your arms above your head. Fold your body forward from the waist and lowering your belly towards your thighs. You can take a wide stance and bend your knees as much as you need to allow more space in your low back and hips as you fold. Gently place your hands on the ground or grab opposite elbows, and direct your breath into your low back. towards your heels. Hold the position for 5 – 10 deep breaths and make sure that your neck and head are relaxed. To come out of the pose, press into your feet and scope your tailbone as you exhale and slowly roll up vertebrae by vertebrae.
* This pose can also be practiced seated – same process to fold and sit up, apply.
Reclined Spinal Twist Pose
Reclined Spinal Twist pose is a soothing posture that helps your body feel grounded and relaxed. To start, lay on your back and draw your knees into your chest. Carefully lower your legs to the right and stack the left leg on the right. Gently place your right hand on your left thigh and reach your left arm out away from you. If your shoulder and arm are raised instead of resting on the mat, place a pillow or yoga block between your knees. This modifications allows more space in the hips and back without creating a deep rotation in the low back. Take 5-10 deep breaths once in the pose. To come out of the pose, step your feet onto the mat and roll onto your back with knees bent and feet on the mat, closer to your bum. Draw your knees into your chest once more and repeat on the other side.
Twists help to detox the body, gently massaging internal organs while also improving the mobility of the spine and stretching the chest + hips, and relieving tension in the low back.
This pose can be practiced laying down in bed or on the ground, on your mat.