Alternative and Integral Therapies for Insomnia

Yoga

Simple stretching and relaxation exercises of yoga can increase suppleness, enhance mental and physical relaxation, and improve the quality of your sleep. Yoga is suitable for people of all ages. Do the exercises every evening. Yoga relaxation uses breathing and visualization techniques.

Yoga exercises for insomnia are organized into a three-part sequence. They are designed to help you unwind mentally and physically and prepare you to sleep.

1. Use breathing techniques to relax for five minutes to unwind from daily activities.

2. Do gentle stretches for ten minutes. When doing the exercises listen to your body and be guided by it. Stretch only as far and as often as is comfortable. Do only those asanas or postures you can achieve comfortably.

3. Use breathing relaxation or yoga nidra for ten minutes.

Yoga Nidra Relaxation

In Sanskrit, nidra means sleep.

1. Breathe deeply and evenly through both nostrils for several seconds. Feel the breath flow right down into your abdomen. As you exhale, let any remaining tension in your body flow out with it.

2. Visualize a relaxing scene. Focus on your feet. Tense and release your toes, then flex your feet hard. As you relax them, feel all the tension drain from your feet, ankles, calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen and breathe it out.

3. Focus on your hands. Tense the muscles in your arms and hands by clenching your hands into a tight fist, release and let the tension flow from your fingertips up your arms to your shoulders. Breathe it out.

4. Focus on your shoulders. Tense your shoulder blades and relax them three times.

5. Turn your head to right and left to free any tension in the neck muscles and let your neck relax. Finally tense your facial muscles and as you release them be aware of all the tension draining out of the areas of tension, around your jaw and mouth, the eyes, and away from the forehead.

Standing stretches

Stand with your legs hip width apart, feet parallel, and spine Lifted up with head and neck in a straight Line. Push your heels and toes into the floor. Inhale and exhale deeply a few times. 

Whole body stretch

Inhaling deeply, raise your arms above your head with hands clasped, and come up on to your toes. Stretch the whole body upward. Exhale and bring your arms to your side, and lower your heels to the floor. Repeat once more.

Gentle swings

Stand with feet slightly apart and knees slightly bent. Gently swing both arms first to the right, turning your head to the right. Then swing to the Left, turning your head to the Left. Repeat several times in a continuous movement. Relax with your Legs together and arms by your sides.

See Also: Yoga supercenter in holisticonline.com

Yoga for stress management

Ayurveda for insomnia

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