I’ll start with a confession. I personally have a hard time settling down and getting myself ready for bed sometimes. My body is tired and my brain hasn’t gotten the memo. So I’ve built a lot of my evening classes around the thing that actually helps me, which is slowing everything down on purpose before I climb into bed.
None of this is a cure for anything, and if sleep is a real struggle for you it’s worth talking to your doctor. But a short, soft practice at the end of the day is one of my favorite habits, and here’s how I approach it.
Start with the breath, not the stretch
In my Bedtime Yoga Class we don’t move at all for the first few minutes. We sit and close our eyes and just breathe. First a couple of big breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, to let go of the day. Then I guide you into equal breathing, in through the nose for a count of five and out for a count of five. Adjust the count so it fits you. The goal is an even inhale and exhale.
Once that feels steady, add ujjayi breath, a gentle constriction in the back of the throat so your breath becomes audible. I describe it as an oceanic sound, and I let it soothe and calm me. If you only have three minutes before bed, do this part.
Get the kinks out of your neck and shoulders
We hold a lot of the day in our necks and shoulders. So next come slow neck rolls, keeping your shoulders relaxed away from your ears. If you notice you’re hunching to make the circle bigger, back off.
Then thread the needle. From hands and knees, slide one arm underneath the other and rest that shoulder and ear on the mat, with the top hand soft. I call this working toward softness before we climb into bed. Switch sides and take your time.
Legs up the wall
This is my favorite one for the end of the day. Bring your mat so it runs lengthwise out from a wall, and scoot your hips all the way up to it. Then lie down and swing your legs up the wall. Rest your heels on the wall and let your arms rest alongside your body, or put one hand on your heart and one on your belly.
The point is that you’re not working. If you have open inner thighs you can let your legs slide apart into a wide straddle on the wall. But if that feels hard on your inner thighs, it’s not restorative for you, and it’s not a good pose to do before bed. Just keep your legs straight up and breathe softly.
One more thing I love about this pose. If you wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time falling back to sleep, and you’re motivated enough to get out of bed, legs up the wall is a lovely thing to do.
Make it easy on yourself
This isn’t the time for a perfect outfit or a perfect setup. In my Yoga for Relaxing & Winding Down class I tell you that your pajamas might be appropriate, because we won’t be doing a lot of dynamic movement. If you don’t have a bolster, use a pillow. I also have you open and close your mouth a few times to stretch and relax your jaw, which is a place a lot of us carry tension without noticing.
My Evening Release class happens mostly on your back, which is awesome when you’re winding down. It starts in reclined butterfly with one hand on your low belly and one on your chest, just noticing your breath. And my Evening Yoga for Relaxation & Deep Sleep is mostly restorative, with deep stretches that aren’t super long holds. It’s just enough to loosen you up. If you have a bolster, rest your ear on it in child’s pose. Child’s pose is so restorative, but resting on a bolster feels really nice.
If you still have energy to burn
Some nights you come home buzzing. That’s what my Complete Your Day the Right Way class is for. We start standing, with a little more energy, and then take it from higher energy to lower energy as the class goes. Moon salutations are another nice option. They’re a really grounding, meditative sequence, and I like them in the evening.
End with the breath you’d have if you were falling asleep
At the end of the bedtime class, whether you stay with your legs up the wall or come down into shavasana, I ask you to let go of controlling your breath and find the breath you’d have if you were falling asleep. You’re not focusing on it anymore. You’re just letting it be.
And if you’d like to let me do all the work, try my Yoga Nidra class. You can practice it on your mat or right in your bed, and I simply guide you into a state of relaxation.
My wind-down classes
- Bedtime Yoga Class (24m 6s). Breath, neck and shoulders, legs up the wall.
- Evening Yoga for Relaxation & Deep Sleep (18m 56s). Short and mostly restorative.
- Yoga for Relaxing & Winding Down (33m 21s). Pajamas welcome.
- Evening Release Yoga Class (20m 50s). Mostly on your back.
- Complete Your Day the Right Way (28m 22s). From busy to calm.
- Moon Salutations Yoga Class (14m 14s). A grounding evening sequence.
- Yoga Nidra, The Yoga of Sleep & Relaxation (27m 37s). Lie down and listen.
If you’d like music while you wind down, my meditation and mindfulness playlists are a nice match for these. And if you ever join us at our retreats in Nosara, you’ll find the evening class there has the same job, settling you down at the end of the day. Sleep well, friends.
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