More than half of people who practise yoga regularly report it helps them sleep better, and the reason isn’t mysterious: slow, controlled movement paired with deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is exactly the physiological state your body needs to fall asleep. Here’s a simple routine to try before bed.
What Kind of Yoga Actually Helps
Not every style is a good fit for bedtime. Vinyasa flows, backbends, and inversions raise your heart rate and energy, which can work against you right before sleep. Gentle Hatha, restorative, or Yin-style stretching — slow, passive, held for longer — is what actually helps you wind down.
A Simple Five-Pose Bedtime Sequence
- Seated forward fold (1–2 minutes). Sitting with legs extended, fold gently forward over your legs, letting your head and neck relax completely.
- Butterfly pose (1–2 minutes). Soles of the feet together, knees relaxed out to the sides, gently folding forward.
- Reclined twist, both sides (1 minute each). Lying on your back, drop both knees to one side while keeping shoulders on the floor.
- Legs up the wall (3–5 minutes). Lie with your legs resting up against a wall — a well-known pose for calming the nervous system and easing tired legs.
- Child’s pose or lying stillness (2–3 minutes). Finish here, breathing slowly, letting your whole body settle before you get into bed.
Timing and Breath Matter More Than the Poses
Practising around 30–60 minutes before bed, rather than right as you’re trying to fall asleep, gives your body time to shift out of an alert state. Throughout the sequence, slow diaphragmatic breathing — a longer exhale than inhale — does more of the calming work than the poses themselves. Consistency also matters: the more regularly you practise, the more reliably your body learns to associate the routine with winding down.
Where Njálla Fits
A bedtime sequence spent mostly on the floor calls for soft, non-restrictive fabric that doesn’t need adjusting mid-fold. Our leggings are cut for a full, unrestricted range of motion, whether you’re deep in a forward fold or lying still with your legs up the wall.
Looking for more evidence-based ways to calm your nervous system during the day, too? Read our guide to calming your nervous system.
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