You’ve tried sipping Sleepytime tea, turning off all your screens an hour before bedtime, and even spraying your pillow with lavender - but you still can’t sleep. And less sleep equals more stress, which increases our cortisol levels, negatively affecting the quality and quantity of sleep we get - so you need it.

Yoga can help. A Harvard study on insomnia found that when people practiced yoga for 8 weeks, their sleep improved significantly, including their total sleep time and quality of sleep.

Losing sleep can turn into a vicious cycle and it’s best to break it ASAP, so ditch the late-night Candy Crush, and instead try these five poses to catch a solid eight hours:

Supine Twist

Practiced before bed, this yoga pose helps your spine release tension and relax to stress less and sleep more.

Lie on your back and hug your knees toward your chest. Bring your arms out into a T and lower your knees down to the right, keeping them in line with the navel to stretch the lower back. Hold for 1-5 minutes and repeat on the other side to ring out spinal tension.

Child’s Pose

This pose is known for helping to reduce stress while encouraging sleep, due to the forward folded position. 
Start in a tabletop position with your wrists underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips; big toes to touching. Shift your hips back toward your heels as you lengthen the hands in the opposite direction; gently creating more space in the spine. Rest your forehead on the floor, or on a block or firm pillow. Hold for 1-5 minutes to calm the nervous system and relieve stress. (If your hips don’t reach your feet, don’t worry, just go as far as you can until you feel a stretch).

Legs up the Wall with Extended Exhale

Bringing your legs above the head, in a restorative position, allows the nervous system to calm down and increase blood flow and circulation, combined with a breathing exercise, it’s the ultimate turn-down pose.

Sit with your right hip up against the wall or the headboard of your bed, with your hands back behind you for support.  Slowly bring your legs up the wall as you lower onto your back with your, hands by your sides. If your hamstrings are tight, your hips may be a few inches away from the wall. Take a deep inhale through the nose, to the count of four, completely inflating the lungs. On the exhale, slow down the breath and empty to a count of eight until the navel contracts back into the spine.  Stay here, continuing this breathing pattern, for 5-10 minutes to calm the mind.

Supta Baddha Konasana

Supta Baddha Konasana is a wonderful pose that helps you to reach a deep state of relaxation by improving circulation and calming your nervous system.

Start by placing a pillow or a bolster at the base of your back. Bend your legs and gently place the soles of your feet together, but don’t push – just relax. Lie your body back across the pillow or bolster, and allow your body to open up and relax into the position. Breathe slowly and hold the position for at least 5 minutes.

Supported Savasana

This is the final pose before you go to sleep, as it really helps your mind to relax.

Lie down on the floor, with either a yoga mat or other cushioning, letting your arms and legs relax, palms facing up to open your shoulders. Focus on breathing slowly and deeply, and close your eyes. Stay like this for at least 5 minutes. Come out of the pose by slowly drawing your knees into your chest, then lie down to sleep. (Alternatively, you can do this pose in bed and fall right asleep).

Think of these poses as a restorative meditation and focus the mind solely on the breath as you inhale and exhale. Resist any temptation to lie on your back, hold your phone in the air, and scroll through your social media feed - your sleep is more important than your friend’s latest selfie.

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People come to yoga for all sorts of reasons: injuries, stress, tight hamstrings, or even to help them get more sleep. To be honest, no matter how you get there, you’ll eventually notice the amazing benefits it has to offer.

Studies have shown that yoga does a lot more than just get you flexible, but because most teachers focus solely on the physical practice, we miss out on the many other incredible benefits that will serve us in more ways than touching our toes. 

So what’s the #1 mistake you’re making when practicing yoga?

You’re only practicing yoga on your mat.

Don’t get me wrong - flowing through a series of poses has its benefits, but the poses are only one of The Eight Limbs of Yoga, and I’ve yet to see Warrior 1 transform a life like what I’m about to share with you.

The Eight Limbs are like a roadmap for how to live your life in the present, not sweat the small stuff, let go of the things that aren’t serving you, to be content where you are, and to be happy for those around you, even if it seems like their lives are a gazillion times “better.”

Once you put all Eight Limbs into practice you’ll marvel at how you no longer are irritated by your kids fighting over the X-Box, or your jerky co-worker who stole your idea and presented it to your boss as his. Even the five pounds you gained on vacation won’t put you into a tailspin, because once you start living in the present without reacting to every outside obstacle, then you look at situations for what they are, figure out a way to handle them, and move on.

No complaining or eating a pint of ice cream necessary.

The Eight Limbs of Yoga work together as a team. They start off with practices that are more about being more mindful of our actions than perfecting the poses, and they’re taught to be followed in order. So ironically, nailing the first two limbs that deal with personal growth and serving others is more important than getting into that handstand you’re coveting on Instagram- because asana, or the actual poses, are number three.

