5 Calming Yoga Poses and Exercises To Do Before Bedtime

We've all been there—lying in bed, ready for sleep to come, yet the mind is racing. It's not just about being awake. Being in this position means your body is also restless and uncomfortable. Luckily, yoga can help! These calming poses will help you relax before bed so that you can fall asleep more easily and get a good night's rest.

Calming Yoga Poses and Exercises To Do Before Bedtime

1. Child's Pose

The Child's Pose is a gentle way to get your body into a restful position. It's also a great pose for opening up the hips and creating space within the upper back, which can help release tension in the shoulders and neck.

Here's how you can do it:

Kneel on the floor with your knees hip-width apart, or closer together if that's more comfortable.
Sit with your hips back between your heels, keeping your knees bent at 90 degrees.
Lower down until your chest touches your thighs.
Use elbows to support upper body weight, and keep your head relaxed toward the floor, but don't let it rest there.
Keep looking forward because this will help you keep your spine long.
Hold for 3–5 minutes or longer if desired.
You can also add some deep breathing in the last step.

2. Corpse Pose

Corpse Pose (Savasana) is a great way to end your yoga practice. It helps you relax and prepare for sleep by allowing the body to release tension and maintain full relaxation throughout.

To do a Corpse Pose, here's what you have to do:

Lie flat on your back with arms at your sides, and palms facing up.
Close your eyes and breathe deeply for five minutes, focusing on relaxing all parts of your body as you exhale slowly through the nose.
This is one of the most important poses in yoga because it teaches us how to give our bodies what they need when we’re feeling stressed out or exhausted—a few moments of peace!

There are many benefits to this Asana. It helps relieve stress and anxiety, eases muscle tension, improves circulation, and encourages restful sleep.

3. Supine Spinal Twist

Supine Spinal Twist is one of the best exercises to open up your lower body. As such, it can be quite relaxing. It helps relieve any tension in the lower back, helping you get a good stretch before bedtime.

Here's how you can do it:

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height with palms facing up, then inhale and lift one leg off of the ground.
Keep both shoulders pressed down into the mat as you rotate towards that leg, reaching it across your body as far as possible without letting your back arch or chest lift away from the mat (you should feel a stretch in your lower back).
Hold for five deep breaths before switching legs and repeating on the opposite side.
Bring one knee into the chest while simultaneously lowering the other leg until it's straight.
Gently rest head on hands or forearms.

4. Seated Forward Bend

Seated Forward Bend is a great way to stretch out your hamstrings and calves, while also opening up your lower back.

Here's how you can do it:

This pose is a great way to calm your mind and relax both your body and mind.
The benefits of this pose are increased flexibility and improved mental clarity.
To do this pose, sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you.
Bend forward from the waist until your torso is parallel with the floor or as close as possible without pain, then release back up into an upright position.
Hold for 5-10 seconds before repeating two more times or until it feels comfortable for you to stop holding this pose.

5. Happy Baby Pose

Happy Baby Pose is a very relaxing pose that you can do before bedtime. It’s also one of the most common yoga poses for relaxation.

To get into Happy Baby Pose, here's what you have to do:

Lie on your back and bend your knees to bring them up so they are at a 90-degree angle from the floor.
Place both hands over your heels, with elbows pointing outwards and fingers interlaced.
Then begin to lower your legs down towards your chest until you feel a stretch in both hamstrings and calves.
Take several deep breaths while staying here before returning back up and repeating three times.

Conclusion

Whether you consider yourself a “yogi” or not, there are many benefits to incorporating yoga into your life. This practice can help reduce stress, improve posture and balance, and increase flexibility and strength—and that’s just the beginning!

There are so many reasons why yoga is good for us physically and mentally. However, if you’re looking for something more specific—like how this ancient practice can help relax your mind before bedtime—we hope these five yoga poses will serve as inspiration for how it might work for you.