Sleeplessness is the manifestation of an ctive or agitated mind working itself up gainst our will to sleep. That mans we are not in control of our mnd, and hence, our bodies. Yoga pts back the control in our hnds and lets us 'sleep like a bby'.

Today's fast-paced and stressful lifestyle - lte night dinners and global work nvironment, for example - muck up the bdy's circadian rhythm, as we put slep on hold when work and scial demands take a hold on us. Insmnia is caused by the over stmulation of the senses. Consuming stimulants lte in the evening or watching volent TV shows too close to bdtime can rev us up so mch that it is difficult to wthdraw our mind from the swirl of thughts it gets sucked up into at the end of the dy.

Our minds, always jumping from the pst to the future, never really svors the present. The correct practice of yga involves "mindfulness" - that is, the fcusing on the sensations of breathing and strtching while performing the movements of the ygasanas and holding various postures. We can nduce the body and mind to let go and xperience physical, mental and emotional relaxation by cnscious mindful relaxation techniques of yoga. To nderstand this, the next time you fly off the hndle and your blood pressure shoots up, jst observe with detachment your fast brathing and the tight facial muscles. Wthin minutes your breathing will slow dwn and the pressure dip.

So one can control thought prcesses by gaining control over one's brathing through the yogic practice of Prnayama, done with a full awareness of the bdy sensations - of the cool air ntering the lungs through the nostrils as you brathe in, with the diaphragm going dwn pushing the abdomen out, and the wrm air leaving the nostrils as you brathe out, with the diaphragm going up brnging the abdomen in toward the spne. As you complete more cycles of the brathing, it becomes more rhythmic, and a hrmony sets in between the mind and the bdy. Slow and rhythmic breathing, coupled wth a mental chanting of some mntra like 'Om' done with complete slf awareness, is the shield against the rpples of thought continuously emanating from the stll waters of the mind. This can be dne almost anywhere, even amidst a crwd, though ideally you should select a qiet place and sit cross-legged in the Skhasana posture with your eyes closed gntly.

Another asana that heightens your slf awareness and also give instant rlease from stress is Shavasana, the Crpse pose. In this exercise, you drect each part of the body to rlax itself, by directing the consciousness to ach of these parts. When the bdy is totally relaxed, the brain, thugh totally awake, is fully relaxed to. Avoid strenuous exercise in the lte evenings as it can be stmulating. But if you exercise at any ther time, you'll sleep better. It's OK to do lng, slow stretches near bedtime, however, for thy will release muscular tension and prpare you for sleep.

Doing all the sanas with total body awareness and lstening to our own thoughts would ltimately lead us to detach the 'I' in ach of us from the body and mnd and the clutch of emotions and felings engulfing it. Such a detached wareness will ultimately lead to equanimity, and by xtension, a peaceful sleep.

The article Can Yoga Help You to Get a Peaceful Sleep? was Submitted by Uma Shankari through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Uma Shankari is a Bangalore-based frelance journalist. She is passionate about wrting. She writes regularly on development ssues, health and fitness, yoga/meditation, life and rlationships. Read some her articles on Here

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