Have problems falling asleep? Waking up feeling so tired it’s like you barely slept? Try these 4 yoga poses specifically chosen to ease you into a beautiful night’s rest! 

When caught up in the never-ending stress that life throws at us, the first thing that often gets compromised in our daily routines is sleep. While you don’t see it, your body is continuously restoring and repairing itself in your sleep. 

The quality of sleep that you get is essential for a healthy body and a powerful mind. Incorporating certain yoga poses into your nighttime routine can help you get a fuller, more restful night of sleep. While performing this practice, you can repeat calming affirmations, pray or even listen to peaceful music. 

Here we’ve outlined four of our favourite yoga poses, or āsanas, that will help guide you to relaxation even before you hit the pillow:

Baddha Konasana - “Butterfly Pose”

• Start by sitting on the floor and bring the soles of your feet together. 
• Try and sit as straight as you can. 
• Hold onto your feet with both hands and gently move your knees up and down. 
• Try to be slow and gentle with each flap of your knees 

Baddha Konasana helps to relieve muscle tension in the legs and back. Loosening up these muscles can enable you to have a better night’s sleep. 

Uttanasana - “Standing Forward Bend”

• Stand with your feet together. 
• Bend forward at the waist and then touch your toes. 
• If you are unable to touch your toes all the way, bend as far as you can comfortably or lean onto a yoga block. 

When performing uttanasana, blood flow to the head and brain area increases greatly. This increased circulation can help ease headaches and promote deeper sleep. 

Balasana - “Child’s Pose” 

• Start in the kneeling position with your feet together and buttocks resting on top of them. 
• Separate your knees to a hip-width distance. 
• Exhale and slowly lower your torso forward and place rest your stomach on your thighs
• Rest your head forehead face down on the at  
• Extend your hands so that your palms are flat against the floor above your head. 

Balasana will stretch out various parts of your body. It aids discomfort in the back and neck and overall improves blood flow to all regions of your body. Due to the wonderful stretch it provides, it can relax your body and help you fall asleep faster. 

Savasana - “Corpse Pose” 

• Lie flat on your back with your legs shoulder-width apart, arms beside you and palms facing up. 
• Take deep breaths while staying still and relaxing each part of your body from toe to head. 
• Concentrate on each breath and, with that, the feeling of relaxation that your body is experiencing 

Savasana is a great balancer of your nervous system. It shifts you away from engaging the sympathetic nervous system (your fight or flight response) and towards the parasympathetic nervous system. It calms your body, relieves stress and quietens your mind, so that you fall asleep faster. 

To end your practice, take a few deep breaths and think of three things you’re grateful for before heading to bed. Your body will be relaxed and your mind will also be at peace.