Bedtime Yoga for Better Sleep: How 10 Minutes Can Help You Sleep Deeper
June 18, 2025
Have you ever found yourself lying in bed, struggling to fall asleep? If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. A study on sleep habits found that nearly 30 percent of adults had trouble falling or staying asleep. Yoga offers many physical and mental benefits, some of which might even help you rest better. Research has shown that gentle yoga before bed can improve sleep quality, reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and wakefulness throughout the night.
Moving through a few simple yoga poses can help promote relaxation and mindfulness, preparing the body for sleep. Carving out a little time before bed for intentional stillness helps relieve the tension of the day, connecting the mind and body. Finding this stillness and deepening the breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system, your rest and digest response.
Creating a nighttime yoga routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Think slow-paced, mostly seated or lying down poses paired with deep breathing. Gentle yoga poses that can ease you into a restful night include:
● Balasana (Child’s Pose)
● Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
● Supta Matsyendrasana (Supine Twist)
● Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby)
● Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Butterfly Pose)
After moving through the previously listed shapes, find a space for Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall). Elevating the legs against a wall promotes blood flow, increasing circulation and relaxation. If you try one thing from this list, make it Viparita Karani. It’s a gentle inversion that can be paired with some deep breathing to guide you into a state of relaxation.
Before bed, take 10 minutes for some gentle movement and deep breaths. It’s less about doing the “right poses” and more about the intentionality of preparing the body for rest. Find what works for you and catch some extra ZZZs.
