Yoga For Better Sleep

Yoga For Better Sleep:Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science by Mark Stephens

This book starts by explaining the mechanisms of sleep & what can disturb it. For many, some information might be old news (don't surf the web or social media before bed), but I imagine there are also many who will be discovering this for the first time, after all, we can't know everything. While I already understood a good amount of the information provided, I also learned a lot. My problem is, now that I know how we sleep & what I should do to fall asleep, I've been having more trouble falling asleep because my active brain decides to ruminate on what I learned while I'm trying to sleep.

It's July as of the time of this review & I've been struggling to fall asleep even though I'm exhausted. I run my own small organic family farm & am utterly pooped. When I finally crawl into bed, I find myself awake an hour later. I end up napping during the day. I always thought naps were okay. Mark Stephens explains how napping reduces the sleep pressure required. Napping can make falling asleep & staying asleep worse. I have now stopped napping. I'm more tired than ever & I'm still having trouble falling asleep. From other info. in this book I believe part of the problem is the overly long days. Too long for me. There is not enough darkness. Plus, my bedroom is way too warm. It's too warm, because it's so flippin' hot out & it isn't cooling off at night. I expect as the days grow shorter & the temps stop trying to boil me in my flesh, I'll finally start to sleep better, plus I'll actually get some down time before bed.

The yoga sequences are great. There are several practices for various types of people, plus one general practice. My yoga practices consist of Jane Adams DVD's which I love. Jane is great for us middle aged, less flexible types. While Jane does a wonderful job walking you through each pose, she doesn't always provide alternatives if you cannot do a pose. This book gives several alternatives for each pose. If you can't do pose A then try this. If you also can't do this, then try this instead. Each pose option makes the position easier & easier depending on your flexibility. He also provides info. at the beginning of each pose listing possible sensitivities. For example: Side Stretch Special Sensitivity: Low back, neck, knees, shoulders. Next any need props are listed, then how to do the pose with various adjustments if you struggle with the pose.

Overall, I am very pleased with this book. It has increased my knowledge regarding sleep, provided me with incredibly relaxing yoga routines, & shown me how to make adjustments to poses I've struggled with in the past.

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