Femina has put together a list of six gentle bedtime yoga poses meant to reduce everyday stress, release physical tension, and help the body shift into sleep. The six: Child's Pose, Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose, Reclining Bound Angle Pose, Cat-Cow Stretch, Supine Spinal Twist, and Corpse Pose.
There's no gear, no subscription, and no commute to a studio. It's a low-cost nighttime routine you can do at home, which is a big part of its appeal as sleep struggles and stress remain evergreen wellness concerns.
This piece takes one angle: treat the six poses as a single routine, a staircase down from the day. The list is Femina's. The sequencing suggestion below is ours, and we'll flag it as such.
The Six Poses, Briefly
Femina's list is a catalog of names, and the source material we have doesn't spell out step-by-step instructions for each. So rather than invent technique, here's what each pose is and why it earns a spot on a wind-down list, with our own commentary clearly marked as commentary.
1. Child's Pose
The classic yoga "pause button." Per Femina, it's one of the six poses aimed at easing stress before sleep. It's hard not to see why it leads the list: it's the pose most yoga classes reach for when everyone needs a breather.
2. Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose
The pose with the most honest description in yoga: your legs go up a wall. It's on Femina's list as part of the bedtime lineup. In our read, it's the one that looks like doing nothing, which is arguably the whole point at 10 p.m.
3. Reclining Bound Angle Pose
Another lying-down entry. Notice a theme forming: half this list asks you to be horizontal, which is a refreshing bar for a workout.
4. Cat-Cow Stretch
The only pose on the list with a built-in animal duet. Femina includes it among the six, and it's a natural spot for the body to loosen up after a day of sitting. (That last part is our assumption, not Femina's claim.)
5. Supine Spinal Twist
A twist done on your back, so gravity does the heavy lifting. Femina lists it as a bedtime pose for releasing physical tension.
6. Corpse Pose
Yes, it's called that. Known in Sanskrit-derived yoga circles as Savasana, it's the finale: lie still and let the rest of the routine settle in. Its name is dramatic. The pose itself is the opposite.
Our Take: Think of It as a Descent
Here's the spin, and it's ours. Read top to bottom, the list has a pleasing shape. It starts with a folded-in, grounded pose, moves through a few stretches, and ends flat on your back doing nothing at all. Whether or not Femina intended that arc, it's a handy way to remember the order: gather yourself, loosen up, then lie down and stop.
That structure also makes the routine forgiving. A few things follow from the list itself:
- Most of it happens close to the floor. Several poses (Reclining Bound Angle, Supine Spinal Twist, Corpse Pose) are done lying down, so you're never far from where you'll end up anyway.
- It's the opposite of a workout. The stated goal, per Femina, is to relax the body, calm the mind, and prepare for restful sleep, not to burn anything.
- It's flexible. Six poses can be a full sequence or a pick-two on a tired night.
Why a List Like This Keeps Showing Up
Stress and sleep trouble are the kind of problems that never go out of style. People keep searching for simple fixes they can do on their own, in pajamas, without spending money. A short bedtime yoga sequence fits that need neatly.
A fair caution, though: a stretching routine is a way to ease everyday stress, not a cure for ongoing sleep or stress problems. If those feel chronic or overwhelming, that's a conversation for a health professional, not a yoga mat. That's our note rather than anything from Femina's list, but it's worth keeping in mind with any wellness checklist.
A Simple Way to Try It Tonight
This is our suggestion, not Femina's prescription. Run the poses in the order listed and see how the evening feels. Dim the lights, put the phone out of arm's reach, and treat the final pose as the real destination. If you fall asleep somewhere around pose five, consider that a successful review.
The cleverest thing about a bedtime yoga list is that it asks you to do less as it goes on. Start with a fold, end with a flop, and call it a night.
