Stretch yourself to SLEEP

Try this sleep-inducing yoga sequence from the comfort of your own bed

- NATALIA LUBOMIRSKI

Don't think you have time to squeeze yoga into your day? Think again. We've found a way to combine yoga moves with your bedtime routine. Plus, it could even help you get to sleep.

Switching off a busy brain to unwind is easier said than done. So sleep-tech firm Simba has partnered with leading yoga instructor Clara Baker to create a routine that is guaranteed to ease you into a calming state of mind.

'This is a great remedy for anyone who struggles to clock off,' says Clara. 'It's designed to rebalance, calm, and realign our chakras (the various energy centres in our body) through simple stretches and controlled breathing techniques.'

1 Simple cross-legged pose and alternate nostril breathing

* Find a sitting position on the bed that allows your spine to be straight without creating tension.

* Close your eyes and tune into your breath. Inhale deeply through your nose, filling your lungs.

* Count the length of the breath silently, making the inhalation and exhalation equal.

* Once you've established a steady rhythm, raise your right hand and rest the first two fingers between your eyebrows. Bring your thumb to rest on your right nostril and your ring finger to rest on your left nostril.

* Exhale fully through both nostrils. Closing your right nostril with your thumb, inhale through your left nostril.

* Closing your left nostril with your ring finger, exhale through your right nostril. Inhale through the right, close, and exhale through the left. Inhale left, close, exhale right. Inhale right, close, exhale left.