Yoga

Trouble Sleeping? Try This Evening Yoga Routine for Better Rest

Learn easy poses and breathing techniques to unwind and improve your sleep quality, making restless nights a thing of the past.

June 1, 2024
Nitesh Padghan

Do you find yourself tossing and turning at night, unable to fall asleep? You're not alone. Many people struggle with getting a good night's rest, and it can take a toll on your health and productivity. The good news is that a simple evening yoga routine can help you wind down, relax, and prepare for a restful night’s sleep. Here’s how you can incorporate yoga into your bedtime routine to improve your sleep quality.

Why Yoga for Better Sleep?

Yoga is a mind-body practice that combines physical poses, breathing exercises, and meditation. It helps reduce stress, ease muscle tension, and calm the mind—all essential for a good night's sleep. Unlike vigorous exercises, yoga's gentle stretches and mindful breathing make it perfect for an evening routine.

The Benefits of Evening Yoga

  • Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Yoga helps lower cortisol levels, the stress hormone, allowing you to relax and let go of the day's worries.
  • Eases Muscle Tension: Gentle stretches release built-up tension in your muscles, making it easier to fall asleep.
  • Calms the Mind: Mindful breathing and meditation practices quiet your mind, reducing racing thoughts that can keep you awake.
  • Improves Sleep Quality: Regular practice can lead to deeper, more restorative sleep, helping you wake up refreshed.

Setting the Scene for Your Evening Yoga Practice

Before diving into the yoga poses, create a calming environment. Dim the lights, play soft music, and ensure your space is free of distractions. You might want to use a yoga mat, but it's not necessary. The key is to create a peaceful atmosphere that promotes relaxation.

Evening Yoga Routine for Better Rest

Here’s a simple yet effective yoga routine you can follow before bed. Each pose is designed to help you relax and prepare for a good night's sleep.

1. Child’s Pose (Balasana)

Child’s Pose is a gentle stretch for your back, hips, and thighs. It also helps calm the mind.

  • How to Do It:
    • Kneel on the floor with your big toes touching and knees spread apart.
    • Sit back on your heels and stretch your arms forward, lowering your forehead to the mat.
    • Breathe deeply and hold the pose for 1-2 minutes.

2. Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana)

This pose helps relieve tension in your spine and improves flexibility.

  • How to Do It:
    • Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position.
    • Inhale as you arch your back, lifting your head and tailbone (Cow Pose).
    • Exhale as you round your spine, tucking your chin and tailbone (Cat Pose).
    • Continue flowing between these poses for 1-2 minutes.

3. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)

Standing Forward Bend releases tension in your back and shoulders, helping to calm your mind.

  • How to Do It:
    • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
    • Inhale and lift your arms overhead.
    • Exhale and bend forward from your hips, letting your arms and head hang down.
    • Hold the pose for 1-2 minutes, breathing deeply.

4. Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)

This pose helps improve circulation and relaxes the nervous system.

  • How to Do It:
    • Sit with one side of your body against a wall.
    • Swing your legs up onto the wall as you lie back on the floor.
    • Relax your arms by your sides and close your eyes.
    • Stay in this pose for 5-10 minutes, breathing deeply.

5. Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)

This pose opens your hips and chest, promoting deep relaxation.

  • How to Do It:
    • Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to fall open.
    • Place your arms by your sides with palms facing up.
    • Close your eyes and breathe deeply for 5-10 minutes.

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Corpse Pose is the ultimate relaxation pose, allowing you to fully unwind.

  • How to Do It:
    • Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and arms by your sides.
    • Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths.
    • Focus on releasing tension from each part of your body, starting from your toes and moving up to your head.
    • Stay in this pose for 5-10 minutes.

Breathing Techniques for Relaxation

In addition to these poses, incorporating breathing exercises can enhance your relaxation.

Deep Breathing (Diaphragmatic Breathing)

  • How to Do It:
    • Sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
    • Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
    • Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise.
    • Exhale slowly through your mouth, letting your abdomen fall.
    • Repeat for 5-10 minutes.

Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)

This technique balances your nervous system and promotes relaxation.

  • How to Do It:
    • Sit in a comfortable position with your spine straight.
    • Use your right thumb to close your right nostril.
    • Inhale deeply through your left nostril.
    • Close your left nostril with your right ring finger and exhale through your right nostril.
    • Inhale through your right nostril, then close it and exhale through your left nostril.
    • Continue alternating for 5-10 minutes.

Tips for a Restful Night

  • Consistency is Key: Practice your evening yoga routine regularly to see the best results.
  • Avoid Stimulants: Steer clear of caffeine and heavy meals before bedtime.
  • Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment: Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet.
  • Disconnect from Screens: Limit screen time before bed to reduce blue light exposure, which can interfere with sleep.

