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Try This Bedtime Yoga Pose

Relaxing your body and mind may help you get to sleep

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 19, 2023

Updated April 19, 2023

Three pairs of legs raised up against a wall

Westend61/Getty Images

Quick Win

Let tension melt away with Legs Up the Wall pose tonight. Gravity does the work, freeing you to focus on relaxing.

Try This Today

Set up. Place a yoga mat or towel perpendicular to a wall, and lie down. Stretch your legs up the wall, keeping your feet roughly hip distance apart.
Adjust. Scoot your buttocks and hips as close to the wall as you can while remaining comfortable. You should be able to relax without feeling any strain. Use a thin cushion or folded blanket or towel under your hips if that’s helpful.
Chill. Relax your arms by your sides. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, letting your belly rise on each inhale and fall on each exhale. Stay in the pose for 10 minutes or however long is comfortable.

Why

Legs Up the Wall is a classic posture in restorative yoga, a style that focuses on passive poses that emphasize relaxation. Restorative yoga was among yoga practices shown to improve sleep in a 2020 analysis in BMC Psychiatry of 19 studies of women with sleep problems.

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