Stretches with forward bends! They solved my insomnia problems! But, WHY?

[Laura S.]

I was thrilled to find ZYoga when it came out. I had never heard of yoga that would make me sleepy. (Realize - what I know about yoga is not very much.) Then, I found Yoga for Stress and did the insomnia segment and that made me sleepy as well.

This winter was a rough one for me on the sleep front, mainly, I think, because of the high level of stress I've been under. I would wake up in the middle of the night and have a hard time going back to sleep. On the coldest, darkest night of the year, I was frustrated because I was awake and I couldn't go back to sleep and I did NOT want to get out of bed due to the cold. Then I remembered a comment a VFer made in a discussion about ZYoga who said something like, "It's just a bunch of forward bends..."

I quickly mentally cataloged those two tapes and realized it was true. So, huddled underneath the covers as best I could, I did all the stretches I could think of that involved forward bends. And, I fell back to sleep. In the subsequent nights when I woke up, I would do the same thing, notice I would start yawning on about the second or third move, and I would not only fall back to sleep but sleep so deeply. There aren't many guarantees in life, but doing my 7-10 minutes of stretching is about as close as I've ever come because I always fall back to sleep and sleep deeply.

The question is, Does anyone know WHY? I'm just curious as to why it happens.

[Denise R]

I have been suffering insomnia for awhile. (just last night I had to take 2 Advil with sleep aid just to help me fall asleep & stay asleep) I don't rely on those that often and sometimes it doesn't work. I'm going to try your suggestions. I absolutely love forward bends! Next time I'm needing to and can't, I'll do a few forward bends and really relax into them and see if helps!

Sorry I didn't answer your question, but wanted to thank you for the suggestion!!


Denise

[Bebop]

Forward bends are supposed to have a relaxing, calming effect on the mind.

They are actually modified inversions and inversions are supposed to be very calming, soothing and relaxing on the nervous system.

I love foward bends and find them very relaxing poses.

The seated forward bend is probably my favorite yoga pose.

[yogini_michelle]

The following is summary from Erich Shiffmann's Moving into Stillness:

Forward bends are soothing and calming. Stretching and lengthening the back of the body releasing tension and improving circulation from the feet to the neck. Lenghtening the spine creates space and circulation in between the vertebrae which creates less congestion for the nerves which have their origin in the spinal cord. The core organs recieve a massage stimulating digestion. Because forward folds can be held longer, it allows the body more time to let go of tension and held energy soothing the nerves creating calmness and serenity.

"Lenghtening the backside of your body frees you from the past, so you're no longer bothered by events or circumstnces that occurred earlier in your life, this life or past lives. This helps you experience your newness in the now."

On Inversions he pretty much says a lot of the same things especially about the increase of circulation, digestion, and how they create calm within the body and the mind. But he does state that inversions are a great aid to sleep, quieting and overstimilated brain evoking calm.

I believe you can find more on his website MovingIntoStillness.com

[SharonNYC]

Yes, forward bends are calming, relaxation and backbends are energizing. Forward bends are also cooling.

The Ann Dyer program is nice. There are some other good sleep-prep sequences on DVD: insomnia sequence from B. Benagh's Yoga for Stress Relief, sequence 4 from Rodney Yee Yoga for Energy. There are 2 Yee-designed sequnces for in Health Solutions: Sleep -- one for sleep and the other (from Yoga for Energy) for gentle morning practice.

[Pat58]

I tried one of the menstruation series from Yoga Complete for Everybody last night for extreme peri-M cramps and associated tension issues last night - it was a variety of forward bends. I crankily asked "So what's all this supposed to do," then decided to just go with it. Unbelievably, after the practice I was cramp-, mood- and anger-free and had a fabulous night's sleep!

Laura, I hope whatever is stressing you in your life calms down soon.

[Gardengirl]

Laura, I'm trying to envision forward bends in bed under the covers!

[smith938]

I discovered forward bends help me too..wouldn't say 100% but way way way much better! my 'standby' is the ttom practice on yoga for every body..all seated forward bends. the advanced practice has more twists and a few harder bends but is still nice for a longer session. also have zyoga and I found that one helpful when she says something about even if you still can't sleep you can rest. also like the 4th section in yee's energy. 3 longer practices I've done in the morning after working night shift, preparing for bed but needing something more active to work out the stress I've done suzanne deason's conditioning for weight loss, schiffman's back yard beginners (only made it to the shoulder part and was ready to sleep), and yz conditiong and stress release. I also have most of the others mentioned in this thread and will be shpping if more are mentioned LOL!

one thing I DO have trouble understanding is this: why do sun salutations sometimes relax me and other times energize me? or maybe it's the half salutes/sun breaths..sometimes they wake me up gently and othe rtimes they relax me...maybe it's what comes after them??

[cheech]

Are the forward bends you're mentioning regular forward bends, like the ones Cathe and other instructors do at the end of workouts??

[Laura S.]

Originally Posted by Gardengirl

Laura, I'm trying to envision forward bends in bed under the covers!

It's not pretty. But, when it was zero degrees outside and inside felt too cold to be anywhere but under the covers, I just did the best I could with the covers around my shoulders, actually...

Cheech - I tried all the stretches I knew where I bent forward since I didn't know if there were certain ones. Those included:

> The one where you cross your legs and lean forward to stretch the hips
> The one where one you keep on leg straight and one leg bent and lean forward to stretch the hamstring. I repeat it on the other leg. Then, I straighten both legs and lean forward (ala Debbie Siebers in Slim & Limber)
> Cobbler's pose (heels together in front of you and lean forward)
> Child's pose. When in bed, I would face the headboard and place my hands on the it while bending forward. Regular child's pose felt uncomfortable on my knees in the bed.
> Laid on my back and did a spinal twist both ways. This one was not a forward bend, but felt good. By then, I was usually sleepy anyway and it finished the job of relaxing my upper body.