How to Use Bikram Yoga to Alleviate Insomnia
Any number of stressors--from work and life anxiety to noise and excess light from modern conveniences such as televisions and computers--can cause insomnia. Learn how bikram yoga, a specialized branch of yoga which consists of 26 asanas performed in a room heated to 105 degrees F, can help alleviate your insomnia.
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Instructions
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How to Use Bikram Yoga to Alleviate Insomnia
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Practice bikram yoga regularly. Regular and consistent exercise helps your body burn off extra sugars, releasing body chemicals that aid sleep. However, avoid exercising less than four hours before bed, or it could worsen your insomnia.
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Focus on your breathing, or pranayama. Slow, deliberate breathing helps to focus and calm the mind. Using pranayama in both your Birkam practice as well as at home, shortly before bedtime, can help calm anxiety and prepare the mind and body for sleep.
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Embrace the heat. The temperature required for bikram yoga improves circulation, particularly to the part of the brain that regulates sleep, which can help alleviate insomnia.
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Sweat it out. While the temperature may seem extreme or feel uncomfortable at first, it helps flush toxins from the body and rejuvenates cells, resulting in a calmer mind and more sound sleep.
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Quiet your mind. One of the primary benefits of yoga is that it calms the mind and relieves stress. Be cognizant of the practices you use in class and take the lessons home with you. Try out a few bikram poses--particularly half tortoise pose, rabbit pose and corpse pose--to help relax you prior to bed.
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Tips & Warnings
Talk to your bikram yoga instructor about which poses would benefit you most in a home practice, particularly as a pre-sleeping routine.
Always consult your physician before starting a new fitness program.
