What's The Point of Savasana and Do You Have To Do It?
You either love it or hate it. Many people have a strong opinion on Corpse Pose. But do you know what the purpose of lying down at the end of a yoga class is? We will delve into that and more below.
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Often the hardest pose to perform in any yoga class, Savasana or Corpse Pose, has people divided into the "love it" or "hate it" camp. Though the pose itself looks easy, striking the balance between being fully relaxed while still present and aware is truly a difficult challenge.
We live in such a fast-paced world nowadays, bombarded with information everywhere we look, that when we have a few moments of silence and stillness, it can make us feel unproductive or impatient to get to the next thing on our to-do list. Indeed, when students are pressed for time, the first thing that gets skipped is Savasana. It can feel indulgent to just lay there and do nothing. But that is precisely the beauty of this pose! To accept the moment of stillness before going back out into the world.
Before we get to the purpose of Savasana, we have to understand what it is.
WHAT IS SAVASANA?
Savasana is a period of rest and relaxation with awareness at the end of a yoga class. The body is still, and the mind is still - not thinking about the yoga practice, or what you need to get done after class, and not sleeping either. Often the physical part of the pose is easily achieved, while the mental and emotional part is where most people struggle.
The actual pose itself, Savasana (Corpse Pose), is performed lying on your back with your legs extended and arms by your side, palms facing up. However, I like to count any moment of rest and relaxation at the end of a yoga class as Savasana, no matter if you are lying on your back, lying on your stomach, or in Child's Pose.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF SAVASANA?
So why do we do Savasana, and why is it important? Savasana allows your body and mind to come back to neutral at the end of a yoga practice. Yoga works both on the external and inner body processes, such as the nervous system. By laying in stillness, fully relaxed, you allow your heart rate, temperature, blood pressure etc. to return back to its neutral state before continuing on with the rest of your day. When you can also relax your mind, thinking about nothing in particular, you will feel a state of complete bliss, like a wave of serenity washing over you.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SAVASANA?
Savasana can help you:
release stress
improve your sense of physical and emotional well-being
bring you into a state of deep relaxation in body and mind
calm your nervous system
It is practiced at the end of a yoga class; after you have moved, stretched, opened and loosened your muscles. This is so that you have removed any tightness and tension that may have built up during your day, in order to fully relax. Your diaphragm will also have relaxed during your practice, which allows you to breathe more freely during Savasana.
SO, DO YOU HAVE TO DO SAVASANA?
The answer is ultimately up to you. Now that you have found out a little more about the purpose of Savasana and the benefits, you can choose to integrate this into your practice or not. It may depend on the type of practice you are doing that day. You may feel like Savasana brings your energy too low and you would prefer to continue the day with the energy from your practice. Or you may feel that the moment of rest is highly beneficial in order to clear your mind.
However, as a yoga teacher, I highly recommend that you try to spend at least 2-3 minutes at the end of every yoga practice in some sort of rest, and longer if you can. It may not be in the traditional Corpse Pose, so choose something that is comfortable for you. Take the time to connect and listen to what your body needs.
If you are in team "hate it”, try to stick with it for a while. It will be hard at first, especially if you are one of those people who struggle to be still. But you may find that eventually you grow to like it.
What are your thoughts about Savasana? Do you love it or hate it? Do you always practice it, or prefer to skip it? Let me know in the comments box down below.
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