The 8 Best Yoga Poses to Calm Your Mind Before Bed

In our fast-paced world, finding tranquility before bedtime can be challenging. Yoga, with its calming and restorative properties, offers an excellent solution to prepare both body and mind for a restful night’s sleep. Here are eight of the best yoga poses to help you unwind and relax before bed.
- Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Child’s Pose is a gentle, restorative posture that helps release tension in the back, shoulders, and neck.
- Start on your hands and knees
- Sink your hips back towards your heels
- Extend your arms forward or rest them by your sides
- Hold for 1-3 minutes, focusing on deep, slow breaths
- Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
This pose helps to calm the nervous system and relieve tension in the spine and hamstrings.
- Stand with feet hip-width apart
- Slowly bend forward, hinging at the hips
- Let your upper body hang loose
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
- Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
This inverted pose is excellent for improving circulation and reducing swelling in the legs and feet.
- Lie on your back with your buttocks close to a wall
- Extend your legs up the wall
- Rest your arms by your sides
- Hold for 5-10 minutes
- Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
This pose helps to stretch the spine and hamstrings while calming the mind.
- Sit with legs extended in front of you
- Inhale and lengthen your spine
- Exhale and fold forward from the hips
- Hold for 1-3 minutes
- Reclined Butterfly (Supta Baddha Konasana)
This gentle hip opener promotes relaxation and helps release tension in the lower back.
- Lie on your back
- Bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall out to the sides
- Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly
- Hold for 5-10 minutes
- Corpse Pose (Savasana)
The ultimate relaxation pose, Savasana helps to calm the mind and prepare the body for sleep.
- Lie on your back with legs slightly apart and arms at your sides
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath
- Stay in this pose for 5-15 minutes
- Cat-Cow Stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)
This gentle flow helps to release tension in the spine and promote relaxation.
- Start on your hands and knees
- Inhale, arch your back and look up (Cow)
- Exhale, round your spine and tuck your chin (Cat)
- Repeat for 1-2 minutes
- Seated Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
This pose helps to release tension in the spine and promotes digestion.
- Sit with legs extended
- Bend your right knee and place your foot outside your left thigh
- Twist to the right, placing your left elbow on the outside of your right knee
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then repeat on the other side
Remember to breathe deeply and slowly throughout each pose. Practice these yoga poses for 15-30 minutes before bed to help calm your mind and prepare your body for a restful night’s sleep. Sweet dreams!