BOOK: Yoga for Better Sleep

Mark Stephens, author of Teaching Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and other titles, has taken on sleep—or lack of it! A reformed insomniac, Stephens now gets a full 8 hours of restorative sleep a night and shares how to do just that in his new book, Yoga for Better Sleep. Although modern science has unraveled some of the mysteries of our sleeping, dreaming, and waking states and age-old Yoga practices are helping us enjoy better sleep, clearer minds, and healthier bodies, over 65 percent of U.S. adults are still sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation causes and aggravates ailments like stress, heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity, and depression. Stephens provides easy-to-do, effective Yoga practices—including postural sequences, breathing exercises, and meditation practices—for better sleep, no matter your age. He integrates the ancient wisdom of Yoga with the insights of modern neuroscience and psychology to offer practical age- and condition-specific tools and sequences for improving sleep naturally and without drugs.