Prepare for sleep with Yin Yoga
From a TCM perspective, sleep and wake time are a balance of the opposite but complementary energetic forces Yin and Yang. Sleep will occur once you are able to let go of your day and the Yin energy dominates, allowing the body and mind to rest and come to being. As you wake again and start the day, Yang energy kicks in, driving activity and wakefulness.
Sleep disturbances often reflect an imbalance in Yin and Yang: excess Yang could look like restlessness, difficulty falling asleep and/or deficient Yin could mean you are not able to stay asleep or waking up frequently. How can we find this balance in everyday life?
Learn and explore TCM concepts with this 3-part Yin Yoga series. Deepen your experience of Qi.
Sign up to get this delivered to your inbox!
SLEEP AND EMOTIONS in TCM
There is a bidirectional relationship between sleep and emotional regulation/ mental wellbeing. Adequate sleep is crucial for regeneration and our wellbeing, without enough sleep, our ability to regulate emotions can become compromised, leading to increased reactivity, irritability and difficulty in coping with stressors.
According to Oriental medicine, the Shen (=mind/spirit) resides in the Heart and plays a vital role in sleep. Disturbances such as stress, overwork and unresolved thoughts or emotions can lead to the fact that we go to bed too late, scattered, even waking up during the night. When the Shen can’t settle in the heart at night, you won’t find sound sleep.
The Heart and Kidneys are two closely-related Zang organs, and inability to sleep can stem from too much hyperactivity in the Heart and too little Yin energy (= deficiency) in the Kidneys. The water cannot cool/ contain the fire of the heart.
Another aspect is the spirit of the Liver = the Hun, which influences sleep and dreaming. If the Hun is well rooted in the Liver, sleep is sound and without too many dreams. If the Hun wanders off at night, because it can’t find residence in the liver, it is causing restless sleep with many crazy dreams.
To improve sleep, you can harmonize Heart, Liver and Kidney organ system with gentle Yin Yoga, acupressure and visualization. Reflect on your sleep behavior, the dynamics of Yin and Yang in your day with this short sleep guide: Sleep better with Yin & acupressure.
How Yin Yoga Prepares You for Sleep
Yin Yoga is a great practice to switch to night mode, to find your Yin-side and turn inwards:
Release of physical tension: switch to rest & digest mode
Yin Yoga involves long-held, passive poses that target the deeper connective tissues and gently stimulates the energy channels (meridians). This slow pace soothes the nervous system, reduces stress hormones and encourages a sense of calm.
Slowing down to quiet the mind
The practice of Yin Yoga takes us inward with interoceptive enquiry and moments of stillness. This helps to quiet mental chatter, leaving you in a more meditative and peaceful state. This mindfulness prepares you for bedtime, making it easier to drift into sleep and stay asleep.
A Simple Evening Yin Sequence
This gentle practice helps shift your nervous system into the parasympathetic state—the “Yin” side of being—setting the stage for deep, restorative rest.
The poses chosen will work predominantly on the energetic channels of the Heart, Liver and Kidney organ systems, nourishing these systems will positively influence our ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. We encourage the scattered energy to settle away from the mind into the body and heart space and feed the grounding energy of the water element.
Enhancing Relaxation with Acupressure
Acupressure can deepen the relaxation Yin Yoga provides as you stimulate a specific point along a meridian pathway. This stimulation brings awareness and circulation to this area, allowing tension to dissipate and the energy to flow freely along the energy channel. Here are a two acupressure points I love to incorporate into my Yin practice:
Kidney 1 (Bubbling Spring)
Situated on the sole of the foot, this point grounds and calms the body. Use your thumbs to apply gentle pressure. In the Video, I use this in combination with Yin Yoga practice to ground the energy down and away from the head.
Let the power of Yin guide you into a more relaxed state and ultimately help you to find deep, restorative sleep.
Simone x