Featured Pose: Savasana (or Final Relaxation)
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”
John Lubbock, from The Use Of Life
Savasana, also called corpse pose or final relaxation, is probably the most universal pose in yoga. Almost every tradition recommends spending at least few minutes in savasana following an asana practice. Because it is so common and is thought to be easy it is often taken for granted and given little attention. Since we are entering what for many is the most stressful season of the year, savasana and it’s focus on deep relaxation seems like the perfect focus pose this month.
Savasana is a useful pose for for developing mind-body awareness. “When the body is completely relaxed, awareness of the mind develops.” (Pradipika p.99) One of the things that makes savasana different from other asanas is that you take away as much physical sensation as possible. This gives the body and mind time to process the many releases that take place during yoga practice and encourages awareness of the movements of mind.
Savasna appears to be a simple pose, but it’s apparent simplicity is deceptive. It can be very difficult to completely relax the physical body and even more difficult to still the mind. If you've been wanting to practice yoga at home, give a 5 minute savasana a try. Do it right... no music, no moving. Be still and pay attention. 5 minutes of this is better than a nap!
Shannon says:
Last month I had to have emergency abdominal surgery. It was frightening and painful, needles to say it created a lot of stress. On the day I was released from the hospital my doctor told me, “No yoga for 4 weeks.”
Yikes. I felt like the main tool I use for healing had been taken from me right at the moment I needed it most.
But as soon as I got home I realized that the doctor (like most people) had a limited understanding of yoga. I needed to follow the spirit of his instructions (not the letter) and the spirit was that I should rest and avoid taxing my body in any way. So, I thought of the least taxing pose I could imagine... savasana. I got off the couch and lay down on the floor. At first I had to work into it, holding my knees up and gradually straightening them. Once I got my legs to the floor I would lay there and breathe as deeply and calmly as I could. Laying there breathing, the internal shakiness I was experiencing would subside, I felt soothed and calmed. I just lay there breathing and trusted my body to heal. It did and I began to understand why savasana is such a potent pose.
Savasana Benefits:
According to the Pradipika, “...savasana is beneficial no matter what the condition is, even in perfect health, because it brings up the latent impressions buried within the subconscious mind, and the mind which operates during waking consciousness relaxes and subsides.”
Savasana Pose Warnings:
In general savasana is a very safe pose, there are no counter-indications that we know of, but here are two modifications for specific conditions.
If you have lower back pain, bring the knees up so that the soles of the feet are flat on the floor and prop the knees. Placing a rolled up blanket under the knees is a really nice and relaxing way to do this.
During pregnancy raise the chest and head slightly - with a pillow or other prop.
Tips for Savasana:
Brian also explored savasana during a period of time when he was dealing with health issues. In typical Brian fashion, he took it to the extreme, attempting to practice this pose 8 hours a day. In order to stay alert for long periods of time he would drink a double espresso before he lay down. To this day he advocates a shot of espresso for an alert savasana experience.