If you’re tossing and turning at night, you’re not alone. Insomnia is a common problem and while sleep medications might offer quick relief but they often come with side effects and don’t address the root cause. The good news? Natural, holistic remedies can help restore your sleep cycle without any unwanted drawbacks.
Here are some tried-and-tested holistic approaches using yoga, Reiki and Ayurveda to help you with Insomnia.
1. Yoga for Deep Relaxation
Yoga is a powerful practice that can calm the nervous system, reduce stress and prepare the body for restful sleep. Yoga poses not necessarily to be done during day. Certain poses and breathing techniques if done during night especially before sleeping signals to your brain that it’s time to wind down.
Best Yoga Poses for Sleep:
- Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall Pose): This gentle inversion helps improve circulation, relaxes the lower back and calms the mind which helps in sleeping better treating Insomnia.
- Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Pose): A great heart-opener that relieves tension, overthinking and promotes deep relaxation.
- Balasana (Child’s Pose): A soothing posture that helps release stress and tension from the body.
- Savasana (Corpse Pose): Practicing deep, mindful breathing in this pose can help quiet a restless mind.
Try incorporating these poses into your bedtime routine along with slow, deep breathing to ease yourself, prepare the mind to go into a restful state.
2. Reiki for Sleep Balance
Reiki is an energy healing practice that works on balancing the body’s energy flow. When your energy is blocked or imbalanced, it can lead to stress, anxiety and sleep disturbances. Reiki helps clear these blockages and promotes a sense of calm.
How Reiki Can Help with Insomnia:
- Reduces stress and anxiety: A Reiki session https://matrihealers.com/services/ can lower cortisol levels and activate the parasympathetic nervous system signaling relaxation.
- Balances the chakras: Reiki session helps balancing energies, particularly in the crown and third-eye chakras can lead to poor sleep quality. Reiki helps healing insomnia and restores balance.
- Encourages deep relaxation: Many people fall asleep during or shortly after a Reiki session as it helps the body enter a deep meditative state.
Try Yourself: If you’re new to Reiki healing, you can try self-Reiki by placing your hands gently over your heart and stomach, breathing deeply and setting an intention for relaxation, calmness to mind & body before bedtime.
3. Ayurveda Remedies for Restful Sleep
Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, views insomnia as an imbalance in the doshas—specifically Vata (air and space element), which governs movement and activity. When Vata is excessive, the mind becomes overactive, making it difficult to sleep.
Ayurvedic Tips for Better Sleep:
- Drink warm golden milk before bed: A cup of warm milk with a pinch of turmeric, nutmeg and honey calms the nervous system.
- Oil massage (Abhyanga): Massaging your feet and scalp with warm sesame or Brahmi oil can ground excess Vata and promote relaxation.
- Herbal remedies: Ashwagandha, Brahmi, and Jatamansi are powerful adaptogens that support the nervous system and helps sleep.
- Follow a consistent sleep schedule: Going to bed and waking up at the same time daily keeps your circadian rhythm in check.
- Sleeping position: Sleeping in Vamkukshi (on left side) cools down the system as it activates the Ida Nadi (Moon Channel) connected to left nostril which helps in quieting the mind ultimately leading to a better sleep.
4. Slow Deep Breathing Exercises for Sleep:
- 4-7-8 Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale slowly for 8 seconds. This technique helps slow the heart rate and relax the nervous system.
- Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold again for 4 seconds. This rhythmic breathing calms the mind and reduces anxiety.
- Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): Close one nostril, inhale deeply through the other, switch nostrils, and exhale. Repeat to balance energy and encourage relaxation.
- Diaphragmatic Breathing: Breathe deeply into the belly rather than the chest, allowing for full oxygen exchange and a calming effect on the body.
Final Thoughts
Sleep is essential for overall health and while modern medicine offers solutions, holistic practices like yoga, Reiki and Ayurveda work in harmony with your body’s natural rhythms. Incorporating these remedies into your nightly routine can help you drift off into deep, restful sleep without relying on medications.
Lastly, using electronic devices right before sleep reduces melatonin production, as the blue light they emit significantly disrupts sleep. Therefore, it should always be avoided.
Give these practices a try and see what works best for you. Sweet dreams!
