Prepare for sleep with flow yoga

A good night's rest is important for personal health and wellbeing. Discover how to practice this 9 step yoga flow sequence before bed.

A good night’s rest is important for personal health and wellbeing – and sometimes yoga can ensure you get more valuable shuteye. Here, we outline a short flow that can help you unwind from your day, while also preparing your mind and body for sleep.

HERE’S HOW TO PRACTISE THE SEQUENCE:

1. Stand tall in prayer pose, take between five to 10 Ujjayii breaths – inhaling deeply through the nose and exhaling slowly out of your nose.
2. Breathing in, raise arms skywards, breathing out, fold forward into standing forward bend – Uttanasana. Bring your palms to rest on the ground beside your feet (bend your knees if that’s more comfortable, but keep your back straight). Take a few breaths here.
3. On an in-breath, step your right leg back into a lunge, lift and roll back your shoulders, and raise your hands skywards into prayer pose, opening your chest forward. Take a few breaths here. Step back into standing forward fold. Now repeat, this time beginning with your left leg.
4. Come to sitting-up tall position, legs stretched out in front of you. Breathing in, draw the left foot towards your pelvic region, placing its sole against the inside of your right thigh. Breathe out, then in, raising the arms skywards and folding forward from the hips over your right leg, taking hold of your shin, ankle, or right foot. Breathe here and release into the fold. Breathing in, return to sitting tall, then release the left leg forward. Repeat on the other side.
5. Bending both legs in, draw your feet towards the pelvic region, then bring your soles together, knees opening away from each other towards the ground. Breathing out, fold the upper torso forward from the hips. If you can, rest your head on the feet in seated Butterfly pose – Baddha Konasana. If not, fold only as far as is comfortable. Take a few breaths here.
6. Release the pose and lie down with your back flat on the ground. Breathing in, stretch your arms along your ears away from the body and stretch your legs away from the body. Breathe here for a moment.
7. Breathing in, bend your knees and draw them towards your torso to a position perpendicular – at an angle of 90 degrees – to your hips. Rest your hands on your knees or shin. Breathing out, engaging the muscles in the stomach and legs, draw your knees towards the chest. Maintain your bottom, back, neck, and head flat on the ground. Breathing out, release the stomach, knees, and thighs back to perpendicular to the hips. Repeat this motion five times.
8. Return your legs to the outstretched position flat on the ground. Breathing in, bend your knees and place your soles together, as close to the pelvic region as is comfortable. Breathing out, release the knees and thighs to open away from each other, towards the ground in Reclining Butterfly pose – Supta Baddha Kanasana. Breathe here for a few moments.
9. When ready, release your legs back to an outstretched position, turn to the side and come up to seated. You may place hands in prayer pose, a mudra – maybe gently touching thumbs to forefingers on each hand – or comfortably resting on your lap. Take a few moments to breathe and possibly meditate here before going to bed.

Download the Sequence here!
As with all physical activities, please do not attempt if you have any medical or physical conditions that may be aggravated. If in doubt, always talk to your doctor first.