Reset Before Bed: 5 Pilates-Based Movements to Help You Sleep

Sleep isn’t just about closing your eyes—it’s about letting your body and nervous system downshift into rest mode. At SOMA Movement Studio, we know firsthand that how you move before bed can shape the quality of your sleep.

That’s why we’ve created a simple, breath-focused movement sequence rooted in Pilates principles to help you unwind in under 10 minutes. These five exercises are gentle, grounding, and designed to calm your mind while releasing the physical tension that accumulates through your day.

No equipment needed—just a quiet space and your breath.

1. Breath Expansion in Crook-Lying

1–2 minutes

Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat, arms relaxed by your sides. Gently inhale through the nose, feeling the ribs expand sideways and into the floor. Exhale fully through the mouth, allowing the spine to soften and the back of the ribs to settle into the mat. Try variations where you lay on your back with your hips offset to the side, your legs rotated to one side, or even put a pillow under your chest to you lay in a gentle back bend.

Why it works: Focused breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest), slows the heart rate, and grounds your awareness in the body.

2. Pelvic Tilts

1–2 minutes

Stay in the same position. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, gently tilt the pelvis to flatten your low back into the mat. Inhale to return to neutral. Move slowly and smoothly.

Why it works: This releases low back tension and resets your spinal rhythm without over-activating large muscles. Try to not push through your feet to make the pelvic tilt happen, Focus on using the effort of your lower abs.

3. Knee Sways

1–2 minutes

With feet still flat, slowly drop both knees to one side as you exhale, then return to center. Inhale in the middle, then exhale and sway to the other side. Keep shoulders soft and heavy. As a variation, gentle press through the heel of your left foot as your legs sway to the right creating stretch through your right pelvis, waist, and ribs.

Why it works: Gentle rotation of the pelvis soothes the lower spine and helps discharge physical stress from the hips and torso.

4. Supported Spine Stretch Forward

1–2 minutes

Sit on a cushion or folded towel with legs bent or straight. Place hands on your thighs. Inhale tall, then exhale to gently round forward, letting your head hang between your knees. Stay for a breath or two, then slowly return to upright.

Why it works: Forward folding cues your nervous system to slow down, release spinal tension, and foster introspection.

5. Legs Up the Wall (or Over a Chair)

2–3 minutes

Lie on your back and rest your legs up against a wall or supported on a chair seat. Let arms rest wide or on your belly. Close your eyes and breathe naturally.

Why it works: This restorative inversion encourages venous return, calms the heart rate, and creates a sensation of full-body exhale.

The SOMA Takeaway

You don’t need a complicated bedtime ritual. Just a few minutes of gentle movement can be the bridge between your busy day and a night of deep, restorative sleep.

Try this routine for a week and notice what shifts. You might find yourself falling asleep faster, staying asleep longer, and waking up with fewer aches and more clarity.

At SOMA, we believe movement isn’t just for the day—it’s how we set the tone for the night.