Some nights, getting your mind and body to calm enough to fall asleep seems like an impossible feat. It seems like almost no one is getting enough sleep these days, and endless levels of social and physical stimulation from your phone can make sleep even more elusive. But if you’re a yoga-doer, you know that certain poses (and not just savasana) can relax you almost off to dreamland. These yoga poses for better sleep can help even people unfamiliar with yogic practice.
If you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep, it might mean that your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) needs to relax. Often referred to as the “rest and digest” part of your nervous system, the PNS makes sure your body gets the signals it needs to do the things we don’t have to think about consciously to do (like moving our internal smooth muscles through digestive processes). But when we’re overstimulated or chronically stressed, the PNS can have trouble doing its thing — and we can’t sleep. Enter yoga.
