Savasana comes at the very end of your yoga practice. In all Hatha lineages, (as seen below – it’s a diverse family tree with a long history of evolution) Savasana is the final, cued posture, lying completely flat on your back. Examples of Hatha yoga styles include but are not limited to: Ashtanga, Iyengar, Vinyasa, etc.
śávaḥ – corpse
āsana – pose
Merriam Webster
Cues to Land in Savasana
Lay long on your mat
Let your feet fall open, palms open by your side
Accepting, aware and at peace
Roll your shoulders down your back, creating a space between the tops of your shoulders and base of your skull
Gently close your eyes
Take a moment to let any residual movement evaporate into stillness
Inhale – FEEL what shifted inside of you
Exhale – sink in that feeling. Soften until it becomes a knowing of who you are now.
You’ve arrived. We lay to rest everything that no longer matters so we can begin again. New, and full of light.
Savasana
What’s Actually Happening During Savasana
Is the most sacred part of your practice. It is the pause and transition off your mat. A pause to understand your potential and know you have the ability to shift. It carries you back into life, never the same as the you were before.
Physically speaking:
It’s recovery. An opportunity for your heart rate to slow to a rest, and your breath to fall back to involuntary movement. Also, it allows you gain perspective of movement outside of your mat and space in the room. Your five senses are re-engaged to receive external cues.
Mentally speaking:
It’s a breath of fresh air. A new door emerges and your inching towards it. There are no thoughts that speak louder than the silence. You are conscious but you are in deep rest.
Emotionally speaking:
Your heart can be seen through a thin wall of your chest. You unravelled all the protective barriers and in stillness feel the relinquished weight that was only inhibiting your potential. You can feel fear and belief simultaneously.
Savasana is the Most Important Part of Practice
Please don’t skip it, or cut it short. It is the reason why you signed up for class, brought yourself to your mat, tested, explored and moved. The work is not over until you lay to rest.
If thoughts of what’s coming next tries to invade your privacy, ask them for 5 minutes. That’s all you need. Say, “I will return shortly, and can attend to you then.”
If the ambient sounds pull your focus away, think about using them to pull you in. Any one sound is no greater than the sum of them all.
If you have no other option, please plan to leave class before Savasana is cued. Every bone in my body urges you to never skip, but there’s always those instances where we don’t necessarily have a choice. If that’s the case, don’t cut it short and interrupt someone else’s sacred pause. Excuse yourself before the silence sets in.
When you feel nothing, you’ve arrived…and laid yourself to rest. To be re-birthed, ready to start new.