Welcome!
I'm so excited to be bringing you the 10-day yoga for insomnia bundle. This course is meant to fit into a busy schedule and provide manageable chunks of yoga that can improve your sleep. Be sure to bookmark this page so you can access the videos at any time!
You can do these videos over the next 10 days, or spread them out over the next month. Because of the complex nature of sleep, this bundle is a little bit different than the chronic pain and chronic fatigue bundles. There are four different types of classes:
1) Meditation
We have one breathing meditation and two yoga nidra sessions. These can be done at any time of day, but I recommend you do them in the evening or just before bed. They can also be helpful to do if you can't fall asleep or wake up during the night and can't get back to bed.
2) Restorative
These "moving meditations" are best done after dinner or right before bed. They are slow moving and require holding poses for long periods of time, but we use props to make sure they are comfortable. These can also be done anytime during the day if you're having a low energy day. We'll have three restorative sessions.
3) Evening
These are a combination of yin and hatha yoga. Slower moving than our morning classes but more energetic than the restorative ones. It's best to avoid these right before bed, but they make a great transition from the workday into the evening and help calm the body and mind. We'll have two of these in the course.
4) Morning
These are active practices only to be done in the morning or early afternoon. If done in the evening they might affect your sleep as they're designed to increase energy. Depending on your energy and fitness levels, you may need to make some modifications to these practices such as resting in child's pose or visualizing the practice on lower energy days. They are great to do right upon waking if you feel groggy in the morning because they can be a nice "wake me up" like a cup of coffee without the caffeine crash.
In every practice, I am there to guide you, but your body is your best teacher. Always listen to what you need and feel free to make adjustments. If something isn't working for you, feel free to reach out to me at any time!
To start with I recommend doing one practice per day, but as you begin to see how your body responds to different practices, you may wish to do a short morning and a short evening routine every day to get the greatest benefits to your sleep.
Props
In the restorative practice, we use props to help us get comfortable in the pose. Many of the props can be substituted with products you'll have around your house, but I just wanted to share what you'll need in case you'd like to purchase any new equipment!
1) A yoga bolster. If you have a long and firm pillow at home you can use that instead of the bolster. If you'd like a bolster I'm a big fan of Gaiaim bolsters or Halfmoon bolsters. For those in the UK, I've also used Yogamatters products and been very happy with them!
2) Two yoga blocks. These are the hardest to replace with things around your house but you can use textbooks or anything that's around 6 inches high that can hold your weight. Yoga Gaiam makes blocks and Yogamatters in the UK.
3) A strap. This is pretty easy to replace with a scarf or belt. If you'd like to buy one Manduka makes a nice strap or Yogamatters has a strap and block set.
4) Eye pillow. This is optional and can also be easily replaced with something around your house (in the videos I just use the strap to cover my eyes) but it is definitely luxurious to be able to practice with an eye pillow! Yogamatters makes an eye pillow or you can also make your own from home!
5) Two blankets. These can be any thin blankets you have around the house!
As I said, you can definitely find things around your house to replace these items, but wanted to make sure you had some warning if you needed to pull something out of a closet or buy something :).
Sleep Journal
If you're a writer or enjoy keeping meticulous track of your progress, I recommend downloading and printing out this sleep journal. It includes space to record your sleep each night, and keep track of which things are helping you the most.
Yoga for Insomnia book
If you'd like to learn more about the theories behind yoga for insomnia, as well as a larger variety of meditations and lifestyle tips to help with sleep, check out Yoga for Insomnia: 7 Steps to Better Sleep with Yoga and Meditation which makes a great companion to this course!
Sending love and light,
Kayla xx
Yoga for Insomnia 10-day Bundle
