A few nights ago, the HuffPost Lifestyle section had a holiday gathering that included a yoga session with Elena Brower, founder of VIRAYOGA and author of The Art of Attention (Jago Yoga, 2012). I'm admittedly a yoga newbie (I had to ask to borrow a mat for the session!), and my yoga experience is limited to one class at Tara Stiles's New York City studio and one class with my mom back in Arizona. But despite my inexperience with yoga itself, I am well aware of its many potential benefits -- after all, a large part of my job involves covering the latest health studies, including those on yoga. I know, for example, that yoga could help relieve back pain, problems with balance in stroke survivors, and even depression in caregivers.

And lo and behold, the night after that yoga session with Elena Brower, I learned firsthand yet another benefit: a good night's sleep.

The past few weeks had been busier and more stressful than usual -- something I chalk up to it being the holiday season -- but it had been taking a serious toll on my sleep. Over the last month, my bedtime was becoming progressively later and later, to the point where I was consistently going to bed around 2 a.m. every night. I would lay in bed, not able to sleep, only to finally drift off late into the night and then be jolted awake (alarm clock, you are so rude) early the next morning.

But the night after yoga, I got into bed around 11 p.m., watched some TV on my laptop, and then realized my whole body was relaxing, un-tensing, getting almost jelly-like... I was getting tired, and it wasn't even midnight yet! I dozed off by the 12 a.m. hour and slept a solid, uninterrupted eight hours.

Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. After all, a recent Harvard study showed that yoga improved both sleep quality and quantity in people struggling with insomnia. Other studies have shown similar results in other groups of people, including cancer survivors and post-menopausal women.

Now, it's important to note that in these studies, the participants practiced yoga more than once -- for weeks, in fact -- to see these benefits. I only did one yoga session, and it's indeed possible that I zonked out more easily than usual because my muscles were so tired out from the session. But even if that's the reason why, isn't that reason enough?

Already a seasoned yogi? Try these unconventional practices:

It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's -- yoga, in a suspended hammock? Antigravity Yoga (also referred to as Suspension Yoga, Upside-Down Yoga and Aerial Yoga) is not for the faint of heart. The practice incorporates traditional yoga poses mixed with acrobatics in a silk hammock suspended from the ceiling. What are the benefits of yoga off the ground? Kayda Norman, who documented her Aerial Yoga experience for Health.com writes, "Aerial yoga allows you to stretch further and hold positions longer than other types of yoga. Suspension yoga also helps to decompress tight joints and relieve pressure." Alexandra Sifferlin, a reporter for Time, also shared her go with a Suspension Yoga class. She reported in a video of her experience that the aerial class was helpful for "better controlled movements as you strengthen your core muscles." And for those without the strength and control for traditional inversions like headstands, Aerial Yoga gives us a chance to try these out.

Tantrum Yoga can help you access your inner child: the grumpy one, who needs to throw a tantrum to get back to center. It isn't violent; instead, it's an outlet -- a release -- that combines traditional yoga poses, dancing and, yes, some yelling. Yoga teacher Hemalaaya developed this therapeutic kind of yoga as the next step in her fusion-focused classes. And, as she puts it, throwing a little tantrum works to relieve her own frustrations. She encourages her students to release stress by yelling, chest-pounding and laughing. "I believe we are emotional beings and there are times we need to express in order to let go of emotion, especially old stuff that is sitting in there, festering. Otherwise it gets stuck in our bodies and could turn into stress, disease, etc." she told ABC News.

Perhaps it is Wheelchair Yoga that best demonstrates the versatility of the yoga practice. Many of the actions performed in Wheelchair Yoga (or, similarly Chair Yoga) are traditional poses adapted for those who are in wheelchairs. The Cat Stretch, Cow Pose and Eagle Pose, for example, have all been modified to be performed while sitting. Chair Yoga prioritizes breath-work and physical postures and can be incredibly beneficial for those with limited mobility. The activity can help to decrease physical pain and tension and it promotes the many benefits of physical activity to those with disabilities might not otherwise have access.

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Amanda L. Chan: How Yoga Helped Me Have the Best Night's Sleep in Weeks