Enlighten Up! a blog

Yoga Through the Ages

4/1/2025

Note: Once upon a time, my friend Deb and I did standup comedy routines at the close of a yoga training. Here is hers! Remember, laughter IS medicine and we all need daily doses. Guest post by Deb Jensen.

In your 20’s: You just started taking yoga because you heard it’s a great way to keep your butt firm … so you go to LULU Lemon and spend $200 on a hot new outfit that shows off all your curves… cuz, hey… that yoga instructor is pretty hot, with those tribal tattoos, long hair and sexy beard…and maybe, he’ll adjust you in Downward facing dog again.

In your 30’s: Off to yoga, you still fit into that cute outfit but, hey, you’ve had two kids, so you tie a sweater around your midsection in case that attractive yoga instructor is teaching… after all, you may be a mom but you’re not dead...it’s Ok to look…hmm, looks like he got a new tattoo …you proceed to fall asleep in Savasana because, hey, two kids are exhausting.

In your 40’s: Your daughter has stolen that yoga outfit … aah, it’s too tight anyway...so you
throw on a pair of sweat pants and t-shirt...cuz, hey…comfort is seriously underrated. You hope the hunky instructor doesn’t adjust you in Downward dog because you had a bean burrito for dinner last night… you proceed to snore during Savasana until the instructor shakes you awake.

In your 50’s: You throw on a pair of shorts and baggy tank top, pull your hair into a ponytail because that damn instructor keeps the yoga room so hot. What does he have the thermostat set on…100 degrees? Your daughter is meeting you there but sets up on the opposite side of the room cuz she doesn’t want anyone to know the sweaty lady with the hot flashes is related to her. You wish you could fall asleep in Savasana since your insomnia is keeping you up all night.

In your 60’s: Back to sweat pants! Guess they got the temperature control fixed… but now you add a camisole and sports bra under the t-shirt because things just aren’t sitting as high as they used to, and last time you did Downward facing dog your saggy parts almost suffocated you… Some bald guy with wrinkled tattoos and a gray goatee is teaching… you wonder whatever happened to that good looking guy that used to teach?

In your 70’s: You take a little longer to don your yoga gear, in addition to your teal velour jogging suit, you add a sweater for savasana… You get there early so you can make sure you get that spot in the back of the room next to the wall... There’s a nice looking man smiling at you, oh my, he must be in his 50’s! You think, “Dang cougar! I guess I look pretty good for my age!” Until you realize he is actually making eyes at your daughter.

In your 80’s: Your granddaughter is on her way to pick you up for yoga class. You asked your neighbor if he would like to go but he said he can’t do yogurt cuz he’s lactose intolerant. Once you get there your granddaughter goes into the Astanga class. Yours is titled “Yoga for Seniors”… Good thing you put on your fleece sweat pants, wool socks, t-shirt, sweatshirt and scarf ...that damn instructor keeps the room so cold. What? Is he storing his salad in there?

In your 90’s: You get up an hour early so you have time to put on your hearing aids, long underwear, sweat pants, long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweater, wool socks, scarf, gloves, hat and boots. You make sure you use the extra strength polident on your dentures, since last time you did that kielbasa breath your dentures almost hit the instructor in the eye. You grab your cane and wait for the senior shuttle to chair yoga. Good thing it’s only September, otherwise you’d have to bundle up!

At 100: You arrive an hour and a half early for class and You’re thinking “It’s a good thing I
brought my blanket to, wait, where am I? Oh, yeah, chair yoga…wish these damn seats were padded better… I don’t have much cushioning of my own anymore …where’s the instructor, I can’t see him…wish they’d turn up the lights in here! Don’t they know we all wear glasses? Hey! Did he just tell us to shift our farts???? Ohhh - lift our hearts…aww, hell, I’m an old woman for cryin out loud! I’m 100 years old! Because… I do yoga!

Debra Jensen has been working in Physical Therapy for 28 years and has taught yoga for 22 years specializing in working with seniors and folks with Parkinson’s disease.

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Fall Asleep in 5 Easy Steps

3/1/2025

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Note: Given the state of the world these days, I thought a re-run of the guest post by Monica Le Baron would be timely and helpful.

Can’t sleep? Create your ideal night routine to fall asleep effortlessly in just 5 easy steps

Before I struggled with insomnia, and way before I became a Certified Yoga Therapist and sleep expert, I wasn’t aware of evening routines and I didn’t even think I had one.

The reality is that I had a very unhealthy night schedule that was preventing me from falling asleep, staying asleep, and feeling energized in the morning. I would watch TV, read business books or study Swedish until late, making it hard to stop the chatter in my mind and to be able to fall asleep effortlessly. Sometimes, I would force myself to unplug and go to bed a couple of hours earlier than my usual schedule, but that would make it even worse, it only led to nights of tossing and turning in frustration.

I researched a lot about sleep hygiene tools and read many blogs about sleep routines. Some advice seemed good yet impossible to implement in my night routine, but I would try anyway which created even more drama in my life. After many sleepless nights, I realized that I needed to create my own routine that fit my life better and to be patient and extra flexible with it.

That’s one of the main reasons why I won’t try to impose a “perfect” routine on my coaching clients or on you. The goal here is for you to become aware of your evening routine (even if you don’t think you have one) and then add a level of simplicity and mindfulness to it.

Let’s take the first baby step to create your simple night routine so you can fall asleep effortlessly.

