Struggling to fall asleep? Try these calming yoga poses

“Yoga can definitely improve sleep, and there are many reasons why,” explains Laura Bunting, founder of Wildlife and Yoga Retreats. 

“Firstly, focused breathing, a crucial part of yoga, particularly with mindfully longer exhales, can bring your nervous system to rest and digest rather than fight or flight. Certain poses can also aid in sleep hormones being activated, and asanas (poses) can help your body prepare for a comfortable night’s sleep.”

And it’s something that’s backed by science. One study has shown that practising yoga regularly can help improve sleep in people over the age of 60, whereas another study found that yoga had a positive impact on those with chronic insomnia.

Even if you’re a beginner to yoga, there are four simple poses that can soothe you back to sleep in no time. The best is that they can all be done in bed – you don’t even need your yoga mat.

“The corpse pose or savasana is often used to conclude a yoga session,” explains Gabler. “Even a few minutes in savasana can significantly relax your nervous system, making it easier to fall asleep.”

It’s also one of the easier yoga poses to do, and you don’t need any yoga experience to feel the benefits.

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs spread slightly apart. 
2. Keep your arms relaxed at your sides with your palms facing up. 
3. Close your eyes and focus on deep, slow breathing. This pose allows your body to surrender to gravity, releasing physical tension and clearing the mind of stress.

The child’s pose – or balasana – is Bunting’s go-to recommendation when you need to relax.

“The child’s pose is a nurturing pose that brings you inwards and gives your torso space to breathe comfortably,” she says.  “It can also be practised in bed or on the floor. You can put your pillow between your knees and lie on it for extra support.”

1. Kneel on the floor and sit back on your heels. 
2. Spread your knees as wide as your hips, then fold forward to lay your torso between your thighs. 
3. Extend your arms forward or alongside your body, with your forehead resting on the floor. This will gently stretch your back, hips, thighs, and ankles.

Gabler says this is a very effective position for helping you fall back to sleep because “it encourages a sense of safety and comfort.”

“If you breathe deeply during this time, it can make the pose even more effective”,” she adds.

Jesse Gabler, the founder of Yogi Times, says this gentle soothing exercise, known as ananda balasana in Sanskrit, is great at calming your mind and releasing any tension.

“Breathing deeply in this playful pose for a few minutes can calm your mind, lighten your mood, and prepare your body for sleep,” she says.

1. Lie on your back and bring your knees towards your chest. 
2. Then, grab the outside edges of your feet with your hands, opening your knees wider than your torso. This pose gets its name because it mimics the way a content baby lies on its back.
3. Gently rock from side to side, massaging your spine on the floor. This movement stretches the lower back and hips, which is where tension accumulates during the day. 

Bunting says any inversion pose can really help you fall asleep at night. 

“Inversions help increase blood flow to the pineal gland, which produces the hormone melatonin, which helps the body know when it’s time to sleep,” she explains.

An inversion pose basically means your heart and hips are above your head. These can include a forward bend, downward dog or a shoulder stand, but the easiest of these is viparita karani, an inversion where you rest your legs up a wall. As well as increasing blood flow, it also gently stretches out your legs and relieves lower back pain.

1. Find a suitable wall without any obstructions.
2. Lie down comfortably on your back with your tailbone as close to the wall as possible.
3. Extend your legs straight up towards the ceiling. If reaching the wall feels difficult, bend your knees and use your feet to walk them up the wall until your hips are comfortable.
4. Press your lower back gently into the mat and roll your shoulders down your back. You can place a folded blanket or yoga block under your hips for added support if needed.

As well as practising yoga regularly or doing the above positions if you’re struggling to sleep, deep breathing is also a great way to help you get back to sleep.

“The structured breathing associated with yoga practice engages the parasympathetic nervous system, which tells the body to calm down and relax,” explains sleep consultant Alison Cullen.

“You don’t need to tell yourself to stop stressing – always a tricky ask –  because breathing bypasses your conscious thought, allowing the nervous system to settle down.”

Yoga teacher Laura Hinde also suggests indulging in a little left nostril breathing if you find yourself struggling to go back to sleep at night.

“Breathing in and out through the left nostril in bed for a few minutes can calm the mind, down-regulate the nervous system and reduce body temperature,” she says.

Feeling stressed and tossing in bed? Take a deep breath – and then another one – and try some 2-to-1 breathing. It’s a super easy way to calm your mind and body for sleep.

• Get comfy and then slowly inhale through your nose for a count of four.
• Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of eight (double the inhale).
• Do this for 10 breaths, or as long as you feel relaxed.