Bedtime Wind-Down

Slow down. The last ten minutes of the day, spent well.

10 minutesVery gentlebeginnerNeeds: Nothing

Sleep rarely responds to commands, but it responds well to ritual: same shapes, same order, same slow breath, every night. This sequence moves from a gentle fold to full rest, each pose slightly stiller than the last, and can be done entirely on the bed.

Dim the lights first and leave the phone out of reach — the practice works partly because of what you're not doing during it.

The sequence

  1. 1
    Child's Pose (Balasana)
    Child's PoseBalasana

    10 breaths

    Knees wide, arms wherever they're comfortable.

  2. 2
    Cat–Cow (Marjaryasana–Bitilasana)
    Cat–CowMarjaryasana–Bitilasana

    5 very slow rounds

  3. 3
    Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
    Seated Forward FoldPaschimottanasana

    8 breaths

    Rounded back welcome — this is a wind-down, not a hamstring project.

  4. 4
    Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)
    Supine TwistSupta Matsyendrasana

    8 breaths per side

  5. 5
    Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
    Happy BabyAnanda Balasana

    8 breaths

  6. 6
    Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)
    Reclining Bound AngleSupta Baddha Konasana

    10 breaths

    Pillows under both knees turn this into pure rest.

  7. 7
    Alternate-Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
    Alternate-Nostril BreathingNadi Shodhana

    9 rounds

    Sitting up in bed, eyes closed.

  8. 8
    Corpse Pose (Savasana)
    Corpse PoseSavasana

    as long as you like

    In bed, under the covers, lights off. Let it become sleep.

Breath

Count the exhale one beat longer than the inhale — 4 in, 5 out is plenty.

To finish

Don't get up. Corpse Pose is allowed to simply become sleep tonight.

Prints clean — pin it where you'll practice.

Where this fits

For feeling calm · restored — works bed, home.