Yoga for Insomnia

Yoga for Insomnia

Anyone who has never experienced insomnia may not understand the far reaching effects of this condition. Insomnia refers to the inability to fall or stay asleep through the night. When the body doesn’t receive six to eight hours of sleep during the night, it feels fatigued and exhausted through the day. This can bring down productivity at work, reduce your ability to concentrate on a task at hand and play havoc with your emotions and moods. It can also have a dramatic impact on your interpersonal relations as you feel listless and irritated most of the time.
While some people may experience insomnia occasionally, others may experience it for several weeks or on a long term basis. Some of the common symptoms of this condition include not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep. You may wake up feeling tired and may be sleepy through the day. Patients who suffer from chronic insomnia may have trouble getting through their daily routines.

Yoga and Insomnia

Hot Power Yoga is a discipline that includes physical, mental and spiritual aspects. While most students of this ancient practice focus on the physical side of the routine, it can help your body and mind relax and calm down. This form of exercise requires that you perform asanas that are designed to exercise certain parts of your body and offer unique benefits. It is vital that you pay attention to the manner in which you inhale and exhale as you move in and out of the yoga asanas.
To begin with your yoga class will help you focus on your body and strengthen its connection with your mind. It will also help you reflect on your lifestyle and may help you identify factors that may contribute towards insomnia. Some common causes for insomnia include stress, an irregular work and sleep routine and unhealthy food habits. Too many cups of coffee or alcohol may be keeping you from falling asleep.
When you perform yoga your body receives an excellent workout. Not only do you exercise your limbs and muscles, but also the internal organs. After a few weeks, or even days of performing yoga you will feel a distinct improvement in your health. You will also gain an overall feeling of well being. As the organ systems of the body begin to perform optimally, and in harmony, you are more likely to return to the body’s natural tendency to feel sleepy after sun down.
Yoga offers the body a complete workout and leaves it well exercised. As you gain a stronger and healthier body, you will also find a change in self image, and the manner in which you deal with stressful situations. It makes you feel stronger and in more control of your life and health.

Yoga Asanas for Insomnia

It is important that you speak to your yoga instructor about your condition. He or she will probably include postures such as the halasana or the plough pose, uttanasana or the forward bend and pavana muktasana or the double wind releasing pose. These exercises stretch the body and help it feel fitter. Other asanas such as shavasana or the corpse pose will help calm your body and relax. Most instructors recommend that you perform the poses that relax the body before you go to bed at night.
Refer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001808/
http://www.americanyogaassociation.org/16insomnia.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/7-yoga-poses-cure-insomnia-573163.html