Yoga for Sleep
The fine folks at Soaring Heart have allowed me to create a yoga class to educate their community on ways to sleep well. If you have not made it to a class yet, donation based classes are held every Friday through May 25th from 6:30-8pm. Hope to see you there!
At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced what
it is like to have trouble falling asleep, have lied awake in the middle of the
night or have woken up endlessly before it is time to get up in the morning. When sleep is disturbed, it seems like
everything in life becomes harder. Our
energy is low, we feel irritable, fatigued, stressed and cannot seem to get
anything accomplished. Sound sleep is
essential to our overall well-being, both physically and mentally.
Sound sleeping is a gift, which some people seem to possess
more than others. There are many factors
that can hinder restful sleep: insomnia, sleep apnea, back and neck pain, jet
lag, anxiety, depression, stress or a combination of these common issues. Regardless of whether you have chronic sleeping issues or
have intermittent challenges to restful sleep, there are natural solutions that
can help you sleep with greater ease. It
is important to note that some sleeping conditions and some folks will need
medical assistance for their individual situations, however, we can all benefit
from tips on how to sleep well. One fun
way to learn natural sleeping techniques is through yoga class geared towards
gentle stretching, breath work and meditation.
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Yoga is an ancient practice of well-being that fully
integrates the body with the mind and spirit.
In our Emerald City myriad yoga studios and styles can be found in
practically every neighborhood from Greenwood to Georgetown. When asked, yogis and yoginis will avow their
increased flexibility, strength and body awareness. Beyond a renewed feeling of physical ease,
yoga practitioners profess a reduction of stress, increased mental clarity and
tranquility in their daily lives. It
seems almost to good to be true!
On a physical level, yoga can address physical aliments that
prevent sound sleeping through a combination of stretching and
strengthening. Back and neck discomfort
are the two most common aliments that contribute to poor sleep. By directly stretching these areas as well as
the surrounding tissues, our bodies can learn to relax. When the body is at ease, sleep is simply
better.
While the actual yoga postures are like one chapter in the
practice of yoga, breath work and meditation are additional chapters unto
themselves. Anyone that has taken a yoga
class can identify and hopefully create the sounded breath (Ujjayi) that
accompanies the yoga practice. There are
also other breath practices that are specifically meant to relax the body and
mind. Once mastered, these practices can
be taken on ones own to help ease the busy mind. An anxious mind can be a major hindrance to
falling asleep and staying asleep.
Breath practice teaches practitioner to still the mind and enter into
the deep relaxation that comes with meditation.
Many body based meditations exist that can make meditation accessible to
all!
Yoga would not be yoga without mindfulness. The first principle in the philosophy of yoga
is Ahimsa or non-harm. This means not
harming yourself or any other sentient being in thought, word or deed. Life is valued, be it of a stranger on the
street, your neighbors barking dog or the very Earth that surrounds us. When we embrace Ahimsa as a value in our
lives, we live and breathe acceptance.
We accept ourselves, exactly as we are, here in the present. We accept all of our thoughts, be they
helpful or not. We accept how, perhaps,
we have ended up in a pattern of restless nights. By accepting and knowing ourselves, we have
the power to hold on to things that are working in our lives and let go of
anything that is not. We have the power
to learn, change and grow.
Yoga for Sleep includes gentle stretching to open the
body and alleviate tight places that have accumulated over the workweek. Breath and mindfulness
practices are integrated to keep the busy mind focused and receive maximum
benefits from the movement. Props such
as supportive pillows are provided for the movement practice to create ease
for the body in restorative, long held comfortable positions. The last part of class features guided
meditation to release layers of tension in the physical body and relax
the mind. Please bring your yoga mat,
blanket, comfy clothes and an open mind!