STEP 1: GET CLARITY
To start, it is important to understand your relationship with sleep and get clear of the conscious or unconscious stressors and habits that might be preventing you from getting a good night's rest.

Take a moment to reflect (and journal if possible) about the questions below. These are some of the things I talk about with my clients during our first coaching session to gain clarity about their current sleep situation and the transformation they would like to achieve.

Is it hard for you to fall asleep? Do you wake up at night? How many times? What keeps you up at night? Do you feel rested in the morning?
Do you currently have a night routine? How is it?
What is your overall energy level for the past few weeks?
How many hours do you sleep at night? What time do you go to bed? What time do you wake up in the morning?
How often do you feel stressed? (eg. Rarely, often, in certain situations, all the time…) When you get stressed, how strong is your stress and how does it affect you?
How much is not finding a solution to your "problem" costing you in monetary, energy, and relationship terms?

You might feel overwhelmed just by reading these questions, please don’t. The goal of this step is only to gain clarity, is not about taking immediate action.

STEP 2: SET A REALISTIC GOAL
Is time to create a realistic goal for your night routine. Ask yourself how would you like your evening routine to support your sleep, your health, or your life in general. And decide how much time are you willing to invest in creating your ideal routine and executing it.

Then create a goal that is measurable, simple, and realistic. Here is an example of a realistic goal. If you’re going to bed at midnight and you would like to be fully asleep two hours earlier to get deeper sleep, then a realistic goal to start with might mean being asleep by 11:50 pm instead of 10 pm. Then you can go to bed ten minutes earlier each week until you hit your 10 pm goal. I realize this might seem too simple or not worth the effort, but small steps will set you up for success. If your goal were to be asleep by 10 pm on week one, this might add more pressure and anxiety to your nights. And we don’t want that!

STEP 3: WHAT NEEDS TO STAY AND WHAT NEEDS TO UPGRADE?
Now that you’ve created your realistic goal, and identified your evening routine and other factors that might be disturbing your sleep, and your energy, let’s identify which parts of your night routine should stay and which parts you’ll want to upgrade.

Ask yourself the following questions to decide.

What would your ideal night routine look like?
What simple changes can you make to your current routine?
What calming and joyful activities would you like to incorporate into your routine?
What time do you have to go to bed to get the number of hours you desire and get enough sleep cycles in your night?
Are you adding buffer space to not rush to bed?
What simple changes can you make this week to move towards your goal?

Even if there is a lot that you want to change, don’t try to overwhelm yourself. Keep it simple and stick to one or two things to start which will upgrade your entire sleep experience.

STEP 4: CREATE YOUR ROUTINE
Using the upgrades that you’ve identified in Step 3, write down your ideal evening routine to establish a regular relaxing bedtime that helps your body recognize when it’s time to sleep.

Remember Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s wise words: “a goal without a plan is just a wish.”

I use the following steps with my clients to create their night routine, and you’re welcome to use them as well:

Define what time you need to wake up. (Example: 6 am)
From that time count backwards 8 hours. This is the time you should ideally be asleep. (Example: 10 pm)
How long do you take to fall asleep? (Example: 1.5 hours)
What time do you need to prepare for bed? (Example: 8:30pm)
What will you do to prepare for bed? (Example: Dim the lights, yoga stretches, light reading, meditation, etc.)

Creating and using an evening routine may be new for you, so take your time. Don’t try to rush the process. Instead, create a simple yet specific routine and be flexible with it, especially at the starting.

STEP 5: TAKE ACTION!
Doesn’t matter how great your night routine is, if you don’t take action it will never work. Is like making a lavender tea and not drinking it, and expecting to get the calming results anyways.

If your night routine is too complicated, rigid, or unrealistic, is going to be hard to relax and fall asleep.

Use these 5 simple steps to create your ideal night routine. A routine that you look forward to at night and that signals to your body and mind that is time to rest.
Remember that taking action is not always adding more activities, less is always best at night. Here’s a 10-minute yoga Nidra audio you can effortlessly add to your evening routine to peacefully fall asleep in minutes.

CONCLUSION
Sleep troubles don’t typically start in the bedroom; they’re just the tip of the iceberg and an indication that something else is going wrong. Not sleeping well is often caused by the things we do throughout the day, over the years, and leading up to our sleep time. Inside my Sleep Simplified 1:1 coaching program, I help my clients identify the root causes of their sleep troubles, implement effective changes, and create lasting habits that lead to better sleep. These lasting habits start by having an ideal night routine to fall asleep effortlessly at night.

What upgrades you will be adding to your routine tonight? Please let me know in the comments below, I would love to know.

Monica, MBA, is a bilingual (EN/ES) sleep coach and certified yoga therapist who specializes in helping women with sleep disorders get a good night’s rest. Using her exclusive signature program, Sleep Simplified, she has helped hundreds of clients overcome insomnia, sleep apnea and more. After just one session, her clients have been able to get two extra hours of restful sleep, wake up fewer times in the middle of the night and fall asleep within minutes of their head hitting the pillow.

Monica’s expertise has been featured in media outlets and apps including Insight Timer, International Association of Yoga Therapists, Brainz and more. Her passion for helping others get a good night’s rest was sparked after burning out at her corporate job and using yoga therapy techniques on herself to heal from insomnia, chronic pain, anxiety and stress. She lives in Chihuahua, Mexico, with her mother and siblings.

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ENLIGHTEN UP! a blog

Yoga Through the Ages

Fall Asleep in 5 Easy Steps

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