Thirst-Quenching Nightly Yoga Routine for Relaxation & Alignment

A nightly yoga routine has so many benefits and can be used for so many different purposes...

For one, those night when you are craving an ice cold beer, a glass of wine, (or if you are anything like me an icy gin and tonic), a nightly yoga routine is a perfect thirst quencher. 

Use your body and breath to silence the nudge of temptations and take back the control of your flesh.

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As a yoga teacher, my biggest emphasis when I’m teaching is your breath. Connecting your breath with body and finding your rhythm and flow. That is the sacred path to deliver you from temptations.

Alcohol is a worldly temptation of the flesh. It can be extremely challenging to overcome our bodies temptations. But our breath is a great tool.

Here you will learn moon salutations for a calming night ritual, yoga poses to calm the nervous system, and nourishing drink alternatives to alcohol!

This post is all about a nightly yoga routine!

Nightly Yoga Routine to Curb Alcohol Cravings

A nightly yoga routine can aid in curbing alcohol cravings by helping to regulate our nervous system and decrease our cortisol levels, studies show.

Though, alcohol cravings do not naturally increase our cortisol/stress levels. The issue lies within our daily stress exposure. A study highlights, social drinkers, who tend to drink more heavily, have a higher alcohol craving relative to how much stress they encountered that day.

The more stress, the greater the alcohol craving. So, if we can manage our stress in the evening through our breath and body, we can mitigate our alcohol cravings.

So, for me, moon salutations are a great step to cultivate a nourishing evening ritual that keeps me away from drinking.

Moon salutations

A moon salutation is a sequence of about five poses flowing together with each breath. It is meant to repeat 3 to 5 times to sync your breath, body and mind. A great tool for a relaxing, evening ritual.

(A spin on what is a "sun salutation" which is meant to cultivate energy in the morning)

When I do some salutations, especially at night, I take it really slowly. If you move fast, it’s going to wake your body up when you’re trying to wind down into your night routine. So take deep breaths and move slowly. Start with these to connect body and breath:

Moon salutation 1

Begin this salutation in a seated position with your legs crossed. Gently find some movements here, maybe a twist, side bend, forward fold. Move with your breath! Then, begin the sequence below. 

1. Cat cow 
2. Thread the needle
3. Child's pose
4. Upward facing dog 
5. Down dog
6. Step through back to a seat, take a few breaths, find some organic movements.

Repeat this 3-5 times until you feel grounded. If this does not speak to you, then try the moon salutation 2 below.

Moon salutation 2

Begin this salutation standing with your legs hip width distance apart. Find some organic movements with your breath. I enjoy reaching my arms up and finding a simple side bend. Then, begin the sequence below. 

1. Inhale arms up, and exhale fold forward from the hips 
2. Walk your legs out to the side of your mat and find a generous bend in the knees, option to sway side to side
3. Toe-heel your feet together, inhale half way lift, then fold 
4. Inhale reach your hands to the mat and walk them out to a downward dog
5. Inhale right leg up, then step it through to a half pigeon. Take deep ling breaths here. Then, repeat for the left side.
6. Find a downward dog again, step through and find your way to standing.

Here is a deeper stretch! Take your time with it, you can repeat it up to 3-5 times OR you can simply stay in each pose for 5-7 breaths. 

I really can't stress it enough to move with your breath and really exaggerate your breaths. This practice will truly help to calm down the body.

Yoga poses to calm the nervous system

When I am not trying to do an hour long yoga class… I will do a few moon salutations, and a few yoga poses that calm my nervous system (hint with an herbal tea or a magnesium mocktail). 

Again, we want to slow our body down, not energize it. And these poses are amazing for calming the nervous system and getting your mind calm and releasing you from temptation. 

Poses to calm the nervous system:

1. Seated forward fold

A seated forward fold is number one for a reason! It is my go-to for easing my nervous system. I had a teacher when I was younger that always told me if I can't sleep, go into a seated forward fold, and man does it work. 

Go here to learn the variations and proper way to do this pose!

2. Child’s pose

The lovely and ever relaxing child's pose. A pose that invites deep breaths of release and opens the hips. Give yourself a gentle forehead massage (my favorite part). 

A good pose to do after a cat-cow and before a seated forward fold. Go here for detailed instructions on how to cultivate release in child's pose.

3. Leg's up the wall

For the active ladies, leg's up the wall is a game changer. I am obsessed with this one. Perfect for when your hips/legs are sore or aching, an easily do-able pose, and you get to lay on the floor (also my favorite). 

This study shows us that leg's up the wall can, in fact, relax our nervous system and trigger a rest-and-digest state. Pair that with your breath, sip your herbal tea, and relax. 

Go here for detailed instructions!

4. Supine twist

The best yoga pose for a nightly yoga routine because you let gravity do all the work, as with most of these! A gentle twist is a great addition to a nightly yoga routine due to its detoxifying effects. 

Almost like when you wring a wet towel, a twist is similar. Though, it does not actually squeeze out toxins, it does by-proxy through improving circulation, calming the nervous system, and stimulating digestion (study). 

Go here for details on how to do a supine twist. 

5. Cat-Cow

The ultimate breath to movement yoga pose for your nightly yoga routine. Option to do this ONLY! A simple trick to bringing more awareness to your body, breath, and to sync them together. 

Check out Yoga Journal for the cat-cow pose breakdown!

How to use these poses in your nightly yoga routine: 

After a gentle moon salutation, I like to see how I feel. If I don't feel grounded and centered quite yet, then I try some of these. Some are repeats, it just depends what your body needs and is asking for. 

I learned how my body talks to me, and it will thirst for a certain pose. Sometimes I will be in that pose (for what feels like hours) until my body is quenched.

Nourishing drink alternatives to alcohol 

Let’s be real, you’re gonna be thirsty, physically thirsty. While the moon salutations (and yoga poses) can help occupy our mind and bring us into alignment. A refreshing beverage or a hot tea can really support our nourishing night routine.

Best nourishing drink alternatives:

• Magnesium mocktail 
• Herbal teas (valerian, chamomile, lavender) 
• Herbal lattes, nourishing teas with frothed milk

Magnesium helps our muscles relax, calms the mind, and creates a light sedation effect. A study was done that found the higher depletion of magnesium was linked to poorer sleep quality. 

So, taking more magnesium will help you relax in the evening and sleep better. I love taking evening supplements that aid in sleep, especially when I am pairing it with a nightly yoga routine.

Conclusion

I want to also highlight the temptation of a drink at night. We might not experience an entire lifetime without temptations. It’s truly about finding our tools to cultivate balance with our bodily flesh and temptations that we were born with.

Learning the tools that work best for you can be a life-changing experience and guide you to a more balanced, aligned, and grounded life.

This post was all about a nightly yoga routine!