Although many people will tell you that a bed is just for sleeping, we say it’s also a good place for soothing, wind-down activities like yoga.
If you think about it, the most pleasant feeling after waking up is stretching in bed. A small yoga session in bed takes things up a notch, giving you an opportunity to move your body and energize before you start your day or to unwind at the end of it. It can involve breathing exercises, stretching, or meditation.
In this article, we’ll talk about the yoga poses you can do in bed.
Yoga Poses You Can Do in Bed: Morning Recommendations
Morning yoga should be energizing. One expects to feel awake, focused, and ready to embrace the upcoming day after a session of morning yoga. With that in mind, here are some morning poses and breathing techniques you can do in bed to prepare for a productive day.
Adham Pranayama (Belly Breathing)
While still lying on your back and coming to your senses, use the opportunity to do a session of low breathing.
Observe your natural breathing cycle. When you’re ready, draw in your stomach muscles and hold tight. Press the lower back into the bed. Hold it for 10 breaths and then inhale deeply while releasing the stomach muscles. Repeat 10 times.
Ananda Balasana (Happy Baby)
Now that you’re awake with fresh oxygen in your body pull the knees to the chest, and turn the feet up to the ceiling. Grab the feet from the outer side with your hands, and rest the elbows on the knees. Press the feet into the hands and pull them towards your chest. Don’t forget to take deep breaths.
Swaying side by side will also massage your lower back.
Pashchimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Finally, it’s time to sit up. Bend forward with your legs extended in front of you. Keep them together. Breathe in deeply and stretch your arms up above your head. As you exhale, fold over your legs and relax your neck, jaw, and chest. Stay like this for a few breaths, and then sit up. Repeat the same motion 10 times. Try to stretch more deeply with each repetition.
Sukhasana (Happy Pose)
Now fold your legs by tucking the left leg into the right thigh. Then do the same for the right leg and left thigh (one leg above the other). Put your hands on your knees with your palms looking towards the ceiling.
Do several cycles of inhaling and exhaling. Think about keeping your spine straight.
Naukasana (Boat Pose)
For some people, this pose may be easier to perform in bed than on the mat, thanks to the soft base, while for others, it may be the other way around due to the mattress’ instability.
Boat pose can make your lower back, stomach, and legs stronger. Simply lift both your torso and your legs into the air. Mentalize how your stomach muscles are flexed and doing the lifting. Toes should be in line with the eyes. Keep the knees and back straight. Don’t tuck the shoulders in. The chest should be in a natural position.
Extend the arms parallelly to the ground and have the palms point forward. Exhale while holding your abdominal muscles tight. Remain in this position for a few seconds and then rest. Repeat five to ten times.
This pose is an excellent finish to your morning bed yoga session, as it will tone up your muscles and boost your circulation and nervous system.
Yoga Poses You Can Do in Bed: Evening Recommendations
Just like it can energize and wake you up, a brief yoga session in bed can also help you unwind and relax before a good night’s sleep — the following poses are perfect for nighttime yoga in bed.
Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose)
While sitting in bed, bring the feet together, facing one another, at a comfortable distance from the pelvic bone. Inhale and bend forward, placing your hands on your feet. Relax the spine and legs. Focus on breathing for the next 3 to 5 minutes.
Balasana (Child’s Pose)
Take a kneeling position on your bed. Then, bend down and rely on your hands. Keep the toes together, spread your knees apart, and rest the but on your heels. Bend forward and rest the torso between the thighs. The chest can touch the thighs, and the forehead should touch the ground. Keep your arms long next to the body. The palms should be rotated downwards. Relax completely and focus on your breathing for a few minutes.
Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand)
Lay down with your feet facing the headboard. Move the butt as close as possible to the headboard. Lift your legs, and rest them against the wall while holding them straight. Relax in the bed and place your arms on the side. Focus on breathing and exit the pose after a maximum of five minutes.
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Butterfly Pose)
Remain on your back and bring the feet together again with the soles facing each other. Let the knees open up, moving them away from each other. Focus on your breathing and relax your spine and lower back. Stay in this pose for several minutes.
Savasana (Corpse Pose)
Looking from the outside, this pose is the simplest one to perform, but it’s full of invisible micro-steps necessary for proper performance.
From the sitting position, slowly lie down, keeping your feet apart, and toes turned outwards. Tuck your tailbone by slightly lifting your pelvis off the ground. Set your head into a comfortable position by either lifting the backside of your skull away from the neck or supporting your head with a folded blanket or pillow.
Bring the arms up with fingers pointing to the ceiling and broaden your ribs and shoulders. Put the arms down at an approximately 30-degree angle to the body, palms facing up. Now, relax your mouth, tongue, facial skin, ears, and forehead. The eyes should sink and roll down as if looking into the heart.
Remain in this position for some five minutes or more. Mentally, visualize how you’re moving energy from each body part. Every inhale brings fresh air to that body part, while every exhale releases the tension and stress and pushes it out of your body. When you’re done (visualizing everything from toes to head), get ready to sleep.
Conclusion
Yoga in bed may sound weird initially, but the bed is where we begin and end each day. Before getting up from bed, we want to gather all the energy to be productive, and when we lie down again, we want to relax and travel to dreamland.
With a few simple asanas, you can either energize your day by activating your mind and muscles or relax your mind and stretch your muscles to unwind before falling asleep.
