Yoga for Sleeping Disorder | Sleeping Problems

Yoga for Sleep Related Problems

While yoga is world renowned for its effective ways of a healthy living, very few know the benefits of this exercise in curing sleep related problems.

Yoga is a form of exercise that works on the union of body mind and spirit. Along with making the body fit and healthy, it also helps a lot in improving blood circulation, muscle and joint flexibility as well as improvement in sleeping habits.

Yoga can help tackle sleep related problems through tension releasing exercises and poses that loosen up the tight muscles and put you into a deep state of relaxation. However, it calls for a bit of work and serious attention. These breathing and stretching exercises are developed to pace down those thoughts racing in your mind. This yoga for sleep helps channel out the flow of stress hormones that the body generates when you are stressed.

There are a few gentle stretching exercises before hitting the sack that can help you relax and get rid of all that tension. All poses in yoga for sleep are aimed at keeping you fit and active during the day so as to make your body feel ready to sleep at night. Certain yoga poses have a calming effect on your body.

Forward bending exercises like the Standing Forward Bend, Head to Knee pose, Downward Facing Dog Pose, and the Seated Forward Bend help in stimulating the response to relaxation and ease the nervous system. There are also supine poses like the Bridge Pose, Reclining Bound Angle Pose and the Reclining Hero Pose. There is also the Supported Shoulder Stand which can be performed right before heading to bed for a good night sleep. Poses like the Plow Pose, Supported Headstand, and the Legs up the Wall Pose are effective in case the sleep deprivation is hormonal.

One can also perform a gentle rhythmic cycle of breathing while resting on the bed to overcome sleep related problems. Before going to bed, one can perform gentle stretching which aids relaxation and releases tension. The Happy Baby pose helps release all the stress from parts like the hips and the lower back while the Goddess Pose opens up the groins. The Corpse Pose which is performed at the end of every yoga session works effectively in relaxing the body and clearing the clutter that the mind may usually be filled with in order to get sound sleep.

Yoga for Menstruation | Irregular Menstruation

Irregular Menstruation Cycle

Menstruation is an important part of every woman’s life cycle. A woman begins to go through a series of hormonal changes during the menstruation cycle that occurs once every month. Unfortunately almost every woman is likely to experience a menstruation problem by way of anxiety, stress and several mood swings at some point of time.

Yoga for Menstruation

Yoga is often referred to as one of the healthiest and natural ways of treating menstrual problems. By practicing different forms of yoga on a regular basis, one can ensure pain relief and direct the body and mind towards a healthy being.

A regular practice of Hatha Yoga which is a blend of yoga poses, meditation, and deep breathing, paves the way towards a healthy, pain free life. It is often recommended for women to perform yoga during their menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause as it helps ease the discomfort during such phases. Even the PMS phase can be reduced with the help of yoga.

There are various exercises in yoga for menstrual pains ranging from delayed menstruation, to an irregular menstruation cycle. Poses like Dhanurasana or the bow pose, Virasana or the hero's pose, Janu Shirsana or head to knee pose, Baddha konasana or cobbler's pose, Pachimottansana or back to spine stretching pose, and Matysyasana or fish pose are basically aimed at increasing the flexibility of the spine, help tone abdominal muscles, reduce the stress levels, and restore the hormonal balance by regulation of the endocrine system. Some of the poses aid in re-energizing the energy centers in the body and helps balance body functions. One can perform some of these poses atleast 3 to 5 times a day and try and hold the body in the stretched position for at least 30 seconds.

What will help regulating the menstrual cycles in a better way would be the incorporation of a few breathing exercises along with these poses. For instance, Pranayama can prove to be very beneficial in regulating the menstrual cycles. Anulom Vilom or deep breathing through the nostrils in alternate rounds is very helpful in reducing the stress levels and cools the body off. Kapalbhati or forceful breathing by pressurizing the stomach can significantly work towards regulating ailments like thyroid, obesity and other digestive problems which prove to the factors contributing to the cause of irregular periods.

Along with yoga for menstruation, breathing exercises, a healthy diet at regularized times, reduction in the intake of meat and caffeine, especially red meat, can help tackle menstruation problems.