Conclusion

Incorporating yoga into your evening routine can significantly improve your sleep quality. By reducing stress, easing muscle tension, and calming your mind, yoga prepares your body for a restful night. Try this simple yoga routine before bed and experience the difference it can make in your sleep and overall well-being. Remember, consistency is key, so make it a part of your nightly ritual for the best results. Sweet dreams!

Occupational Wellbeing

Side Hustle to Success: Exploring the Potential of Multiple Income Streams

December 7, 2022
The Wellness Tribe Team

Building a career from different income streams can be a rewarding and fulfilling way to make a living. However, in today's economy, relying on a single source of income is becoming increasingly risky, as job security and stability are no longer guaranteed. By diversifying your income streams, you can protect yourself from financial uncertainty and take control of your own career. 

There are many different ways to create multiple income streams, and the best approach for you will depend on your individual circumstances, skills, and interests. In this article, we will explore potential options for generating additional income and provide tips for getting started.

Start A Side Hustle

One way to generate multiple income streams is to start a side hustle in addition to your full-time job. This could be something as simple as selling handmade products on Shopify or providing a service like home or online tutoring. The key is to start small and gradually build up, so you don't overwhelm yourself.

Portfolio Diversification

Portfolio Diversification
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Another way to create multiple income streams is by diversifying your investment portfolio. By investing in a range of assets, including stocks, bonds, real estate, and others, you can create a steady stream of passive income to help support your career and financial goals. Diversifying your investments can also reduce the risks associated with relying on a single source of income, such as job loss or market volatility.

Creating and Selling Online Courses

Another option is to leverage your current job or career to create additional income streams. For example, you could use your knowledge and experience to develop and sell an online course or e-book or offer to coach or consulting services to others in your field. By doing so, you can generate additional income without necessarily having to leave your current job or career.

The Benefits of Multiple Income Streams

Be Your Boss

One of the key advantages of building a career from multiple income streams is that it gives you more control over your work and income. Instead of being at the mercy of a single employer, you can create your own opportunities and choose the projects and clients that align with your values and interests. This can lead to greater job satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment.

A Safety Net for Income

Having multiple income streams can provide a sense of security, as it gives you a backup plan in case something goes wrong with one of your streams. This can be especially important in today's economy, where job security is not always guaranteed.

Multi-stream income generation workflow

Multi Stream Income : Side Hustles
Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash

Wondering how to get started? Here is a workflow for finding and creating multiple income streams through side hustles: 

1. Identify Your Skills and Interests: 

The first step is to think about what you are good at and what you enjoy doing. These skills and interests can help you identify potential side hustle opportunities.

2. Research Potential Opportunities: 

Once you have a list of your skills and interests, start researching potential side hustle opportunities that align with them. Look for opportunities that are in demand, have the potential for growth, and are flexible enough to fit into your schedule.

Here are a few platforms for side hustle opportunities: 

  • Fiverr
  • Upwork
  • Freelancer
  • SolidGigs

3. Create a business plan: 

Once you have identified a few potential side hustles, create a business plan outlining how to start and grow your business. This should include a market analysis, marketing, and financial plan.

Check these sample business plans from Hubspot to get you started. 

4. Test your idea: 

Before fully committing to a side hustle, it can be helpful to test your idea to see if it is viable. This can involve creating a prototype, offering a limited-time promotion, or launching a pilot project.

5. Launch your side hustle.

Once you have a solid business plan and have tested your idea, it's time to launch your side hustle. This may involve creating a website, setting up social media accounts, and networking to find potential clients.

6. Scale your business.

Once you have launched your side hustle, focus on growing and scaling your business. This may involve finding new clients, expanding your services, or creating new products.

"A side hustle is the ultimate form of job security. It gives you the freedom to explore your interests, try new things, and build a business around your passions." - Chris Guillebeau - American Author

Closing Thoughts

There are several ways to create multiple income streams, and the best approach will depend on your individual circumstances, skills, and interests. You may include some freelancing websites which can give side hustles more meaningful avenues.

Productivity

How to Maximize Your Efficiency While Working From Home

October 12, 2022
The Wellness Tribe

It can be challenging for many of us to work remotely or in the office when productivity drops, and with it come new obstacles in the workplace. In the face of distractions, interruptions, and the constant need to maintain an adaptable mentality, it may be challenging to manage, pursue, and commit to new strategies to increase job performance.

Regardless of where you are in your career or how you got there, growing yourself professionally should be an ongoing exercise that challenges and inspires you.

Putting it off is a bad idea until your manager brings it up in your performance review. By following these strategies, you can elevate your professional game and become your most productive self, in addition to improving your health and wellbeing at workplace.

