Did you know that doing a few minutes of yoga before bed can help you to prepare your mind and body to fall asleep more easily while toning your body at the same time? CRS Yoga Instructor Nami Okamoto has created a 10-minute bedtime yoga routine that has attracted more than 10,000 followers. Try it at home and tell us what you think!
You can find more of her yoga videos here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/WaveYogaEng?blend=23&ob=5#p/a
And you are always welcome to attend her WAVE Vinyassa Yoga class at CRS on Mondays from 6 – 7:30 pm or in Hackensack, NJ Thursdays mornings (check her web site for details):
http://www.wave-yoga.net/eng/
10-Minute Pre-Sleep Yoga Routine: Let’s get rid of today’s stress!
I recommend that we begin by rotating our neck in circles,
and loosening up, so it’ll be easier to proceed.
Especially for ladies, our legs swell up easily,
so I’d like to concentrate on our lower body.
Never overexerting ourselves,
please allow yourself to breathe comfortably, with ease.
1: With this lower-body ‘Eagle’ pose, let’s allow ourselves to refresh our legs from fatigue.
-I cross my right leg over my left leg.
(Looping my right foot, around my left ankle.)
-Holding position, I grab hold of both knees.
-Next, while keeping my legs wrapped together,
I bring my knees down to my left side,
and twist my upper body, towards the opposite direction.
Then, we breath deeply…
-I also perform this exercise, on the opposite side.
2: Opening up my legs, I bring my knees in. While doing this, I keep in mind to breathe, calmly.
3. Separating our thighs, we go to ‘Happy Baby’:
-Grabbing hold of the soles of your feet, from the outside,
settle your knees into position, by the sides of your torso.
4: Once more, grab hold of both knees… [Note: For people who have delicate necks, we will go straight into the ‘Savasana’ pose. (#6)]
5: Straighten your legs out, and hold position, to transition into the plow pose, ‘Halasana’:
-Using our abdominal muscles,
we bring in our legs, over our head, and behind us.
-If you’re flexible, hold your arms out behind your back,
and clasp your fingers together.
-With flexibility, you can then bend your knees in,
and interpose your face between them,
with the knees-to-ears pose, ‘Karnapidasana’.
-Curl up your body, making it small,
and feel yourself relaxing, as your spine really loosens up.
6: Relax your mind and body, with the Savasana pose~