10 of the Best Yoga Poses for Insomnia

While there is no debate on the essentiality of at least 7 hours sleep for every human being, for some, this much vital wink of rest is hard to come by. Sleep deprivation, disorder, and insomnia at the end are all strung in the same causal link—that of the outcome of an excessively demanding and stressful lifestyle.

The first step of doing those wrongs a right is starting a pre-snooze yoga practice. Here we have the best of restorative yoga poses for insomnia postures listed for you—

The Child’s Pose or Balasana

Calling upon the primal peace of the maternal womb, the Child’s Pose will help you settle deliciously in a fetal shape with your head coming down toward the floor and hands stretched out in submission.

The benefits of the Child’s posture come with a great relief of tension in the chest, back, and shoulders. It’s done to stretch out and lengthen the spine, with great support to the head and torso. Better circulation is restored in this region, clearing away headache and strain that might be keeping you from sleep.

You are also likely to tune into the calming way of deep breathing in this pose, finding your zen back on stressful nights.

Legs Up the Wall or Viparita Karani

This mild inversion is great for a restorative bout before pulling the sheets over after a long day of work. All you need to do is prop your legs up on the wall with your two hands supporting your waist and head resting softly, most preferably on blocks or pillows for stability.

Cramped feet benefit immediately from this posture. A knotted back gets to unwind and any sort of ache subsides. You can spread open your legs stretched on the wall in a wide-V to push some elasticity in the groin and thighs.

Also, remember to breathe deep and free to help your mind tune to calm. Plug into your favorite music as this restorative stretch does its magic and its bliss!

Supine Spinal Twist or Supta Jathara Parivartanasana

Greatly soothing for the spinal column, this supine twisting pose softly releases the tensions and emotions which have been accumulating our body through the day. Especially in the back body, we happen to be very vulnerable to anxiety, a condition identifiable from the hunch and rounding of the back.

Calm breathing along with the twist in this posture lets us open our chest cavities, breath normally, and feel the tightness receding in the back.

Happy Baby or Ananda Balasana

With a folded blanket kept below your head, do this extremely simple posture to sort out discomfort in the lower back and sacrum while also giving your hamstrings a good pull. In this one, the knees go through a slight fold and the hips are softly opened.

Let the peace gather with you before the night hour strikes and off to bed you go.

Reclining Goddess Pose or Supta Baddha Konasana

This is the supine edition of the seated hip opener and works in lowering the heart rate and relieving the tense muscles. It will be extra good for you before bed if you are suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. As the abdominal muscles loosen up, the groin receives a stretch, as does the inner thighs in this position.

Eye of the Needle Pose or Sucirandhrasana

This posture is known for lengthening the hip flexors and increasing the range of motion in the pelvis. If your day demands long hours of deskbound seating, the hips naturally condense and lose agility. A pre-sleep routine addressing this area will help you wake up fresh and full of life.

Lizard Pose or Utthan Pristhasana

Lizard Pose is intense yet it is something you can spend minutes on, just breathing deeply to the core and be present in the moment. It is majorly testing of your hip flexibility, so on extremely tired days it might not be a very good call, but the deep stretch the posture provides is not worth missing.

The Locust Pose or Salabhasana

There are umpteen reasons why salambhasana should be within your restorative routine. The posture reinforces the core and breathes power in the back muscles, gives the spine a thorough pull and opens up the chest for better breathing.

It is especially good for the post-heavy dinner and pre-sleep scene as the abdominals get a mild massage and digestion is boosted.

Seated Forward Bend or Paschimottanasana

The host of menopausal and menstrual discomforts might be great turn down for someone trying to get some quality sleep. The seated forward bend addresses the deep niches of the lower abdomen from where the symptoms of pain and uneasiness are caused and help you ease over the night when performed before bed.

The Corpse Pose or Savasana

End it all in the corpse pose by reconnecting with breath, invoking relief from stress, and find self-acceptance and the spirit for waking up to a new day and new possibilities.