Can’t Sleep? Try These 6 Restorative Poses (In Bed)

At the end of a busy day, it can be nearly impossible to get your mind to slow down. You promise yourself you’ll check social media for only a few minutes, but before you know it, you’ve fallen down the Instagram rabbit hole. Suddenly, it’s midnight. You put your phone down and try to sleep, but the dreaded blue light has thrown off your circadian rhythm. This scenario transforms what should be the most restful time of day into a nightmare—and you haven’t even fallen asleep.

When you miss out on sleep, you lose a vital opportunity for renewal. A good night’s rest affects how you relate to the world. It can help decrease the risk of depression and anxiety. Sleep also increases stress resilience, optimism, memory, and even our ability to problem solve.

A helpful first step in shifting your relationship with sleep is turning off your phone an hour before bed and (this might be a stretch) getting under the sheets before 11 p.m. If rest does not come easy and you need some support to wind down, try this yoga before bed sequence that you can do under the covers.

A Restorative Yoga Before Bed Practice

To practice these yoga before bed poses, you’ll need two or three pillows and lots of slow, deep breaths. Try just one or all of the stretches. May your dreams be sweet and your sleep refreshingly deep!

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Rest your chest and belly on one or two (or more!) stacked pillows with knees wide apart and big toes touching. Rest an ear on the pillow, close your eyes, and relax your jaw and belly in Child’s Pose. Your arms can rest on the sides of the pillow or underneath. Focus your attention on the sensation of your breath flowing in and out.

2. Supported Half Frog Pose (Ardha Bhekasana)

For this version of Frog Pose, lie on your belly with your pillows stacked underneath your head and chest,  if you choose. Bend one knee and bring it  to a 90-degree angle with your knee in line with your hip. Extend the opposite leg straight behind you. Turn your head in the direction of your bent leg and rest it on the mattress or pillow. Relax your belly, your eyes, and your jaw. Focus your attention on the sensation of breath flowing in and out. Rest this way for several minutes. When you’re ready, switch sides.

3. Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

Lie flat on your back. Bend your legs, let your knees open out to each side, and bring the soles of your feet together in Reclining Bound Angle Pose. There’s no need to draw your heels close to your hips for an intense stretch. Place a pillow under each thigh.  Fold the pillows or add more of them if needed for more support. Place your hands on your belly. With your eyes closed and jaw relaxed, bring your awareness to where your hands make contact with your body. Focus on feeling the rise and fall of your torso with each slow, deep breath in and out.

4. Wind-Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana)

Lie flat on your back. Straighten and extend one leg. Bend the other leg and draw it toward your body, interlacing your fingers around your shin or behind your knee.  Hug that leg toward your side body as if your knee could touch your armpit in Wind-Relieving Pose. With closed eyes and a relaxed jaw, breathe into your belly. Stay for as long as you’d like and then switch sides.

5. Supported Reclining Twist

Lie flat on your back. Bend both legs at a 90-degree angle and let them fall to one side. Stack your knees and hips, and slide one or two pillows between your thighs. Extend your arms straight out at shoulder level and turn your head in the opposite direction from your knees in Supported Reclining Twist. Close your eyes and relax your jaw and belly. Focus on feeling the breath flow all the way up, and imagine it is spreading into your collarbones and out in the direction of your arms. Stay for as long as you’d like and then switch sides.

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Lie down on your back and allow your body to rest with your hands by your sides or on your stomach. You can place pillows under your upper thighs or behind knees for more support if desired. With eyes closed and your jaw relaxed, feel your breath filling up your belly, expanding your ribs, and flowing up into the chest on an inhalation. Exhale by relaxing your chest, ribs, then belly. This breath is called dirgha pranayama (complete breath). Allow this wave-like rhythm to lull you to sleep at the end of this yoga before bed sequence.

This article has been updated. Originally published November 27, 2017.