Bedtime Yoga Routine for Better Sleep

About this plan

Three sequences of eight poses, all beginner-friendly, built around forward folds and floor positions rather than anything that raises your heart rate.

The first sequence moves through child's pose, cat, downward dog, a standing forward bend, hero pose, a seated wide-leg fold, a wide-legged standing fold and bridge. The second opens with garland pose, then cat, hands-to-feet, standing wide-leg fold, hero, wide-legged fold, child's pose and fish. The third returns to hero and cat, then downward dog, forward bend, seated wide-leg fold, wide-legged fold, child's pose and fish.

Forward folds dominate all three, and that is the point. Folding forward with the head below the heart tends to settle the nervous system, in a way that back-bending and standing balance work does not. Child's pose and the seated wide-leg fold in particular are positions you can stay in and breathe rather than positions you achieve.

Hero pose is the one to modify. Sitting back on your heels is uncomfortable for most knees and ankles until it is not — put a cushion or a folded blanket between your heels and your backside, and another under your ankles if the fronts of your feet complain. There is nothing to gain from making a bedtime pose unpleasant.

Fish pose at the end of two sequences opens the chest and the front of the throat after a day spent curled toward a screen. Support your head if it does not reach the floor comfortably.

Let the breath set the timing rather than counting. Five to eight slow breaths per pose is roughly right, and the whole thing runs fifteen to twenty minutes at that pace. Do it in dim light, and do not rush the last two poses — they are the ones doing the work.