For years I did vigorous exercise at night time and my sleep quality was poor. Yes you heard me right. sounds crazy right? I ignored the symptoms. I truly believed that it was good for me.
I struggle to wake up early and fit in my yoga practice in before work. So, for years I used to do a really strong practice in the evening after work. I used to practice Ashtanga Yoga (traditionally designed as morning practice) . I loved it, made me feel strong and calm, but I couldn’t deny the fact that my sleeps weren’t great that night. I attributed it just to myself, my day , to be honest I’ve never been a very deep sleeper.
I also couldn’t deny the fact that when I went to a more Restorative approach classes at night (with Kim White from Safety Bay Yoga Centre) my sleep was amazing. I took me a while to acknowledge those differences. Maybe my ego didn’t want to accept it.
After few years of practicing yoga, I ventured on my Yoga Teacher Training with Therapeutic approach.
I learned some poses for good night sleep , and invigorating poses. I have learnt with time that invigorating poses such as backbends are really affecting my good night sleep.
Traditionally, experts have recommended not exercising at night as part of good sleep hygiene. Now a new study, published Oct. 29, 2018, in Sports Medicine, suggests that you can exercise in the evening as long as you avoid vigorous activity for at least one hour before bedtime.
The researchers examined 23 studies that evaluated sleep onset and quality in healthy adults who performed a single session of evening exercise compared with similar adults who did not. They found that not only did evening exercise not affect sleep, it seemed to help people fall asleep faster and spend more time in deep sleep. However, those who did high-intensity exercise — such as interval training — less than one hour before bedtime took longer to fall asleep and had poorer sleep quality.
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If you want to work yoga into your bedtime routine, it’s important to do the right kind. Some types of yoga can be energizing (like hot yoga and vigorous vinyasa flow), which won’t help you relax unlike restorative styles of yoga like hatha, therapeutic and nidra. Here are three poses that are ideal for preparing your body for sleep.
Legs Up the Wall: Lie on the ground on your back and put the back of your legs up a wall (keep your legs straight), so your body is in an L-shaped pose. Relax into the position, hold it for at least 30 seconds and focus on your breathing.
Lying Butterfly: Lie on the ground on your back. Press the bottoms of your feet against each other and let your knees fall out to the sides. You can put a pillow under your knees if this feels too strenuous.
Corpse Pose: Lie on the ground on your back with legs straight, arms by sides, and palms facing up. Breathe slowly, focusing on your inhales and exhales.
At Safety Bay Yoga Centre we design our classes in a way that, the morning classes have energizing effects to take on the day and the night classes have Calming Relaxing effects that will get you ready for a great night sleep.
When I have truly put my ego aside and really tuned in to what my body needs, implementing the right type practice to the time of the day, my nights became better - this followed into my days.
Here’s a 10 min sequence you can do before bed for a great night sleep.
By Rita McCabe
