Namaste Dear Sonic Community,
It’s been quite the week, Halloween, The Full Blue Moon, and the Election have created quite the energetic stir. I don’t know about you all, but I am exhausted ! No matter how you feel about the outcome of the election. We all need a little rest and relaxation right now. So how about exploring the GIFT of Savasana with me.
You often hear your teacher say that Savasana is the most important of all of the Yoga poses. Some say it is the easiest pose to practice but the most difficult to master. You may be wondering how could laying in stillness for 5 to 10 minutes possibly be more beneficial than a juicy twist, deep backbend or powerful inversion?
Savasana which translates to corpse pose plays a powerful role in integrating the healing benefits of all of the above poses. The physical postures improve flexibility, strength, and balance. In savasana both muscular and skeletal tension is released and over time it allows the deeper layers of muscular stress to melt away.
The practice of savasana takes all of the wonderful benefits of the Yoga poses and allows them to integrate into your physical and energetic systems so that you rise from savasana restored and rejuvenated. It is an essential ingredient to any practice.
Physiologically savasana heals us by moving us into the para-sympathetic nervous system and awakening the relaxation response. In this deeply relaxed space, the stress cycle is interrupted, and we are delivered into a state of peace and calm. It is a great way to reduce mental stress and fatigue and has also been shown to lower blood pressure, improve sleep, decrease pain and increase creativity!
Some of us look forward to resting in savasana at the end of class, but many find it very challenging to the mind to lie still and rest. For some savasana can be one of the most difficult poses. In our overly busy and stressful modern lives it’s often hard to justify the time spent lying in savasana, but I can assure you the benefits run deep.
In addition to the physical and mental benefits, savasana gives us a powerful spiritual
opportunity. The wisdom teachings of Yoga tell us that the movement of prana flows in an evolutionary cycle from birth, life, death to rebirth. We are all constantly flowing through these states as we evolve and transform, shedding unwanted layers as we grow and expand.
This pattern is seen in the smallest microcosm of the breath cycle and is present in the natural cycles of the sun, moon, and the seasons. It can also be observed in the arc of the Yoga class.
The opening and warmups are the birth of the practice, the standing poses and counterposes are the life of the practice, and the finishing poses, most specifically savasana or corpse pose is the dissolution or death practice.
Each time we go into savasana we practice dying and being reborn. The exit from savasana is the re-birth. We leave unwanted parts of ourselves behind on the mat and move from class revitalized and transformed.
Savasana allows us to bring our best selves out into the world where the real transformation begins.
Now after your next Yoga class, be sure to allow at least 10 – 20 minutes to relax and receive the GIFT of Savasana.
With Love,
Lauren
