Restorative poses for Insomnia
One of my friends who is going through a traumatic time right now in her life, is experiencing insomnia. I thought it would be a good idea for me to learn more about what poses are helpful for this debilitating condition. So in last nights' Restorative class at Still, I taught a class based on poses designed to help with insomnia. I used Judith Lasater's classic book Relax and Renew as an inspiration. I also read up on my teacher's Jillian Pransky's website and notes from studying with her.
Yesterday as I opened class and mentioned our focus, three students sighed out loud saying that they too suffer from insomnia. I feel so blessed that I can sleep well and so heartbroken for those who have come to associate their bedroom with anxiety, because of their difficulties in falling asleep.
I created a calming atmosphere in class by bringing a candle infused with chamomile and brought a balm infused with mugwort, which is said to help with dreaming.
Here is what I did last night:
After a moment of centering I had them come to their backs and close their eyes.
Then we do a few stretches that I got from my many years of study with John, mainly hs therapeutic workshops. These stretches are designed to help open and release the lower back, including apanasana and supta padangusthasana... Very sweet way of beginning class, and who doesn't need to stretch their lower back?
Then we sit for a moment and do some pranayama.
Last night we did Nadi Shodanah since it helps to calm the mind and balance the left and right side of the brain. So much of insomnia is caused by an agitated and anxious brain. In fact Swami Muktananda said that in order to have a good night's sleep, one must be willing to "forget the day." And if the mind is agitated and regurgitating thoughts from our day, we cannot fall asleep.
The four poses we did yesterday were:
#1. Mountain Brook Pose
#2. Viparita Karani
#3. Supta Baddha Konasana
#4. Savasana
I did some pranayama between the poses including "chandra bhedana" which helps open the moon channel.
I also guided the students through a chakra meditation as a way of stilling their minds and lo and behold three students were in such a deep state that two stayed in the same pose through most of the class and one fell asleep. How amazing that they felt safe enough to do that! I love the class that has been created every Thursday- there is a regular crew of devoted yogis and I feel that I'm hitting my stride with teaching Restorative. There is nothing like doing something over and over, with devotion, that just makes you better at it, and a bit more confident.
All through class I went one by one and gave them some hands on therapy. One student shyly asked if I could give her more hands on, and my heart burst with pride!
We ended with one more Nadi Shodanah with a slight digital variation.
What an amazing class and practice!
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