Yoga for a Better Night’s Sleep
If daylight savings is messing with your sleeping patterns, try this sequence I created for my Magic Yoga Move column in Health Magazine to help you get back on track.
“Score some seriously rejuvenating shut-eye tonight with these peaceful poses. My husband may make fun of me for heading to bed before 10 p.m., but I’ve always been a big believer in the value of beauty sleep. Our bodies need to get a full seven to nine hours of quality rest to look (and feel!) great.
I’ve also found that what you do before you go to bed can make a huge difference in how well you snooze once you get there. I love my pre-bedtime ritual: this Mermaid sequence. It releases tension in my neck, shoulders, lower back, and hips—all of which can keep me from getting a deep rest. Plus, the side-to-side leaning is very soothing—almost like rocking a baby. After three to five rounds, I climb into bed and easily drift off. Sweet dreams indeed.”
How to do it:
1. Sit back on your shins with your butt on your heels. Inhale as you slide your hips left and onto the floor next to your bent legs; put your right hand down for balance and raise your left arm straight up in the air.
2.Exhale, reaching your left arm overhead and to the right, stretching the left side of your waist.
3. Inhale, bending your left elbow and dropping your left hand behind your head so your left elbow is pointing straight up with your left hand between your shoulder blades, opening your chest to the ceiling.
4. Exhale, folding your chin toward your chest to stretch the entire back of your body, plus your head and neck.
5. Inhale, raising your head and lifting your left arm back up toward the ceiling. Exhale, dropping your arm and coming back onto your shins. Repeat on the opposite side.
For more of my Magic Yoga Move sequences be sure to check out Health.com!
Kristin McGee is a celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor in New York City. She is currently teaching yoga with Peloton. She is the star of over 100 videos, seen in several magazines and tv shows and is a spokeswoman for many brands and causes she believes in. A proud mom to three, she sure keeps herself busy!
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