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Yoga instructors know a lot about helping you come into Half Moon Pose or make Crow Pose feel like a cake walk. They also know a thing or two about sleep hacks.
Hear us out. Yoga teachers tend to teach crazily erratic schedules, including having to be alert and attentive at early morning classes as well as how to unwind stat after late-evening classes. That demands knowing their body and brain well enough to get up and function in the early a.m. as well as find a way to calm themselves and get the requisite shut-eye. Think about it. Have you ever encountered a groggy yoga instructor? Besides, their entire career relates to self-awareness.
So how, exactly, do yoga teachers make sure they get the sleep they need? We asked around for some tried-and-true sleep strategies.
10 Essential Sleep Hacks, According to Yoga Teachers
Consider which of these apply to your situation.
1. Figure Out How Much Sleep You Need
Yes, you already know that health organizations recommend seven to nine hours of sleep each night for adults. But everyone’s specific needs are different. So how do you figure out your needs?
Susi Hately, director and principle teacher at Functional Synergy Yoga Therapy in Calgary, Canada, has observed that if she goes to sleep by 8:30 p.m. she wakes up at 4 a.m., no alarm needed. Science suggests that’s a good thing. One study found that waking up to a morning alarm versus waking up naturally can cause your blood pressure to rise.
This allows Hately to easily get the seven and a half hours of sleep she needs and sneak in her yoga practice before her day officially begins.
2. Know How to Slow Your Brain and Body
You can’t expect your body and brain to go-go-go all day and then suddenly fall into sound slumber on command. There needs to be a little downtime.
Hately relies on an array of different activities to slow her brain and her body. Namely, she explains, things that “use a different part of my brain than what I use running my business.” For her, this could mean playing board games with her family. For you, it might mean having an extended cuddle session with your dog, reading an actual book versus scrolling your feeds, lingering during your skincare routine, listening to a yoga nidra recording, or practicing meditation.
3. Establish a Consistent Sleep Schedule
You’re not going to like hearing this (and apologies if we sound like your mom) but going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, even on the weekends (we see that eye roll) is one of the tenets of sound slumber.
Elma Panagaki experiences a two-fold benefit from keeping a consistent sleep schedule. “It helps regulate my internal clock and improves my sleep quality,” says the yoga and Pilates instructor at Bay Club in San Francisco.
And if her schedule shifts and she can’t follow her normal sleep schedule? “I make small adjustments to ensure I still get the rest I need.” For instance, if she knows she’s going to be going to bed later because of a late class she’s subbing or a night out, she’ll wake up slightly later than usual but not so much later that it knocks her internal clock off. She also occasionally takes short power naps during the day.
4. Make Your Space Conducive to Sleep
“My bedroom is for sleeping only, and I’ve tried to make it a sanctuary-like space,” says Lindsay Monal, New Jersey-based content and curriculum director at YogaRenew.
That can look different for everyone. Monal opts not to have a TV in her bedroom and keeps her phone on the dresser across the room so she’s not tempted to watch anything or scroll in bed. She prefers the room temperature to remain between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. She also switched her bedding to all-natural fibers, including organic cotton and linen, so the space is as “energetically soothing as it is visually calming.” You probably already know what aesthetic or practical changes would work well for you.
5. Stretch
Monal always returns to her yoga practice in small ways before going to sleep, even if it’s tucking her knees to her chest or practicing Happy Baby in bed before slipping between the sheets.
Science says she’s onto something. In one study, a 10-minute stretching routine with yoga techniques and poses immediately before bed improved sleep quality.
6. Slow Your Breath
While lying in bed waiting to sleep to overtake her, Bridget Aileen Sicsko, certified yoga instructor and holistic health coach in Morristown, N.J., and her husband often practice a simple breathing exercise together. She finds it especially helpful when she’s having trouble falling asleep. “I’ll focus on deep breathing and using certain mantras to allow my mind to drift off,” she says.
To try it, rest one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. Inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of eight. Slowly repeat, continuing for three to five minutes. Or opt for an alternate breathwork practice that feels calming to you. And note that slowing your breath works equally well when you’re solo.
7. Consider Your Lighting
As soon as the Sun begins to lower, Monal turns off all overhead lights in her home and relies on soft, warm-toned lamps for lighting. She also uses blackout curtains, but doesn’t pull them all the way shut each night. “I used to close the curtains completely, but I was staying in bed longer in the mornings than I wanted,” she says.
For you, that might look slightly differently, such as flooding your space with natural light as soon as you wake to help you wake up.
8. Avoid Late-Night Noshing & Drinking
Digesting spells doom for sleep. “When you eat too close to bedtime, the body is still working hard to digest that food, which directly impacts your sleep,” says Sicsko. She prefers to eat between 5 and 6 p.m. so she can easily fall asleep between 9 and 9:30 p.m.
Also, beware turning to alcohol when you want to relax and drift off to sleep. Although “alcohol initially acts as a sedative,” according to research, the longer it’s in your system, the more inclined you are to wake in the wee hours.
9. Track Your Metrics
Hately began watching her physiological metrics on her watch to observe the breakdown of how much shut-eye she was getting, including deep, light, and REM sleep. But she was also able to evaluate how her daytime behavior influenced her sleep. “Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine suggest that how we spend our energy earlier in the day will impact us later in the day,” she says. By tuning in to her body more, Hately noticed that she was more depleted in the evening than she thought, so she began to take more “resource-building breaks” during the day.
When she needed a break, she would walk or do breathing exercises versus surfing or scrolling. Although she didn’t change anything about her nightly ritual, her more relaxed state enhanced her ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Numerous wearables, such as Garmin and Oura, can help you track your metrics like stress and sleep.
10. Take It Easy
On the rare nights when they don’t sleep well, yoga teachers know that they need to small but meaningful adjustments to their yoga practice the following day.
“When I don’t get enough rest, my flexibility and strength can be compromised, and I may struggle with stamina and coordination,” says Panagaki. Likewise, Hately explains that she can’t keep her focus when she’s tired, so she adjusts both the intensity and duration of her yoga practices. Instead of longer and more active classes and pranayama, she opts for less demanding restorative yoga or a short yoga nidra practice of 10 to 20 minutes.
Every aspect of your life is affected by too little sleep, including how you show up on your mat, whether you’re practicing or teaching. These shifts also ensure that you’re not overtired that night. And if you’re working out in the evening, don’t go at your usual pace as intense workouts can disrupt your body’s ability to fall asleep.
And if you experience a rough night of sleep, know that there’s always tomorrow to try again.
