Sleep doesn’t always come as easily as we’d like. The mental and physical stresses of the day can get in the way of falling and staying asleep. Sleep experts recommend establishing a bedtime routine in the 60-90 minutes before you lie down to sleep. That routine, whether it involves reading, journaling, breathwork, or a warm bath, is personal to you. We’re big fans of yoga as part of our bedtime routines as it provides a gentle way to calm our minds and bodies at the end of the day.
We’ve been lucky to partner with Andrea Marcum to create a series of yoga poses that you can add to your bedtime routine. Andrea is an author and yoga teacher who leads retreats and workshops around the world in both intimate and conference hall settings. She works with everyone from celebrities and global brands to the rest of us simply trying to experience mindfulness and achieve the best health possible.
To learn more about the benefits of yoga to your sleep, read “Can Beginning Yoga Practice Improve Your Sleep?” at the link below. To learn about the poses and how to incorporate them into your routine, read on.
Make Yoga a Part of Your Bedtime Routine for a Better Night’s Sleep
Andrea weaves accessible philosophy into poses appropriate for a variety of experience levels. You can watch Andrea as she moves through all six relaxing bedtime poses if you’d like to do the entire series. You can also choose what works for you and your body.
1. Half Hero Pose
Lie on one pillow with your legs straight, carefully bend one back in a hurdler's stretch - hold for 60 🐑 - then switch sides.
2. Supine Twist
Spoon your pillow, then take your top arm up and over, opening your chest and releasing your spine- 30 🐑 on each side.
3. Half Happy Baby and Hamstring Stretch
Lie on your pillow with straight legs, bend one knee into your chest- then let that knee move out to the side a bit, as though you were snuggling your knee into your armpit- hold where you can (foot/ankle/hamstring) 10 🐑 then straighten your leg for 30 🐑 of hamstring stretch - don't forget the other side.
4. Supported Butterfly Pose
Stack two pillows, lie back with the bottoms of your feet together and your knees butterflied out to the side for 60 🐑.
5. Legs Up the Wall
Gently place your legs up the wall- option to take your legs wide for an inner thigh stretch, or return them to the butterfly bottoms of your feet together. You can spend as many 🐑 here as feels good to you. If you have glaucoma or blood pressure issues you might skip this one.
6. Savasana
Slide one pillow under your head, the other under your knees and let yourself let go. You can even silently tell yourself "let" on your inhales and "go" on your exhales - then let the 🐑 take you to dreamland.
Comment our Instagram carousel sharing Andrea's poses and follow us on Instagram @downetc.
To experience more of Andrea’s philosophy and her yoga practice, you can visit the following platforms:
Make yoga a part of you bedtime routine to enjoy the best sleep possible.
-Team at down etc
Read more:
Can Beginning Yoga Practice Improve Your Sleep?
Bedtime Rituals for Better Sleep
About down etc
For over 20 years, down etc has worked with hoteliers and professional housekeepers inhotels around the world to provide the pillows and bedding that will offer hotel guests memorably great sleep. Through our retail website, we seek to provide products that will result in the same quality sleep for our customers at home. We believe in the restorative power of a great night's sleep, whether at home or away.
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