To Sleep. Perchance to Dream

Yes, sleeping is good for you.  But how many of us struggle with sleep issues?  Often, we fall asleep easily, only to wake up an hour later and not be able to get back to sleep. There is a new study

Nighty Night

that offers the idea that cancer survivors do much better if they are studying Yoga, because Yoga helps them get the appropriate rest and sleep they need to recover from the stress of the illness, and the treatment of the illness.

One of the most effective tools for a good night’s sleep is a simple

forward fold

forward bend.  If you wake up in the middle of the night, worrying, or just running through the cogs in the wheel of your busy mind, you can stretch our your legs in front of you, stretch arms overhead on an inhale, and fold yourself down over the legs on an exhale.  Release any tension, have a soft bend in the knees if you like.  No strain!

This powerful, but simple pose helps to reduce the cortisol (a powerful stress hormone) in the bloodstream.  It turns on the “relaxation response” .  Try this for as long as you feel comfortable.  Inhale back up and then go back to sleep, easily and deeply.

Nighty Night!