6 Yoga Poses to Practice Before Bed to Help You Sleep Soundly

Get enough sleep when you're tired, and sleep when you're sleepy. It's a perfectly natural thing to do. However, some people always have trouble sleeping soundly, even tossing and turning in bed. Sleep problems need to be addressed differently depending on the situation: If you're not tired but feel energetic, just sleep when you get tired; if you're already quite fatigued but burdened with worries, it's important to find ways to adjust your state of mind.

Yoga postures primarily involve physical exercise, but combining physical exercise with breathing can help us draw our thoughts into the present moment. During the postures, both our body and mind can gradually relax, and scattered thoughts can be calmed. Our body and mind are interconnected, and they influence each other. When we can't control our thoughts, we can use physical exercises to influence our thoughts.

Below, we share a few yoga postures suitable for practicing before bed. After you finish, you'll likely find your inner state quieter, which will help you enter sleep more easily. You can practice them on your bed and then go straight to sleep.

1Child's Pose

Place your feet together with the big toes touching, with your knees spread out to the sides as you kneel on the heels.

Lower your torso and lie face down on the bed, with your arms extended forward.

Try to bring your abdomen close to the floor or yoga mat, and take 5-8 deep, slow breaths.

2Cat-Cow Pose

Kneel on the bed with your knees opened as wide as your hips, and your hands supporting you directly under your shoulders.

Inhale, lift your head and chest, and let your spine arch upwards, as if bringing your tailbone towards the ceiling.

Exhale, lower your head and arch your back, looking for your collarbone, and then repeat 10-15 times.

3Seated Forward Fold

Sit on the bed with your legs extended straight forward, and hook your feet back.

Inhale, stand up straight, engaging your core muscles.

Exhale, lean forward and downward, bringing your abdomen close to your thighs, and grab your feet with your hands, taking 5-8 deep, slow breaths.

4Swan Pose

Sit on the bed, with your hands supporting you, and bend your right knee, bringing your foot towards your left, extending your left leg.

Lower yourself down, with your elbows interlaced, and your forehead resting on your arms, with your hips as low as possible.

Take 5-8 deep, slow breaths, then repeat on the other side for the same time.

5Supine Spinal Twist

Lie on your back on the bed with your legs extended and your knees bent close to your hips.

Extend your arms to the sides, and twist your body to the left, with your left knee towards the bed.

Turn your head to the right, looking towards your fingers, and don't lift your shoulders off the bed, relax your neck.

Take 5-8 deep, slow breaths, then repeat on the other side.

6Corpse Pose

This pose is similar to our sleeping position, but the focus of Corpse Pose is on relaxation. In Corpse Pose, we should lie down in a comfortable position, and then give the command to our body to relax. You can start from your head and slowly relax down to your feet, relaxing the whole body.