Have you ever had those nights where you are so tired and all you want to do is close your eyes and fall asleep, but something in your brain refuses to turn off? Lately my husband has been having some problems with getting himself to forget about the heavy stress he has running a business and leading a household. I knew last week it was pretty bad when he called to say he’d be home in a half an hour but showed up two hours later saying, “after I locked up and turned out the lights I sat on the couch for a minute and fell asleep.” He needs to get some rest, so I tried to show him some of the things I do to clear my mind and fall asleep.

First I do a couple poses that make my muscles work- like warrior 1 and 2. These are “power” poses that I hold for longer than normal, so I feel like the muscle has been worked and needs a break. Then I stretch. I love stretching at night because your ligaments and tendons are already loose from the day and when you stretch it helps to relieve tension. After that I turn on some low yoga music or I have a small fountain in my room that sounds like rain falling. I lay on my bed with my head and back slightly elevated from pillows, and I breathe. I inhale deep through my nose for 3 seconds then I slowly release my breath for 3 seconds. All I try to think about is my breath. I try to control it, I make it feel hot, I think about sending my breath to my toes, then my knees, and continue it up my body. After I send my breath through my whole body, I just breathe normal. By this time, I am usually sound asleep. It may take longer if you are not used to making yourself relax, but practice makes perfect. 

I hope that this helps some of you out there, suffering through sleepless nights (especially my husband). I know you and those around you will love to see the change a good nights rest makes.

I have a good friend that, like many women, has struggled with losing weight after her first baby. She feels like she’s done everything. She watches what she eats, she goes walking , she drinks water, she doesn’t eat late at night, she uses her elliptical when she has time, but she still can’t get the weight to where she wants to be. I, of course, have been trying to get her into yoga but I am having a hard time convincing her how it will help with weight loss. So hopefully sharing this knowledge with all of you will strengthen my case. 

Yoga helps with weight loss in a few ways. First, building muscle mass. We’ve all heard that muscle burns calories quicker than fat right? Well, it is true. When you build up your muscle mass you also increase the amount of calories you burn in a day. Yoga provides a great way to strength train without the gym or the trainer. Just do some simple poses every day. Warrior pose, squats, boat pose, plank. These are all great beginner poses that anyone can do. Second, flexibility. As you practice basic stretching poses, like forward fold, lotus, or straddle you will feel tension release through your body. You will recognize your ability to improve in this area and it will help you gain self confidence in yourself. Finally, stress reduction. Stress is a big factor in weight gain. Use relaxation and breathing techniques to help you relieve stress. Teach your body how to deal with stress in ways different than eating, watching TV, or sitting on the couch. 

I know that with the help of yoga, along with a good wellness plan, we all have a better chance of losing that extra baby weight.

The past few nights have been difficult for me. I have a 1 year old who has never slept very well, but lately he’s been worse. He has a heart problem that causes his heart to beat really fast, like you are sprinting all the time. At night it will wake him up abruptly and is uncomfortable so he screams. I go and comfort him, then end up sleeping in the rocking chair by his crib so I don’t have to walk back and forth from our rooms all night. So- I am TIRED! I know you other mothers can relate to sleepless nights that turn into groggy days, so today I want to talk about some quick “wake up” poses we can do.

Sun salutations are perfect for getting a little energy and waking up your body. I like to do sets of 3 when I don’t have a ton of time. Start standing with your hands at your heart in prayer position. Bring your hands up over head and with a flat back, move to forward fold. Take a big breath in and look up, lengthening your spine, then fold deeper to your legs. Walk your feet back into plank position, move to up dog and then push yourself into downward facing dog. Hold down dog. In the morning it hurts more but as you breath and get heat going through your body, you can go in deeper. After a few big breaths walk your feet back in between your hands, straighten your legs, and with a flat back rise to standing. Bring your hands to prayer position and go again. Getting the blood flowing early in the morning and stretching really helps energize your body.

Wash your face by rubbing your hands together very quickly to create heat. Then lightly rub your hands over your face to “awaken” it. I do this a few times.Triangle is an exhilarating pose. It opens up your heart and chest giving you a chance to breath deeper. When ever you get more oxygen into your body, you will “revive” it. Triangle is a great way to do that.Instead of grabbing the first sweet snack you see in your pantry to help you wake up, next time try one of these. In fact, I think I’ll close this blog and do that right now, otherwise the chocolate cookies on my counter may not make it through the rest of the day.

(If you need to see what a sun salutation or triangle look like, check out my yoga dvd, Yoga for Your Moods or look online at “http://www.yogasite.com” www.yogasite.com under POSTURES on the yoga resources menu.)