This blog briefly looks at how specific strategies of yoga therapy can help in getting a good night of rest and managing stress. There is a link to an upcoming continuing education virtual workshop that I am teaching on September 12th within the blog.
Getting a good night of rest is fundamental to our wellness. We need sleep to feel refreshed in the morning and ready to tackle our day…to “slay the dragons” with greater ease so to speak. The benefits of sleep are many including:
mental alertness
mood boost
healthier heart/cardiovascular system
weight management
steadier blood sugar
stronger immune functioning
You can read more about the many benefits of sleep at https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/benefits-sleep-more.
While we know we need to get a good night of sleep…that doesn’t mean we can so easily get the sleep we need. One only has to spend a bit of time watching TV to see the cycle of ads regarding RX’s for sleep. There are many reasons why a person can’t sleep well. Those reasons range from medical conditions such as sleep apnea to hormonal imbalances to diet to name a few. Yoga Therapy can work with the individual to support certain conditions that can be preventing someone from getting that sleep they deserve. In today’s ever changing landscape, STRESS is a huge piece that can be playing into tossing and turning at night!
Yoga therapy works with the art and science of the human condition on a multidimensional level. Stress is a prime example of how something can affect us on multiple levels. We may experience upper back, neck, shoulder and jaw tension on the physical/anatomical level. On a physiological level, our blood pressure can become elevated without “metabolizing” our stress in a healthy way, Stress can create chronic worry or anxiety which influences us on a psychological level. And finally, our relationships and workplace interactions can become challenged which reaches us on a social level. Can you all relate?
I will be teaching an upcoming workshop on how Yoga Therapy can support sleep. Here’s the link: https://www.warrioriiyoga.com/event/eyes-wide-open-yoga-strategies-to-support-sleep/. In my clinical training through American Viniyoga Institute, I learned that sleep support needs different strategies at different times of the day. We will look at qualities we want to create through breath and movement and other tools of yoga from the perspective of morning, mid day, evening, and “in bed” strategies. I am getting so excited to teach this workshop and to be of service for anyone that wants to learn generalized strategies to improve their sleep in a holistic way.
We CAN learn to sleep better. And if we are ready, we can learn to navigate our lives from the inside out, listening to our heart in our choices. The ancients viewed the stages of sleep as a time of going in, working through repressed emotions/thoughts, merging with Source, and exiting from sleep in a state of pure consciousness. So lovely!