Yoga at bedtime can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. Trudy, a registered yoga teacher and fellow Physical Therapist, stops by to show me a therapeutic yoga bedtime routine.
Therapeutic yoga focuses on gentle yoga or modification poses with breathing techniques. Trudy is not only a friend and mentor, but she is also from Canada! So if you are a Canadian viewer, make sure to give her a shout-out in the comments. And Canadian or not, make sure you visit Trudy’s website!
When trying to get a good night’s sleep, you want to do stretches and exercises that don’t wake up your spine, so try not to extend your back or open up your chest area before going to sleep.
A piriformis stretch is a great way to help relax the glute area and relax the lower body.
Next, is a double knee to chest stretch. Make sure everything is in alignment, and that you are not getting any pinching in the front of your hips.
Finally, legs up the wall helps with lymphatic drainage. This is a great way to relax the whole body and help with sleep.
Have you ever tried to go to sleep, but you just ended up lying there and getting frustrated because sleep seems just out of reach? If so, these simple stretches and the 4-7-8 breathing technique should help relax your body and help you fall asleep fast.
PTs will often analyze your gait by watching you get up and walk across the room, but most of the time we are analyzing your gait as soon as you walk into the clinic. If you have been diagnosed with gait abnormalities, these stretches and exercises might help.
Finding a comfortable position to sleep at night can be challenging for some people. People who sleep on their sides and suffer from back, hip, and/or shoulder pain may find these tips helpful to get a better night’s sleep.
Active sitting is sitting on an unstable surface to help improve posture and strengthen core muscles. This can help relieve back pain and other issues from prolonged sitting. Active sitting became popular when people started using a Swiss ball or stability ball to sit on, but now there are a variety of chairs that do the same thing in a safer way.
This standing exercise routine for seniors can help loosen up and strengthen the muscles in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles. This routine is performed in real-time, so it’s easy to follow along.
This seated exercise routine for seniors focuses on simple exercises that can help loosen up and strengthen the muscles in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, and ankles. It’s a great daily routine at any age.
We squat every day from sitting down in a chair to getting out of bed, or even sitting safely on the toilet, but squats can be a painful task when something hurts, or our muscles are weak. Practicing squats in a reverse order can help strengthen the muscles and work on doing them correctly and safely.
