Yoga Therapy for Insomnia
Here I am again - 2am, 2.22am, 3am, 3.33am, the numbers take on a creeping restlessness. I am wide-awake and so frustrated. How am I going to get through the day if I don’t sleep? Even 2 or 3 hours, is it too much to ask? This - night after night makes me weep. Lying here feeds my shadowy inner critic, rewriting stories with the inky dread of what happened, what might happen…gnawing away at me, blowing things out of proportion, so unsettling.
My yoga therapy mind asked “could I ‘do’ insomnia a different way?” I tried some mindful practices but my strong mind pulled me back to chewing over those worst-case scenarios, tossing and turning, fighting with myself as I tried so hard to get to sleep. How long is this sleep deprivation going to last before I fall off the edge of sanity? More overwhelm drives me round the bend, winding myself up and around again until I crawl out of bed feeling grouchy, twitchy-eyed, short-tempered and emotional – hello world, this is grizzly bear me today…again!
Sound familiar? It is estimated around a third of the UK population suffers from sleeplessness at any one time so I know I am not alone but in the cumulative stress of sleepless nights, I feel very alone.
A ray of light shines for me in all of this - this workshop was created out of my insomnia, written during sleepless nights, something to do when sleep seemed impossible. Using my yoga therapist self as a guinea pig, I explored practices to helpmyself in these dark nights. I even managed to get some restful sleep and blessed be, sprang out of bed so refreshed and grateful, it made me dance and sing…sometimes! Other times, it did not help at all. And other times, I simply accepted being awake and used the quiet time for creative thinking, meditation, journaling, drawing in the dark. I tapped into the moonlight, the stars, the nocturnal poetic energy…wise like an owl.
So...What’s keeping you awake at night and how do you feel when you’re overtired? Come and discover more on this online experience of studying and snoozing.
About the module - NOW ONLINE with recordings to listen to at night
Written for the over-tired, fatigued, exhausted, menopausal or simply curious, you will go home with practices for your own self-care, and some to share with others.
Through the applications of yoga therapy for those suffering from insomnia, we will study sleep through a scientific framework investigating why we need sleep, what happens when we don’t get enough, understanding natural rhythms, brain states, philosophy, psychology of the disturbed mind.
We will investigate conditions for restful sleep, and creative practices for when sleep is elusive.
There’s experiential yoga and pranayama practices, a bed time story, breathing techniques, and lullaby nidra. Hopefully the presentations will not send you to sleep but the practices might.
You will receive your sleep sheets as guided learning preparation & receive take-home recorded practices for continued support. The follow up mentor call with the creator of this course, Judy Hirsh Sampath, will enable you to share how you're doing and if you are a yoga teacher or therapist, how you can take workshops and courses out to your community so you keep this training alive.
Yoga United Education aims to create a safe inclusive space to share, be seen and heard using trauma-informed good practice.
A Weekend of Studying & Snoozing
If you are over-tired, fatigued, exhausted and curious, learn some practices for restful sleep and self care.
If you are caring for others who are suffering from sleeplessness and insomnia, this course will allow you to care of others. Includes experiential learning with presentations on scientific perspectives, philosophy and psychology.
NOW ONLINE - https://www.yogaunited.com/education/yoga-therapy-for-insomnia.html
education@yogaunited.com