Pre-Bedtime Serenity

About This Class

This pre-bedtime restorative class with Melissa Mercedes guides students through a calming sequence of fully supported, long-held poses intended to dissolve physical and emotional tension and prepare the body and mind for restful sleep. The class opens with a seated mindful breathing and belly-breathing exercise to ground awareness in the body, then moves through a bolster-supported belly-down pose, a supported backbend with a block beneath the shoulder blades to open the chest and heart space, and a freestanding legs-up variation of Viparita Karani to nourish the nervous system. Each pose is held for an extended duration in true restorative fashion, with frequent cueing on breath awareness, the negativity bias, and gratitude as tools for mental settling. The class closes in Savasana with an optional bolster under the knees and a seated Namaste ritual. Props — bolster, two blocks, and a blanket or towel — are integral throughout. This class is an ideal complement to meditation and suits anyone carrying stress, anxiety, shoulder tension, or back tightness, or anyone seeking a consistent wind-down ritual to improve sleep quality.