Almost 70 million adults have trouble sleeping, so yoga can be an additional nighttime routine to help with sleep.

Yoga is a mindfulness practice that connects the body and mind.

Yoga has a lot of health benefits; research has shown that it can help with sleep.

There are several styles of yoga, but for sleeping, the best is relaxing and restorative yoga.

Restorative yoga helps with relaxation, releasing tension, and a good night’s rest.

You can introduce yoga for sleep as an everyday practice.

Does yoga help with your sleep?

According to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 59% of those surveyed said that bedtime yoga improved their sleep.

Other studies have found that persons with chronic conditions, the elderly, pregnant women, and menopausal women who practiced yoga on a regular basis got better sleep.

Scientists believe that yoga can aid with sleep for lots of reasons.

⇒ Note: Yoga for a better and more peaceful sleep: 10 gentle yoga poses for good sleep

For a peaceful night of sleep, breathing, meditation, and deliberate body motions taken together help to quiet the body and mind.

Yoga is considered a safe form of physical activity for most healthy people.

However, with any physical activity, you should check with your doctor, especially if you are pregnant or have an injury or some serious chronic disease.

As part of your nightly routine, scientists advise mild stretching and breathing exercises. In this way, you send a signal that the body of the mind is getting ready to sleep.

There is no one specific yoga position for sleeping; you need to try multiple yoga postures at least three to 5 minutes before bed to relax your body.

6 Yoga Poses for Sleep

Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

• From mountain pose, exhale forward, hinging at the hips. Press the head on the legs and bend enough to bring the palms flat to the floor.
• Pull the head down and in and press the hips up, then feel the spine straying in opposite directions.
• To further the stretch in the backs of the legs, work on straightening them.
• On the inhalation, actively pressing the belly into the thighs, breathe and hold for 4–8 breaths.
• Bend the knees, keeping the back straight; inhale the arms out to the sides, and then the arms and torso up back into Mountain Pose.

Salabhasana (Locust Pose)

• Lay on your belly, with the chin on the floor, knees together and arms beside the body, 45 degrees away from the sides, with the palms down.
• Pull up the knee caps; compress the thighs and buttocks; perform Mula Bandha; then, press the pubic bone down on the floor.
• Head, chest, legs, arms—inhale and raise them off the ground. Reach out with the crown of the head, fingers, and toes. Match the neck to the spine.
• Drop the shoulders down and back, then thrust the chest forward. Maintaining strong legs, buttocks, and mula bandha, keep the pubic bone pressing down into the floor.
• Breath and hold two to six times.
• Exhale, then gently descend the torso, head, arms, and legs to the floor.
• Turn the head one side, slide the arms beside your body, then rest.
• To alleviate low back tension, rock the hips side to side.

Janu Sirasana (Head-of-the-Knee Pose)

• Staff Pose or Dandasana: Sit with the legs outstretched before you.
• To release the knee down, bend your right knee and lay the right foot against the left inner thigh.
• Inhale; flex the left foot; press the top of the thigh down; elongate the spine; and raise your arms either side of your head.
• As you exhale, gently rotate your upper body so you are facing the left leg then fold forward from the hips.
• Maintaining long spine, open chest, and relaxed shoulders,
• Lay your hands down, framing your left leg, or grab your ankle or foot.
• Spend five to ten breaths here.
• As you release the position, inhale.

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)

• Reaching toward the ceiling, bring your arms straight out to the sides and up over your head.
  Inhale and long draw your spine.
• As you exhale, start to come forward, hinging at your hips. See your pelvis as a tipped forward bowl of water.
• On every inhale, lengthen your spine. You might come a little out of your forward bend to execute this.
• On every breath, deepen into your forward bend.
• Imagine your nose coming to your knees instead of your stomach resting on your thighs. This will keep your spine long.
• Maintaining the neck as the natural extension of your spine neither cranks it to gaze up nor lets it go entirely.
• Decide whether you wish to continue here or let your spine circle forward when you have come to your full extension with the spine long.
• Using whatever you can reach, grab hold of your ankles or shins.
• One can also wear a strap around the feet. Throughout keep your feet tightly flexed.

Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose)

• Roll your blanket first long—ideally as long as your spine—then back it up. There are your yoga blocks right next by.
• With your sacrum touching one end of the blanket roll, sit at that end.
• Lie back onto the roll, ensuring that your head, low and middle spine, as well as your back, are under support.
• Sit up and reroll the blanket such that it’s long enough to support your spine and head if your head is falling off the back edge. To get sufficient support for your head, you can also add a second blanket and/or cushion.
• If you have given your head extra support, observe whether your head is considerably higher than your chest. If so, make the support under your head smaller so your head lines up with your spine.
• Bring your feet together and let your knees extend out to the side.
• Under each thigh, lay one brick. Change the height of the blocks such that your legs feel totally supported.
• Rest your arms with your hands pointing upward a reasonable distance from your sides.
• Drop into the yoga position and inhale deeply multiple times. Through your nose, inhale; then, exhale out your mouth. Imagine exhaling and releasing tension in your hips, chest, shoulders, and face.

Pawanmuktasana (Wind-Relieving Pose)

• Breathe both knees into your chest while lying on your back.
• Keeping on opposite elbows, forearms, wrists, or fingers, wrap the arms over the knees.
• Keeping the head on the floor, tuck the chin into the chest.
• As you draw the knees into the chest with the arms, press the sacrum and tailbone down into the floor.
  Working to make the back and complete spine flat to the floor, press the shoulders and the back of the neck down into the floor. Loose the hips, feet, and legs.
• Breathe deeply into the belly, then actively press it on the thighs on the inhalation for 4–8 breaths.
• Exhale, then release the arms and legs to the floor.

Anana Balasana (Happy Baby)

• Breathe both knees into your chest while lying on your back.
• With each hand, bring the arms through the insides of the knees and grab on to the outer edge of each foot—pinkie toe side.
• Head on the floor, tuck the chin into the chest. As you raise the heels and pull back with the arms, press the sacrum and tailbone down into the floor.
• Trying to get the back and complete spine flat to the floor, press the shoulders and the back of the neck down into the floor. Let the legs expand somewhat wider if you wish a longer hip stretch.
• Breath and hold four to eight times.
• Breathe and release the arms and legs to the floor.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

• Spread your legs apart. Release your legs straight to let your feet fall open to either side.
• Bring your arms beside your torso, but slightly apart from each other.
• Though you should try to maintain your palms open, turn them upward.
• Allow the fingers to curl in.
  For support, tuck your shoulder blades up on your back.
• Though less forceful, this is a movement like tucking the shoulders under in Bridge Pose.
• Release any effort from maintaining your limbs in place once you have set them.
• Release your entire body—including your face. Let your body sense weight.
• Let your breathing come spontaneously. If your mind wanders, you can call your focus to your breath, but try to simply observe it, not deepen it.
• At least five minutes should pass here. Better still, ten minutes. If you practice at home, set an alarm to avoid being driven to constantly look at the time.