Mastering the Art of Savasana
There are many benefits to be found when we master the art of Savasana. It is famously the most difficult posture to hold for any amount of time. Some believe it’s the most important of the asanas, but what makes it such an essential part of the practice of Yoga?
If you’ve attended a Yoga class, you’ll recognise Savasana as the blissful time at the end to bathe in stillness; the final resting pose to reap all the benefits of your physical practice (Asana). It may appear easy, but we mustn’t underestimate the difficulty of mastering Savasana (Corpse Pose).
It’s very common, even amongst regular Yoga practitioners, to struggle to simply lie on the floor and find stillness. This is because the art of Savasana is ultimately to reach a state of relaxation so deep that both the mind and body become still. Relaxation isn’t something we can force upon ourselves, it’s something that we have to train our mind and body to be able to do.
The goal we strive to achieve during Savasana is to feel completely grounded throughout the physical body. We draw away from distractions in our immediate surroundings, the senses are calmed, and stimulation of any kind is minimalised. When we reach the physical state of relaxation, the mind is free to draw inwards, and awareness of the body is increased.
When we move through an asana flow, we allow the body to challenge its limits and unwind from the tensions that occur in our lives. Savasana is the perfect time to surrender to peacefulness and enjoy the benefits that the practice has gifted us.
Savasana rewards the body physically by relieving the muscular and skeletal systems of tension in a conscious way. The recommended length of time to spend in Savasana varies, depending on the nature of the physical practice. Most people would agree that a minimum of five minutes for each hour of physical practice, but regardless of personal preferences in time spent, we should all appreciate the importance of including Savasana as a regular part of the practice of Yoga. During a longer Savasana, physical benefits are elevated as the muscles become pacified and surrender through the deeper layers of tension.
Five tips to help succeed in Savasana
Comfort
Lie down and make yourself comfortable. This may sound obvious, but it’s essential. We stand no chance of being able to relax if we’re uncomfortable and holding onto tension. When you lie down, take a few moments to shift around, adjusting the body to find complete comfort. Maybe lift your arms up and let them fall freely away from the body, with your palms facing up. Let feet drop out to the sides and your legs fall wider than hip width apart. Make some gentle movements through your head and neck until you find a satisfying position.Grounding
Start to scan your body from top to bottom. Checking in with how you feel physically, and consciously relaxing each body part individually. Starting with your toes, feet and ankles, maybe making some small movements if that helps to consciously relax. Moving up through the body to the legs, notice your legs start to feel heavy. Let your hips feel rooted to the floor. Relax your abdomen and notice and observe the tummy gently rising and falling as your breathing is slow and steady. Check in with your chest and shoulders, feeling grounded and open through the heart chakra. Relax your arms, wrists and finger tips, again making some small adjustments if it helps you to find stillness. Let your head feel rooted and grounded and start to observe the thoughts passing through your mind in a conscious way. Let your eyes feel relaxed. Let the jaw sink and let the tongue drop from the roof of the mouth.Props
Blankets, Cushions, blocks and calming music are just a few examples of tools we can use to help to find a blissful state of comfort.Breathe
Start to focus on how you’re breathing. Inhaling deeply through your nostrils, filling the abdomen first, noticing your breath travel through the chest and lastly your throat. Then reversing on exhalation, controlling the movement of breath through each body part. This slow and controlled breathing will help to relax your physical body, and by concentrating on conscious breathing will help your mind to find tranquillity. Imagine with each inhalation, absorbing cool and refreshing new energy. Envisage each exhalation – a feeling of release of things that no longer serve you, leaving you feeling lighter and serene.Embrace
Surrender to Savasana. Don’t let any feeling of judgement disturb you during this time, however difficult it may seem to be completely still. Thoughts will come and go, don’t fight them, let them come but then let them go – for some this may be particularly challenging. Observe how you feel, physically and mentally and enjoy this precious time, reminding yourself you’re exactly where you need to be.
As we become more experienced in our practice of Savasana, it gives us freedom to explore the more meditative aspects of Yoga. During Savasana we can start to familiarise ourselves with Pratyāhārah, the fifth limb of Yoga.
Patanjali says: “When the senses withdraw themselves from the objects and imitate, as it were, the nature of the mind-stuff, this is pratyāhārah.” Pratyāhārah’s simplified meaning is to internalise the mind, withdraw from the senses and to gain mastery over external influences.
The act of withdrawing from the senses itself is no simple task, which is why so many believe Savasana to be one of the hardest poses to master. Savasana has as abundance of mindful benefits, which support the journey to a meditative state.
Savasana is ultimately about finding the balance between mental and physical relaxation and stillness. The way to find that balance is to find what works for you personally and when you arrive in that blissful state; embrace every moment of it!