All about Viparita Karni sleep yoga

Have you ever tried putting your legs up against the wall? If you are yet to do so, you can do this simple and practical exercise which will benefit you in many ways. Viparita Karni gets considered one of the most nourishing and relaxing postures for your mind and body. Viparita Karni is an excellent activity for swollen legs (Edema) and ankles. 

Key things to take into account

• Sleep yoga is a revitalizing pose that offers many health benefits. 
• It is one easy and approachable yoga posture that will not need too much flexibility and strength. 
• You can do it every evening and morning. Just ensure that your stomach is empty when you do the asana. 

We will discuss the benefits of practicing sleep yoga. Viparita Karni gets commonly referred to as the legs against the wall pose. It's a minor inversion practiced at the end of the yoga routine. One of the health benefits offered by the pose is anti-aging. 

According to the Hindu scriptures, yoga poses for sleep will delay wrinkles and the onset of old age. It will also allow blood to flow freely throughout the body. If you want to learn about yoga poses, read the post at once.

Doing Viparita Karni

Let's get straight into what you should do before doing the yoga posture. It would help if you made sure that your bowels and stomach is empty before your practice sleep yoga. It would be best if you had meals at least six to four hours before practicing the asanas.

Viparita Karni allows your food to get digested, and you will have enough energy to expend during the practice.

Practicing yoga is the best thing that you can do in the morning. But, if you cannot work out in the morning, you can do it in the evening.

Keep your legs up the wall and maintain the posture with your heels sliding sideways to gain momentum. In terms of expertise, yoga poses for sleep are the basic ones. You can practice it for about 5 to 15 minutes. You can practice the front torso and stretch your back legs and back of the neck. 

 How can you do the Viparita Karni?

As it is a restorative pose, most people enjoy using props like pillows, folded blankets, and bolsters while doing sleep yoga. You are allowed to keep up a prop of your choice next to you while you are doing Viparita Karni.

Be mindful to follow the following steps while practicing the asana. 

• You can find an open space near the wall and sit next to it. Be sure that your feet are on the floor and spread before you. You need to check that the left side of your body is touching the wall.
  
  
• You need to lie on your back. Be sure that the back of your legs press against the wall and the soles of your feet face upward.

 Sleep yoga will take you out of the movement to be comfortable in this position.

• You must place your buttocks a little away from the back, and your head rests on the floor. See that your body forms a 90-degree angle.
• You must lift your hips and slide a prop beneath them while doing Viparita Karni. It would be best if you used your hands to support your hip and form that curve in the lower portion of the body.
• You must keep your neck and head in a neutral position and soften your face and throat.
• You need to close your eyes and breathe. Hold the position for at least five to six minutes. Roll and release on one side. Take a breath before you sit up and do yoga poses for sleep.
  
  
  

Pose variations for Viparita Karni

Students with varying abilities can practice the asana. Hence, a given sleep yoga posture that's easy enough for a particular student will be hard for another. In this case, the yoga teacher can introduce variations of the pose. It will likewise offer an easy variation for a pose to a student who finds it difficult to do.

The variation of Viparita Karni will help you increase blood circulation and relieve stress. It will stretch your thigh and help you deal with ovarian problems. 

Try the butterfly pose and hold it for about 5 to 17 minutes. Let your knees touch each time you inhale. 

The fourth variation will ask you to stretch your legs as much as possible. 

You may feel a stretch in the knees, one of the most straightforward ones. When the blood rushes to the head, you need to perform the baby pose or balasana. It is better to do sleep yoga on a bare stomach, which will keep you from feeling dizzy. Viparita Karni will challenge a student who finds yoga poses easy.

Pose variations will help individuals build and grow their confidence in the practice regardless of their ability. If you find it hard to balance your straight legs on the wall, you can keep your knees a little bent. You can place the entire foot on the wall, and the soles of your feet touch the void.

If you have a pulling sensation in the lower back, you can support the lower back with blankets and bolsters. The Viparita Karni will take different shapes, and your back will feel calm and relaxed. 

If one wants to take sleep yoga to the intermediate level, one can avoid using the wall and have no support. It will help you tighten your abdominal muscles and give you a better toning of your abdomen and hips.

Sleep yoga is one of the variations. If you want to make the asana a typical routine, be sure that your mind, spirit, and body get restored and relaxed. You will need five minutes to practice it. You will get stunned to learn how this asana helps you re-energize.

The Viparita Karni is one version of the legs against the wall pose. It has anti-aging and other health benefits. It will help you get a deeper state of concentration. Yoga poses for sleep get done at the end of the routine because of their relaxing properties.
Also Read: Easy Yoga poses to bring into your routine

Precautions to take when you do the - Viparita Karni

There is something you need to keep in mind when practicing asana. 

• Sleep yoga is a mild inversion. Hence, you need to practice it in terms of your menstruation. 
• It is better not to do this asana when you have eye problems like glaucoma.
• If you have severe neck and back problems, you need to take the guidance of a certified yoga practitioner when you do yoga poses for sleep.
• If you notice a bit of tingling in the feet when you do Viparita Karni, you need to touch the sole after bending your knees. Hence, you need to bring your heels close to the pelvis. 

The science behind sleep yoga 

This yoga asana is an inversion that will relieve the feet, legs, spine, and nervous system. It will bring the body into a state of complete relaxation. Regardless of the level of experience, any yoga practitioner can do it. 

When you set aside your time to reverse the movements of doing and acting, your body and brain will go to the state of pure being. Sleep yoga will calm your brain and mind into a state of pure being. 

Viparita Karani benefits

Likewise known as an inverted leg, mild inversion gets learned for many health benefits. The therapeutic nature of the yoga poses for sleep will get the blood flowing to parts of the body that needs it. 

It includes arthritis, low or high blood pressure, menopause, and respiratory ailments. You can practice Viparita Karni, which is good for most ailments. Keep reading to learn about the benefits of this asana. 

• Regulates blood flow
• Reduces menstrual cramp
• Restores tired legs and feet
• Improves the digesting ability
• It will allow you to deal with urinary disorders. 
• It will help you reduce fat around your waistline.
• It will help you manage respiratory ailments.
• Helps relieve swollen and varicose veins
• Viparita Karni helps you deal with polycystic ovarian (PCOD) problems. 
• Relieve mild backache
• Sleep yoga provides relief from headaches and migraine-related problems. 
• It helps you reduce problems with the ears and nose. 
• It will calm anxiety. 
• It will revitalize you and keep you young. 
• Yoga poses for sleep help you get relief from the backstretch.
• It protects you from the stretches of the back of the neck and front torso. 

Is Sarvangasana the same as the Viparita Karni?

No, they are not the same. With your legs up the wall, your body will get tilted to about 45 degrees. Sarvangasana will have your back and legs at 90° from the ground. 

Conclusion

Yoga and Viparita Karni help you reduce your stress level. Practicing yoga before sleep will have some benefits for your derma health.

Authored By: Poorvi Chhajer

About the Author: Poorvi is a psychology graduate with a knack for writing and belief in Ayurveda