ISSUE 77 : 01-15 August 06 Last update August 1 ,2006 -*-
     
 

Good Sleep with Yoga

By Editor

Yoga is a way not only to exercise and to release tension but also to help you sleep well. In this issue, we have Tantrayoga for the person who suffers from insomnia to have a better sleep.

First of all, find a quiet place and atmosphere where the air flows best, then play so-called "Bananum", the Tantrayoga's soft music, along. This song is to help you have a peaceful mind.

One way to massage your body before practicing yoga is face massaging, starting with the temples as the center, then glide your fingers moving from the center of the forehead to the temples, from the bridge of the nose passing the cheekbone to the temples and from the lip lines to the temples. Do it 8 times each direction.

Neck massage is also advisable by using each hand and stroke along the neck 8 times.

Next is arms massage, starting from the wrist to the upper arm, using circular motion with hands around the arms. Squeeze and massage the palm of the hand and each finger. Repeat every step with each arm.

For leg massage, begin at the ankle to the thigh by massaging around each leg with the hands in circling motion. Squeeze and massage the palm of the foot and each of the toes. Repeat on the opposite side.

Practice yoga step-by-step from basic posture and then emphasize on the Hare Posture (Shashuangasana). To start you have to kneel down and sit on your heels with the knees close together, hands grasp around both heels. Inhale while strengthening your body, and lower your forehead to the floor, exhaling during this process. In the head-down position, the bottom should still be on the lower legs and heels. Rise up and inhale. Repeat this step 8 times (as in the picture). After that, lie down with complete body relaxation which is called "Corpse Pose" (Asubhasana). Begin by lying on your back, arms on your sides with palms facing up and relax. You can drift off to sleep while doing this posture. Doing yoga training like this every day or at least 3 times a week can help you have a healthy body , a peaceful mind and a better sleep.

However, there are many and various poses for yoga. Therefore, you should practice all the postures until you finish them all. If you want to emphasize some poses for therapy, you can practice them in addition to the regular postures.