Practice yoga to energize after sleepless nights

When Patti Asad from YogaWorks approached us with some ideas for yoga poses for rookie moms, I was a little skeptical. I loved the pre- and post-natal classes I had taken, but I don’t have the best memory for lengthy routines. Especially when I don’t get enough sleep.

I asked her, “Is there one particular yoga pose that’s that’s great for revitalizing mama when she’s not sleeping enough?”

Today is the second of a three-part series for practical yoga poses. This one is for tapping into energy reserves when you didn’t sleep enough last night week.

Wake up by rocking the dog

Patti says: Sleepless nights not only exhaust a new mom but can also distract the mind. In order to bring back energy and focus into the body and mind a simple yoga pose to practice is the rocking downward dog.

How to use yoga to get more energy after sleepless nights:

1. Start by coming onto hands and knees and curl your toes under making your way into downward facing dog. Stretch your jaw open and stick the tongue far out of the mouth exhaling.
2. Now on your inhale and shift your shoulders over wrists letting the hips drop creating a gentle back bend, on your exhale swing the hips up into down dog and come high onto the toes.
3. Then again as you inhale shift forward and again lift your chest and stretch the chin up then as you exhale pull the hips back into downward facing dog coming high onto your toes.

Do this 5-8 times and see how much more energized you feel by moving to the breath and strengthening the arms and invigorating the spine.

See last week’s installment about easing tension in the face of a screaming child.

—-
Thanks to Patti for sharing this quick trick to feel more energetic. We’ll have a third yoga tip next week about easing aches in the shoulders from holding a floppy newborn. All. The. Time.

[most excellent illustration by Amy Saidens from the Rookie Moms Handbook]