Release the Doing and Master the Art of Letting Go
When you initially embark on your yoga journey, savasana may seem like a luxury. Lying on a soft mat enveloped by fragrant incense and the gentle tones of a Tibetan singing bowl? Yes, please!
Why Savasana Matters
The wonderful aspect of savasana is that the time spent lying down, supported by bolsters, is crucial for your body to assimilate all the knowledge gained from your yoga session. Just as your body processes the food you consume to develop muscles, organs, and tissues, resting flat on your back at the conclusion of class allows your body to have the space and time to internalize the benefits of yoga asana (postures). Numerous instructors might not allocate as much focus to the anatomical details of savasana as they do to other poses. This is partly because generating an empty space is where the enchantment of savasana begins to unfold.
Why Savasana Is the Most Challenging Pose
In English, savasana translates to corpse pose. And while we’re lying down, with eyes shut and palms upturned, we couldn’t possibly be engaging in much less unless we were actually one. This is where the difficulty lies. In Buddhism, a restless mind is referred to as a monkey mind. If you’ve ever observed your thoughts, you might have noticed that it tends to leap from one idea to another like a monkey swinging among the branches. When you lie or remain still, it frequently feels as though you’re not doing much at all. There’s an urge to resist being present with all those thoughts clamoring for your focus. Thus, savasana may require more practice than other yoga postures. It’s worth the effort.
The Physical Advantages of Savasana
Savasana stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (your ‘rest and digest’ mode). The advantages of engaging with the parasympathetic nervous system (as opposed to the sympathetic nervous system, your ‘fight or flight’ reaction) encompass enhanced sleep, reduced blood pressure, decreased stress levels, and less fatigue. Moreover, when your body decelerates, your mind will follow suit.
Savasana as a Form of Meditation
Savasana aids in soothing the mind. Although you may not be monitoring your breath as you would in conventional meditation, giving yourself the duration (be it one minute or twenty) at the end of your yoga practice to relinquish ‘the doing’ is a way of letting go. And letting go is the essence of meditation. Releasing attachment to thoughts begins with permitting your body to unwind. So if the inclination to bypass savasana emerges, remind yourself that there’s equal potential for yoga magic in both savasana and handstand. Both postures require practice.