I’ve been asked how is it that yoga helps improve our sleep.  Certain yoga postures and styles are naturally more beneficial and  conducive to sleep recovery than others.  A suitable pre-sleep yoga sequence works in the following way:-

• Reduces tension held in the body
• Lowers the heart rate
• Decreases the stressor hormones in the body
• When combined with simple breathing practices, helps to relax the large muscle groups that need to relax in order to induce sleep

Other yoga practices can help with sleep recovery too – for example restorative yoga postures practised in the morning or afternoon won’t interfere with the “drive” for sleep later that day but can help us feel restored and less frazzled and therefore less likely to rely on caffeine to keep going.

Whilst most yoga practices will assist our sleep, a dedicated practice for sleep recovery such as the one offered in my sleep recovery 5 week courses will be of most benefit and provide a wider range of yoga for sleep recovery tools so you can draw up your own individual path to sleep recovery.