Savasana, Deep Relaxation Practice.

Traditionally the final pose in a yoga class is “Savasana” deep relaxation. Students lay on their mats for about 5-10 minutes. This can be a silent personal meditation or a guided deep relaxation.    My students look forward to Savasana.  Sometimes I get requests for a full hour of Savasana. Why is this such a popular pose?

Why I teach Savasana. 

I teach my students that savasana is a time to absorb what we did in the active part of class.  Stretching, strengthening, and breathing are important and our bodies need time to process it.  Then our bodies begin to adapt and become stronger and better able to handle all that our world demands of us.   If we never take the time for this our nervous systems become overloaded, which can lead to an unbalanced, unhealthy life. 

“In Savasana, the body and mind get a chance to take in and integrate the effects of the practice. It’s also an important practice for the nervous system to recalibrate and reset, which we know is so important in our busy, stressful lives.” Tiffany Cruikshank, yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Medicine

Health benefits of savasana

 Deep relaxation during savasana restores your body and mind.  Today in our fast-paced world there seems no time to slow down and relax, but that is what we need to thrive in this fast time.  Savasana stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (your rest and digest response) and calms your sympathetic nervous system (your fight, flight and freeze response). This balances our nervous system. An Unbalanced nervous system can cause mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, poor attention, and poor memory.  This can also lead to behaviors that can make it hard to live a healthy, balanced life.  This can cause difficulty with relationships.  It can make dealing with colleagues, partners, friends, or family very stressful.

How to be comfortable in Savasana

Some students find it hard to get comfortable lying still.  The physical position and the quieting of the mind can be difficult. The most important thing to remember is to find a comfortable position and then let go of the process. Staying still with your mind and body to experience Savasana can feel uncomfortable. But it is part of the practice.  Allowing yourself to be with the discomfort of resting in the moment—and to be compassionate with yourself without judging. Let yourself be still with what is happening within you and around you. That is yoga… and the reason Savasana is a key pose in every practice.