Reclaim your nighttime routine.
Published November 15, 2026 06:05AM
Shaunneka Hewitt is the founder of the YouTube channel Move with Shaunneka and has more than a decade of yoga teaching experience. Her approach is rooted in the belief that movement should feel good and allow you to slow down and listen to your body, which is exactly the aim of this seated yoga practice before bed.
Maybe you’re not one to curate the “perfect” nighttime routine. After all, what even is that? Your typical evening might consist of working until you can barely keep your eyes open or doomscrolling in bed until you essentially pass out mid-swipe. But technically, you already have a nighttime routine, whether it’s intentional or not. So you might as well make it work for you.
That doesn’t mean your pre-sleep schedule needs to include Himalayan-salt-lamp lighting and bubble baths. It can be much simpler. When you steal just a few minutes from the end of your day for checking in with yourself, as opposed to checking out, you give your entire body a break from the busy day. Practicing even a few minutes of seated yoga before bed is one way to reintroduce your body to the idea of rest after a long day of, well, not resting.
14-Minute Seated Yoga Before Bed
These stretches are inspired by the longer holds of yin yoga, and if you have the time, by all means, linger in each shape for 3 to 5 minutes. There’s no Savasana, with the hope that your final resting pose happens in the comfort of your bed as you drift off to sleep.
1. Butterfly Pose
Sit on the mat and draw the soles of your feet together, letting your knees lower to the sides. Reach the crown of your head toward the ceiling, then hinge forward with a flat back so your chest is over your legs in Butterfly Pose (Bound Angle Pose). For more of a stretch, use your elbows to gently press your thighs away from you. Breathe here, then slowly return to an upright position.
2. Half Butterfly Variation
From Butterfly legs, keep your left leg bent and straighten your right leg to the side with your toes pointed toward the ceiling. Slowly fold forward straight ahead, lowering your fingertips or forearms to the mat in a variation of Half Butterfly Pose. Relax your neck and let your head hang as you breathe here, then slowly roll up to an upright position.
3. Deer Pose Twist
From Half Butterfly legs, shift your weight into your left leg as you bend your right knee behind you at about a 90-degree angle and draw the sole of your right foot toward your right glute. Draw the sole of your left foot toward your right knee in Deer Pose (also known as 90/90). Inhale and twist toward your right; exhale and lower your fingertips or forearms to the floor outside your right thigh in Deer Pose Twist. Breathe here, then slowly roll up.
4. Pigeon Pose
From Deer Pose, press your hands or fingertips into the mat to frame your left leg and draw your left foot closer toward your hips. Straighten your right leg behind you in Pigeon Pose. Inhale and reach the crown of your head toward the ceiling; exhale and fold forward over your left leg, resting your hands or forearms on the mat. Breathe here.
Repeat Butterfly Pose, Half Butterfly Pose, Deer Pose Twist, and Pigeon Pose on the opposite side.
5. Wide-Legged Forward Fold
Sit on the mat with your legs extended in a wide V shape and your toes pointed toward the ceiling. Press your heels into the mat. Inhale and reach the crown of your head toward the ceiling; exhale and fold forward, lowering your hands or forearms to the mat in Wide-Legged Forward Bend. Relax your neck and let your head hang as you breathe here, then slowly roll up.
6. Seated Forward Fold
Sit on the mat and straighten your legs in front of you, about hip-width apart. Slowly fold forward, resting your hands on your thighs, shins, or on the mat on either side of your legs in Seated Forward Fold. Relax your neck and let your head hang. Breathe here, then slowly roll up.
7. Melting Heart
Come to your hands and knees. Walk your hands forward and slowly lower your forehead until it’s resting on the mat or a block in Melting Heart or Puppy Pose. Breathe here.
8. Child’s Pose Variation
From Melting Heart, come to your hands and knees. Separate your knees and lower your hips toward your heels. Walk your hands between your legs and toward the wall behind you as you lower your shoulders onto the mat. Turn your head toward one side so one cheek is resting on the mat in a Child’s Pose variation. Breathe here.
After you come out of Child’s Pose, continue with your own version of a nighttime routine, eventually making your way to bed.
