Sleeping well is essential to our physical health and emotional well-being. Indeed, it doesn’t take more than a few hours of missed sleep to discover just how closely sleep is linked to our well-being and ability to function well during the day.
Even Shakespeare referred to sleep as a healing balm “that knits up the raveled sleeve of care.” Sleep serves many important functions for body and mind: It improves concentration and memory formation, it allows our body to repair some cell damage that occurred during the day, and refreshes our immune system, which in turn helps to prevent disease. Almost every creature sleeps, and those that do not die young.
In this course, Dr. Loren Fishman and yoga therapist Ellen Saltonstall will look at the science of sleep and its benefits, and how yoga can help us develop healthier sleep patterns and overcome bouts of insomnia.
There are many reasons that sleep gets disturbed throughout life, ranging from the stresses and worries of a busy life, excessive caffeine intake, and poor time management. As we age, we become particularly susceptible to sleep problems. We may find it more difficult to fall asleep, we may wake up earlier, or enjoy less deep sleep. While some changes to sleep patterns are a normal part of aging, disturbed sleep, waking up tired every day, and other symptoms of insomnia are not.
Many physicians consider sleep to be a barometer of a person’s health, like taking his or her temperature. People who don’t sleep well are more likely to suffer from depression, attention and memory problems, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Lack of proper sleep can also lead to many serious health problems in as people get older, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight problems, and breast cancer in women.
What You Will Learn
- What is sleep? – New Research
- The importance of sleep and how many hours of sleep we actually need
- Why lack of sleep can lead to serious health conditions and the most common conditions affected
- Why sleep changes as we age and how we can protect our sleep potential
- How to distinguish between normal changes to sleep and sleep disorders
- The most common causes of sleep problems and what to do about them
- Yoga practices to help calm the nervous system and induce better sleep
- Yoga postures for common sleep disorders like restless leg syndrome
- Nutritional supplements and guidelines to help facilitate better and deeper sleep
This Course Also Includes:
- 30 Minute Relaxing Yoga Practice for Sound Sleep: Enjoy a 30-minute yoga practice centered around the key pose sequence Dr. Fishman uses in his medical practice to help people with sleep problems, and breaks it down into a series of long, slow stretches to release stress in the parts of the body where many of us tend to store tension that can interfere with healthy sleep.
- Recordings of Both Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions – both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
- Transcripts of Both Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 2.5 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