Breaking Down The Eight Limbs of Yoga

1. Self-restraints that teach us self-discipline. Ever heard of The Ten Commandments? These are just like them minus the religious aspect, and they relate to how we can best co-exist peacefully with our neighbors, and those aforementioned credit-stealing co-workers.
   • Non-violence
   • Truthfulness
   • Non-stealing
   • Self-restraint
   • Non-coveting
     
     
2. Observances to guide us along our yoga practice and they’re important to be learned before stepping foot on a mat.
   • Cleanliness
   • Contentment
   • Discipline
   • Self Study
   • Surrender
     
     
   Can you see why it’s been said to practice those first two limbs before moving on? They have so much to do with how you treat people, and yourself, that these mental practices are given much more value than balancing on your head, as they should. Yogi masters believe that once you begin to practice those, you are ready to get “physical” on the mat.
   
   
3. Asana is the physical part of yoga; the poses that most westerners are familiar with. The number one thing to remember when doing physical yoga is that the posture should be steady and comfortable, and the breath flowing freely- nothing else matters.
   
   
4. Breath regulation is one of the most underrated aspects of yoga, yet one of the most powerful. The breath takes precedence above the postures, as it’s usually a mirror of what’s going on in your mind. If your breath is steady and comfortable then your pose probably is as well. If you’re holding your breath or gasping for breath then you’re probably pushing yourself past where your body should go.
   
   

   

5. Sense withdrawal is all about focusing your attention inward so as to not be distracted by each buzz on your phone or mosquito biting your arm. On the mat, can you stand in Warrior II with your thigh on fire and stay focused on your breath without constantly having the urge to straighten your leg? Great, then you’re already practicing this limb. Concentration is a constant battle with the senses, so turning inward essentially prepares you for the next 3 limbs.
   
   
6. Concentration leads us closer to peace. It could be a candle flame, a mantra, or a picture - whatever it is, you practice concentrating so intently on that object that time disappears. All this concentration is a set of training wheels for meditation, which is next.
   
   
7. Meditation is uninterrupted focus - where the real magic happens. So what are you thinking of? Some teachers say nothing at all, but for beginners that can be discouraging as it takes years to have glimpses of concentrating on absolutely nothing without any thoughts of disruption. I’ve been taught and teach to use the same tools that you use to begin concentrating- your breath, a mantra, a candle flame, etc.
   
   Then what’s the difference you ask? Think of your object of focus as water flowing from a pitcher- in concentration that flow stops and starts and stops and starts while pouring into a glass, and in meditation it continually flows freely.
   
   
8. Bliss is when they say you have reached enlightenment, the ultimate goal. (Uhh, I’m still working on this last one). But seriously, instead of looking at it like I’m aiming at some unattainable nirvana, I’ve made my goal something much more tangible, that of being present in each and every moment and in every interaction, and on some days I reach it, but not every day.

I promise, even if you focus on practicing just one of these limbs at a time, alongside your physical practice, it will have a profound effect on your mental well being as you begin to integrate them into your daily life.

It takes practice to stay calm on your mat—and in life, but if you ditch the notion of yoga just happening on that 8 x 2 foot rectangle, you’ll notice a radical change in the positive light that is you yourself and the world around you.

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Yoga At Your Desk

Unless you’re on your feet often as part of your job, it’s highly likely that you sit at a desk for hours on end - and you know what those new studies say, “sitting is the new smoking.”

The chronic stress and tension you place on your body by sitting at a desk, without taking breaks to get up and move, places unnecessary strain on the lumbar spine, overstretches the mid to upper back, and shortens the muscles of the chest and hips, leading to neck, shoulder, and low back pain - and who wants that?

Instead of sitting uncomfortably throughout the day, set aside just a few minutes in between calls to stretch your tight muscles with the quick yoga poses in the video below, take some deep breaths, and clear your mind.  Your body will thank you, and you’ll move through your day healthier, happier, less stressed, and more productive.

POSES

 

Arms clasped behind back to open shoulders

Start by sitting up straight in your chair and interlacing your hands behind your back. Micro bend your elbows and lift them without locking. Roll your shoulders outward to create more space in your front body, and then lift your hands away from your lower back, any amount,  and breath into your upper chest.

Seated pigeon

Crossing your legs while seated, especially when done on one side more than the other, can create imbalances in the hips and lower spine- this pose stretches the outer hips which tend to be super tight from all that sitting.  Flex foot, extend leg out if hips too tight, bend knee and lean forward if you want more of a stretch.

Seated side stretch

The side body tends to collapse when hunched over a computer, contributing to neck and shoulder discomfort. This pose helps you sit with a taller spine, and lengthens the muscles around the ribcage to create more space. Keep shoulders rooted as stretch and side body long.

Seated chair twist

The muscles and other tissues that surround the spine can become stiff over time. This will lead to a decreased range of motion, pain, and stress. Turn sideways hands on the back of the chair, twist from the ground up, and lengthen through the crown of the head.

Forward fold lower back stretch in chair

Forward bends calm the nervous system, so hold this pose for at least 10 long deep breaths. Sit in your chair and widen your legs so they are wider than hip-distance apart. From the hip crease, bend forward and allow your entire body to relax. You can round your back. Drop your head and completely relax your neck.

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