Savasana — Stay or Skip?
Do you find yourself rolling up your mat (or really wanting to) when Savasana is called?
Do you find Savasana to be the hardest pose?
Do you feel that the time in Savasana could be better spent doing something else like showering off, guzzling that well-deserved water, or scooting to your next appointment?
If so, you’re not alone! Savasana is often overlooked and underestimated, especially in the context of a high energy, power practice.
So, we’re here to break it down for you: what you’re missing when you skip Savasana, the real reason it feels hard and 3 simple tips for making this pose work for you!
Savasana means corpse or death. Simply put, it’s the time for your body to release, rest and recover. It’s the “cool down” to your practice. Just like skipping a cool down after a strenuous run, skipping Savasana robs you of the physiological pay-off. Regardless of if it’s just 1 min or 10 minutes, without allowing time for this pose, your nervous system doesn’t have the opportunity to integrate and build resilience from what you just experienced on your mat.
The practice is designed to stir sensation and tension in your body on a physical and mental level. Expending energy, breath and sweat over the span of class sets you up to receive Savasana as a gift. A gift! The ultimate opportunity to be with yourself— free of to-do’s, work emails, dinging texts and outside noise.
But, let’s be honest: laying on your back, being still and “letting go” can feel IMPOSSIBLE at times. The reality is we are so conditioned to go go go. As a collective, our ability to unwind has been hijacked by overstimulation, attachments to productivity and other mental/physical barriers. You might find yourself settling into stillness only to be bombarded by a mental landslide of thoughts— “That thing I forgot to do! An itch! This heat! That conversation from 10 years ago!”
3 tips to making Savasana possible and rewarding:
Reduce sensory input. Place something over your eyes. Darkness or reducing light into your eyes can help prompt your nervous system to relax.
Make your body comfortable! Set up your resting position in a way that allows you to actually relax. This will look different for everybody! Perhaps a block under your head for support, hands on your belly or knees bent and knocked together.
Anchor yourself to the moment. Count your breaths. Recite the mantra “I am resting.” Do a body scan— head to toe, consciously relaxing each body part. Your mind will get distracted— that’s par for the course! But, be intentional about coming back to the moment by using your anchor.
Remember— it’s a practice. A practice of self awareness. A practice of getting to know yourself. A practice of building resilience. A practice of not judging yourself. Give yourself the gift of growing through the poses, even into Savasana!
