Yoga Poses for Insomnia

Published on February 12, 2009

Yoga’s ability to relax the body, reduce stress and anxiety and calm the mind and heart allow relief from difficulty in falling asleep or periodic wakefulness.

A gentle practice of calming forward bending poses will be generally effective to reduce stress and balance the body’s systems to promote good sleep. If insomnia is due to hormonal imbalances then practice the endocrine regulating poses. If there is an emotional component to your insomnia that includes depression and anxiety then practice the heart opening poses that balance the emotions. If stress is contributing to your insomnia, then a more active or flowing approach to yoga would be warranted and practicing the poses to calm the heart and mind would be beneficial.

Click on an image or posture name for detailed instructions, contraindications and modifications.

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One response to “Yoga Poses for Insomnia”

  1. rlh7de61 Avatar
    rlh7de61

    I did not know that certain yoga poses can help sooth insomnia, depression, and anxiety. I suffer from all of these and would like to try some of these more often. I do some of them in my yoga class now but maybe I need to focus on these specific poses more.

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Timothy Burgin Avatar
About the author
Timothy Burgin is a Kripalu & Pranakriya trained yoga instructor living and teaching in Asheville, NC. Timothy has studied and taught many styles of yoga and has completed a 500-hour Advanced Pranakriya Yoga training. Timothy has been serving as the Executive Director of YogaBasics.com since 2000. He has authored two yoga books and has written over 500 articles on the practice and philosophy of yoga. Timothy is also the creator of Japa Mala Beads and has been designing and importing mala beads since 2004.
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