10 SIMPLE YOGA EXERCISES THAT WILL HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER
The exercises that will help you relieve pain if you suffer from fibromyalgia
The time lags, a poor diet, the stress of modern life, low levels of melatonin … These are some of the most frequent causes for falling asleep, something that affects a large part of the population. Today we propose a remedy against insomnia : yoga to reduce muscle tension and rest better. Did you know that some postures help us recover our natural balance, helping the body to fall into a deep sleep and sleep through the night in one go? Put these simple exercises into practice a couple of hours before going to bed!
Balasana or ‘The child’
To recover from the tensions of the day to day or to end a training. Calm the nervous system. You just have to drop the trunk sitting on our legs. The arms fall relaxed forward or backward, as you prefer.
Stretch forward or Uttanasana
With the trunk bent forward and the knees slightly bent. You can rest your hands on the ground or, if you do not arrive, in a block or use your calves as an anchor point.
Prasarita padottanasana (C)
Standing on the mat, separate your feet as much as you can without feeling pain; A greater opening of your legs will facilitate the final pose. The tips of the feet face forward. Exhale and lower the trunk performing a flexion from the hip. You can rest your hands on the mat or intertwine with arms forward.
Stretching yoga for adductors
Sitting on the floor on the mat, with your back straight, join the soles of your feet to open the area of the adductors. Try to get your knees down as much as you can towards the ground.
Advanced version of the anterior position that makes exercise more intense and stretches, at the same time, the lower back.
Janu sirsasana or head to knee pose
Sitting on the floor with your legs together and extended to the front and your back well stretched. Bend the right leg and rest the sole of the foot on the inside of the left thigh, near the pelvis. Let the knee fall to the ground. As you exhale, lower the trunk on the stretched leg and bring your hands as far as you can. After 2 or 3 minutes repeat to the other side.
Breathing in Cat-Cow posture
Get on your knees on the mat and rest your hands on the floor, about the width of your shoulders. Separate the knees to the width of your hips. While exhaling round your spine, pulling a hump on the top of the back and put the pelvis and head in, looking at your navel. With the inhalation stretch your back and look forward. Empty your lungs completely when you exhale. Do not hurry. Repeat the movement to the rhythm of breathing for 10 or 15 breathing cycles. When you’re finished, sit on your heels and rest.
The bridge
With your hands together and untwisted intertwined on the mat or, if you reach, holding the ankles. To enter the position, lie down with your legs hip-width apart, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Inhale and elevate the buttocks and lower back. Bring the sternum to the chin.
Ardha matsyendrasana or half twist
It is done sitting on the floor on a mat and feet resting on the floor, knees bent. From there, place the right heel under the left thigh and the left foot over the right thigh-holding the plant resting on the ground. Now, we turn the trunk and draw our arm in front of the opposite leg – creating a lever action with the elbow. The other arm is extended behind the back. Once correctly placed, we inhale deeply stretching the spine and exhale by turning the trunk as far as possible to the left side. To go deeper, you can choose the second version that we show you in the photograph.
Place a thick cushion transversely attached to the wall. Sit on it, lean your back on the bed and raise your legs to rest on the wall. You can hold your thighs together with a belt so that the posture is more relaxed. The pelvis should be supported on the cushion and well close to the wall, the back on the bed, so that your lower back draws a smooth arch.
Savasana or relaxation posture
It is one of the key yoga asanas, to begin or end the keys. It consists of leaving the body completely relaxed. If you want, put a heavy blanket on your abdomen. Close your eyes and do 30 breaths.
