How to relax, sleep better and improve your flexibility.

Firstly, I think phones are great! We can find interests and people so easily now, and I think it’s a really exciting time for being able to find new, exciting opportunities. 

However, I noticed my phone wasn’t completely helping me...

I’d been quite good in the evenings at doing a little stretch routine (more on this later) and reading before bed. I’d connect to my body, prepare it for the next day and be relaxed in my mind before sleep. However I’ve been on my phone more lately, and found that bedtime seemed to get pushed back by about an hour. The stretching went out the window and I couldn’t even remember what book I’d been reading. With this I’ve been feeling a little bit more stressed  and underslept. 

However I don’t think that’s the worst bit of spending evenings glued to your phone, because really I don’t think it’s about the stretching, reading or even sleeping. It’s about connectng to yourself, listening to how you feel and just giving yourself some space to ‘be’.To flick the off switch and see what you’d genuinely like to do, or allow spontaneity to creep in.

We all need space to process, sit with feelings and let our dreams present themselves, otherwise it’s so easy to feel like we’re on a hamster wheel, being bombarded by messages and then alone when suddenly our phones seem quiet. 

I think we often look for connection via our phones but are forgetting our most important relationship, to ourselves.  

I was really inspired by talking to one of my clients, who as a couple run an incredibly successful business, and they have a no phones policy in the evenings to preserve family time, with all phones left downstairs overnight. I found it really impressive as if you can run such a huge enterprise but also give yourself the freedom to switch off, then for me it’s clear I can do the same. 

 So takeaway questions! 

- Might a phone curfew work for you? 

- Would some nightly stretching help both your sleep and training goals?  

- What can you do to connect to yourself better?  

Oh and also my stretch routine!

It’s very simple, and for a simple reason...so I get it done! 

- Roll the soles of my feet with a tennis ball x 2 mins (to help relax arches of feet)

- Lie against wall with my legs split x 5-10 mins  (to stretch inner thighs)  

Anyway, I hope if you’ve been in a similar boat this has given food for thought, and if you’d like some ideas for nighttime yoga drop me a message. Though I won’t reply after 10pm 😉

Y&B