Published January 22, 2026 12:23PM
As a yoga instructor, I’ve seen firsthand how some yoga classes unintentionally make students feel excluded. The physical reality of coming onto the floor, moving through fast transitions, or pushing through fatigue can be daunting for many.
Throughout my teaching journey, I’ve learned that yoga doesn’t have to be extreme to be effective. One of the most supportive ways I’ve found to meet people where they are is bed yoga. Students have shared with me how the bed-based practices on my YouTube channel have helped them move, breathe, and rest on days when getting out of bed simply isn’t an option.
Whether you’re navigating illness, limited mobility, or a period of deep exhaustion, practicing yoga in bed offers a gentle way to reconnect with your body—without pressure or expectations. Set to calming music, these practices can help you release tension and unwind, especially when you’re craving a slower, more nurturing way to end the day.
10-Minute Bed Yoga for Deep Sleep
You don’t need a mat, special props, or a burst of energy to begin. This practice honors the idea that yoga doesn’t have to be strenuous to be impactful—and that rest is a powerful form of care.
1. Neck Stretches
Come into a comfortable seated position and close your eyes. Breathe in through your nose and sigh out through your mouth. Lower your right ear toward your right shoulder and pause.
Then lower your head forward, dropping your chin toward your chest and pause.
Tilt your head to the left, lowering your left ear toward your left shoulder and pause. Then tilt your head back, pointing your chin toward the ceiling and pause.
Bring your head back to center. Lift your shoulders toward your ears and lower them back down. Repeat that a few times.
2. Cat-Cow
Come onto your hands and knees with your knees wide. Arch your back, lower your belly, and reach your chest forward in Cow Pose.
Then round your spine and tuck your chin in in Cat Pose.
Repeat Cat-Cow a few times.
3. Sphinx Pose
Make your way onto your belly. Prop yourself onto your forearms and arrange them so they’re parallel to each other. Your shoulders should be stacked over your elbows. Relax your legs behind you and breathe in Sphinx Pose.
Stay here or drop your left ear toward your left shoulder, then your right ear toward your right shoulder. Repeat once or twice more.
To release, lower your chest, stack one hand on top of the other, and rest one cheek on the back of your top hand. Take a few deep breaths here. Repeat Sphinx Pose or continue to Upward-Facing Dog (below).
4. Upward-Facing Dog
From Sphinx Pose, press your hands into the bed as you almost straighten your arms (keep them slightly bent) and reach your chest forward in Upward-Facing Dog. Stay here or tilt your head side to side, stretching your neck. Take a few breaths here.
Lower back down to your belly, stack your hands, and rest the opposite cheek on your top hand. Pause for a few breaths.
5. Quad Stretch
Reach your right arm behind you as you bend your right leg. Grasp your right calf or ankle or wrap a strap or belt around your calf or ankle and hold the ends in your right hand. Breathe here. Release and switch sides.
6. Hamstring Stretch
Roll onto your back. Bend your right leg and bring it toward your chest. Clasp your fingers behind your right hamstring or wrap a strap or belt around your leg. Straighten your right leg toward the ceiling, keeping it slightly bent if that’s more comfortable. Lean your right leg against the resistance of your grasp or strap. Circle your right ankle toward the right a few times, then the left.
7. Figure 4 Stretch
Bend your right leg and rest your ankle on your left knee. Clasp your hands behind your left hamstring or just below your knee or wrap a strap or belt around your left hamstring and hold onto the ends. Keep your left foot planted or lift it off the bed as you gently draw your left leg toward you. Breathe here.
Release Figure 4, plant your right foot on the bed, and straighten your left leg toward the ceiling for a Hamstring Stretch and Figure 4 Stretch on the opposite side.
8. Knees to Chest
Draw your knees toward your chest and wrap your hands, arms, or a strap around your calves. Relax here. Take whatever movement feels good to you—perhaps gently rocking side to side. Breathe here, then release your arms and legs to the bed.
9. Savasana
Relax your legs and arms on the bed. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths in Savasana. On your final breath, take a deep inhalation through your nose and a deep exhalation through your mouth.
