Mahatma Gandhi was particular about the quality of sleep, to have a productive day. He said “Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.”
Restless sleep is a result of our daily life chaos and the stress, combined with our busy schedules and our need to scroll through social media just before going to sleep — interferes with a much needed good night sleep.
Lack of good sleep at night creates many side effects. Some of them are reduced concentration, depression, dizziness, forgetfulness and illness like diabetes, cardiac problem, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalanc e in women (PCOS) and many more.
Sleep is adversely affected due to agitated and an over active mind created by external factors and internal fluctuations. We have to equip ourselves to calm our mind and it can be achieved by increasing the blood flow in the upward direction.There are many different Yoga poses and techniques come handy when you want to have quality sleep at night.
Here are some of the poses that Yoga recommends to improve the sleep quality. But before trying them out, we should promise ourselves to practice it daily and include them in our routine to get quick and a long term impact on our sleep cycle.
Viparitkarni: Lie down on your back. Giving support to your back with your hands, exhale and lift your legs up. Hold your lower back properly. Once you are steady, maintain this position for a few seconds and breathe normally. Inhale and return to starting position very slowly, lowering you back and then hips.
Matsyasana: Sit in Padmasana on your mat. Inhaling, recline backwards taking the support of your elbows. Gently remove the support and lie down with your shoulders on the floor. Clasp your hands over the head and stay there for a few seconds, breathe normally. Unclasp your hands and rise up exhaling, taking support of your hands.
SuptaBhadrasana: Lie down on your back on the mat. Bend your legs at the knees, inwards so that your soles of the feet touch each other. Interlock your finger and place them on the stomach. Close your eyes and relax your mind by focussing on your breath. Release your legs whenever your feel uncomfortable.
Makarasana: When you have disturbed sleep due to digestion problems, this Asana is a must before having dinner. Lie down in prone position i.e. on your stomach. Make a pillow of your hands and keep your eyes closed. Legs should be outstretched, keeping your toes inwards (big toe touching each other) and heels apart. Remain motionless in this posture for 5 minutes and let go of your body. Gently turn to one side and sit up. Pregnant ladies and people with protruding belly should avoid this asana.
Dhradhasana: Lie down on your back and then gently turn to your right. Make the pillow of your right hand and rest your head on it. Close your eyes and just relax by focussing on your breath for 5 min. Repeat the same on the left side.
Yogendra Pranayama 4: Lying down on your back, bend your knees with feet close to hips. Keep comfortable distance between your feet and knees. Place on hand on the abdomen and observe the breath. Feel your abdomen moving in and out as you inhale and exhale respectively.
Do not compromise on your beauty sleep and aim to remain unaffected, pure and peaceful. In the end your health comes above everything else.