Why Remote Work Is a Good Idea

Why Remote Work Is a Good Idea
Photo by Windows on Unsplash

There is a preferred work environment for everyone. Some prefer complete solitude, while others need the hustle of a coffee shop to stay focused. But, no matter our individual preferences, none of us enjoy working with noisy colleagues.

Here are some statistics to consider: 

  • There is a 61 percent belief that noisy coworkers are the most distracting factor at work; 
  • To maximize efficiency, 86% prefer working alone; and 
  • There is a 40% perception that spontaneous meetings are a huge distraction in the workplace.

The good thing about working remotely is you don't have to deal with all these distractions. Although it may sound harsh, the best advice is to solve your own problems. Do not ask questions that Google cannot answer. Don't put yourself in a position where you need to be micromanaged.

The Pomodoro Method

Working nonstop for a long time starts to fry your brain. On the other hand, experts claim that working in 90-minute increments increases productivity.

There is a limit to how long the human mind can work before it has to rest, which is 90 to 120 minutes in reality. So give yourself a break after 90 minutes and focus entirely on the most critical item on your priority list.

You may want to explore the Pomodoro Technique if you aren't satisfied with recurring 90-minute work periods. Focus on one assignment for 25 minutes. Then, take five minutes to rest. Make three more repetitions of this method.

In case your workplace has an employee wellbeing program, chances are you've already introduced the Pomodoro method. If not, consider doing so in the future. 

How to Overcome Procrastination

‍How to Overcome Procrastination
Photo by Magnet.me on Unsplash

Typical workers spend 2 hours a day procrastinating. A typical individual takes 23 minutes to regain focus after being sidetracked. Sound familiar, doesn't it?

Some of the distractions we enjoy are keeping an eye on Twitter, reading the news, organizing our inboxes, and cleaning our desks. A frightening aspect of our behavior is that we are quite adept at convincing ourselves that such distractions are part of our job description. With the increasing size and importance of assignments, most people are becoming more prone to procrastinating.

However, we should not let ourselves be fooled: when we delay, we focus on the worst aspects of our endeavor, which makes the task seem even bigger. Rather, follow our favorite advertising campaign: Simply do it and consider your priorities list.

Don't let email be your afternoon escape, even if you avoided it in the morning. Individuals check their email 36 times per hour on average. This amounts to 13 hours spent reading, deleting, sorting, and sending weekly emails. You don't have to respond to an incoming email immediately. Keep a regular schedule of checking your email throughout the day instead of rushing.

Creative Exhaustion

Creativity is a crucial trait of a successful employee, whether you spend your days creating art in Illustrator or crunching figures in Excel. But how can you stop an afternoon brain cramp when creative thoughts appear out of reach? 

Keep your research time limited so that you can overcome procrastination. Getting lost in a sea of GIFs and further away from your starting point can be an easy trap. So to jumpstart your momentum and prevent afternoon headaches, turn your gaze away from your device.

On average, people spend 7.4 hours per day in front of a computer screen. Taking a diary into a brainstorming session will prevent dry eyes. Consider drawing a flowchart or doodling to get a better sense of the scale of your project. 

Finally, use your downtime to brainstorm. There is no denying the fact that many of our best ideas come while driving or taking a shower, so it is important to be able to leave work at work.

Mastering the Art of Working Remotely

In recent years, remote labor has been on the rise. But, in addition to its apparent advantages, working remotely also has its disadvantages. The benefits are a 30-second commute, greater flexibility, and more control over your surroundings.

Remote work can be difficult to separate professional and family lives without physically separating them.

Additionally, you may find it difficult to focus while roommates, children, and spouses are in the background. 

Establish a Home Office or Desk

If you feel like working from your bed or sofa, we recommend doing so for a change of scenery. Working from home, however, requires consistency. Establish your main workstation at the kitchen table or at a desk during the day.

It will help you associate that location with efficiency, productivity, and work. In addition, you get bonus points if you equip the site with dual monitors, a charging station, and anything else you need to get the job done.

Prepare Yourself for a Lot of Communication

Working remotely makes your team members and management less likely to become entangled in unexpected verbal brainstorming sessions. Consider checking in with them more often than usual. Communicate your objectives and initiatives to your team or collaborators.

Get your coworkers together for a coffee chat or remote Zoom meeting. Be sure to clarify any unclear details in emails or virtual meetings. Despite being away from your workplace, don't let yourself go unnoticed.

Setting Your Logoff Time

There are many challenges associated with working from home. For example, some days, you'll want to log out at 3, while on other days, you'll want to work until 8 p.m. Having the freedom to work from home is excellent, but don't let it compromise your well-being. 

By setting a logoff time, you’ll be able to stay productive until the end of the day, and you’ll know exactly when it’s time to watch TV, cook dinner, or go for a walk with your spouse.

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This month we are focusing on food and how it affects your mental health. Join us as we bring in the most relevant interesting content from across the wellness segment.

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