Anyone who suffers from insomnia will be only too aware of the damage it can do to your quality of life. You make extra time to have an early night so you can be confident that you will at least get some sleep, and it just makes you more aware of how tired you don’t feel. It can be absolutely infuriating – which doesn’t make it any easier.
There are some basic yoga exercises which will help you if insomnia is threatening to ruin your life. They will allow you to clear your mind when it seems it won’t stop racing, and they can also be good for clearing tension from your muscles when you really need to feel relaxed. If insomnia has been getting you down, then a three-times a week dose of Ashtanga, a vigorous form of yoga, can be the answer. It is best to do the exercise a few hours before going to sleep, as vigorous exercise just prior to bedding down is a really bad idea.
When you are lying in bed, a good yogic tip is to practise the unfortunately-named “corpse pose”. To do this, you lie on your back and focus on each part of your body starting with your feet – indeed, at the tips of your toes. Focus on releasing tension and softening each body part, and then spend a few minutes breathing naturally, in and out. Your conscious mind may try to cut in during this process. It is simply important that you do not let it engage you. After a few minutes of breathing naturally, you should find yourself drifting off.