Yoga for Insomnia: 7 Yoga Poses to Help You Sleep Better

yoga for insomnia

Ever heard of Insomnia? Well, this is a disorder in which an individual fails to get enough sleep and stays up all night. In fact, people who suffer from insomnia don’t get sleep at all. It is a disorder that results from individual type of lifestyle, the foods you eat among other factors that lead to the disorder. With so many ways of combating insomnia, here are 8 best yoga poses to help reduce Insomnia.

7 Best Yoga Poses to Help You Sleep Better

1. Viparita Karani (Legs Up The Wall Pose)

legs up the wall pose for sleep

Viparita Karani is a pose that is meant to work on the upper body towards the brain. Here, you have to ensure that your body is balanced in the air and you can do this by the support of a wall or your arms.

How to do:

  • First, you have to ensure that you are in a straight posture on a mat.
  • With the help of your arm below your waist, try to lift your body in the air.
  • While doing this, ensure that your legs are fully straight together and balanced in the air.
  • Bend your neck for a good support.
  • Finally, stay in this posture for about 20 seconds before going back to the floor again.
  • You can also use a wall to perform this pose.

Benefits:

  • Relieves stress.
  • Prevent insomnia.
  • Increases blood circulation towards the brain.

[ Read: Yoga for Weight Loss ]

2. Baddha Konasana

butterfly pose for insomnia
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Baddha konasana is another pose that helps reduce insomnia. Here, the posture involves being in a sitting position with your chest stretched out and the back of your feet placed together as you try to hold your breath.

How to do:

  • First, ensure that you are in a sitting position.
  • Secondly, fold your legs very well, making sure that the inside of your left and right feet touch each other.
  • Then stretch your chest out.
  • Breath in heavily and wait for some 20 seconds.
  • Release the air from your lungs slowly.
  • Do this 2 to 3 times.

Benefits:

  • It allows you to meditate thus freeing your mind.
  • It allows for relaxation of the brain cells which reduces tiredness.
  • Increases chances of falling asleep.

[ Read: Yoga for Back Pain ]

3. Uttanasana

standing forward bend pose for insomnia
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Uttanasana is a good method which involves standing up and taking rounds to bend. Here, you have to ensure that your head goes as low as your knees and you can even move it further and see if it can pass through your legs.

How to do:

  • Ensure that you are in a standing position relaxed.
    Secondly, hold your head with both arms and bend down towards your knees.
  • Ensure that you are feeling some pressure below in your knees.
  • Stay in this position holding your head for 10 seconds.
  • Star all over again.

Benefits:

  • Increases blood circulation in the upper body.
  • Increases muscles flexibility.
  • Improves the backbone.

[ Read: Yoga Poses for Migraine Relief ]

4. Marjariasana

cat pose sleeping
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Marjariasana is another simple technique that you can use to combat insomnia. Its main aim is to work on your abdomen and back by upward and downward movements of these two important body parts(The back and stomach)

How to do:

  • First, ensure that you are ion all fours.
  • Breathe in taking in a lot of air, with your stomach going in deeply while your back raises up.
  • Do this several times.
  • Hold that air for about 5 minutes each interval.

Benefits:

  • Relieves stress from your body.
  • Combats anxiety, making you confident.
  • Increases blood flow in the body.

[ Read: Yoga Poses to Fight Depression ]

5. Chandra Bhedana

chandra bhedana for insomnia
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This is another crucial technique in combating insomnia. It involves the use of two fingers in controlling the movement of air in and out if the body. This is by covering one side of the nose.

How to do:

  • Make sure that you are sitting and in a relaxed position.
  • Using two of your fingers, covering the nose hole.
  • Breathe in deeply.
  • Hold the air in that manner for 5 seconds.
  • Allow the air to flow out slowly.
  • Repeat this 3 to 4 times while doing the same.

Benefits:

  • Cleans up the lungs completely.
  • Improves airflow in the lungs.
  • Improves blood flow in the blood.

[ Read: Simple Yoga Poses for Neck Pain ]

6. Uttana Shishosana

extended puppy pose insomnia
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Uttana Shishosana is another method to combat insomnia. The method works in that it helps out greatly in ensuring that there are relaxation and stretching of different muscles in the body. The method involves bending down and stretching forward.

How to do:

  • Ensure that you are in all fours.
  • Secondly, put your forehead on the flow, with waist up above your legs.
  • Then stretch your arms forward so that you can be in a slanted position.
  • Ensure that the stomach is not touching the ground.
  • Then start moving slowly forward and backward while stretching.

Benefits:

  • Stretches your muscles thus ensuring a proper blood circulation in blood vessels.
  • Reduces the rate of anxiety.
  • Relaxes the brain for improved sleep.

7. Balasana

child's pose for sleep
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Balasana is a stretch-like technique that opens up your muscles. Here, you have to do stretch very well so that it can be effective. It involves being in a squat like position while your whole body is resting on your legs, specifically the thighs.

How to do:

  • Ensure you are in a kneeling position on a mat.
  • Then bend down facing forward.
  • While in this position, stretch forward your arms, until you can feel some pressure.
  • You can also stretch then forward too.
  • Stay in that position for 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Then repeat it again.

Benefits:

  • Reduces fatigue in the body.
  • There is improved blood circulation in the vessels.
  • Increases the heart rate.
  • Reduces insomnia disorder.

Insomnia is usually not a permanent condition as many people think. This is a condition that can be deal with easy in just simple yoga poses. The likes of Balasana help a lot in ensuring that you are not deprived off of sleep. All you have to do is do the exercise regularly for maximum results.

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