Coming next month: Our yoga series continues with Eliana Stein, personal trainer and yoga instructor at the Vidya Institute, as she demonstrates the poses that can improve sleep.

When to do these exercises: Practice this routine first thing in the morning or before you eat. This sequence of yoga poses is designed to support digestion by activating the breath and muscles within the abdomen.

What you will need:
1-2 blankets or towels

How to do it: Lie flat on your back with knees pulled into chest, arms at shoulder level. On an exhale, bring knees to the right. Inhale knees back to center and switch sides. Repeat 10 times per side.

Why it works: This premeditative motion of the torso stretches the muscles of the spine and conditions the abdominal muscles. This was traditionally considered to solely activate the "digestive fire" which is responsible for the digestion of food, but it can also trigger the release of emotions and experiences.