To Get the Most from Your Practice………. Embrace the Savasana
by Liz Roodman
Originally published in Yoga & Spa Magazine
Jan/Feb 2018
I’m just here for the Savasana. If you’ve attended a yoga class, you may have heard this favorite saying and thought “Wait, what does it mean?“ You have come here for yoga, it doesn’t make much sense to lie down and take a nap. Or perhaps, it does.
This may sound odd coming from a yoga teacher, but even I would go in for a class and tell the teacher that I had to leave early, before the Savasana at the end because I couldn’t calm myself long enough to stay the extra few minutes. Now, just five years later, the Savasana has become my favorite pose, both in my own practice and when I teach. Once you know the pose, you might find yourself looking forward to the Savanna as well.
Savasana is the final pose in a yoga practice. Known as the “corpse pose”, it is described as arranging your body very deliberately to lie on your back. The pose allows gravity to do it’s work; helping you find your spine’s natural curves and letting go of the muscle energy you fired up in all those Warrior Poses!
In a world of multi-tasking and overworking our brains and bodies, the ability to relax is a necessity, but we most often maintain a sympathetic “fight or flight” state. The Savasana pose is integral in helping us to find our balance, relax and release stress. As we commit to stillness, we begin to shift to the parasympathetic “rest or healing” state that benefits our mind and body.
There is an art and a high level of skill involved in the Savasana, however, so keep practicing and don't be too hard on yourself, it may take some time to master.
For the best results in your final pose follow these steps
Separate your legs toward the front corners of your mat - allow your feet to relax and fall outwards.
Open your arms away from your sides, turning palms up and rotating your shoulder blades by drawing them underneath you - place a blanket under your head if your chin is higher than your forehead.
Lengthen your neck, and rest on the lower back of your skull - paying special attention to relaxing the facial muscles including the jaw.
If your low back feels uncomfortable - add a bolster or rolled up blanket under your knees.
Beginning at the crown of your head move your awareness down your body to what is touching the ground - making sure left and right sides are equally balanced.
Once still, allow your front body to melt towards your back body and your back body to relax to the ground underneath.
We all come to the yoga mat for different reasons: flexibility, to work out, balance, strengthening, stress reduction. Savasana, is a pose for wholeness of mind and body. See if you can reap the full benefits of yoga and stay for the Savasana.
Liz Roodman is an E-RYT 200 and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy. She teaches at Sweet Peace Yoga in Kirkwood, MO